Nájera Trumpet Studio, LLC
Mr. Paul Nájera is a retired Band Director with over 30 years of teaching experience in public schools at the high school and middle school levels. During his teaching career, he has worn many hats beyond the classroom, including serving on the State Board of the Texas Music Education Association, President of the National Association of Military Marching Bands and various campus and district level committees. He continues to be an active clinician, consultant and adjudicator at many UIL & Invitational Band competitions throughout Texas.
Mr. Nájera has also taught private trumpet lessons and performed throughout his teaching career. Since retiring from his Band Director career, he is excited about spending more time helping students develop their individual talents on the trumpet. For over a decade, he has been proudly involved with the Flower Mound High School Band and Shadow Ridge Middle School Band programs, serving as a consultant, FMHS Jazz Band Director and FMHS Trumpet Ensemble Director.
Bands under his direction earned consistent Sweepstakes Awards in the Texas University Interscholastic League Marching and Concert & Sightreading Competitions. His marching band advanced to the 5A Area Level of the UIL State Marching Band Contest, while his high school Wind Ensemble also advanced to the 5A Area Level of the TMEA High School Honor Band Process. Individual students under Mr. Nájera’s direction earned many personal accolades in auditions and solo & ensemble contests. His high school bands have performed and competed in Tennessee, Florida, New York, Mexico & The Bahamas.
Mr. Nájera has once been awarded the "Teacher of The Year Award" and has been recognized as a "Teaching Who's Who of American Teachers". He has also been awarded the "PTA Honorary Lifetime Membership" from the Monnig Middle School PTA in the Fort Worth ISD. Throughout his teaching career, he has taught in school districts in East Texas and in the DFW area. Retiring from the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, he and his family reside in Flower Mound.
He earned a Bachelor of Music Education Degree, All-Levels Certification, from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. His professional affiliations include, the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Association of Texas Professional Educators, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, National Association of Military Marching Bands, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Professional Music Fraternity), Phi Beta Mu (International Bandmasters Fraternity), and the National Trumpet Competition. During his time at Lamar University, he performed at the College Band Directors National Association Convention, various Jazz Festivals and was a member of the Lamar Trumpet Ensemble, who was selected to perform at the International Trumpet Guild Conference. He studied the trumpet under the caring mentorship of the late, Dr. Raul S. Ornelas. His University Band Directors were Dr. Barry Johnson and the late Dr. Wayne Dyess. Other influential mentors have been the late Mr. Waymon Bullock and Mr. Neil Grant.
Since 2019, Mr. Nájera has directed the Flower Mound HS Trumpet Ensembles. These ensembles have competed at the annual National Trumpet Competition. In 2020, the FMHS Trumpet Ensemble advanced to the Semi Finals round. However, due to the pandemic, the competition was cancelled. In 2021, the FMHS Blue Trumpet Ensemble earned 1st place in the nation. In 2022, both the FMHS Blue & Silver Trumpet Ensembles advanced to the Semi-Finals round of the live competition, with the Blue Ensemble earning 3rd place in this national level competition.
Mr. Nájera is also a proud parent of two sons who attended Shadow Ridge MS and graduated from Flower Mound HS. While at FMHS, his sons earned an unprecedented combined total of 5 years as TMEA 6A All-State Band/Orchestra musicians. His youngest son was also honored to perform with the Shadow Ridge MS Honor Winds, as the Featured Soloist, at the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago in December of 2018. The Shadow Ridge Honor Winds were under the direction of Mr. Chris Meredith and Mrs. Alicia DeSoto.
Mr. Nájera's oldest son, Adiel, has earned a Bachelor Degree in Music Education, with Trumpet Emphasis, from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, a Masters Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut and is currently pursuing his Doctoral in Musical Arts Degree, in Trumpet Performance, at the University of Kentucky. His trumpet instructors were Dr. Gary Wurtz, Dr. Louis Hanzlik and currently, Dr. Jason Doval. The youngest son, Johniel, is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Music Education Degree, with Trumpet Emphasis, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where his is studying with Professor Wiff Rudd and Mr. Mark Schubert.
Currently, Mr. Nájera maintains an active Trumpet Studio of several students from Flower Mound HS, Shadow Ridge MS, McKamy MS and Forestwood MS in the Lewisville Independent School District.
"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves"
- Thomas Edison