About the Directors

Rebecca Clemens leads the band program at Margaret B. Pollard Middle School in Chatham County, North Carolina, where she has grown participation to 360 students in concert, jazz, and basketball bands since 2018. Ms. Clemens and the Pollard 8th grade band performed at the North Carolina Music Educators Conference in 2024, premiering a commission for band and rubber chickens.

She currently serves as Central Region Chair of the NC Jazz Educators Division of NCMEA and is Chair-Elect for the state jazz section. A native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she also serves as an instructor with the UNC Marching Tar Heels and as Associate Director of the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop. She is also the instructor of trombone at Meredith College.

An active freelance trombonist, Clemens performs throughout the Triangle with the Moore Brass Quintet, North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, North Carolina Theatre, and the Raleigh Symphony. She also performs internationally on baroque trombone as a member of the Kris Collective. 

Clemens holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from Texas State University. Her honors include the 2025 Central District Bandmasters Association Band Director of the Year, the 2023 NCMEA Central Region Jazz Educator of the Year, and Margaret B. Pollard Middle School's 2021 Teacher of the Year. She is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA).

Jamey Hill is the Assistant Band Director at Margaret B. Pollard Middle School where she works with 7th and 6th grade band. She graduated magna cum laude from the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s in Instrumental Music Education. While at Appalachian State, she participated in the Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Clarinet Ensemble, earning her multiple scholarships and awards in musicianship, musical excellence, and academia. Hill served as Treasurer for the Epsilon Theta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international female music fraternity. She was also an active member of the Tau Sigma Transfer Society at App.

Prior to Appalachian State, Ms. Hill attended NC State where she was a part of the Power Sound of The South Marching Band and the Wolfpack Sound Polka Band. She still frequently performs with the Wolfpack Sound throughout the Triangle area.

With her degree, Hill has taught in other NC counties working with middle and high school bands. She was also given the opportunity to work as a Student Teacher at Cleveland Middle School as she finished her degree. Her primary instruments include clarinet, bass clarinet, and horn.

Ms. Hill is excited to work with the Pollard Band and is focused on continuing the development of the Mustangs’s musicianship and success. Hill looks forward to being a part of the “Great Rubber Chicken” Band’s future!