Born and raised right here in the Tri Valley Area by two musical parents, it is no wonder that Ian Williams has pursued music to become the accomplished teacher and performer that we first met back in 2013, when he joined the Music Time Academy staff as a substitute instructor for several months prior to teaching here regularly. His father, a composer, arranger and trumpeter, and his mother, a former first grade teacher who would sing and play songs to her students on the auto-harp, Ian was fortunate to grow up in a musical household. At a young age, he began making music himself, continuing on to develop professional level skills on not only the saxophone (his primary focus), but also on other woodwinds (clarinet, flute) and piano.

Ian's musical studies include music courses at Diablo Valley College, Berklee College of Music Summer Programs, and private instruction from some of the most highly regarded instrumentalists in area, including Guido Fazio. Ian has been awarded honors such as the Ernie Thompson Scholarship for Best Woodwind Player, and the Louis Armstrong Award for Most Outstanding Musician at San Ramon Valley High. In addition to teaching at Music Time Academy, Ian is currently an assistant manager at House of Woodwinds, performing minor instrument repairs. He is a member of the Diablo Valley College Night Jazz Band, and has performed several times at Oakland's world famous jazz venue, Yoshi's, alongside renowned artists like Michael Wolff, Tom Politzer, Wayne Wallace and Wayne Bergeron.