Dr. Keith W. Hodgson - Biography 2024
Dr. 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), Dr. 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.
Dr. 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, Dr. Hodgson is deeply involved with music education
organizations. He is a Past-President of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, 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, Dr. Hodgson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from William Paterson
University, NJ, and a Master’s Degree in School Leadership and Administration from Rowan University, NJ, with
certifications as a supervisor and principal. In 2024, he earned his Doctorate in Leadership and Learning with a
specialization in Organizational Leadership Aspen University in Phoenix, Arizona. His research study,
“All The World’s a Stage: A Global Classroom” explored the transformative potential of cultivating global citizenship
through travel, culture, music, and social engagement. It investigated the perceptions and experiences of high
school musicians traveling and performing on a three-week music tour through Europe and focused on the
impact of these experiences on their basic psychological needs and their global citizenship mindset.
Dr. Hodgson’s contributions to music education have been recognized with numerous accolades,
including the 2014 New Jersey Governor's Award in the Arts for Leadership in Music and the 2016 Distinguished
Service Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association. Dr. Hodgson is a National Board Certified
Teacher, was a Grammy-Nominated Music Educator Quarter-Finalist in 2014, and most recently was awarded
the Outstanding Conductor Award by the Association of Concert Bands. He resides in Egg Harbor Township,
NJ, with his wife Jennifer, also a music educator, and their four dogs: Jack, Buddy, Mya, and Mindy.
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), Dr. 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.
Dr. 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, Dr. Hodgson is deeply involved with music education
organizations. He is a Past-President of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, 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, Dr. Hodgson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from William Paterson
University, NJ, and a Master’s Degree in School Leadership and Administration from Rowan University, NJ, with
certifications as a supervisor and principal. In 2024, he earned his Doctorate in Leadership and Learning with a
specialization in Organizational Leadership Aspen University in Phoenix, Arizona. His research study,
“All The World’s a Stage: A Global Classroom” explored the transformative potential of cultivating global citizenship
through travel, culture, music, and social engagement. It investigated the perceptions and experiences of high
school musicians traveling and performing on a three-week music tour through Europe and focused on the
impact of these experiences on their basic psychological needs and their global citizenship mindset.
Dr. Hodgson’s contributions to music education have been recognized with numerous accolades,
including the 2014 New Jersey Governor's Award in the Arts for Leadership in Music and the 2016 Distinguished
Service Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association. Dr. Hodgson is a National Board Certified
Teacher, was a Grammy-Nominated Music Educator Quarter-Finalist in 2014, and most recently was awarded
the Outstanding Conductor Award by the Association of Concert Bands. He resides in Egg Harbor Township,
NJ, with his wife Jennifer, also a music educator, and their four dogs: Jack, Buddy, Mya, and Mindy.
