Private Applied Music Instructor
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Menard Hall
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Colleen Hillyer joined Lincoln Land Community College as a private applied music instructor in spring 2020. She earned a bachelor's degree in music from Millikin University and a master's degree in music from West Virginia University, and she did postgraduate coursework at Shenandoah University, all with a concentration in flute performance. Her principal teachers include Jonathan Snowden, Dr. John McMurtery, Dr. Francesca Arnone, Bernard Goldberg, Dr. Francis Lapp Averitt and Dr. Laurie Glencross.
Hillyer teaches fifth through 12th grade band at St. Teresa High School and Our Lady of Lourdes School in Decatur. In addition to band, she also teaches class piano at the high school level. Outside of teaching full-time, she runs a private flute studio, has served as an adjudicator in central Illinois and has worked to bring live music performances to schools.
In recent seasons, she has performed with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and Shenandoah Summer Music Theater, and has been a soloist with the Decatur Municipal Band. Besides performing, she was the MDSO music librarian for several seasons. Hillyer is on the board of directors for the Symphony Guild of Decatur and served as vice president of audience development for the 2019-2020 season. She is a member of the National Flute Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Alpha Chi Omega and Order of Omega.