Mr. R. Timothy McCoy is currently the zArts Education Supervisor for New Hanover County Schools. Prior to this position, he was the Director of Bands at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, NC. He has been teaching for 25 years in the public school system in West Virginia and North Carolina.Mr. McCoy graduated from West Liberty State College in Northern West Virginia. While in college he majored in percussion and piano. He was a part of numerous performance organizations such as marching band, concert band, percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, steel drum band, string orchestra and choir. Mr. McCoy was also a member of the Wheeling Symphony for several years. During this time he also worked at Crescendo Camps in Rio Grande, Ohio and Lebanon Junction, Kentucky. He worked with over 128 bands in his 8 years at Crescendo.
In 1989, Mr. McCoy took the job at Oak Hill High School in Oak Hill, West Virginia. For 15 years, he led the band at this school. The school had marching, concert, jazz and percussion ensembles and he also led the Pit Orchestra on years there was a school musical. The Oak Hill Band performed in several national festivals and won first or second place at all of them.
In 2004, Mr. McCoy and his family moved to Wilmington to become the band director of New Hanover High School. During his time there they saw a major change in the way the band is perceived. They became a much requested group in the county and region. The band program expanded to have a full big band jazz ensemble, a percussion ensemble, a competitive Winterguard program and a 14 member steel drum band. They usually performed 75 to 100 times a year and in 2012 won the first Overall Marching Band Grand Championship in New Hanover High School history.
Mr. McCoy is also a performing musician in Wilmington, playing for many musicals at Thalian Hall with Opera House Theater Company and the Thalian Association, and also as a freelance musician with different organizations around town. Several of his students have been able to join him in these musicals, which make it that much more enjoyable. He also plays drums and keys for his Church. Mr. McCoy lives in Wilmington with his awesome wife Mary and two phenomenal daughters, Rachel (a New Hanover Senior) and Tamara.