Howland was born in Missouri, and studied at the University of Illinois.
[1] From 1948 to 1975, Howland taught at Fresno State College in California, where he was active as an arranger and composer for wind band and clarinet choir.
[4] In 1975 Howland was inducted into the hall of fame of the California Music Educators Association.
In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the Valley Music Hall of Fame.
This article on a United States musician who plays a woodwind instrument is a stub.