Nieves Villaseñor

Nieves Villaseñor

Assistant Professor Department of Music Office Location: Luella Bennack Music Center Room 228 Phone: (210) 841-7232

Prof. Nieves Villaseñor III is the Director of Bands and Coordinator of Music Education at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. At UIW, he is the Director of the UIW Marching Cardinals, directs the UIW Wind Ensemble, and leads the UIW Cardinal Red Basketball Band. As Coordinator of Music Education and the Instrumental Area, Dr. Villaseñor teaches courses in instrumental music education and the music-major sequence conducting course.

Previously, Prof. Villaseñor served as Visiting Assistant Director of Bands at James Madison University, where he served as Assistant Director of the Marching Royal Dukes, Director of the JMU Pep Band, and conducted the JMU Symphonic Band. He also served as artist-in-residence at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Prof. Villaseñor hails from the transient military community of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Prof. Villaseñor completed his candidacy for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting with a cognate in Nonprofit Organizations from the University of Florida. He holds a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Arts in Music in Saxophone from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and an Associate of Fine Arts in Music and Music Education from Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

As a strong advocate for community music and avid collaborator of area musicians, Prof. Villaseñor was the founder and artistic director of the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble, a program offering of Crossmen Productions, Inc. and ensemble-in-residence at Texas A&M University San Antonio. He served as the Director of Secondary-School Music at Jubilee San Antonio Charter School and developed the school’s first-ever band and color guard program. Prof. Villaseñor was also a performer in the WGI Independent World Class Silver Medalist Indoor Winds unit Crossmen Winds and a saxophonist with River City Big Band based out of San Antonio. In New York, Prof. Villaseñor competed with DCA Open Class Finalist corps White Sabers Drum & Bugle Corps, was a performer with activist ensemble Unity Street Band, and became co-founder of the region’s first WGI Independent Indoor Winds unit, Vortex Indoor Winds. In 2022, Dr. Villaseñor was selected as the recipient of the University of Florida’s Graduate Teaching Award for his work with the introductory music-major conducting course.

Prof. Villaseñor serves annually on the instrumental music faculty of the North Carolina Governor’s School East at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, the nation’s oldest statewide summer residential program for academically and intellectually gifted high school students.


  • Master of Music - Instrumental Conducting - Syracuse University - Syracuse, NY
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music - Saxophone - University of North Carolina Wilmington - Wilmington, NC
  • Associate of Fine Arts - Music and Music Education - Coastal Carolina Community College - Jacksonville, NC
  • University of the Incarnate Word - San Antonio, TX (Director of Bands/Coordinator of Music Education)
  • James Madison University - Harrisonburg, VA - (Assistant Director of Bands)
  • University of Florida - Gainesville, FL (Doctoral Conducting Associate)
  • Syracuse University - Syracuse, NY (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
  • Jubilee San Antonio - San Antonio, TX (Secondary School Music Teacher)
  • North Carolina Governor's School - Raleigh, NC - (Instrumental Music Faculty)
  • Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community - Harrisonburg, VA (Musician-in-Residence)
  • San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble - San Antonio, TX - (Founding Artistic Director and Conductor)
  • Vortex Indoor Winds - (Board Member and Founding Co-Director)
  • Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity
  • Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority
  • Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (Honorary)
  • College Band Director’s National Association
  • North American Saxophone Alliance
  • Texas Music Educators Association
  • North Carolina Music Educators Association
  • Florida Bandmasters Association
University of Florida Graduate Teaching Award
  • Community Music Organizations
  • Nonprofit Organizations
  • Marching Arts Education
  • Instrumental Conducting
  • Marching Cardinals
  • Cardinal Red Basketball Band
  • Wind Ensemble
  • Instrumental Music Pedagogy
  • Creative Development I
  • Creative Development II
  • Conducting