Ronnie Rios is a graduate of Alice High School. He graduated Summa Cum Laude earning a Bachelor of Music Education and a Masters in Music Education from Texas A & M - Kingsville. He began teaching in the Kingsville ISD where his middle school and high school bands received consistent Sweepstakes awards and Best in Class awards at various State and National festivals. The jazz ensembles received Best in Class and numerous “Outstanding Band of the Festival” awards. He had All-State Band and Jazz Band students.
Currently as Director of Bands at Harlingen High School, all six concert bands have received consistent Sweepstakes awards, Best in Class, State and National awards and All-State Band and Jazz Band students. The Harlingen High School Marching Band has made ten consecutive appearances at the Texas State Marching Contest, qualifying every opportunity since 1998. The band has also earned positions in the finals of Bands of America Regionals, where they won the school's first Regional in 2005. The Marching Band has also won numerous festival awards and Grand Champion Marching recognitions. The Concert Band has advanced to the Texas 6A Honor Band Finals four times finishing as high as 9th. The Jazz Ensemble has received consistent Best in Class and numerous “Outstanding Band of the Festival” awards. The Jazz Ensemble was selected to perform at the IAJE convention in New York City. They also performed and produced a tribute to Duke Ellington’s music with Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center. The Jazz Ensemble has also performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago twice as well as TMEA and TBA in San Antonio. The Jazz Ensemble has shared the stage with artists such as Bob Mintzer, Michael Brecker, John Fedchock, Conrad Herwig, Mike Steinel, Woody Witt, Armin Marmolejo, Dennis DiBlisio and Arturo Sandoval.
The Harlingen HS band was named the 2011 Texas Bandmasters Association Exemplary High School Band Program of the Year in Texas. Mr. Rios has been named to the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers numerous times and was named Teacher of the Year in the Harlingen CISD. He has also received the Distinguished Citizen Award by the community of Harlingen and is also a past Texas Young Bandmaster of the year recipient. Mr. Rios is a member of TMEA, TBA, TMAA, TJEA, Phi Beta Mu and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is the Past President of IAJE-Texas, TJEA, past TMAA Vice-President and served as the TMEA State Band Chair. He is the current TMEA Area G Band Chair. Mr. Rios has served as a clinician and adjudicator in Texas, Arizona, Kentucky, Georgia, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Indiana. He currently serves as an active adjudicator for UIL, DCI, and BOA.