Features Overview

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Elaina Padilla

"I wouldn't be the dedicated and motivated student I am today if it weren't for Mr. Johnson and what he did for me in high school. He pushed me past limits I thought I could never surpass. Throughout my music career in high school Mr. Johnson taught me values and life skills that will forever be a part in what I do. I cannot thank him enough for telling us to never give up and always showing us that we could do anything as long as we put our minds to it.  He is the best."

MacArthur HS 2013  |  Texas State University 2017  |  Music Education Major

Grace Jun

"Mr. Johnson’s expectations were always high and he challenged his students. He was good at pushing the class to their limit, but this relationship resulted in good work ethic and commitment to reaching his expectations, in return. He was well respected and was someone that no one wanted to disappoint. He would always tell us that we were the ones setting the pace for our own progress and would challenge us to be better. Through this, a team atmosphere was created and there was always a game of tug-of-war going on. We the students were trying to go above and beyond Mr. Johnson’s expectations, while he continued setting the bar higher and higher. We could literally feel the excellence of the group grow, and the challenge became exhilarating and fun.

Unlike other band directors, Mr. Johnson created an environment where we could comfortably express our own musicality. We would often take time and talk about what we felt about a piece, and what kind of message it was conveying. This resulted in a maturity within the group’s sound and teamwork which set us apart musically, from other ensembles. Personally, this is one of the many aspects that I respected of Mr. Johnson.  He always guided the group instead of dictating, and every individual grew to become a better musician. It was an effective way to get us to think for ourselves and find our own voice in the music.

I consider myself lucky for having Mr. Johnson as my teacher. He was truly inspiring and a great figure to look up to. Committed and passionate, his attitude reflected off of him to the class and created a group that would continue to excel up to the top.  I really enjoyed my time in his class. It made me the musician I am today."

Evergreen HS 2016  |  University of Washington  |  Flute Performance Major

Khadija zakvi

"Mr. Johnson arrived at MacArthur HS in a time of great change because the program had just lost their head director of many years, but Mr. Johnson effortlessly gained the trust and respect of the students. Mr. Johnson quickly became the consistency and the back bone that lead the MacArthur band program to many outstanding accomplishments. His ability to genuinely invest, and be so dedicated to the success of all of his students is what makes him so unique. Positive, motivational, persevering, dependable, and genuine are a few characteristics that come to mind when I think of Mr.Johnson. He was so much more than a director for myself and my fellow band students. He was our mentor who taught us to strive for greatness and not settle for anything less than the best we can be. I personally can say that he motivated me and was responsible for many of my triumphs during my high school career. To name a few, I was an All-State Oboist, Texas Music Merit Scholar, Section Leader, Honors Graduate, etc. Among the many lessons he taught me, the one that sticks out the most in my mind is that failure is part of the basis for success. That it is okay to make mistakes and fall a couple of times because that's how one learns from them, and gets better. Then when success is achieved, it is so much sweeter and means so much more because I worked for it and I didn't give up. He is the reason I chose to pursue music as my career and further my education as a Music Education Major at Texas State University. I want to inspire and give a passion and love for music to others the way he did for me and my colleagues."

MacArthur HS 2013  |  Texas State University 2017  |  Music Education Major