Mr. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from DePauw University in Greencastle,

Indiana, a Master’s degree in music education from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester,

Virginia, an Education Specialist degree in administrative leadership from Walden University, and

has pursued additional doctoral coursework in educational leadership and administration. He has

taught middle school band and orchestra and is a former Army bandsman trumpet player who served

in the 82nd Airborne Division Band in addition to his service as a paratrooper with the 307th

Forward Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. While in the Army band, Mr. Hill was

the section and group leader. His responsibilities included training instrumentalists in their military

occupational specialty, as well as instruction for instrumental performance in the concert band and,

as a drill and ceremony marching band section leader, on the parade field. He also played the solo

book for the jazz band and frequently performed with the brass quintet and jazz combo groups at

many high-profile functions.

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Ensembles under Mr. Hill’s direction consistently receive superior ratings at marching band

competitions and state festival contests in all graded levels of music, where they have also been

awarded multiple Grand Championships. His concert bands have competed across the country in

cities such as New York, Orlando, Williamsburg, Boston, Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta,

Philadelphia, and Toronto, and have had the prestigious honor of representing the state of North

Carolina in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington D.C. His jazz bands have

performed with Latin jazz Grammy award-winning artist, Dave Valentin, and his wind ensemble has

performed under the direction of one of the most popular and performed composers of our

generation, the world-renowned Eric Whitacre, also a Grammy award winner. The Union Pines Band

has also been the state’s representative for North Carolina Bands and has performed in Philadelphia,

Gettysburg, and San Antonio as part of the National Festival of States tour, and has performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. Most recently, the Marching Vikings marched in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and the Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform at the President’s Cup, a National Concert Band Festival, where they are one of only seven bands in the country invited to perform with the prestigious President’s Own Army Band in the spring of 2027. 

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Mr. Hill is a member of the National Association for Music Education, is the current president of the

Heart of Carolina Jazz Society, and participates in music education throughout North Carolina. Mr.

Hill has served as the guest director and clinician for the Southeastern District Honors Band, as well

as the Brunswick, Harnett, Richmond, and Chatham County All-County Bands, and has also served

as the guest director for the UNC Pembroke Honors Jazz Band. He has been Moore County’s high

school representative for Music Performance Assessment at the state level and is a Music Education

Ambassador for the United States, having served as a music representative for the first music

education delegation to China in 2009. Other honors include the Fiesta-Val Award of Distinction for

his notable contribution to musical excellence and the prestigious William D. Revelli Concert Band

Award of Distinction for top ensemble, overall, in competition in Chicago.

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Mr. Hill hosts the Annual Viking Classic Marching Band Competition at Union Pines High School,

which has become one of the most exciting venues for marching band competitions in the state of

North Carolina. A previous Teacher of the Year, and two-time recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa

Society Outstanding Teacher of the Year, he has served as an advocate for the Arts on the Teacher

Advisory Council and as an advisor for the Tri-M Honorary Music Society. He has also sat on the school district’s grading and graduation task forces, formed to help establish grading policies to raise graduation rates, has been the School Improvement Team’s representative for the

arts department, and has served on the school’s PBIS committee to further enhance positive behavior intervention strategies. He currently holds the department chair position at Union Pines. Mr. Hill’s students are consistent All-County, All-District, and All-State Band participants and have attended the North Carolina Governor’s School for music. Many of his students go on to pursue music education in college, with a large percentage going on to various careers in music. His marching band students have joined many university bands and Drum Corps International in corps such as Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers, Spirit of Atlanta, and the Glassmen.

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In addition to his duties at Union Pines High School, Mr. Hill has served as part-time faculty at

Sandhills Community College and has directed the Sandhills Community College Jazz Band. Most recently, he attended the summer arts camp program at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan to enhance his knowledge as a director and performer. As a freelance trumpet player, he has performed in various backup bands for world-famous artists, including Stanley Jordan, Bobby Shew, Harry Watters, Jamey Aebersold, Michael Berkowitz, Joe Chambers, Valery Ponomarev, T.K. Blue, Gary Brunotte, Charles Lazarus, Dave Valentin, Marlene Ver Planck, Virginia Mayhew, Ron Carter, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Houston Pearson, Donnie Most, Sweet Megg, Christian Tambur, Clint Holmes, Stephanie Nakashian, Lovell Bradford, Shana Tucker, Rahsaan Barber, and Mary Williams.  He also has played with the Eddie Barrett Goodman Legacy Orchestra, played the trumpet book for the Rat Pack is Back, and toured for a number of years with Orchestra Ideal, a thirteen-piece salsa band. He currently plays the solo trumpet book for the Heart of Carolina Jazz Band and the SCC Jazz band, has performed with the Ed Martell group, and has performed numerous times with the Gregg Gelb Swing Band/Latin Band, and the Tom Bernett Swing Street Band. Most recently, Mr. Hill has been performing with the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra and author Trinity Bursey in a collaborative effort between literature and music, set to a children’s book, Jazz Tales, about peace and harmony. Mr. Hill also is a member of the Moore Brass Quintet and plays the trumpet frequently for many local community events including performances by the Moore County Choral Society, Moore On Stage, the Temple Theatre, Sunrise Theatre, and the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Mr. Hill resides in Whispering Pines, North Carolina with his wife Carole and their four sons, Nathan, Andrew, Landon, and Carson Hill.