Welcome new Music Director Naomi Fernandez!

We are pleased to announce that Naomi (Woods) Fernandez will be joining the Campion Academy staff as our Music Director. She has over 25 years of experience as a music instructor in both public and Seventh-day Adventist schools. 

Fernandez, her husband Aaron, and their almost four-year old son Alexander will be moving to Campion from New York City where she spent the last six years working for a nonprofit, Education through Music, developing music programs in Title I schools. As an Associate Director, she developed curriculum and provided mentorship for teachers. 

While the move would be a major lifestyle change, Fernandez remarked, “It’s been fun impacting teachers in my current position, but I miss the classroom, that’s where I thrive. Also, we want to raise our son in a less worldly environment, in a place where it’s cool to love God.”

Fernandez’s educational background includes attending Entreprise Academy for high school, Union College for her Bachelor’s of Music Education with a religion minor, and Boston University for her Master’s of Music Education. 

Since completing her education she has worked as a music director at Tualatin Valley Academy, Central Valley Adventist Academy, Portland Adventist Academy, as well as a public middle school. In those schools she led all types of musical groups including choir, band, handbells, and even steel drums and competitive choirs. 

Fernandez and her husband had originally planned to move out of the city in 2025, but when Sunnydale’s music director Joseph Choi called her to tell her that the position was open at Campion, she realized God was leading her to this opportunity. “God moved in so many ways,” Fernandez explained; “People I knew from Campion found out that I applied and there was such excitement from them; they all called me or wrote to me and it felt like such a huge hug and confirmation that God was in this.”

At Campion this upcoming school year, Fernandez plans to continue the current ensembles including orchestra, jazz band, handbells, choir, and Koinonia. She was happy to hear of the enthusiasm Campion students have had for the music department and hopes to continue that excitement saying, “In my first year I want to really learn the community and get to know the students, to see their strengths, and to see what is possible and would be exciting for them in the future.”

When asked which is her favorite ensemble to direct, Fenandez said, “I really couldn't choose, because I love them all so much. I was a clarinetist first, so I have a special place for band in my heart, but I’m also a singer, and I love handbells! One thing I love is being challenged by a new musical form or group type because I love to learn and having something challenging keeps me motivated.”

One of her favorite parts of teaching music is helping students develop their own musicianship. She explained, “My job is to give students the tools to be their own musicians. I feel that if I've done my job, at the end of the day, they really don't need me anymore. But what's really cool about being a music teacher at an Adventist school is that I get to show them how the development of their musicianship leads to the development of their relationship with God. Musical ability is a gift that was given to us, and when we can see it that way, it starts to blossom, and we're able to use it to minister to others.”

When she isn’t leading or creating music, Fernandez enjoys photography, tennis, and spending time in nature with her family. Her husband Edgar Aaron Fernandez, who goes by Aaron, works as an IT Director for the structural engineering company Thornton Tomasetti. He works mostly from home, but will also be able to work at the company’s office in Denver. 

Fernandez concluded by sharing that she is looking forward to getting to know the students, the community available here for her family, and of course the (lack of) commute. “I want the students to know I’m excited. I will give it 150%. I give my all to everything I do, and I will do that here. I don’t promise to be perfect, but I promise to give my best and be responsive to the students in the community.” 

Please join us in welcoming the Fernandez family to our Campion community when they move to campus in mid-July!

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