After moving to Atlanta, circumstances led to a career change and a decade of motherhood and family obligations. She unexpectedly received the opportunity to take on the challenge of teaching band at The King’s Academy, a private, university-model Christian school in Woodstock, Georgia—and once again, found herself teaching band and developing relationships with students. That year, the band had ten students in one all-abilities ensemble. In the ten years since, we have grown to include nearly fifty elementary, middle, and high school students in beginning band, concert band, and marching band. The journey has not been without obstacles, but the blessing of sharing music with a new generation of students - now including three of her own daughters - has far outweighed any difficulties.

The journey is ultimately “the thing” in instrumental music: we begin a new piece of music with just the fundamentals of notes and rhythms, and over the course of several weeks we begin to explore how to use those fundamentals to create a beautiful musical experience to share with our audience. Teamwork, leadership, character and perseverance are the skills built and stay with us whether we become career musicians or not. Relationships with students are still precious to her, but now it is helping students to develop these intangible qualities that pushes Lisa to continue teaching with excellence. Mrs. Adams prays that she will be able to continue shaping lives through the medium of instrumental music for years to come.

Lisa Adams resides in the Atlanta area with her husband Jonathan (a fellow lifelong band kid) and their five daughters. Aside from teaching, she enjoys performing with the Georgia Wind Symphony, running, and traveling with her family.

“Post-secondary education was the opening of a world of possibilities and exploration of myself and my gifts.  It was a time of me beginning to “own” my own identity, independent of my parents (though still rooted in the foundation they laid for me), and it gave me the experiences and perspective that I needed to successfully launch into adulthood.” - Lisa Adams