Forte Jazz Lounge

Raleigh, North Carolina native Ronnie Ward received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Winthrop University and a Masters of Music Education with a minor in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. Mr. Ward was first employed by the Berkeley County School District as the music teacher at Howe Hall Elementary from 1993-1995. During the 1997 school year, Mr. Ward served as the Director of Bands at the Princeton Schools in Princeton, North Carolina. From 1998 - 2000, Mr. Ward served as the Director of Bands at Palmetto Middle School and the assistant director at Palmetto High School in the Upstate. The 2000 school year marked the start of his return to Berkeley County at College Park Middle School, where he served as the assistant director until 2003. He then moved into his current position as the Director of Bands at Westview Middle School. He is an assistant at Stratford High School and has been since 2000. Mr. Ward has led the Berkeley All-County Jazz Band for twenty years. Mr. Ward's students have received the highest ratings at State Concert Festival, State Marching Festival, State Jazz Festival, and Solo and Ensemble Festival, while individual students have been selected by audition to All-County, All-Region, and All-State Bands. 

Mr. Ward has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and performer throughout the Carolinas. His professional affiliations include National Association for Music Education, SCMEA, Phi Beta Mu, American School Band Directors Association, and the South Carolina Band Directors Association. He is currently our State ASBDA treasurer and SCBDA Jazz Chairman.