Bill Leather

William (Bill) Leather is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2005. At Indiana, Bill studied with Anthony Cirone, Steve Houghton, and Gerald Carlyss while performing with numerous ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, Tom Walsh Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Band, and the Marching Hundred Drumline, of which he was a three-year member. He completed his student teaching at Carmel High School, serving as an assistant instructor for the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony II, Wind Symphony III, all percussion classes, and the 2005 Bands of America Grand National Champion Marching Greyhounds. Bill earned a Master of Music degree from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University in 2013. Prior to moving to Washington, he spent nine years as Associate Band Director at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana. There, he oversaw all aspects of the percussion and jazz programs, including directing the marching percussion section, concert percussion classes, Percussion Ensembles, Intermediate Jazz Ensemble, Advanced Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combos, and the After-School Jazz Orchestra. He also assisted with the Freshman Concert Band and Symphonic Band. Under his leadership, the Penn Advanced Jazz Ensemble achieved consistent success throughout the Midwest and was named a Top 12 finalist at the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, Georgia, in both 2014 and 2016. In 2008, Bill served as assistant conductor of the Penn Symphonic Band for its featured performance at the Midwest Clinic.

In 2016, Bill joined the music faculty at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Washington, as Co-Director of Bands. He currently teaches jazz ensembles, wind bands, Percussion Ensemble, and West African Djembe. Under his direction, the Mount Si High School Percussion Ensemble has consistently qualified for the Washington State Percussion Championships, earning a third-place finish in 2024. Most recently, the ensemble was selected as a featured performing group at the 2027 Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) State Conference.

Since joining the music team at Mount Si, Bill has continued to lead Mount Si Jazz I to national and regional recognition. The ensemble was selected to perform at the Midwest Clinic in 2017 and 2024 and was named an Essentially Ellington finalist in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Mount Si Jazz I also performed at the Western International Band Clinic (WIBC) in 2019 and 2024 and has been selected six times (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026) for Hot Java Cool Jazz, the premier high school jazz event in the Seattle area. In 2024, DownBeat Magazine recognized Mount Si Jazz I as an Outstanding High School Instrumental Jazz Ensemble. The program regularly collaborates with renowned guest artists, including most recently with Sean Jones, Dawn Clement, and Steve Kovalcheck.

Since 2021, Bill has served on the operations staff of the American Band College, the world’s largest master’s degree program for band directors. In addition to supporting program operations, he evaluates master’s degree candidates through rehearsal assessments and project reviews. In 2023 and 2026, Bill co-taught the Jazz Intersession course, helping hundreds of band directors develop effective pedagogical approaches for teaching jazz ensembles at all levels.

An active performer, Bill appears regularly as a drummer and percussionist throughout the Pacific Northwest with a variety of small and large ensembles. He is also a sought-after clinician and adjudicator for wind band, jazz, and percussion events across the region. Bill resides in North Bend, Washington, with his wife, Liz, daughters Mya and Makena, and son Greyson.