Teacher Feature: Arturo Trevino Jr.

• Arturo Treviño Jr.
• Posted 4/30/21
• 0 comments

Get to know our authors.  In our  ”Teacher Feature,” you will not only learn about our authors’ professional endeavors but also get to know them as humans too.  Just like our readers – our authors are actively teaching in schools across the United States .

Arturo Trevino Jr. is an elementary music educator with seven years of teaching experience working on his master’s in music in ethnomusicology. Working as a professional educator and looking into scholarship has given him a unique spin on the field. He is starting his thesis research in the fall and has Level 1 knowledge for Kodály and Orff.  
 
Arturo serves as a leader at his campus, assisting as a grant writer-editor, and has had some grants approved for his classroom through Donors Choose. He also has several creative works published in connection to his LatinX/ChicanX roots as a Mexican  American outside of his discipline in music.  

Some other interesting facts we learned about Arturo… 

How did you end up becoming a music teacher? 

I started my search for a job as of January 2012. It took fifteen interviews from across the state before I received my first call. It was rough, and I felt like a failure. Walking out of the interview, I felt like they were looking for coached responses. I was not meeting the words the fine arts coordinators wanted to hear. One memorable interview happened in Navasota, Texas, where the assistant principal never looked up to see me. Driving hundreds of miles only to cut a fifteen-minute in-person interview short. I felt mortified and knew that a phone interview could have been a better route. Before my first job offer, I was substituting at Sharyland ISD. Then I remember my friend calling me. 

In my elementary music pedagogy class at UTPA, we would always swap ideas. She tells me there is a position available. I applied to three positions at that district, one assistant choir director and two elementary music teacher jobs. Two days later, I get a phone call telling me that my name is being sent to the board for the elementary position. Secretly, I wanted to conduct my own middle school choir. They ask if I want the job—my first offer, my only offer. I remember my mentor teacher telling me not to take a job because it’s the only one on the table. Yet, I needed to start somewhere. So, I said yes. I was with Mission CISD for two years and commuted for an hour and fifteen minutes both ways every day for those two years. Yes, I added a lot of mileage on my vehicle. 

Did a teacher influence your decision to enter education?  

I had several educators shape me along the way: my elementary music teacher, Ms. Christensen. My middle school choir teacher, Ms. Olga Mendez. My high school choir director, Mr. Gene Holkup. My voice teacher in college, Dr. Vivian Munn, and my choir director at the university, Dr. Christopher Munn. When I first arrived at UT-Pan American, I was a pre-med chemistry major who wanted to attend med school and pursue pathology. I wanted to help people. One day, Dr. Vivian Munn and I had a conversation in the choir room that changed my path forever. I had a new schedule at the end of that week, mostly first-year music courses. I also need to recognize two individuals who presently shape my career, Dr. Susan Hurley-Glowa and Dr. Andres Amado Pineda. Both of these individuals have guided me and continue to support me in the ethnomusicology department. 

What inspires you to share your experiences with other teachers?  

I think we have some commonalities between us as humans. Even when our own walks in life are different, we care about what we do in the classroom. So, maybe this empathic element allows us to step in as we read some testimonial or narrative writing style. We can feel the complex layers of how the individual traverses the world. We can connect with their pain, happiness, stress, success, and everything in between. This is why I think as educators, we need to be sharing stories more with one another. We can develop a group identity, or at least, communal solidarity. We take care of each other that way by understanding one another.   

What is your favorite music teaching moment?  

My favorite teaching moment happens when everything goes wrong in the classroom. When your internet connection fails, and you are on your own. Improvising while still connecting to your topic, your classroom becomes your stage. Your students are both the participants and audience members. This is why I love teaching. 

What has been the biggest surprise/revelation about being a music teacher?  

You still have a lot to learn once you finish your undergraduate degree. I highly recommend pursuing an additional elementary music pedagogy path like Kodaly, Orff, Dalcroze, and the like. Learn how to work with technology and know how to use a sound mixing board! Also, your role as program director in the elementary program is NOT fluffy work. If you consider elementary music, it’s a legitimate position that requires a lot of work! I oversee over five hundred sixty students at my campus from PreK-3 to fifth grade. So, working on musicals, choir programs, Orff ensembles, and the like requires a lot of time and organizational skills to make it happen. How I managed to do all this with graduate school, I have no idea. I just made it work. Oh, and don’t be surprised if they ask you to be the sound engineer for other events. I had to render a mix of various Mexican folkdance music to be performed in under forty seconds. Somehow, with musicianship skills, chord changes, it all worked out. Also, don’t stop dreaming. It’s never too early to start a different program. You are going to have doubts; that is normal. It’s been tough to consider how I will continue into musicology, whether musicology is really for me or if I am meant to pursue a different path, like Chicano studies or culture studies. The scary part is that South Texas does not have easy access for doctoral programs in musicology, the only path available is education. Do I want to continue after I complete my program? Yes. Is it possible? I sometimes feel like it’s not. If I do, I will have to leave the classroom. Sacrifices. 

How do you deal with stress?  

Walks in the park or in nature really help me. I have actually started doing some creative writing. I have had three poems published—one in a chapbook, two with Ryerson University in Canada. I just recently submitted another creative work called “La olla de cafe.” I managed to add some additional sounds and performed the poem. Creative works like these just take me away from the stressors in life. Sometimes I just ramble on the piano, improvising whatever comes to my mind. Of course, this is always in a safe space, away from people. I still get nervous when I perform. Yet, in these last years, I have learned that my words flow when I talk about what I love, and there in that space, my performance brings new life to the stage. 

Fun Facts About Arturo    

What is your favorite food?  

Stuffed jalapeños filled with pineapple cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. 

Do you have any pets?  Tell us about them.  

Yes! I have two cats, Mama Krooks, and Allowishes, and one stray, Random, who lingers at our house. 

What is your favorite style of music to listen to?   

I listen to everything. I’m learning to appreciate more music that derives from my roots. I listen to Son Huasteco, other Son styles. I actually want to learn how to sing this, it’s beautiful music.  

What is your favorite school appropriate beverage – are you a cola or coffee drinker? 

Regular coffee, two creams, one stevia. I try not to overdo it, but I drink five cups a day.  

What is your favorite book?  

I am a sci-fi fanatic! I also adore folklore and supernatural theory. As a kid, I devoured Harry Potter books in days, not weeks. Today, I tend stress read a book a week. However, when the literature feels right, time just flies. Reading one hundred eighty pages for two classes feels stressful when you have a full-time job.  

If you could be a superhero, who would you be and why?  

You know, I like Batman. He deals with so many issues. People like him, people hate him. Some people just don’t understand him. He provides a narrative for those that don’t have access. He has tools, an awesome bat cave. The man has the muscles I wish I had. A person working in the shadows to provide change, there is something to that idea that I like. This is the reason why I think Batman really resonates with me. I’m in the shadows advocating. I’m helping others when I can. I have tools I use; Batman really fits well with me. 

We hope you have enjoyed getting to know Arturo as much as we have. Check out is Music ConstructED articles below!