Meet the Orchestra Teachers!
Mr. Ryan Watson - Manzanita Elementary, District Orchestra Coordinator
Mr. Watson is a native Tucsonan. He began playing viola in TUSD's orchestra program and played in the Tucson Junior Strings and Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra. His experiences in these programs inspired him to pursue a career in teaching and conducting.
After earning his degree from University of Arizona, Mr. Watson taught orchestra in Las Vegas, Nevada for 14 years. He launched the orchestra program at Del Sol High School in 2004. In 2005 he was named the "Emerging New Teacher of the Year" by the Nevada American String Teacher's Association. In 2007 he became director at Coronado High School in Henderson, NV. Under his leadership, the program grew to one of the largest high school programs in Nevada serving 170 students with 3 levels of orchestra including a full symphony orchestra.
In 2018, Mr. Watson returned home to Tucson to join in building a new orchestra program in the Catalina Foothills School District. He teaches orchestra at Manzanita Elementary and Catalina Foothills High School. He extremely excited to be part of building an exceptional orchestra program in the Catalina Foothills.
Email: rwatson@cfsd16.org
Ms. Gabby Cioca - Canyon View and Ventana Vista Elementary Schools
Ms. Cioca (she/her) is passionate about student empowerment and diversity inside and outside the classroom. A recent graduate from the University of Arizona, Ms. Cioca grew up participating in local Tucson orchestra programs such as Tucson Junior Strings and Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra (just like Mr. Watson!).
Ms. Cioca taught for UArizona's String Project through college as both a private lesson and group teacher. She has presented for the National String Project Consortium at the American String Teacher Association Conference in 2022 on Best Practices for Private and Group String Lessons. Outside of music education, Ms. Cioca enjoys work in the arts administration field. She has worked with a multitude of organizations locally (Arizona Arts Live) and nationally (The American Viola Society, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts).
Ms. Cioca has also enjoyed pursuing high level playing through ensembles and summer institutes. She was a founding member of the award-winning UArizona Desert Viola Ensemble and has attended summer sessions at Rocky Ridge Music Center and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute.
Ms. Cioca is thrilled to be teaching at Canyon View and Ventana Vista Elementaries this year! Outside of school, Ms. Cioca enjoys watching movies and going to Dutch Bros.
Email: gcioca@cfsd16.org
Dr. Jason Sah - Sunrise Drive Elementary School
Dr. Jason Sah is formerly Professor of Upper Strings and Chair of Chamber Music at the Universitaria Juan N. Corpas School of Music in Bogota, Colombia. He has served as a Resident String Teaching Artist at St. Mary’s University, MN and the Universidad Juarez del Estado Durango in Mexico. He has taught on the summer faculties of the Beverly Hills and Montecito International Music Festivals and the Sequoia and Point Counterpoint Chamber Music festivals. He has performance degrees in both Violin and Viola, and is a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts Program of the Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Sah’s love of working with young people led him to public school teaching. For the past 10 years he has taught across the US and India. He is a 2021 Global Leaders Institute Alumnus and Hildegard Behrens Humanitarian Laureate with a keen interest in enriching communities through the arts. He is a sought-after adjudicator and a regular lecturer on classroom string pedagogy. Dr. Sah is thrilled to be teaching at Orange Grove Middle School and Sunrise Drive Elementary School. He loves living in Tucson with his wife Larissa and their two children.
Email: jsah@cfsd16.org
