AIRLINE BAND STAFF

James Willett is celebrating his 20th year as a music educator and most recently spent 10 years as the Director of Bands at C E Byrd High School in Shreveport. Mr. Willett has taught Marching, Concert, and Jazz Band and served as a Music Department Teacher leader for Caddo Parish. Mr. Willett was the President of the District VIII Band Director's Association from 2012-2019.

While at Byrd, Mr. Willett doubled the size of the band program and consistently earned superior ratings at marching contests and festivals. Prior to teaching at Byrd, he was the Band Director at Bossier High School for 7 years. The Bossier High School Band program also earned top ratings at contests and festivals. Both schools are the oldest in their respective cities and Mr. Willett was honored to be a part of each school’s legacy.

Mr. Willett earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Louisiana Tech University in 1997 and was a trumpet student under the legendary Robert Cheatham. He received his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Louisiana Tech in 2017.