Keith W. Hodgson - Biography 2024
Keith W. Hodgson is a highly experienced music educator, clinician, and conductor with a distinguished career spanning over 26 years in New Jersey and eight years as a professor of Music Education at the University of The Arts in Philadelphia. During his tenure at the university, he served as the Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting and percussion methods. He also coordinated student teaching, supervising graduate student teachers in their elementary and secondary field placements.
As the Conductor and Music Director for the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble (SJAWE), Mr. Hodgson has led this ensemble of music educators and professional musicians since its founding in 1997. Under his leadership, the ensemble received the Sudler Silver Scroll in 2006 and was a finalist for The American Prize in the Community Band Division in both 2021 and 2024. The SJAWE has performed at national and state conventions, including the 2014 and 2019 ACB national conventions, and has a rich history of commissioning new works. The ensemble has also performed at the Kennedy Center for the Sousa Band Festival and toured Austria and Germany in 2007.
Mr. Hodgson is also the Head Director of the American Music Abroad Gold Tour, an annual three-week summer tour featuring band, choral, and orchestra students performing in six European countries. With over 25 years of experience leading group tours, he has conducted performances for European audiences in countries including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Switzerland. In 2024, he led AMA's first adult community band and choir tour to Europe, involving musicians from 14 states, and plans to expand adult performance opportunities.
In addition to his work with ensembles, Mr. Hodgson is deeply involved with music education organizations. He is a Past President of the Eastern Division of the National Association for Music Education and has served as Chair of NAfME’s Professional Learning and Partnerships Committee (PLPC). He sits on the Boards of Directors for the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps, NJMEA’s Crescendo Foundation, and the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble. As a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician and Director of Education for Zeswitz Music, he is actively engaged in professional development, guest conducting, and presenting at conferences across the country. His expertise is further recognized through his presentations at prestigious events like the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.
Academically, Mr. Hodgson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from William Patterson University, NJ, and a Master’s Degree in School Leadership and Administration from Rowan University, NJ, with certifications as a supervisor and principal. He is a doctoral candidate at Aspen University in Phoenix, Arizona, set to receive his Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning with a specialization in Organizational Leadership in October 2024. His research study, “All The World’s a Stage” focuses on the transformative potential of a multifaceted experiential global classroom approach, examining the perceptions and experiences of high school musicians on a three-week European music tour. The study explores four key lenses: cultural, social, musical, and travel perceptions, and their impact on students' basic psychological needs and global citizenship mindset.
Mr. Hodgson’s contributions to music education have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the 2016 New Jersey Governor's Award in the Arts for Leadership in Music and the Distinguished Service Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association. A National Board Certified Teacher and Grammy-Nominated Music Educator Quarter-Finalist in 2014, he has served as Past-President of the New Jersey Music Educators Association. He resides in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, with his wife Jennifer, a high school band director, and their four dogs: Jack, Buddy, Mya, and Mindy.
As the Conductor and Music Director for the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble (SJAWE), Mr. Hodgson has led this ensemble of music educators and professional musicians since its founding in 1997. Under his leadership, the ensemble received the Sudler Silver Scroll in 2006 and was a finalist for The American Prize in the Community Band Division in both 2021 and 2024. The SJAWE has performed at national and state conventions, including the 2014 and 2019 ACB national conventions, and has a rich history of commissioning new works. The ensemble has also performed at the Kennedy Center for the Sousa Band Festival and toured Austria and Germany in 2007.
Mr. Hodgson is also the Head Director of the American Music Abroad Gold Tour, an annual three-week summer tour featuring band, choral, and orchestra students performing in six European countries. With over 25 years of experience leading group tours, he has conducted performances for European audiences in countries including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Switzerland. In 2024, he led AMA's first adult community band and choir tour to Europe, involving musicians from 14 states, and plans to expand adult performance opportunities.
In addition to his work with ensembles, Mr. Hodgson is deeply involved with music education organizations. He is a Past President of the Eastern Division of the National Association for Music Education and has served as Chair of NAfME’s Professional Learning and Partnerships Committee (PLPC). He sits on the Boards of Directors for the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps, NJMEA’s Crescendo Foundation, and the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble. As a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician and Director of Education for Zeswitz Music, he is actively engaged in professional development, guest conducting, and presenting at conferences across the country. His expertise is further recognized through his presentations at prestigious events like the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.
Academically, Mr. Hodgson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from William Patterson University, NJ, and a Master’s Degree in School Leadership and Administration from Rowan University, NJ, with certifications as a supervisor and principal. He is a doctoral candidate at Aspen University in Phoenix, Arizona, set to receive his Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning with a specialization in Organizational Leadership in October 2024. His research study, “All The World’s a Stage” focuses on the transformative potential of a multifaceted experiential global classroom approach, examining the perceptions and experiences of high school musicians on a three-week European music tour. The study explores four key lenses: cultural, social, musical, and travel perceptions, and their impact on students' basic psychological needs and global citizenship mindset.
Mr. Hodgson’s contributions to music education have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the 2016 New Jersey Governor's Award in the Arts for Leadership in Music and the Distinguished Service Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association. A National Board Certified Teacher and Grammy-Nominated Music Educator Quarter-Finalist in 2014, he has served as Past-President of the New Jersey Music Educators Association. He resides in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, with his wife Jennifer, a high school band director, and their four dogs: Jack, Buddy, Mya, and Mindy.
