(Middlefield, OH) - The Cardinal Music Department is excited to welcome Hailey Baker and Charlotte Stefani to the Huskie family, as the two were officially approved at the Board of Education meeting on June 24th.
Baker will serve as the instrumental music teacher for grades 7–12, while Stefani joins the district as the assistant band director and elementary music teacher. With the addition of the two, the Fine Arts Department is eager to begin the season later this month and hopes the community will give them a warm welcome at their first performance of the season on Friday, July 31st.
Hailey Baker grew up just 25 minutes northeast of Middlefield and graduated from Bristol High School in 2012. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music Education in Instrumental Music from Youngstown State University in 2017.
Baker began her teaching career as the band director for grades 5-12 at Mathews Local Schools in Vienna, Ohio. She later served as a band director at both McDonald High School and Geneva High School. Continuing her commitment to music education, Baker earned her master’s degree from Youngstown State University while serving as a graduate assistant with the university’s athletic bands.
“Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I loved playing my flute any chance I could get, and band was my favorite subject in school, so it made the decision pretty easy,” said Baker. “Along with my own personal passion to pursue a career in music education, my college Wind Ensemble director, Dr. Stephen L. Gage, really continued to spark my passion for music education. His unwavering support of his students, passion for his field, and dedication to being the best musician, conductor, and human being are something that will stay with me forever. As he would always say, "Dare to be Great!”
Joining Baker and Flag Line Advisor Haley Adams this season is Charlotte Stefani, who will serve as Cardinal’s assistant band director and elementary music teacher.
Stefani recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in music education in December 2025. She grew up in Cary, Illinois, approximately an hour and a half northeast of Chicago, and she graduated from Cary-Grove High School, a district serving approximately 3,750 students in grades K-12.
When it came time to choose a college, Stefani said there was one program that immediately stood out.
“While looking at colleges, Ohio State caught my eye because of The Best Damn Band in the Land. When I visited campus, I fell in love with both the university and the School of Music and knew instantly that Columbus was where I wanted to be. I also had the opportunity to participate in two musical study-abroad programs-one in Brazil and one in Japan,” she said.
During her time at The Ohio State University, Stefani performed as a trombonist with The Ohio State University Marching Band and was also a member of the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, and Trombone Choir while teaching private lessons. She completed her student teaching at Olentangy Hyatts Middle School, where she taught 6th-8th grade band students.
“I had so many phenomenal music teachers as I was growing up, and their guidance and impact on my life made me realize that I wanted to do that for the next generation,” said Stefani when asked what inspired her to pursue a career in education. Music was also the school place where I found my ‘home’ at school, and I knew I wanted to keep it in my life forever while sharing that experience with as many people as I could.”
When asked what attracted them to Cardinal, both Baker and Stefani shared the same sentiment: the close-knit, small-town community that makes Cardinal Local Schools such a special place to teach and learn.
“I love the small community atmosphere! It really gives me a chance to get to know all of my students, coworkers, administrators, and community members,” said Baker.
“Cardinal and Middlefield remind me of a perfect mix of the area where I grew up, and the small town in Michigan where my family vacations every year,” said Stefani. “It instantly had a feeling of home! As I went through the interview process, every single person I met was so kind and welcoming, and I just instantly felt that this was a community I would love to join. I could also tell that this town is so supportive of the band and music at Cardinal, which I knew was going to make my job so exciting!”
While the Cardinal Huskies Marching Band and Flag Line have experienced leadership transitions over the past few years, the programs have remained a proud tradition within both the school district and the community. Baker and Stefani share a common goal of providing stability, building strong relationships with students, and continuing to strengthen a program that has long been a source of Cardinal pride.
“I’m willing to do anything to get involved with the community,” said Baker as she volunteered to help at the Ox Roast, while serving corn dogs and Swiss Cheese on a stick out of the district’s trailer over the holiday weekend.
Looking ahead to the upcoming school year, both Baker and Stefani shared their goals for the Cardinal music programs and the impacts they hope to make on students.
“For short-term goals, I am excited to work with students to continue pushing them musically while performing concerts and shows that the students, community, and I can all be proud of,” said Baker. Long-term, I hope to continue building on those goals by providing consistency within our program while recruiting and retaining students for years to come. I also think it’s important to preserve our band and community traditions because they’re what make us unique. At the same time, I want to challenge our students by introducing different styles of music that help them grow as musicians and individuals.”
At the elementary level, Stefani is focused on creating a classroom where students are excited to learn.
“One of my goals for this school year is to keep students interested and invested in music,” she said. “I want to incorporate a wide variety of activities in my classroom that make learning fun and engaging. Looking toward the future, I hope to encourage as many students as possible to join the Fifth-grade band. The more, the merrier! I hope that students develop a love for music at a young age and choose to continue that journey by learning an instrument and participating in a band.”
As the leadership team prepares for marching band in the coming weeks, Baker and Stefani will work alongside Flag Line Advisor Haley Adams to bring this year’s production to life. Student leadership - including Drum Majors Lucas Gresch and Delilah Turon, Band Captain Izzabell Lingler, and Flag Line Co-Captains Aallyah Barbee and Kaitlyn Omlor - will play an important role in helping preserve the traditions of Cardinal while embracing a new era of leadership.
Outside of the classroom, Baker enjoys hiking and visiting state and national parks, baking, and spending time with her two cattle dogs, Nash and Kelsey.
Stefani enjoys expressing her creativity through art.
“I am not the most talented artist out there,” she laughed, “but I used to be very into digital art on my iPad, as well as painting and drawing. One of my goals this year is to spend more time creating art again, and it’s been a lot of fun. I also enjoy watching new TV shows, and movies-I almost always have something playing in the background-and I love building LEGO sets.”
When asked what she is most looking forward to this season, Baker didn’t hesitate.
“I am most looking forward to the first football game of the season,” she said. “It’s always so exciting and rewarding when all of the hard work over the summer and during Band Camp pays off. Getting to perform for our community while supporting our football team for the first time each season is a special feeling.”
The Cardinal Huskies Marching Band will debut its 2026-2027 production, The British Invasion, during its annual Band Camp Preview Show on Friday, July 31, before traveling to several band shows throughout the season and opening the football schedule at LaBrae on Thursday, August 20. This year’s production features classic hits, including You Really Got Me, Satisfaction, Gimmie Some Lovin’, I Saw Her Standing There, and Who Are You.
For Stefani, success extends far beyond a performance score.
“A successful school year to me,” said Stefani, “Looks like kids telling me that they loved music class! I think that learning music is meant to be a fun time, and it makes the whole thing easier. In a more specific way, I hope that my K-4 students end the year with more developed knowledge in the musical world, whether that is learning rhythms, musical history, or different classroom instruments. For my band classes, I think success is when the band audibly grows in their performance strength. Throughout the whole year, we will be learning and practicing new skills that lead to us becoming better players. I want parents to be able to hear the growth in their musicians when they compare the first concert to the last one,” said Stefani.