By Kyle Coppola
Lake Minneola High Welcomes New Band Director Amelia Leitschuh
MINNEOLA, Fla. — Lake Minneola High School is preparing for a new chapter in its music program as it bids farewell to longtime Band Director Mr. West and welcomes Amelia Leitschuh as the new Director of Bands.
Mr. West, who has led the LMHS Band program with distinction, is concluding his final year after years of dedicated service. Known for his passion, leadership, and commitment to student growth, Mr. West leaves behind a lasting legacy that has shaped the program and positively impacted generations of student musicians.
“His impact on our students and the LMHS band community will be felt for years to come,” the school shared in a statement. “We are grateful for his incredible leadership and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
(Ms. Leitschuh is a fantastic musician. She is among the Florida’s top trumbonists and has performed with some of the top groups in the state. Photo Credit – LMHS.)
Beginning with the 2025–2026 school year, Ms. Amelia Leitschuh will step into the role of Director of Bands. A native of the Tampa Bay area, Leitschuh is a trombonist and music educator who began playing in 2011 and has been teaching since 2023.
Leitschuh earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tampa, where she held key performance roles as principal trombone in the Wind Ensemble, lead trombone in the Jazz Ensemble, and was a selected performer in the Spartan Brass Quintet. She also served as president of the Kappa Kappa Psi Alpha Sigma chapter. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in music education at Florida State University.
Since 2020, Leitschuh has performed with ensembles including the Tampa Bay Symphonic Winds, Tampa Bay Big Band, South Shore Symphony Orchestra, and Wesley Chapel Wind Ensemble. From 2023 to 2025, she taught multiple ensembles — including marching band, concert band, jazz ensemble, and percussion ensemble — at Pasco High School.
“We are excited to have Ms. Leitschuh on board,” the school said. “Her passion for music and education will continue the tradition of excellence in the LMHS Band program.”
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
