Ace Martin, Instrumental Music Chairman
Phone: 346-5620 Ext. 150
E-mail: martina2@duvalschools.org

Mr. Martin has been the Instrumental Music Chairman at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts since the school opened in 1984. He received his Bachelor of Music Education, Certificate in Trumpet Performance, and Master of Music from Florida State University. He has taught Symphonic and Concert Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band I and II, Music Theory, Music Appreciation, Class Piano, and Electronic Music. His current teaching duties include department chairmanship, Jazz Band I, Music Theory and Electronic Music. Mr. Martin over the years has  consistently received Superior Ratings from District, State, and National Festivals. Jazz Band I under the direction of Mr. Martin has been invited to play for various local, state, national, and international Festival events. The band has performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Le Rondeveau Jazz Festival in Nantes, France, Lucerne, Switzerland, the first Jazz Awareness Month at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the National Grand Champion of the Creative Arts National Workshop, and Feista-val Music Festival. Jazz Band I has been as guest artist many times on the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Savannah Jazz Festival, Port Orange Lakeside Jazz Festival, performed for NFL Super Bowl Commissioner's party, but has also performed for Congressional Representatives, Mayoral and Governor Inaugurations.  Under Mr. Martin's direction Jazz Band I won the coveted Essentially Ellington National High School Jazz Competition in 2006 at Jazz at Lincoln Center created by Wynton Marsalsis. In 2007, at the Tribeca Film Festival, Chops the movie premiered and was shown around the country.  Chops is a documentary film about Jazz Band I journey to New York showing all the ventures  that went along the way with teachers and students in the quest to winning the Essentially Ellington National High School Jazz Competition.  The movie was released in the summer of 2009 on DVD.  The movie is now in all formats and can be downloaded from iTunes and available in various rental venues, such as NetFlex. 

Most recently Mr. Martin received the Technology Institute for Music Educators Mike Kovins 2008 National Teacher of the Year award for his development and teaching of Electronic Music at Douglas Anderson, plus he has been recognized by Downbeat Magazine for Jazz Educator Achievement Award for 2008. Also along with other music faculty members the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts music department was awarded the National Grammy Signature School in 2010 by the Grammy Foundation as the top music department in the United States. Prior this the music department was consider in the top 2 (Gold Level) Grammy Signature Schools in the nation for music education in 2007 and 2008. Mr. Martin is an educator, clinician, and performer. He is a former member of the Jacksonville Symphony, Savannah Symphony, West Coast Symphony, Bach Festival Orchestra, and has been the principal trumpet with the St. Johns River City Band(professional brass band and jazz band) for the past 26 years. Plus, he was the founder/co-director of the St. Johns River City Youth Band.   Mr. Martin has and continues to perform with a number of Broadway show orchestras, jazz bands, professional artist back up groups, and various commercial recordings. He was the featured solosist for the nationwide televised Gator Bowl Halftime show plus he has performed with chamber ensembles here in locally and in Europe. He is the creator and artistic director of the Douglas Anderson's annual Extravaganza held each year for the community to experience the best that Douglas Anderson has to offer.

Mr. Martin is a member of a variety of professional and honor music organization such as the Florida Bandmasters Association, International Association of Jazz Educators, (TI:ME) Technology Institute for Music Educators, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Pi Kappa Lambda.