About Mr. Potter

A native of Burlington, NC, Joshua K Potter has over 25 years experience as a school band director.  He received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a Masters in Wind Band Conducting at East Carolina University.  Mr. Potter began his teaching career as the Director of Bands at West Rowan High School where he introduced full season competitive marching band and the band earned the first recorded superior rating at state band festival in the school's 50+ year history. In addition, Mr. Potter served as the Director of Bands at Charlotte Catholic High School for the 2011-2012 school year and as the first band director at Palisades High School in Charlotte, NC for the 2022-2023 school year. Currently, Mr. Potter serves as a co-Director of Bands at Hickory Ridge Middle School in Harrisburg, NC.

In 2000, Mr. Potter was appointed as the first Director of Bands at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, NC.  He served in this role for eleven years.  During his time at Wakefield, the band program grew from a mere 40 students to more than 200. The Wakefield Band program developed into a comprehensive music education program that featured three concert ensembles, two jazz bands, a percussion ensemble studio and a winter percussion ensemble, four winter guards, a chamber music program, and a music theory and AP Music Theory program. The bands consistently earned top marks at all marching and concert band festivals and competitions. The marching band performed regularly across NC and the eastern USA and was a Bands of America Regional Championship Finalist on multiple occasions and Class Champion of the Massillon, Ohio Regional. The Maroon Winter Guard was a multiple time Winter Guard International World Championships finalist and was promoted to Open Class after its fourth-place finish in 2008. The Silver Winter Guard was a WGI Regional Championship finalist and Atlantic Indoor Association Scholastic A class Gold Medalist. The Concert Ensembles earned consistent superior ratings at state Music Performance Adjudication events. The Wakefield band program was featured twice at the NC Music Educator’s Conference-a concert performance in 2005 and a presentation and performance by the Chamber Winds in 2011.

From 2012-2022, Mr. Potter served as the Director of Bands at Providence High School in Charlotte, NC.   During his time at Providence, Mr. Potter worked to continue the legacy of outstanding music education that has been a consistent part of the school’s 30+ year history. As part of the 25th Anniversary celebration, the Providence High School Wind Ensemble was a featured ensemble at the 2013 NC Music Educator’s Conference. In addition, the Pride of Providence Marching Band was a finalist at the 2013 Bands of America Winston-Salem Super Regional - the first band from Charlotte to earn this honor. The Wind Ensemble shared concerts with the Carolinas Wind Orchestra and the UNC-Greensboro Wind Ensemble.  It was also selected for a performance at the 2017 Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival in Atlanta, GA.  

Mr. Potter has been recognized by the NC Bandmasters Association as the 2007 Central District Band Director of the Year, with the 2008 Award of Excellence and the 2022 Award of Excellence. He completed two different terms on the NCBA State Marching Band Committee where he served as chair for two years. 

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Mr. Potter is a member of the American School Band Director’s Association, the North Carolina Music Educators Association, the NC South Central District Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (Alpha Rho chapter). He is active as an adjudicator and clinician and designed for marching and concert bands in several states – having adjudicated state championship events in Virginia and Kentucky. In addition, he serves as a Winter Guard General Effect judge for Winter Guard International and is grateful to visit local circuits throughout the country. 

Mr. Potter served as the chair of the NC South Central District Bandmasters Association from 2020-2022.He currently resides in Matthews, North Carolina with his wife Caren, an elementary school counselor as well as a color guard instructor and adjudicator. He is the proud father of an amazing daughter, Carrington.