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Staff

Mountain View High School is lucky to have a phenomenal team of Performing Arts Educators.

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Ricky Alegria

Co-Director,

Instrumental Music

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Jo Smith-Nilsson

Co-Director,

Instrumental Music

Ricky Alegria joined the Mountain View High music department in the fall of 2020.  Beginning fall 2021, Alegria teaches all of the bands, including Marching Band, Jazz Band and Winter Auxiliary.

 

Alegria started his teaching career in the Morgan Hill Unified School District in California. He served as Director of Band at Sobrato High School and Murphy Middle School. Most recently, Alegria taught at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, where he held the position of Director of Instrumental Music and Music Department Lead. While at Monta Vista High, Alegria re-started the marching band, toured Spain with the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra and served as Librarian for the Santa Clara County Band Directors Association. Alegria holds bachelor's degrees from Illinois State University and a master's degree from Sam Houston State University in Texas. Alegria is supported in his teaching career by his wife, Thessa, and his two kids, Belle and AJ.

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ricky.alegria@mvla.net

Jo Smith-Nilsson (she/her) is entering her first year as Instrumental Music Director at Mountain View High, but she has been involved with the MVHS Choir Department for the past seven years. She graduated in 2014 from Long Island University’s Global College with a bachelor of arts in Global Studies, in 2016 from San José State’s music credential program and, finally, in 2018 from San Francisco University with a master of arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She will be splitting her time between Mountain View High and Los Altos High. At Mountain View High, she will be teaching the Intro to Music class and co-directing the String Orchestra and Spartan Sound pep band with Mr A.

johanna.nilsson@mvla.net

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