Director of Bands

anhinojosa@irvingisd.net

Associate Band Director

macardenas@irvingisd.net

Marcus Cardenas is the Associate Director of Bands at MacArthur High School. Born and raised in Galveston, Texas, he began playing trumpet in the 5th grade, where his love for music grew.

Mr. Cardenas graduated with honors from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. While at UNT, he was a member of the Green Brigade Marching Band for three semesters, where he spent his final season with the band on staff as a field instructor. He also performed as a solo cornet member with the UNT Brass Band as well as lead trumpet in the UNT Basketball Pep Band for 3 years.

Mr. Cardenas marched five years of Drum Corps International. He marched as a trumpet player for Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015 & 2016, the Madison Scouts in 2017, the Cadets in 2018, and finished his marching career with Carolina Crown in 2019, earning the Jim Ott Award for Best Brass Performance. Mr. Cardenas also worked with the Hebron High School Marching Band as a field instructor for their 2018 & 2019 seasons, assisting in their 2019 trip to the Bands of America Grand Nationals Competition where the band received the bronze medal, 1st in music, 1st in individual visual, and a Rose Bowl Parade invitation.

Mr. Cardenas maintains professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He currently resides in Carrollton, Texas with his fiancé Stephanie and their dog Penny and cat Elvis.

Assistant Band Director/Percussion Director

joseaguilar@irvingisd.net

Jose Luis Aguilar III is a percussionist based out of the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex that specializes in contemporary percussion solo literature, chamber music, standard orchestral repertoire, and marching percussion. Jose recently completed his Master of Music- Performance degree at the University Texas at Austin where he studied with Dr. Thomas Burritt and Tony Edwards. At UT, Jose has performed with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Percussion Ensemble which was selected as the winner of the 2020 PASIC International Percussion Ensemble Competition.

Before arriving at the Butler School of Music, Jose received a Bachelor of Music degree with an All-Level Certification from Texas A&M International University in Laredo,Tx. His teachers at TAMIU include Dr. Lorraine Dinkel, Dr. James Moyer, and Dr. Mark Boseman. Jose was a part of the TAMIU Percussion Ensemble that was selected to perform a concert at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 2017 and the PAS Valley Day of Percussion in 2018.

As a pageantry performer, Jose has been involved with several DCI/WGI groups that include the Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps (2015-2016), Monarch Independent (2017), and the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps (2017). In the classical world, Jose won a Section Percussion position with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra and has subbed as Principal Timpanist since 2015. Jose has taught numerous programs in the Laredo and Austin area most notably with United Middle School, Clark Middle School, John B. Alexander High School, and Leander High School. Jose maintained an active private lesson studio with students from multiple schools in the Austin area from 2019-2021.

In the spring of 2018, Jose competed in the 5th Annual UTRGV Marimba Festival and placed 3rd in the Collegiate division. Later that summer, Jose was selected to be a part of the Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar where he took lessons with Michael Burritt, Doug Perkins, Nancy Zeltsman, Colin Currie, and Cynthia Yeh and performed in masterclass and concerts.

Color Guard Director

tgriffeth24@gmail.com