USAF TSgt Matthew L. Garza , a native Texan, is a product of the Fort Bend ISD instrumental music department, where he began his music career under the leadership of the late Mr. Richard Cammack at Sugar Land Middle School. He graduated from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. While in Houston, Garza studied applied trumpet with Dr. James Austin and Mr. Jim Vassallo. He has held principal positions in the Moores Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the Houston Sinfonietta. He has also been a member of the Moores Jazz Orchestra, several chamber music ensembles and the Moores Opera and Ballet Orchestras. Mr. Garza served as a private brass teacher for many schools in the Houston area, conducted orchestra classes at Austin High School and taught band classes at Dulles Middle/High Schools, Fort Settlement Middle School, and Hodges Bend Middle School in the Fort Bend Independent School District.
In 2003, Mr. Garza relocated to Kenosha, Wisconsin and was appointed the position of Director of Bands for the CYO Emerald Knights Band and Guard. Under his direction, Mr. Garza’s bands consistently received superior ratings at WSMA Music Festivals and MACBDA Marching Competitions. To further enhance his students’ learning opportunities, Mr. Garza organized annual band performance trips to Florida, Michigan, Indianapolis, Texas, and Colorado. In December of 2008, Mr. Garza and the CYO Band traveled to Italy for 10 days to perform for the Pope in the 2009 New Years Day Parade. While living in the Midwest, he performed with the Kenosha Pops Band, Racine Municipal Concert Band, UW-Parkside Community Orchestra, Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, and the Northshore Concert Band, under the musical leadership of Mallory Thompson.
In 2010, Matthew won an audition to join the USAF Band of the Golden West at Travis AFB, CA. He enlisted in the USAF and spent most of the 2010’s on the West Coast, performing in various ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area!
In 2018, as a SSgt, Garza was selected into the Developmental Special Duty program to serve as a recruiter in Houston, TX. On January 1, 2020, SSgt Garza became TSgt Garza, wrapping up his first assignment as an Enlisted Accessions Recruiter in early 2022.