About us.DSA is an active and dynamic center for arts and academic education. School life at DSA is based on our shared culture of success and an emphasis on tolerance, diversity, personal responsibility, and respect for one another.
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Band Directors
Email Mr. Keegan CouseMr. Couse is in his 3rd year of teaching band in North Carolina. He is joining the DSA band staff in 2023. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Jazz Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Mr. Couse began his teaching career in Montgomery County, Maryland where he taught elementary school band and strings. Before coming to DSA, he taught band and guitar at Chatham Central High School and Bennett School in Chatham County. Outside of school, Mr. Couse loves to hike, play disc golf, and watch baseball (Go Yankees!) with Zoe, his wife, and Cash, their dog.
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Email Mrs. Susan TownsendSusan Townsend is in her 25th year of teaching band in North Carolina. She joined the DSA band staff in 2011. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Mrs. Townsend started her teaching career in Alamance county, where she earned Teacher Of The Year. In 2005, she earned her National Board Certification and recertification in 2015. Along with her teaching career, Mrs. Townsend is an active marching band adjudicator and All-County Band clinician. Susan and her husband Matt live in Mebane, where they enjoy the farm life with their Leonbergers!
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Email Mr. Allen AmosMr. Amos is in his 16th year of teaching band in North Carolina. He joined the DSA band staff in 2016. Mr. Amos was awarded the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship and attended East Carolina University. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Music Education. After teaching middle school band in Havelock, NC for four years, he attended the University of Michigan to obtain a masters degree in conducting. Mr. Amos started the band program at Lucas Middle School, in Durham, upon the school's opening in 2012. He became a National Board Certified Teacher and was named Lucas Middle School Teacher of the year in 2014. Mr. Amos has recently served on the Central District Bandmasters Association Board of Directors and was awarded 'Band Director of the Year' in 2024. When not at DSA, Mr. Amos serves as the Director of Music at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill. When not working, Mr. Amos enjoys reading, hiking, drinking coffee, and spending time with his family.
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Durham School of the ArtsDurham School of the Arts opened in 1995. It is housed in the former Durham High School building, which opened in 1922 and closed as a traditional high school in 1993. Our campus is expansive, covering three city blocks and includes eight separate buildings. Approximately 1,700 students from all parts of Durham County are enrolled in grades 6 - 12. All students enroll through a lottery application system, since DSA has no specific attendance zone and over 2,000 students apply for open positions yearly. Because both students and staff have elected to be at DSA, we feel it is both an honor and a privilege for all of us to be a part of this learning community.
We are a school like no other. Durham School of the Arts is a magnet school founded on the premise of providing our students with an education focused on excellence in the visual and performing arts and rigorous academics. We believe that since our students are both participants and consumers of the arts, they will be better educated and more informed citizens. As a result, we expect our students to be the leaders and intellectuals of tomorrow. DSA partners with top tier institutions, such as the Durham Performing Arts Center, Duke University and the American Dance Festival, to expose our students to high caliber guest artists who provide workshops and master classes. Students choose an area of concentration following their 8th grade year. Concentration areas include: Band, Chorus, Strings, Piano, Guitar, Theater, Dance, Visual Art, Commercial & Artistic Technologies, and Creative Writing. |