Willie L. Hill, Jr. is Emeritus Professor of Music Education and former Director of the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst. Dr. Hill’s half-century career as an instrumentalist and music educator began in 1967 when he led the Grambling College band at the first Super Bowl halftime show. A woodwind specialist, he has written about the history of jazz and has received many awards both as a performer and music pedagogue. As past-president of the National Association for Music Education and the International Association for Jazz Education, he has been instrumental in organizing youth camps and jazz festivals.
