Staff -

Jesse Rackley - Director of Carolina Gold Drum Corps, the artistic director of the Triangle youth Brass Bands, and conductor ofthe Watson Brass Band. He has been our arranger for six years, and also arranges for Green Hope and Sanderson. A graduate of East Carolina University and Northern Nash High School, he an accomplished tenor trombonist, euphoniumist, and educator. He is the Principal Trombone of the Fayetteville Symphony and Tar River Philharmonic and second trombone with the Carolina Philharmonic. He performs regularly with the North Carolina Symphony and has performed with the Wilmington symphony, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Durham Symphony and Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. Jesse was the winner of the 2009 and 2007 Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference’s solo euphonium competition, runner up in the 2002 International Tuba Euphonium Conference’s Young Artist solo competition, semi-finalist in the 2002 Leonard Falcone International Tuba Euphonium Competition, and was the winner of the 2002 NC Governor’s School Concerto Competition.

Jim Boyce -

James Boyce, Jr. graduated from East Carolina University in 2006 with a bachelors in Music Education. Since graduation, he has served music organizations across the United States through teaching and music composition. His formal experience began with instructing and arranging for the Havelock High School percussion program in Havelock, NC from 2005-2010. During this time, he was also an instructor for the 2007 West Carteret High School Indoor Percussion Theater (2007 WGI Scholastic A Regional Champion). In 2008, Jim was a co-front ensemble instructor with the WGI Independent World indoor percussion ensemble, Constitution. In 2009, Jim's growing interest in the indoor percussion activity led him to found, direct, and co-design the WGI Independent A percussion ensemble, Craven. In 2010 they received a Bronze Medal at the WGI World Championships under his direction.

While freelance percussion teaching and composing is a passion, Jim's career has been in public education. From 2006 to 2010, he taught band at Havelock Middle School in Havelock, NC where his ensembles consistently received excellent and superior ratings. From 2010-2013, Jim was the Assistant Director of Bands and the Percussion Director at Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount, NC. While in this position, the percussion program was honored to perform twice with the East Carolina University Percussion studio, receive a gold medal at the 2011 Atlantic Indoor Association Championships, win their class at the 2012 Spartanburg WGI Regional, receive silver medals at the 2012 and 2013 Atlantic Indoor Association Championships, and perform at the 2013 NC Day of Percussion East. Following his tenure at Northern Nash, Jim assisted with the opening of a new middle school and band program in the city of Rocky Mount, NC, serving as the band director and then assistant principal of the school. Throughout his teaching career, Jim also taught privately, having multiple students participate in the NC All-State Bands and go on to major in music at prominant universities. Currently, Jim is an assistant principal at Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, NC.

Jim has held memberships in the National Association of Music Educators, the North Carolina Band Master’s Association and the Percussive Arts Society. He has also served on the North Carolina Band Master's State Marching Band Committee and the Winter Guard International Percussion Advisory Board. Jim currently resides with his wife (Cassie), daughter (Lyla), and dog (Ellie) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and hopes that both his service in education and musical compositions will lead students to more fulfilling lives.

Jim is a proud member of the Vic Firth, Inc. education team.

2019-2020 Band Staff

Instructional Staff