As the 2022 fall semester came upon West Liberty University (WLU), the fine arts gained a new Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands, Alvin Simpson.

Simpson, a Lower Burrell Pennsylvania native, formerly taught in Punxsutawney as a fourth through seventh band and general music director. Prior to that, Simpson was the director of athletic bands at Duquesne University. He is now working towards his doctoral degree in music education.

Transforming the music department is one of Simpson’s priorities. He wants to “promote the band and strengthen recruitment efforts in order to make the number of members bigger.” Simpson added that his efforts to improve recruitment stems from the lack of acknowledgement that exists around band awareness on campus.

In the process of working with the music department, Simpson noted that he “really enjoys working with these groups of students and with the student body in general.” Growing the music department and the fine arts in general, is the task at hand for Simpson.

When coming to a different campus it can be difficult to adjust to a different environment of faculty, but Simpson said “I am excited to be working with the faculty of The College of Creative and Liberal Arts.” He is privileged to collaborate with fellow faculty members in order to make the experience better for the students here at WLU.

In his freetime, Simpson enjoys weight lifting, reading comic books, playing a variety of different video games and cooking different meals.

For more information about joining the Marching Hilltoppers or other ensembles WLU has to offer, please contact Simpson at [email protected].