DIRECTORS
Benjamin Perez
Director of Bands
Benjamin Luis Perez is the proud Director of Bands at Eastwood High School, in El Paso, Texas. Prior to Eastwood, Benjamin worked at Franklin High School and Bel Air High School where he helped lead their band and percussion programs to become top competitors and award winners at Bands of America, UIL, WGI, WGAZ, and WTCA. Most notably, Benjamin starred on the YouTube hit series Create Together, where he led a worldwide project with his students and Hollywood actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt to help represent the Class of 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The show became an Emmy Award winning production for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming.
Benjamin Perez holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a Minor in Mathematics from New Mexico State University, and recently graduated with a master’s degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas at El Paso. As a student and professional musician he has performed with multiple groups including the El Paso Wind Symphony, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, the UTEP Symphony Orchestra and the New Mexico State University Philharmonic Orchestra.
Currently, aside from being a director at Eastwood High School, he is also a composer, arranger, and show designer for marching and winter guard percussion. Recently Benjamin was named the Percussion Liaison/Coordinator for the West Texas Color Guard Association (WTCA). This is where he has founded and established the percussion division for the El Paso and Las Cruces area. This is the first time the winter guard circuit (WTCA) has included percussion in their competitions, and it is continuously growing each year allowing more schools to participate.
Benjamin is an active clinician in the region and is also an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Percussive Arts Society.
John Oman
Associate Director of Bands
Art Avila Jr II
Associate Director of Bands/Percussion Director
Arthur Avila Jr. is currently the Assistant Band Director/Director of Percussion at Eastwood High School in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. Mr. Avila also serves as part time faculty for El Paso Community College as an applied lessons instructor. Art graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2001 where he studied percussion with Larry White. Mr. Avila is the former Co-Caption/Snare/Cymbal Tech for the indoor WGI Independent Open ensemble, Innovative Marching Percussion. Art is the founder and host of the EHS/YISD Sun City Throwdown Drumline Competition event, held annually in El Paso, Texas. Under his tutelage since 2004, Eastwood has won numerous top awards at competitions, and in 2019, his snareline won 1st place in the Small Marching Ensemble category at PASIC. Mr. Avila has been awarded the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction award from The National Society of High School Scholars in 2006.
Mr. Avila is also an active, international percussionist in the El Paso Southwest/Mexico region. In the summer of 2016, Mr. Avila toured with the El Paso Youth Symphony Orchestra to New York and Washington D.C, boasting performances at Carnegie Hall, Coney Island, and also at our nations' Capital for Congress. He has performed with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Zarzuela, Pro-Musica, Juarez Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Opera, Star City Percussion Ensemble, The Eklectic Jazz Band, The Abundant Living Faith Center Orchestra, The Edge of Texas Community Wind Symphony, the El Paso Wind Symphony, and the Music Theater of El Paso. He has shared the stage with Tito Puente, Jr., Sam Pilafian, Jeff Berlin, Rosanna Eckerd, Kimberly Locke, Dr. Willie Hill, Tia Fuller, Wycliff Gordon, J.D.Guzman, Lalo Davila, Greg Adams, Sean Jones, Fred Wesley, N'Dugu Chancelor, Brad Leali, Marty Olivas, Billy Townes, The Canadian Brass, Taylor Hicks, Karmin, and Eric Johnson.
Art is currently a studio percussionist with Shade Records in El Paso, TX., and performs drum set/timbales in Latin/Salsa band, Azucar. Art Avila is an active clinician/adjudicator and currently endorses by Pearl Drums/Adams and Innovative Percussion.
Paula Esparza
Guard Director
Paula Daniela Esparza is currently serving as the Guard Director for the Eastwood High School Color Guard. Prior to Eastwood, Paula served as the director at Franklin High School where she has led the group to receive high accolades and awards, including most recently being named the 2024 WTCA Scholastic AA Gold Medalists. Paula has served as an instructor and assistant at multiple high schools around the El Paso area including Pebble Hills, Bel Air, Riverside, Socorro, and Chapin.
Aside from teaching guard, Paula is also a choreographer as well as a performer with Glory Independent. As a member of Glory Independent, she has traveled around the country performing for WGI Regionals and Super Regionals, and has been named a WGI World Champions Finalist for both the Independent A and Open Class divisions.
While Paula has a strong passion for teaching, she is currently studying at the university level to pursue her career as a Registered Nurse. Currently a Certified Nursing Assistant, she plans to push past her bachelor's degree and one day pursue a career as a Nurse Practitioner. She hopes that her students can see her passion and belief in higher education, so that they too can pursue their dreams and goals no matter what obstacles may be in their way.