Will Buckingham is a New Orleans-based researcher, educator, writer, and musician. His doctoral dissertation was the first book-length study on the Isleño décima, a unique tradition of Spanish folk song from St. Bernard Parish, in over twenty years. He founded the Institute for Public Ethnomusicology in order to leverage his research and experience to reach wider audiences and work to sustain this beautiful and threatened tradition.

His work spans diverse interests in music, history, archival studies, and political philosophy. Will has presented his research at conferences and meetings all over the world. His research has been published in the Jazz Archivist and Louisiana History, and his writing has also appeared in the Southwestern Archivist and the anarchist magazine Fifth Estate. He is also a professional bassist, specializing in Latin music and jazz and has performed all over Louisiana and the world with great New Orleans musicians like Leslie Martin, Eric Traub, and Fredy Omar con su Banda.

Will has over ten years of experience teaching in higher education. He is a librarian and instructor at the Moss Memorial Library at Delgado Community College and holds degrees in jazz studies and musicology from Tulane University, the MLIS and certificate in archival studies from Louisiana State University, and the PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Chicago.

Will’s CV