Bill Gillespie is a native of the Mid-Hudson Valley. After graduating from Pine Bush High School, he joined the Army and was stationed at West Point as a member of the United States Military Academy Band from 1973 to 1980. Bill received a Bachelor of Science degree from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA. Bill also was awarded a Master of Science Degree from Western Connecticut University in Danbury. Bill has been involved in music education for the last fifty years. He has been very active in music through the years. He was the Director of the big band, Switch In Time for several years. Then in 2008, he formed another band called The Jazz Pioneers. Bill has been a member of the Maybrook Wind Ensemble for several years as a trumpet player. In October of 2021, he was selected to be the Music Director of the group.