Dr. Willis M. Rapp holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a Master of Music in Music Education from West Chester University in Pennsylvania, PA. He also holds a Diploma of Fine Arts in Conducting from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Dr. Rapp has served on the faculty of Millersville University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Iowa State University and Kutztown University, where he retired in 2013 with the distinction of Professor Emeritus.
Dr. Rapp has been a published author for nearly half a century with over 500 publications to his credit through Charter Publications, Jenson Publications, Educational Programs Publications, Meredith Music Publications and Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. With one exception, he was the youngest student to have studied timpani and orchestral repertoire with Fred D. Hinger, legendary timpanist for The Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Dr. Rapp performed as Principal Timpanist of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra (ASO) during the years when William Smith, former Associate Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, served as Music Director and Conductor of the ASO.
Since 2000, Dr. Rapp has served as Conductor of the Reading Pops Orchestra. He also has guest conducted, performed as a recitalist and appeared as a clinician in more than half of the US states and in multiple provinces in Canada. His scholarly text, The Wind Band Masterworks of Holst, Vaughan Williams and Grainger, was released in March 2005. In 2007, Dr. Rapp was the recipient of the Kutztown University Faculty Research Award, and in fall 2009, he was honored with the Arthur and Isabel Wiesenberger Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, making him the first faculty member in the history of the university to be honored with both awards. He was awarded the Percussive Arts Society Lifetime Achievement in Education Award in 2018.
Dr. Rapp has been involved with the Outback Bowl Festival and massed band halftime productions since 1994.
