WILLY HIGGINS

Class of 2011

CADET / INSTRUCTOR / MENTOR

Cadet Years: Percussion/Snare/Section Leader (1984, 1986-1989)

Percussion Staff/Snare Tech (1990-1999)

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HIS CADET STORY:

Will Higgins marched in the snare line in 1984, and from 1986-1989, aging out in '89 as the section leader, receiving the 1989 Distinguished Service Award. He won DCI twice, once as part of the iconic West Side Story show in 1984, and again with the groundbreaking Appalachian Spring show in 1987, also winning the Fred Sanford High Percussion trophy in '87. Upon aging out, Willy joined the Cadets percussion instructional staff as the snare tech where he remained until 1998, winning the Fred Sanford High Percussion trophy again in 1990 and winning the DCI trophy in 1990, 1993, and 1998. He was named the Zildjian Instructor of the Year in 1998.

 

He was lucky to have been surrounded by incredibly talented and dedicated teachers and fellow members during all of these years, but especially Hall of Fame member and Cadet Tom Aungst, whose influence can be seen on many other Cadets Hall of Fame pages.

 

Many Cadets members may have been just as familiar with Willy's parents, Willy (also) and Sandy, who volunteered with the corps for many years in the 80s and 90s.

 

Upon leaving the Cadets in 1998, Willy concentrated on his full-time job as a high school English teacher at Clifton High School in NJ, moving to Swampscott High School in MA in 1998 , then to Dartmouth High School, also in MA, in 2002 where he remains today and is the English Department Lead Teacher. He also became a first-year English instructor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2002 where he also remains today.

 

Willy, and his wife Tracy, nurtured a love for music and the arts in their two sons, Luke and Cal, both of whom marched in the Dartmouth High School Indoor Percussion ensemble.