Bill Miller is one of the nation’s most notable Native American artists and offers schools a diverse background that help to create a number of opportunities to help educate and entertain students in the areas of his many creative talents. Coupling his workshops with his concerts has been an extremely rewarding experience for everyone involved.

The son of Mohican-German parents, Bill grew up amid the streams and woodlands of the reservation (his tribe is properly called Mahicanuk, which means People From Where The Waters Are Never Still). Even then, water made a deep impression. "I've always been connected to water," says Bill. "My reservation was in northern Wisconsin, so I grew up near lakes and rivers. There's a mystical energy in water. Every Native creation story has water in it."

Music was an also essential part of life, and Bill (whose Indian name, Fush-Ya Heay Ka, means "bird song") learned traditional songs at an early age. "We didn't have much," he recalls. "There was nothing but woods, trout and a Zenith radio that picked up AM stations across the country. I'd hear Barbra Streisand, The Beatles, Stones, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan. I became a fan of all kinds of good music and the emotion it can capture."

At age 12, Bill got his first guitar. Although he played in teen rock bands for a few years, he soon tired of it. Trading his electric guitar for an acoustic, he began to play folk music and bluegrass, as well as taking up the Native American flute, which he came to master. "With the flute, the breath speaks for you," says Bill. "It's a faith instrument, a spirit instrument." For Bill, the turning point came when he attended a Pete Seeger concert shortly after leaving the reservation to study art at the Layton School of Art and Design in Milwaukee (he later attended the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse). The experience inspired him to move to Nashville to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter.

In the early days, Bill often faced virulent racism because of his Native American heritage, but he persevered. In time, he made tremendous inroads, writing songs with the likes of Nancy Griffith, Peter Rowan and Kim Carnes, and sharing the bill with such diverse artists as Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, the BoDeans, Richie Havens, and Arlo Guthrie. He got a big break when Tori Amos asked him to be her opening act on the Under The Pink U.S. and Canadian tour. The tour, which sold out venues across the country, was extended to over two hundred shows.

Songwriting/Music Business: Bill has toured extensively for 25 years throughout the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe. This includes major tours with well-known acts such as Pearl Jam (94), Tori Amos (94-95) and the Bodeans (95-96). He has recorded ten critically acclaimed records for the following record labels: Warner Brothers, Vanguard, Paras Recordings, Integrity and Rosebud. He has been the recipient of five Native American Music Awards including Artist and Album of the year for his project ‘Ghostdance’. Over the last two year’s Bill was awarded two Grammy’s from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for his works.

Awards: Over the past seven years Bill has received: Seven Native American Music Awards, Two Grammy Awards, AIFF-Eagle Spirit Award, Distinguidhed Artist Award (Bergen County College) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Music Awards, for his body of work.

Native American Flute:Bill has been playing native flutes since 1979. His flute playing has been featured in several documentary films including a National Geographic special called’ Braving Alaska”. He also played native flutes on the award winning song “Colors of the Wind” on Disney’s Pocahontas performed by Venessa Williams. A Grammy award was presented to him for his flute album “Cedar Dream Songs”. Bill’s flutes are all custom made by High Spirits flutes based in Arizona. The musical style of the songs he plays on the flute are the woodland and plains style.

Art/ Painting/ Drawing: Bill attended the Layton School of Art and Design, the Milwaukee school of the Arts as well as UW LaCrosse. As an art major he has had successful showings of his work in galleries in Sante Fe, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Bill’s contribution to the internationally acclaimed Painted Ponies exhibit has brought him worldwide acclaim. During 2006 Bill will be lecturing and presenting his art at galleries around the country, including New York and Los Angeles.

Racial reconciliation: Over the course of the last few years Bill has developed an inspiring lecture series where he shares his experiences growing up on an Indian Reservation, and addresses the issue of racial reconciliation from a Native American viewpoint. Suicide prevention, alcohol and substance abuse awareness programs are also covered. These programs are based on Bill’s own life experiences and are focused on hope and on root oriented therapy of the spirit. Bill has worked extensively in this area for the past 15 years on reservations, in the inner cities, at both high schools and colleges.