Robbinsville Band alumna, longtime music educator to fill vacancy
The beat will go on, with the arrival of a new band and choir director for the 2021-22 school year.
Amber Watkins will serve as Graham County Schools’ new music educator, following the departure of Michele Filip after one year in the role.
Watkins is an alumna of the Black Knight Band and has taught music in Grayson County, Va. for the past 11 years. In total, she has been a music educator for 27 years. She holds music degrees from Mars Hill University and University of Florida and has done additional graduate work at San Diego State University. Her primary instrument is clarinet.
She said she hoped to bring the Black Knight Band back to the superior level it was at during her time playing clarinet in the ensemble.
“That’s pretty much the band that made me and paved the way for me to do everything that I’ve done in my professional life,” Watkins said.
She said that in the past, the Robbinsville Band had the same notoriety and reputation as the football team.
“I’d like to build the numbers, build their technique and get them back into the competition scene, so they can validate their work,” Watkins said.
She said she was already putting together a halftime show for the band, based on Alfred Hitchcock’s film “To Catch a Thief.”
“It should be a super fun show,” Watkins said. “I think it’ll be a good fit for the kids. We’ve got a lot of good saxophone players, and it’ll be fun, cool and a little bit challenging.”
She said she hoped to provide her students a similar experience and sense of community to the one she had when she was in the band.
“I just want the kids to have as much musical and social experiences as they can get from being in band,” Watkins said. “It’s a family atmosphere. You make lifelong friends and as a matter of fact, a lot of the friends I still have when I come back down there were in band with me.”
She also said she planned to grow the band’s numbers, with a particular emphasis on recruiting flag performers and low brass players.
“We are recruiting musicians,” Watkins said. “I need about 10-12 visual performers. We’d like to have a really nice guard that can compete in the spring and the fall and color guard. We need some low brass players. You know, just get the kids involved in music.”
She also said that she was looking for sponsors and other community support for the band. Additionally, she thanked the community for its support, even prior to her officially taking the podium.
“So many people have already reached out to me to send heartfelt ‘welcome homes,’” Watkins said. “I mean tons of people reached out to me just to say ‘Welcome home, Amber. We can’t wait until you get here.’
“I hope first of all, that I live up to their expectations. I know that I am prepared to do it. I have the experience to do so and I just look forward to that support from all the family and friends.”