Willis Edmundson began studying percussion when he was nine years old. He grew up performing in percussion ensembles, rock bands, jazz bands and wind ensembles. Graduating from Hingham High School in 2013 he then attended Berklee College of Music and in 2018 and received degrees in Music Business and Drum Set Performance. While at Berklee he performed with Grammy award winning artists Bill Frisell, Gary Burton, Victor Wooten and Kurt Elling. He is actively gigging and teaching around Boston playing jazz, rock and funk.

Birthday: December 30 

Schools Attended: Hingham High School, Berklee College of Music 

Age you Started Lessons: 9 

Performance Experience: I began performing publicly in the 8th grade with various Rock and Jazz groups. I have performed across the United States and in Canada in a funk band. While at Berklee college of Music I had the opportunity to perform with Grammy award winning artists Bill Frisell, Gary Burton, Victor Wooten, and Kurt Elling 

Favorite Music to Listen to: Rock, Funk and Jazz

Favorite Music to Play: Rock, Funk and Jazz

Other hobbies/interests: Reading, The New England Patriots, 

Something most people don’t know about you: I have traveled to over 25 countries! 

Where you were born/grew up: Hingham, Massachusetts 

Hero(es): Elvin Jones, John Coltrane, William Parker, Charlie Haden 

Practice Tips: 1.) Isolate the problem. Always break your work into digestible pieces.

2.) Record yourself. It can be hard to hear how you truly sound while you are performing, record the music and listen back. A recording never lies! 

3.) Set clear goals. It will help direct you focus in the practice room.

I strive above all else to inspire my students. Work ceases to be a burden when I am learning something that inspires me – it instead becomes a joy to engage in the process. Teachers are channels of inspiration between what is being learned and the person who is learning it. In my own teaching, I aim to inspire the same joy in my students that I discovered when I first began studying music.