Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
The Stillman Jazz ensemble is the premier jazz ensemble of Stillman Middle School in the Brownsville Independent School District in Brownsville, Texas. The 28-member ensemble is drawn from the school’s comprehensive band program. While band students receive daily instruction through the instrumental music curriculum, the Stillman Jazz ensemble functions as an advanced extension of the program and rehearses outside the regular school day.
Located in the culturally vibrant Rio Grande Valley along the United States/Mexico border, the ensemble reflects a predominantly Hispanic and bilingual student population representative of the Brownsville community. While the ensemble includes students from a variety of backgrounds, the cultural experiences of the region contribute meaningfully to the group’s musical perspective, particularly in the interpretation of Latin rhythmic traditions that are foundational to the jazz idiom. As a representative ensemble from a region and student population not often featured at national conferences, the Stillman Jazz ensemble provides an opportunity to highlight how inclusive access to rigorous music education can cultivate artistic excellence in communities that are historically underrepresented on national stages.
Instruction within the ensemble emphasizes stylistically informed performance, encouraging students to engage thoughtfully with the musical traditions that define jazz. The ensemble provides an environment for applied jazz pedagogy where listening, theory, ensemble performance, and student solo development are integrated through a sequential instructional framework designed to cultivate independent musicianship. Students develop characteristic tone, articulation, ensemble balance, and rhythmic precision while building a functional understanding of jazz harmony and terminology.
Student solo opportunities encourage the development of individual musical voices while exploring blues vocabulary, modal concepts, and chord/scale relationships. Guided listening to historically significant artists and recordings connects students to the lineage and traditions of jazz, deepening their stylistic awareness and musical understanding. In addition to regular after-school rehearsals, the ensemble holds sectionals and periodic Saturday rehearsals to prepare for major performances. Student leadership and ownership are cultivated intentionally through peer mentorship, collaborative rehearsal practices, and shared responsibility for ensemble preparation.
Since its founding in Fall 2019, the Stillman Jazz ensemble has rapidly distinguished itself for musical achievement and artistic maturity. In spring 2025, the ensemble entered the competitive jazz festival circuit for the first time and immediately earned recognition for its performance excellence, earning 3rd Place Overall in the Middle School Division at the Rio Grande Valley Jazz Festival, where the saxophone section received the festival’s Outstanding Section Award and five students were named Outstanding Soloists of the Day. The ensemble continued its success at the Border City Jazz Festival, where the trombone section received the Outstanding Section Award and three Stillman Jazz musicians were recognized as Outstanding Soloists of the Day. Most recently, the Stillman Jazz Ensemble was selected as the 2026 Invited Middle School Jazz Ensemble for the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio, one of the most prestigious recognition available to a school ensemble in Texas, reflecting the group’s sustained artistic achievement, disciplined preparation, and commitment to musical excellence.
The Stillman Jazz ensemble proudly represents Stillman Middle School and the Brownsville Independent School District in Brownsville, Texas. The ensemble’s achievements affirm that high-level jazz musicianship can flourish in public school programs serving culturally diverse and economically varied communities when access, mentorship, and high expectations are aligned. A performance by the Stillman Jazz ensemble at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference would mark a significant moment for the Brownsville community, as an ensemble from the city has not appeared at the conference since 1968, when the former Brownsville High School represented the district. No middle school ensemble from Brownsville ISD has ever performed at The Midwest Clinic. The Stillman Jazz ensemble hopes to represent its community by sharing a program that reflects the musical voices, cultural perspectives, and educational possibilities emerging from the Rio Grande Valley.
Stillman Middle School Jazz Ensemble
Conductor's Bio
David Ramirez was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, where his musical foundation was shaped by dedicated educators at Besteiro Middle School, including Michael Dawson, Adam Kramer, and Ernest Cantú. Among these teachers, Michael Dawson was a graduate of the prestigious Vandercook College of Music, whose focus on musicianship, discipline, and strong fundamentals left a lasting impression on Ramirez. Mr. Kramer’s early introduction to jazz, in particular, laid the groundwork for Ramirez’s lifelong engagement with the genre. He further developed his skills at Lopez High School under Michael Kuntz, Stacey Dunn, and George Treviño, two of whom, Kuntz and Dunn, are VanderCook alumni. Their mentorship, alongside continued guidance from Mr. Kramer, helped Ramirez earn a chair in the Texas All-State Jazz Ensemble, making him the first student from Brownsville to achieve this distinction.
Mr. Ramirez earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, where he performed with a wide range of ensembles, including the UT Longhorn Band. He was honored as a Longhorn Band Outstanding Musician and studied under Dr. Robert Carnochan, Professor Jerry Junkin, Professor Ray Sasaki, and Charles Villarubia. In 2005, he was a member of The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, earning Drum Corps International World Champion and Rookie of the Year honors. Following college, Mr. Ramirez taught for six years at Lopez High School as a high-brass specialist and director of the Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble. Under his direction, the Concert Band consistently earned UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Sweepstakes, and his students regularly earned placement in All-Region, All-Region Jazz, and All-State ensembles. He later served at Lucio Middle School, where his Symphonic Band also earned UIL Sweepstakes, continuing a culture of accountability and musical excellence.
Mr. Ramirez currently serves as the director of the Stillman Middle School Jazz Ensemble and high brass instructor. His emphasis on strong fundamentals, stylistic fluency, and individual preparation has led to consistent All-Region and All-Region Jazz representation at the middle school level. Under his leadership, the Stillman Jazz Ensemble was selected as the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Invited Middle School Jazz Ensemble, marking a first for both the campus and the district.
Mr. Ramirez maintains active professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Jazz Educators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He resides in Brownsville, Texas, with his wife, Yvette, his son, Elliot, a member of the jazz ensemble, and his daughter, Margaret.
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