Now in his eighteenth year as a music educator and performer, Earnest Echols brings a wealth of experience and soul to the podium. A graduate of the University of Alabama with both a BSE and MM in Music Education, Echols has led ensembles across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, as well as across the seas—guiding young and older musicians with the same passion that drives his own performances.

As a pianist and trumpeter, Echols has toured internationally, including Kenya, Zambia, Italy, Spain, and England, and was a featured performer with B.B. King’s Blues All-Stars in Orlando from 2011–2015. His musical fingerprint can be heard on numerous gospel, R&B, and smooth jazz projects alongside artists such as Sherri Jones-Moffett, Lisa McClendon, Noel Gourdin, Micah Stampley, Jazmin Ghent, and Ruben Studdard.

Echols is a proud member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Alabama Music Educators Association, the Alabama Bandmasters Association, and the Alabama Education Association. Whether in the classroom or on stage, he continues to inspire audiences through performances that fuse orchestral power with the timeless soul of R&B.