Udugu Fi Ngoma..

Nicholas B.Thomas is a native of Atlanta, Georgia where he graduated from Cedar Grove High School in the spring of1996. Mr. Thomas received his bachelor’s degree (B.S) in Music Education from Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, in the spring of 2001, where he was a conducting student of Dr.William P.Foster, Dr. Julian White and Dr.Shelby Chipman. Mr. Thomas studied band arranging with Professor Lindsey Sarjeant, and served as the student arranger for Florida A&M’s famed “Marching 100” Band. While at FAMU, Mr. Thomas served as University Bands President (2000-2001), Section Leader (Saxophones, 1998-2001), President of the Delta Iota Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (2000-2001), and as the Southeastern District Member-at-Large for Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (2000-2001). Mr. Thomas completed his masters degree in Music Education (M.M.E.) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in the summer of 2004, where studied conducting with professor James F. Keene. Mr. Thomas more recently has completed the Educational Leadership Add-On Certificate Program (2005) at Kennesaw State University, in Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.

Mr. Thomas has been the Associate Director Bands at Southwest DeKalb High School since 2001. His responsibilities include arranging for the SWD “Marching Panthers” Band and, conducting the SWD Concert (Advance Band III) and Symphonic bands (Advance Band II). He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Georgia Music Educators Association, Music Education National Conference, Excelsior Lodge #754 Free & Accepted Masons, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Mr. Thomas’ personal teaching philosophy is to “motivate and prepare students to meet and achieve their highest potential in music and in life”.