Carl Major
Director of Bands
Director of Bands
Jimmy O'Cain
Associate Band Director
Associate Band Director
Jimmy O'Cain is in his Third year of teaching at Foley
High School. He came to Foley after teaching three
years at St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi. While at St. Stanislaus, the band received
numerous awards under Mr. O’Cain’s leadership. During
Mr. O’Cain’s tenure at St. Stanislaus, he established a
winterguard and winter drumline.
Jimmy O'Cain received his Bachelor's Degree in Music
Education from the University of Southern Mississippi in
Hattiesburg. During his college career he was a member
of The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, USM
Concert Bands where he was the principal percussionist,
and member of the USM Percussion Ensembles. Jimmy
was a member of the USM Steel Band I where he
performed as a double second soloist. He also
instructed the University's Steel Band II as a student at
the University.
Jimmy O’Cain is a member of the Music Educators
National Conference, Alabama Bandmasters, the
Percussive Arts Society, and is an Educator Endorser for
Pro-Mark Drumsticks. Mr. O'Cain is listed as an
Educator Endorser on the Pro-Mark drumsticks website.
With this endorsment he will perform exclusively with
products from the Pro-Mark Company. Mr. O’Cain is an
avid Percussion Instructor and Arranger for bands in
Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Mr. O’Cain has
also been an Adjudicator for Band programs across the
Southern United States.
Jimmy has been married for 12 years to Mrs. Aimee O’
Cain who is also a musician. Aimee O'Cain has played
the flute for 19 years. She is currently employed by South
Baldwin Regional Medical Center, where she works in
Nursing Administration. They have 3 children; Hadyn- 12,
Hope- 8, and Iain- 3 years old.
Mr. Carl Major is the Director of Bands at Foley High School.
Mr. Major was the Director of Bands at Foley High School
from 1995-2000 where he led an extraordinary Foley Band
program to a Grammy Award, numerous marching and
concert band superior ratings and championships,
proclamations from Local and State Representatives, and
commendations from the President of the United States. In
his second year back at Foley, with help from an incredible
music staff, he is making tremendous progress with both the
quality and the quantity of students participating in the
program. Mr. Major earned his Bachelors degree from the
University of Southern Mississippi and his Masters degree
from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Major has teaching
experience in Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama.
Mr. Major has performed as a musician himself in Taiwan,
Hawaii, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the Fiesta Bowl
Parade, the Tournament of Roses parade, and Carnage Hall
in New York City. As a highly sought out clinician and
instructor, Mr. Major travels during the summer months
teaching numerous band and percussion camps. Mr. Major
has taught over 110 summer band and percussion camps, as
well as judged band and percussion contests in Mississippi,
Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Minnesota, and Georgia. Mr. Major has composed drill for
halftime shows for over 60 bands in Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and he has written over
400 percussion arrangements for bands in Mississippi,
Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and
Florida during 25 years as a percussion arranger. Mr. Major
currently serves as the Percussion Editor for both the Jalen
and Matrix Music Publishing Companies out of Orlando,
Florida. Mr. Major has over 135 original and arranged
compositions published with Jalen Publishing, Matrix
Publishing, Pepper Music, and the Southern Music Company.
According to both the Jalen and Matrix Publishing
Companies, in 2007 over 400 band programs worldwide have
performed music written by Mr. Carl Major. Mr. Major worked
as an instructor on the collegiate level when he served as a
private studio teacher at Chipola Jr. College in Marianna,
Florida.
Mr. Major holds professional memberships with the
National Band Association, Percussion Arts Society, Alabama
Bandmasters Association, Florida Bandmasters Association,
Music Educators National Conference, the International
Association of Rudimental Percussionist, and he is also a
member of the National Who’s Who among American High
School Teachers and Music Educators. In 2004, Mr. Major
became a member of the American School Band Directors
Association. A very elite membership, this organization has
only 8 active members in the state of Alabama. Under Mr.
Major’s guidance in 2000, the Foley Band Program was
designated as a “Grammy Signature School” for having one
of the top 100 band programs in the United States, and
earned a “Grammy Award”. For this outstanding
accomplishment, Mr. Major was awarded the “Citation of
Excellence” through the National Band Association for
excellence in Music Education. Mr. Major’s bands have also
been listed in the Drum Corp Internationals “Commitment to
Excellence” program, recognizing only 937 bands in the
United States and, at that time, only 37 bands were from
Alabama.
In 2004, Carl Major, received a personal endorsement from
the Innovative Percussion Company. With this award, Mr.
Major is currently listed as an endorsement educator on the
Innovative Percussion Company website and research
brochures sent to thousands of schools systems across the
United States. With all of these personal and musical
accolades, Mr. Major has placed many of his band students
at major Universities with music scholarships including Troy
University, Auburn University, The University of Southern
Mississippi, The University of South Alabama, Mississippi
State University, The University of West Alabama, Ole Miss
University, Louisiana State University, Alabama A & M,
Interlochen School of Music, Gulf Coast Community College,
University of Tennessee, and The University of Alabama.
