HowardBarry Howard, a 19-year teacher of both middle and high school bands in the state of North Carolina, has been named Director of Athletic Bands at Belmont Abbey College.

In his role, Howard will help lay the foundation for a more robust music program, beginning with the formation of a pep band that will perform at indoor athletic events next year.
“We are thrilled to announce the hire of Barry Howard as our first Director of Athletic Bands,” Director of Athletics Stephen Miss said. “Under Barry’s leadership, not only will the experience of those participating and those attending our athletic competitions be enhanced significantly, but the growth of our music program that naturally will ensue will impact positively the culture of Belmont Abbey College as well as our community at large.”

Howard spent the first ten years of his career as the Associate Director of Bands at East Union Middle School and Forest Hills High School in Marshville, N.C.  The bands at these two schools earned consistent “superior ratings” in both concert and marching competitions under his leadership. From 1999 until 2008, he served as the Director of Bands at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, helping the band achieve immediate success with high ratings, class placement awards, and several grand championships.  Likewise, both the symphonic and concert bands earned a combined 11 superior ratings at the state festival during his nine-year tenure.

A member of the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA), Howard has served as the District President and as the chairman for All-District Band Auditions for the Northwest NC District Bandmasters Association.  Similarly, he was a charter member of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association’s (NCBA) Marching Band Committee which was responsible for the creation of the NCBA’s evaluation instrument for marching band. In addition, he has been honored to serve as a judge for both marching and concert band competitions and as a guest clinician for all-county band events in Caldwell, Catawba, Forsyth, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties in North Carolina, and Carroll and Grayson Counties in Virginia.

Having earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education from Wingate University in 1989 and a Master’s of Music Education from the University of South Carolina in 1994, Howard went on to receive a Juris Doctorate from the Charlotte School of Law in May of 2011. He has subsequently been admitted to the North Carolina Bar and is the owner and senior attorney at the Law Office of Barry R. Howard, P.A.
He and his wife, Sabrina, who serves as orchestra director at Charlotte Latin School, reside in Matthews with their son, Sam.