William Thomas

  Biography

Bill Thomas is an Associate Professor of Music, Chair of the Department of Music, and director of the Wind Symphony at York University in Toronto.

Prior to his time at York University Bill taught music for twenty-three years at the elementary and high school levels in the York Region District School Board spending most of that time as the head of the music department at Markham District High School. Bill is a graduate of the jazz program at Humber College and holds Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Toronto as well as a Master of Arts (composition) from York University. He is a former Drum Corps International adjudicator and he has been an arranger for over forty marching bands and drum & bugle corps in Canada and the United States. Bill’s concert band compositions appear on festival lists across Canada are published by Eighth Note Publications.

A past board member of the Ontario Music Educator's Association and is much in demand as an adjudicator and clinician. His performing groups have won many accolades and awards including the Jazz Report Magazine Award for High School Program of the Year. Bill is a member of the international bandmaster’s fraternity Phi Beta Mu.