JHS Band Director Meghan Murray addresses Jamestown School Board with Marching Band supporters behind her (February 13, 2024)
Jamestown High School Marching Band Director Meghan Murray was celebrated for her 18 years in the position as she officially resigned on Tuesday.
Murray, who will continue as the JHS Director of Bands, was full of emotion as she addressed the Jamestown School Board.
She said deciding to step away as the Marching Band Director was “one of the hardest decisions of my life,” “I have lived and breathed this program since I was 14 years old. As a student, the program gave me a sense of belonging and taught me many skills I still carry with me today. Ultimately, being part of the high school band showed me my passion and led me to my career in music education. It has and always will hold a special place in my heart. And it’s been an honor and privilege to direct the marching band for 18 years.”
Murray said moving on is “bittersweet” but it’s the right decision for her family. She said during the transition time she will do everything she can to ensure the future of a Marching Band at the high school.
Murray has helped lead the program to three Large School 2 state titles in 2014, 2015, and 2018.
The program has also toured the country, performing in a nationally televised Citrus Parade and Mickey’s Once Upon a ChristmasTime Parade at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in December 2007. The band returned to Disney in 2012, 2014, and in 2019, when it performed in the Magic Kingdom’s New Year’s Eve Parade. The Marching Band also participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City in 2010 and in Chicago in 2017.
Board member Frank Galeazzo said he had mixed emotions over Murray’s resignation given his and his children’s involvement with the band since 2018, “I was saddened as my kids always looked up to Mrs. Murray as a mentor and my daughter would miss out on that in her senior year as the lead drum major to the band. I immediately asked myself, ‘What is going to happen? What is going to happen to the marching band?’ Meghan Murray made a personal decision for herself which we honor but are sad to see her go. Even though we all had questions, we decided to let the educated staff and administration have conversations and discussions. And when the time was deemed appropriate, the students and parents would be notified.”
Board President Paul Abbott said the board fully supports the music program in the district, “And now we’ll begin the process of determining what is next and who is next. So, I would like for people to not jump to conclusions as to what’s happening with the music program, because, frankly, no decisions have been made in any concrete form.”
In a press release, the school district said a search for a new marching band director will begin immediately.
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