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Austin Cilone
Originally from North Carolina, Austin Cilone began his music career at East Rutherford Middle School as a trumpet player. Mr. Cilone’s family moved to Arizona during his freshman year of high school where he attended and graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in 2009. After graduation, Mr. Cilone initially attended Northern Arizona University studying Biomedical Science, Pre-Dental. After participating in the marching band and joining honorary music fraternities, such as Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha, Mr. Cilone changed majors early 2011 to study Music Education and French Horn. Mr. Cilone graduated from NAU with a Bachelors in Music Education in the Fall of 2016. After graduation, Cilone immediately chose to accept an assistantship at NAU to receive his Master’s in Instrumental Conducting, completed in Spring 2018.
Throughout his time at NAU, Mr. Cilone was granted incredible opportunities that included taking over the University’s athletic band program through director turnover, auditioning consistently into the Flagstaff Symphony for six years, winning the NAU Concerto Competition, and maintaining principal roles in the Universities ensembles.
The Marching Arts have been an integral part of Mr. Cilone’s involvement in Music Education. A true lover of everything education and marching band, Mr. Cilone has committed his time to Arizona’s premiere DCI group (where he marched), The Academy, as a brass technician since 2015. In the 2020 summer, Mr. Cilone committed to the Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps and plans to continue working alongside this organization in the future. Mr. Cilone is also a performing member of the Tempe Wind Ensemble, Salt River Brass, and has performed with several orchestral groups throughout the valley.
For the past two years, Mr. Cilone has been working in Mesa, Arizona on a full time contract teaching at Franklin at Alma Elementary, Johnson Elementary, Pomeroy Elementary, and the Assistant Band Director at Dobson High School alongside Band Director Jennifer Howard. Mr. Cilone is incredibly grateful for the past two years, specifically for the work, patience, and education that Jennifer Howard–mentor, musical advocate, and friend– has provided in his early years as an educator.
Now the band director of Sandra Day O’Connor High School, Austin Cilone is incredibly eager and excited to walk the path paved by the great instructors before him while dedicating himself to the pride and performance of his new students. The reputation of Deer Valley’s District and the excellence showcased in Sandra Day O’Connor’s academic integrity has been on Mr. Cilone’s radar for the past few years. Mr. Cilone is honored to be welcomed into the Eagle family and looks forward to the future inspiring students.