2 District Band Directors to be Inducted Into American School Band Directors Association

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Aldine ISD is pleased to announce that Jeremy Gray, band director at Aldine High School, and Courtney Villarreal, band director at Teague Middle School, will be inducted into the prestigious American School Band Directors Association.

Potential members of the association must be nominated and sponsored by a peer who is also a current member. They must also demonstrate a high level of experience, excellent moral character, and quality of musicianship.

Gray is a huge advocate for the performing arts. On the Be a Part of the Music website, he wrote, “Music learning is one of the most beneficial things a young person can do. Research shows that young people involved in music have higher IQs, better grades, more developed language skills, and are better prepared for college. The Aldine Band has a 100% senior graduation rate and entrance into college and or the U.S. Military.” He has been working as a band director at Aldine High School for 14 years. Jeremy holds a bachelor of science from Texas A&M University at Commerce.

Villarreal has been the band director at Teague Middle School since 2022. She previously taught music at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School for eight years (2011-2019) before joining Aldine ISD in 2019 as head band director at Plummer Middle School for three years (2019-2022). Villarreal moved to Teague Middle School in 2022 to serve in the same capacity and has since set out to rebuild the band program. Professionally, she is a TIA Exemplary Distinction Award recipient and the Fine Arts Modeling Excellence recipient. She was also just awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the College of Arts and Media Dean’s office here at SHSU. More recently, she has been bestowed a $5,710.50 grant for continuing her fine arts education through the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Grant Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in music teacher education from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Villarreal is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in band studies at Sam Houston State University.

Gray and Villarreal will become involved in the organization by attending the Regional Conference this coming summer on June 21-23, 2023, in New Orleans and the National Convention in Minnesota in June 2024.

Founded in 1953, the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA) is a national organization for band directors whose mission is to promote, enhance and preserve quality school programs through the leadership and fellowship of exemplary band directors.