Joe Miller, former band director at Great Falls High School, joins the Camden High School Scarlet Regiment as its new band director for the 2019-20 season and onward.

Miller started his music career at the University of South Carolina as a music performance major. At the same time, he toured the coast with a beach variety band. Miller went on to become National Accounts manager for QualServ, designing restaurants and selling equipment and supplies to chains such as Applebee’s, Bojangles, Wendy’s and Subway. In 2011, Miller went back to school to complete his music education degree. After graduating, Miller became band director at Great Falls High School, building a band program there from the ground up.

Miller has set goals for his time with the Scarlet Regiment. Miller said he wants everyone in the band to have mutual respect for each other and for everyone to feel involved and important, for the band to be able to go on a spring trip and for everyone to improve musically a little bit every day.

“My expectation is not that they win state, but they just keep getting better every week,” Miller said. “Trophies will come when they do the other things right. That’s what happened at Great Falls, that’s what can happen here. That’s what can happen at any school when the students buy into your program, buy into your system and you help them become better as people and as musicians … then they can take it to another level.”

Miller is asking the community to support the band as it works hard this season and to support band kids in any way it can.

“To the community: if you’re not currently involved in supporting the Camden band program, please reach out to us. Please let us know how we can help you and how you can help us. We need sponsors, we need people willing to donate things.... If a band kid asks you for something, please really consider it; take it seriously, because they’re asking to help us build a Camden band program again,” Miller said.