Mr. Ryan Diefenderfer just completed his tenth year of teaching band and orchestra. Over the course of the past ten years, Mr. Diefenderfer has served as the Director of Bands and Orchestras at Paradise Valley High School, Director of Bands and Orchestras at Greenway Middle School, and Adjunct Brass and Jazz Faculty Member at Paradise Valley Community College where he led the Brass Choir and Jazz Combo. Mr. Diefenderfer is the proud recipient of the 2021 Silver Apple Arizona Teaching Award and Quarterfinalist for the 2024 Grammy Award in Music Education.
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Mr. Diefenderfer graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2013, where he studied music education, music composition, trombone, and jazz studies. Mr. Diefenderfer grew up in Mundelein, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, and moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 2009 to pursue his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Indiana University. Mr. Diefenderfer completed his student teaching at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. Currently, Mr. Diefenderfer is finishing his Master’s Degree in Music Teaching and Learning from Arizona State University. While at ASU, Mr. Diefenderfer’s focus has been on music curriculum development with a focus on student-centered practices.
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Mr. Diefenderfer is a classical and jazz trombonist, some of his personal highlights including: performing Arthur Pryor's "Fantastic Polka" as an international soloist, giving concerts in Denmark, Poland and Germany with the 2014 Blue Lake International Northern Wind Ensemble, winning 2nd place in the 2010 Southeast Trombone Symposium National Solo Competition, and most recently playing principal trombone with the North Valley Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Winds Wind Ensemble in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Diefenderfer is also a composer, having had his compositions played by wind ensembles and other musical groups at: Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Kansas, and Indiana University.
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Mr. Diefenderfer believes a life is fullest when filled with hobbies, so in his spare time, Mr. Diefenderfer loves to: cook, hike, exercise, read, keep up with the latest in movies and streaming, and watch and play basketball. One of Mr. Diefenderfer’s other passions is traveling, including embarking on an ambitious 28-day backpacking trip through Europe in 2023. Mr. Diefenderfer identifies as a foodie, and is excited to explore all of the food that Houston has to offer!
