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Dr. Hillsman has over 45 years of experience as a music educator holding a Bachelor and Master of Music Education and a Ph.D. in Musicology! She specializes in Gospel Music as a Minister of Music, church music clinician, and music for all occasions. Her travels have allowed her to establish an international gospel connection in Africa, the Bahamas, Japan and Sweden, to name a few.
She retired as Supervising Director of Music for the D.C. Public Schools, Emeritus Professor of Music and Director of the Bowie State Gospel Choir where she produced its first gospel CD. She serves on the National Board of Directors for the James Cleveland Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), Director of Academics, A National Scholarship Chairperson, served as first Collegiate Scholarship Chairperson, and is one of the founding members of the DC Chapter GMWA, recently organized the Syracuse Chapter of GMWA. She Chaired the first HBCU Summit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Having served 50 years in the Washington, DC area, relocating to Syracuse, NY in 2009, she served on the Mayors Transitional Team for the Arts in Syracuse, she is the Music Consultant and Presenter for Syracuse University's "Say Yes To Education" program, Board Member for the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, Church Music Consultant, motivational speaker, curriculum writer, lecturer and performer. Worked for the late gospel promoter Mancel "speedy" Warrick (father of Dionne Warrick) screening new gospel artists for a recording company in New York City. She teaches private music lessons in piano, voice, theory and church music administration. She is the author of several books, her latest entitled, "Gospel Music: An African American Artform" (McGraw Hill Publishers). She was recently inducted in the legacy film industry. Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, MENC, Phi Delta Kappa, Top Ladies of Distinction and listed in several Who's Who directories. She is a member of the National Council of Negro Women, NAACP, Research and Doctoral Committees, Adjunct Professor for several Universities.
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- Native of Anderson, SC
- Long-term Washington, DC/Maryland Resident
- Alzheimer's support group leader
- Volunteer music services for area nursing homes and other facilities (DC and Syracuse)
- Organized the first D.C. Homeless Gospel Choir
- Music for all occasions. Contact for music scoring and transcriptions
- Producer, instructor, composer, lecturer, performer
- Educational consultant and curriculum writer
- Private music lessons, Mentor and Tutoring
- Church music workshops, seminars and educational lectures, and fine arts enrichment consultant
- African American Music Research Historian
- Hosted a weekly half-hour radio show, "Educational Gospel Music Spotlight" for WYCB radio (DC)
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