My name is Bill Ton (b. 1986, in Santa Cruz, California). I have a BA in Music Education from Berea College (magna cum laude), an MM in Composition from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a DMA in Composition/Minor in Music Theory from the University of South Carolina. In case you were wondering, my last name is Dutch and is pronounced like it looks (rhymes with “fun”!). I am the great-great-great grandson as a fairly famous abolitionist on the Underground Railroad (John Ton - Wikipedia).

I grew up in the bucolic, sylvan setting of Boulder Creek, California, beneath the mossy, towering redwoods. My mother was a potter and owned an art gallery and my father was a muralist and sign painter. I began taking trumpet and piano lessons in fifth grade. By the time I was in middle school, I had written three pieces for our band: The Quagmire, The Smorgasbord, and the The Snowplow. The scores are long gone (to everyone’s benefit).

In high school, our program would travel to different local colleges and festivals throughout California. Listening to these amazing ensembles play made an indelible impression on my developing musical mind. In light of my early exposure to these excellent performances, I saw what the performing arts – especially through exposure to and performance of imaginative and finely-crafted compositions – could do for young people.

After matriculating from my undergraduate program and receiving my teaching credential in 2009, I taught at a variety of schools – from elementary music at the edge of Silicon Valley to a small liberal arts school in West Virginia. I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation, The Post-Tonal Evolution of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective, in 2023. Later that year, I landed the absolute dream job at Monterey High School, where our program has grown to include two jazz bands, a brand new marching band, Winterguard, and a classical guitar ensemble.

I am married to my amazing wife, Isha, and have a very sweet six-year-old son, Levi.

My inspiration comes from a love for working with students, the creative endeavor, extensive score study, the pursuit of the fresh and expressive in composition, and the love of seeing students fall in love with music and the arts.

I am strictly and unapologetically against the use of Generative AI and do not use it in my music.

The motivation for starting this business has been the refining work of the past fifteen (plus) years in the classroom, where I have refined my ability to create custom compositions for my students (sometimes from the joy of composing, sometimes from sheer necessity and looming deadlines).

S.D.G.!!