Julie Hill

Julie Hill is a member of The Caixa Trio, a Nashville-based percussion ensemble.  The Caixa Trio has given clinics and concerts for universities and state Day of Percussion festivals in Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Arizona, and Indiana.  The Caixa Trio recently  performed  at  international festivals in Paris, France, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC) in 2003 and 2004.

Julie is currently in her last year of residency at the University of Kentucky where she is a percussion and band teaching assistant, as well as director of the Brazilian Ensemble and assistant conductor of the percussion ensemble.  This year the UK percussion ensemble gave a feature concert at PASIC in front of 1900 audience members.  Hill’s composition, Sonhando em Salvador, was the closing number for the UK concert.  The performance received rave reviews and Hill’s piece was offered immediate publication by Innovative Percussion.

Julie’s most recent position was Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Middle Tennessee State University and percussion specialist at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Oakland Percussion was awarded first place overall at the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Vanderbilt Marching Invitationals.  The Oakland Indoor Drumline also placed 2nd in Scholastic A in 2001 and 3rd in Scholastic Open in 2002 at the WGI World Championship Finals.

In 2001, Julie founded Steel de Boro, a Murfreesboro City Schools steel band and world percussion ensemble dedicated to teaching world music to at-risk students of all socio-economic backgrounds.  The ensemble performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2001 and at the Tennessee Music Educators Convention in 2003.  Steel de Boro has also been featured on the National Public Radio Program, Live in Studio C.

Hill received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from Arizona State University. Most recently, Julie studied Brazilian percussion abroad in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. Her teachers include Jim Campbell, JB Smith, Nancy Mathesen, Leigh Stevens, and Neguinho do Samba.  Hill serves on the international advisory board for Escola Dida,  a project in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil dedicated to social reform for women and at-risk children through music.   June 2004 Percussive Notes  magazine featured a cover story written by Hill on the Brazilian based project.

Julie is an endorser of Pearl / Adams Corporation, Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, and Audix Microphones.

Alumni, if you would like your bio posted on this website, please send your information and a small picture to ukpercussion@hotmail.com