Donshon Wilson was born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Wilson has always had a passion for instrumental music. He attended East Cleveland City Schools from elementary through high school. As a percussionist student he participated in Concert Band, Wind Symphony, private lessons, Rhythm Teens (jazz band), Shaw High School Marching Band and even created a stage band
with a few friends. Needless to say, music has always been a part of his life.
Following high school, Mr. Wilson attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he obtained his Bachelors of Science in Psychology. There, he became
a member of the CSU Concert Band as well as the Invincible Marching Marauders, where he would eventually become a Section Leader. Following the completion
of his degree, Mr. Wilson returned to East Cleveland with a friend to brag about
how great his high school band was. As they marched down the street, he was heart-broken at the lack of participation, discipline and entertainment, a less than excellent version of his beloved band paraded down the street.
In 1997, Mr. Wilson returned to East Cleveland City Schools as a substitute teacher. It was in the same year that he began helping with the Marching
Band percussion section at Shaw. Working with sub-par equipment, he
turned students with no musical training into a disciplined unit of musicians and entertainers. By 2000, Mr. Wilson had become the Band Director of
Shaw Marching Band.
Since 2000, Mr. Wilson has taken his programs to unimaginable levels! He
has taken students across America to participate in competitions, showcases and on many college campus tours. One of Mr. Wilson's greatest honors was
to lead Shaw Marching band as they participated in the 2008 Musical Tribute to the Olympics in Beijing, China, of which only five American marching bands were selected to participate.
During his time as the Director, Mr. Wilson has also led Shaw Band to over 200 first place competition victories, performances with music artists Common, Brandy and Machine Gun Kelly, opened for Cleveland Cavaliers home games with their performance as Q-Sticks, opened as the introduction to General Colin Powell, one of three bands selected to participate in the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 Championship Parade, opened for Hilary and Bill Clinton, selected by Congress woman Stephanie Tubbs Jones as "my band" and, selected to perform for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the former's Cleveland rally in 2010. These are just a few of the notable things done over the years.
In 2008, Mr. Wilson obtained his Master's in Educational leadership from The American Inter-continental University. Currently, he is the Director of Student Wellness and Parent Engagement for Warrensville Heights City School District and the Marching Band Director for Warrensville Heights High School.
Mr. Wilson is a dedicated educator who encourages students to achieve greatness despite the odds that they may encounter. He consistently provides motivational speeches to students and challenges participants to believe in themselves as he believes in each of them. In 2007, Mr. Wilson created Music Through the Streets to support student musicians through college and to encourage middle/high school students to explore and introduce them to instrumental music.
