Photo courtesy of Hoover City Schools
The Spain Park High School percussion ensemble.
The Spain Park High School percussion ensemble has been selected to perform at the 2026 Alabama Music Educators Association professional development conference in January at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Only one high school percussion ensemble from across the state is selected to perform each year, making this a true honor for Spain Park’s musicians. Under the direction of Richard Adams, the ensemble will present a 50-minute concert on Jan. 22 at 9:15 a.m. in the Sheraton Birmingham Ballroom.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our students and a reflection of the dedication, talent and hard work they bring to our program,” Adams said. “We are honored to represent Spain Park High School and the Hoover community on such an important stage.”
Spain Park’s percussion ensemble has 22 members, and they will perform as one big group as well as in various ensembles ranging in size from four students to eight or nine, Adams said.
This is Adams’ 19th year of teaching music. He spent his first year at the K-12 Maplesville School in Chilton County, then 11 years at Oak Grove High School and now is in his seventh year as an assistant band director at Spain Park. He also teaches at Berry Middle School.
“I’m just really proud of the hard work over the last several years to kind of build up to this,” Adams said. “It’s a big deal to be selected by your peers to be able to perform at this.”
The AMEA professional development conference is one of the largest gatherings of music educators in the state. It provides professional learning, performances and networking opportunities for music professionals.
