Pamlico County School Bands

08/09/2026

Sad News/Canceling Band Camps
(until further notice)

PC Band Family,

A few of you have already heard, but I wanted to make sure I reached out to all of you.

This is, sadly, my last few weeks working for Pamlico County Schools. I want to preface this by saying that I love Pamlico and all of the amazing students, parents, educators and community members I have had the chance to work with over the last 17 years. You are all so very important to me and I am going to miss you all very much.

I will be teaching at Burgaw Middle School this school year. It was not planned for me to leave at this time. I had made the decision that I would stay in Pamlico until I retired, but life has a way of changing plans. I am at a point in my life where I need to focus on some new personal health issues, as well as focusing more on my family and their needs. Also, as some of you know, my performance career has started to become more busy. This new job will afford me more time to focus on all of those things.

I am sorry for the last minute change too. This was not planned and came up very suddenly and was an offer I felt like I had to take because of the reasons mentioned above.

Please know that I will miss all of you so much and I will always be so grateful that I got to teach you/teach your child/teach with you/be a part of this amazing community.

I am canceling the rest of the summer Band Camps but will be at school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this coming week. I also plan to be at the Band Booster meeting scheduled for Sep 18 @ 5:30pm. It will probably be held in the wrestling room in the new building. They are still working on getting the auditorium set up so it can be occupied again. It may be into the school year before the Auditorium/Band Room building is ready.

I will be finishing getting all of the instruments and room ready for the next chapter for Pamlico County Bands. I am not sure how much longer I will be around at the schools, but this may be the last time I talk to all of you as the Pamlico Band Director. If that is the case, I am very sorry I did not get to say goodbye properly. This was all so sudden and even took me by surprise.

My heart will always be with Pamlico and will always have that Hurricanes Pride firmly attached.

You all made me proud to be your band director. Please keep in touch and let me know what amazing things you do next and in your life.

Always remember to work together as One Band with One Sound!
When things get tough and seem impossible don't ever forget to Keep Moving Forward!!
and always, no matter what, do everything With Pride!!!

Pamlico!
With Pride!

Pamlico!!
With Pride!!

PAMLICO!!!
WITH PRIDE!!!

One Band! One Sound!
Keep Moving Forward!!
With Pride!!!

Jim Durham
Director of Bands
Pamlico County Schools
[email protected]

08/03/2026

08/02/2026

IMPORTANT - Marching Band Not starting until Next Week (Mon 8/10) - IMPORTANT

With the demolition to the old building they had to cut the water lines off (no water and no bathrooms in the auditorium building). There is also no fire alarm system in the building.

We are not allowed to occupy the building right now. I will take the next couple of days to figure out everything so we can have band camp next week and then I will let you know as soon as I have a plan in place.

I will probably need some help moving the band room to a new location for band camp and the first part of the school year.

Please help me by getting the word out to as many people as possible that we won’t be starting band camp until next week.

We will just have to skip the first week in our summer schedule and start next week.

I wish I knew something sooner, but we literally just found out last night.

Thank you so much for your help.

Here is the summer schedule now:

August 10-14
Marching Band Camp Week 2 (Full Days)
(Everybody comes)

Mon. ​8/10​ ​Full Band Camp ​(Music/Drill)​​8am – 5:30pm
Tue. ​8/11​ ​Full Band Camp ​(Music/Drill)​​8am – 5:30pm
Wed. ​8/12​ ​Full Band Camp ​(Music/Drill)​​8am – 5:30pm
Thu. ​8/13​ ​Full Band Camp ​(Music/Drill)​​8am – 5:30pm
Fri. ​8/14​ ​Full Band Camp ​(Music/Drill)​​8am – 5:30pm


August 17-20
Pamlico Sound Jazz Ensemble Camp (Evenings)

Mon.​8/17​​​Full Jazz Band​​5:30pm – 7:30pm
Tue. ​8/18​​Full Jazz Band​​5:30pm – 7:30pm
Wed. ​8/19​​Full Jazz Band​​5:30pm – 7:30pm
Thu. ​8/20​​Full Jazz Band​​5:30pm – 7:30pm
Regular Jazz Rehearsals will be Mondays & Wednesdays After School until 5:30pm (Starting 8/31)


August 24-28
1st Week of School Marching Band Practices (After School)
(Everybody comes)

Mon. ​8/24​ ​1st Week Practices​​(Music/Drill)​Afterschool – 5:30pm
Tue. ​8/25​ ​1st Week Practices​​(Music/Drill)​Afterschool – 5:30pm
Wed. ​8/26​ ​1st Week Practices​​(Music/Drill)​Afterschool – 5:30pm
Thu. ​8/27​ ​1st Week Practices​​(Music/Drill)​Afterschool – 5:30pm
Fri. ​8/28​First Home Football Game ​(Dinner Provided)​Afterschool – Game Ends

Marching Band Rehearsals
Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (Starting 9/1) Until the Competition is over
All Marching Practices will be Afterschool – 5:30pm

Marching Practices will just be on Thursdays After the Competition is over
Afterschool – 5:30pm
Until last Parade is over


Pamlico County Schools, Pamlico County Middle School, County High School

07/28/2026

07/21/2026

This says so much and just enough at the same time!

John Coltrane learned that the hard way that Miles didn’t hand out compliments easily...

If you played in his band, you learned through pressure, silence, and the occasional brutal one-liner.

By 1960, Coltrane’s solos had become legendary — long, searching, unstoppable streams of sound. He could stretch a single tune for 20 minutes without repeating himself. For some listeners it was hypnotic; for others, exhausting.

One night after a show, Coltrane admitted to Miles that he didn’t know how to stop.

“I start playing,” he said, “and I just can’t figure out where to end.”

Miles, deadpan as ever, replied: “Take the horn out of your mouth"

That was it. Lesson over.

Behind the humour was something deeper — two completely different approaches to creativity. Miles believed in space, in the power of silence between notes. Coltrane was obsessed with searching, following each phrase until it reached its spiritual limit.

The tension between those ideas made their music together so explosive. You can hear it on Kind of Blue: Miles playing short, perfectly placed phrases; Coltrane spiralling outward in search of something infinite.

By the time Coltrane left Miles’s group later that year, he’d already begun to map out a new sound. He formed his own quartet, recorded My Favorite Things, and by 1965 released A Love Supreme — a record that turned jazz into prayer.

That one exchange — half joke, half philosophy — summed up their difference. Miles wanted each note to mean more. Coltrane wanted to find all the notes that could exist.

And somehow, both were right.

The story has survived because it captures a universal truth about art: the balance between saying too little and saying too much.

Miles’ timing and restraint shaped modern jazz. Coltrane’s intensity and devotion expanded it into something spiritual.

Two artists, one simple piece of advice — and two completely different roads that changed music forever.

[📸 Miles Davis: William Gottlieb, public domain // John Coltrane: Distributed by Impulse! Records, Public domain, both via Wikimedia Commons]

07/11/2026

Music education isn't a distraction from academic success, it can be a contributor to it.

Research has found a positive relationship between music participation and academic achievement, with music course performance helping predict future academic success.

If you believe more people need to hear this message, share this post and help us change the conversation around music education.

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