North Buncombe High School

Band Director Bio

 

D. Sanford (Sandy) Boone

Mr. D. Sanford Boone was born in Waynesville, NC in 1953.  His father, Capt. James Richard Boone, was a pilot in the United States Air Force and gave his life during active duty in 1961.  After Capt. Boone’s death the Boone family returned to Haywood County where “Sandy” attended school from 1961 until 1971. 

 During his formative years, Mr. Boone is proud to have been a student of Mr. James M. Crocker, Band Director at Waynesville Township High School and Tuscola High School from 1960 to 1982.  Mr. Crocker, “Big Jim”, was the surrogate father and mentor for Mr. Boone until Jim’s death in 2003.

 Mr. Boone attended undergraduate school at Western Carolina University, from 1971 to 1975.  During the summer of 1975, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education.  Mr. Boone’s first teaching job, Assistant Band Director, was at Franklin High School during the school year ‘75 –‘76.  The Assistant Director’s job at Franklin HS was open because the previous director joined the Ringling Bros. Circus in January of 1976.

 After a short stint at Owen High School in Black Mountain, Mr. Boone was fortunate to gain employment at Waynesville Jr. High during the school year ‘77-’78.  During the next 5 years, Sandy Boone was the Band Director at Waynesville Jr. High and the Asst. Director at Tuscola where he worked for his longtime mentor - Jim Crocker.

 In the fall of 1982, Mr. Crocker and Sandy Boone exchanged jobs.  Mr. Boone was fortunate to have Mr. Crocker “coach” him through his first year as a high school director at Tuscola High School.  During the next 7 years, Tuscola High School enjoyed some of the finest bands ever assembled in Western North Carolina.   The Tuscola High School Marching Mountaineers were Regional BOA Champions and were ranked in the top 17 bands at the Bands of America Grand National Championship for 5 consecutive years.  During those years the Tuscola Band received Superior Ratings at District Concert Festival in Grade V and Grade VI and the Tuscola Jazz Band regularly toured throughout the state to perform on college campuses and jazz festivals.

 In the fall of 1989, Mr. Boone received an offer to attend James Madison University on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.  He left Tuscola High School to pursue studies in wind conducting and music theory at JMU in Harrisonburg, VA.  Mr. Boone’s Graduate Assistant duties at JMU included:   Marching Band, Concert Band, Music Theory, Opera Orchestra Conductor, and Student Teacher Supervisor.  In the spring of 1991, Mr. D. Sanford Boone received the first - Master of Music Degree in Wind Conducting from James Madison University.

 In the fall of 1991, Mr. Boone moved his 4 girls and lovely wife, Randi, to Marietta, GA where he accepted the job as Director of Bands at Marietta High School.  In 1991, the Marietta Band was in disrepair and it took several years of hard work to rebuild the program from 30 students to over 150 band members in the year 2002.  Mr. Boone has many fond memories of the Marietta Band Program.  The MHS Band Booster organization started from scratch to help build and foster the fledgling band program.  Without the parental support, the MHS Band would never have gotten “back on their feet.”  During his 11 year tenure in Marietta, 3 of Mr. Boone’s children graduated from Marietta High School.

 In the fall of 2002, a series of events, including 9/11, brought Mr. Boone back to the mountains of WNC.  Mr. Boone, his wife and children returned to WNC to pursue some family business interests.

 In the spring of 2003, Mr. Boone accepted the job as Director of Bands at North Buncombe High School.  For the past 4 years, the North Buncombe High School Blackhawk Band has grown in quality and quantity.  North Buncombe High School now has the best balanced band program in Western North Carolina.  In Mr. Boone’s words, “This is my dream job!!!!”

 Mr. Boone is the proud father of 4 daughters – Abby, 28 – Kadee, 26 – Jennie, 24 – and Nattie – 18.  As of 8-25-07, Mr. Boone has a new son-in-law - Je’Vone Primus.  He and Kadee will be living in Memphis, Tenn.  Mr. Boone and his lovely wife, Randi, have been married for 31 years.  In Mr. Boone’s words, “She is the only person on the planet that could put-up with me for that long.”

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