Robert Green has been named the new band director at Picayune Memorial High School.

Green taught his first year at Pass Christian, and then taught at Hancock for six years as assistant and then head band director. He moved to the Picayune area in 2003 and has been a local real estate dealer and a stay-at-home dad for the past six years.

Green was first told about the job by former band director Jerry Cumberland, who retired earlier this year. He said he knew Cumberland previously through various band director clinics and communications between schools.

“I had been planning to go back into teaching eventually,” Green said in an interview last week. “I thought about and discussed several jobs with my wife and chose this one.”

Monday, July 23, was Green’s first day for meeting the whole band, although he held drum and color guard camp earlier.

“I think it went well. I think there is a lot of talent here,” Green said.

The band, which Green estimates as having between 100 and 125 members, practiced last week from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Green said there will be some changes to the band program, including reducing the weekly after school practices to Tuesday and Thursday only. The band previously was practicing Monday through Thursday after school. However, Green said it is too early to know what will be all the changes to come under his direction.

“The kids are reacting very well (to me). Some things will be different, of course. There will be an adjustment period, but that won’t be a problem,” Green said.

Green said he plans to enter the band into competitions, but has not gotten so far as to know which ones he will enter just yet.

Green said the biggest adjustment he has had to face since taking the position is the earlier hours he has to keep now.

“I have to get used to getting up early. My schedule is not as flexible as it was, but it’s like riding a bike,” he says.

As for the program this year, Green said he has chosen a show called “Rock the House”, which includes more recent music from the 1980s such as Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”, “Mr. Roboto” as performed by Styx, and “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds.

Green lives just outside of Picayune with his wife Debbie, who is the director of surgery at Highland Community Hospital, and his two children, six year old Maegan and three year old Matthew.