Carl Major has been married to Amanda Major of Fairhope,
Alabama for 16 years. Mrs. Major received degrees in
English, Philosophy, and Instrumental Musical Education from
the University of Southern Mississippi, where she attended
college on a music scholarship. Mrs. Major received a
Masters degree, with honors, in English from The University
of South Alabama. Mrs. Major currently tutors language and
reading at Foley High School. She is a band staff member
for the Foley High School band, where she teaches private
lessons and helps with marching and instrumental sectionals
during band classes. Mrs. Major has been playing trumpet
and french horn for almost 24 years, and she has been a
member of many world-class ensembles from Drum Corp
International to collegiate level winning ensembles. Mr. and
Mrs. Major have three children; 10-year-old Madison Leigh, 9-
year-old Carson, and 7-year-old Grayson.
Mr. Major was the Director of Bands at Foley High School
from 1995-2000 where he led an extraordinary Foley Band
program to a Grammy Award, numerous marching and
concert band superior ratings and championships,
proclamations from Local and State Representatives, and
commendations from the President of the United States. In
his second year back at Foley, with help from an incredible
music staff, he is making tremendous progress with both the
quality and the quantity of students participating in the
program. Mr. Major earned his Bachelors degree from the
University of Southern Mississippi and his Masters degree
from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Major has teaching
experience in Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama.
Mr. Major has performed as a musician himself in Taiwan,
Hawaii, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the Fiesta Bowl
Parade, the Tournament of Roses parade, and Carnage Hall
in New York City. As a highly sought out clinician and
instructor, Mr. Major travels during the summer months
teaching numerous band and percussion camps. Mr. Major
has taught over 110 summer band and percussion camps, as
well as judged band and percussion contests in Mississippi,
Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Minnesota, and Georgia. Mr. Major has composed drill for
halftime shows for over 60 bands in Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and he has written over
400 percussion arrangements for bands in Mississippi,
Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and
Florida during 25 years as a percussion arranger. Mr. Major
currently serves as the Percussion Editor for both the Jalen
and Matrix Music Publishing Companies out of Orlando,
Florida. Mr. Major has over 135 original and arranged
compositions published with Jalen Publishing, Matrix
Publishing, Pepper Music, and the Southern Music Company.
According to both the Jalen and Matrix Publishing
Companies, in 2007 over 400 band programs worldwide have
performed music written by Mr. Carl Major. Mr. Major worked
as an instructor on the collegiate level when he served as a
private studio teacher at Chipola Jr. College in Marianna,
Florida.
Mr. Major holds professional memberships with the
National Band Association, Percussion Arts Society, Alabama
Bandmasters Association, Florida Bandmasters Association,
Music Educators National Conference, the International
Association of Rudimental Percussionist, and he is also a
member of the National Who’s Who among American High
School Teachers and Music Educators. In 2004, Mr. Major
became a member of the American School Band Directors
Association. A very elite membership, this organization has
only 8 active members in the state of Alabama. Under Mr.
Major’s guidance in 2000, the Foley Band Program was
designated as a “Grammy Signature School” for having one
of the top 100 band programs in the United States, and
earned a “Grammy Award”. For this outstanding
accomplishment, Mr. Major was awarded the “Citation of
Excellence” through the National Band Association for
excellence in Music Education. Mr. Major’s bands have also
been listed in the Drum Corp Internationals “Commitment to
Excellence” program, recognizing only 937 bands in the
United States and, at that time, only 37 bands were from
Alabama.
In 2004, Carl Major, received a personal endorsement from
the Innovative Percussion Company. With this award, Mr.
Major is currently listed as an endorsement educator on the
Innovative Percussion Company website and research
brochures sent to thousands of schools systems across the
United States. With all of these personal and musical
accolades, Mr. Major has placed many of his band students
at major Universities with music scholarships including Troy
University, Auburn University, The University of Southern
Mississippi, The University of South Alabama, Mississippi
State University, The University of West Alabama, Ole Miss
University, Louisiana State University, Alabama A & M,
Interlochen School of Music, Gulf Coast Community College,
University of Tennessee, and The University of Alabama.
Carl Major has been married to Amanda Major of Fairhope,
Alabama for 16 years. Mrs. Major received degrees in
English, Philosophy, and Instrumental Musical Education from
the University of Southern Mississippi, where she attended
college on a music scholarship. Mrs. Major received a
Masters degree, with honors, in English from The University
of South Alabama. Mrs. Major currently tutors language and
reading at Foley High School. She is a band staff member
for the Foley High School band, where she teaches private
lessons and helps with marching and instrumental sectionals
during band classes. Mrs. Major has been playing trumpet
and french horn for almost 24 years, and she has been a
member of many world-class ensembles from Drum Corp
International to collegiate level winning ensembles. Mr. and
Mrs. Major have three children; 10-year-old Madison Leigh, 9-
year-old Carson, and 7-year-old Grayson.
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