Meet Dr. Walker

Jett M. Walker, DMA, currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Trombone at Western Illinois University. In addition to his work with the WIU Trombone Studio, he also instructs courses in conducting and performs with the La Moine Brass Quintet, the resident faculty brass quintet at Western Illinois University. He is also the author of The Quintet Playbook: Effective Strategies for Amateur or Pre-Professional Brass Quintets, published by Cherry Classics Music, in which Dr. Walker provides practical strategies and techniques for addressing challenges and achieving success as a brass quintet.

Outside of his academic life, Dr. Walker enjoys a busy freelancing schedule. He has regularly performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Illinois Symphony, Quad City Symphony, Peoria Symphony, and Battle Creek Symphony, and has also performed with the Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, Queen City Opera, Carmel Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, and Brazos Valley Symphony. A versatile musician and enthusiast of jazz and commercial music, he has also performed with the Cincy Brass, Blue Wisp Big Band, Joe Rogers Big Band, Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, Olmos Basin Brass Quintet, and numerous musical pit orchestras. His freelance work has allowed him to share the stage with such illustrious performers as Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., and most recently, The Who.

Dr. Walker is committed to regularly commissioning and performing new works for solo trombone. He has recently commissioned and premiered two works for solo trombone, Jett Stream Blue by David Wilborn, and Sonata for Trombone and Brass Quartet by Jack Wilds, in which Jett served as the consortium’s lead commissioner. In 2023, Walker performed Jett Stream Blue on faculty artist recitals at both the Big 12 Trombone Conference and the International Trombone Festival, and in 2024 performed Wild’s Sonata for Trombone and Brass Quartet alongside his colleagues in the La Moine Brass Quintet.

Prior to attending graduate school, Walker also served as a middle school band director for five years in central Texas. Bands under his direction were consistent recipients of the UIL Sweepstakes award among many others. He is also a contributing writer for the growing online journal The Collective: Shifting the Paradigm for Critical Musicians, and serves as a writer and album reviewer for the International Trombone Association Journal.

Jett received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Texas State University in Music Education and Trombone Performance, respectively. Jett is also an S.E. Shires Performing Artist and performs exclusively on Shires trombones.

For more information, please visit https://www.jettwalkertrombone.com/