WILLIAM KENNEDY, Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media, joined the faculty at Florida State University in 1978. He received his baccalaureate degree in applied music and music education from Western Michigan University and his master's degree in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music.

Kennedy is a past president of the Florida Unit of the International Association of Jazz Educators and is currently the secretary for the Florida Unit of the National Association of Jazz Educators. Mr. Kennedy teaches jazz ensemble techniques, jazz saxophone, and improvisation. He has been featured nationally and internationally as a clinician and soloist and is a past member of the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra directed by Gunther Schuller and David Baker and has appeared at jazz festivals and concerts in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, France, Japan, and Hong Kong. He is currently an artist / clinician for Kenilworth Saxophones.