The Midlothian High School Band Program gives students the opportunity to perform in concert settings, marching band, jazz, percussion ensemble, chamber ensembles, and musical theatre pits. The Trojan Band Program has developed a long-standing culture of excellence including high expectations for all ensembles. Students in the Program gain practical experience in music and become part of a close-knit family.
The Music Department at Midlothian High School includes thirteen classe in Band, Orchestra, Guitar, and Vocal Music. The Music Department has been recognized as a Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon School for Music for Superior performances in Band, Chorus, and Orchestra nine times.
Our Director
Gordon Rawls has been the Director of the Trojan Bands since 2003 when he took over after the retirement of 37-year Director Jim Hale who directed the program through its first fifteen Honor Band designations. Under Mr. Rawls’s leadership, the program has experienced sustained growth in numbers and musical maturity since 2008, to the point of almost doubling in participation. In 2018 the program achieved its twentieth Honor Band designation including the last four consecutive years. Mr. Rawls grew up in Newport News and has degrees in music from East Carolina University and The University of Tennessee. He lives in Midlothian with his wife Amy and their two daughters Emma and Laura Jo.
Percussion Director
Chris Thomas has been the Director of Percussion at Midlothian High School since 1991. Since that time the percussion program has grown to over thirty students. Students in the percussion ensemble experience concert percussion, marching battery and front ensemble, drum set, steel drums, taiko drums, hand drums from all over the world, and every style of music from Caribbean to rock and roll to symphonic transcriptions to jazz to pop. Mr. Thomas grew up in Michigan and holds degrees from Central Michigan University and Northwestern University. In addition to leading the Midlothian percussion program, he is the adjunct professor of percussion at Longwood University and maintains an active schedule of performing and private teaching.
Color Guard Director
Kathy Ayoub has been the Director of the Trojan Color Guard Program since 2016. In that short time the program has grown from two to over twenty members. Mrs. Ayoub grew up in upstate NY and Gaithersburg Md. Her Color Guard experience includes marching with the Richfield Springs Kachinas Color Guard for 4 years, attending the WGI (Winter Guard International) World Championships twice. The group placed 3rd and 8th in Independent A class in 1981 and 1982 respectively. The team also won many state and regional titles. Mrs. Ayoub is the mom of 2 competitive baton twirlers who compete nationally. She has an AA Degree in Law Enforcement and BS in Sociology from Towson University in Baltimore, Md. and lives in Midlothian with her husband and children.