Aric Schneller

Aric Schneller, Professor of Music, is now serving his seventeenth year as Director of Jazz Studies at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Aric's duties include directing the Jazz Ensemble,  Jazz Lab Band, and the New Direction Vocal Jazz Ensemble, instructing jazz improvisation classes, jazz keyboard skills classes, and jazz arranging classes, orchestrating and teaching summer jazz camps, directing the annual SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival, recording and producing large jazz ensemble CDs, and coordinating the jazz studies program. Prior to accepting his position at SHSU, Aric taught at Idaho State University, the University of North Texas, and in the public schools of Justin, Texas.

Aric is in constant demand regionally and nationally as an expert clinician, dynamic trombonist, vocal soloist, conductor, master teacher, producer, and as an inventive composer and arranger. He has enjoyed frequent invitations and appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association Conventions, Jazz Educators Network Conference, Indiana Music Education Association Conference, California Music Educators Association Convention, Arizona Music Educators Association Convention, Idaho Bandmasters Association Summer Convention, and most notably at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Convention. As a committed and enthusiastic jazz educator, Aric has proudly served as President and on the Board of Directors for The Texas Jazz Educators Association.

Aric is a former member of the Grammy Nominated University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, under the direction of Neil Slater. Aric can be heard on the One O’Clock Lab Band CD,  “Live In Portugal - 1993” as well as various Down Beat Magazine winning recordings with the UNT Two O’Clock Lab Band such as  “The Transparent Two – 1992” which featured Aric as trombone soloist and jazz arranger. Aric’s singing can also be heard on the UNT Jazz Singers CD,  “Scrap Book” directed by Paris Rutherford. Aric has worked and performed with many jazz greats including John Allred, Wayne Bergeron, Randy Brecker, Lena Burke, Pete Christlieb, John Fedchock, Chuck Findley, Andy Firth, Clay Jenkins, Ingrid Jensen, Will Kennedy, Andy Martin, Rich Matteson, Bob Mintzer, Danilo Pérez, Diane Reeves, Arturo Sandoval, Lynn Seaton, Bobby Shew, Ed Soph, Marvin Stamm, Ross Tompkins, Allen Vizzutti, Bill Watrous and Phil Woods, and Darmon Meader amongst many others.

As a jazz arranger, Aric’s solo trombone feature and big band arrangement, “Invitation” was launched into the international jazz scene in November 2006 by the HGM Jazz Orchestra at the Zagreb Jazz Festival in Zagreb, Croatia. These performances were broadcast on Croatian and Austrian radio and television. Additionally, in June of 2006, Aric was selected as a jazz trombone finalist with the West Point Academy, Jazz Knights Premier Jazz Band.

Aric is an artist of many talents with the ability to sing, play, compose, and teach music at the highest levels. As an experienced professional operatic tenor, Aric has sung professionally with the Ohio Light Opera Co., the Boston Lyric Opera Co., and the del’ Arte Opera Ensemble of New York City. While living and working in New York City from 2000-2005, Aric toured the U.S. featuring his trademark clinic, “The Art of Singing the Trombone” garnering critical acclaim at the 2005 Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC and the 2005 International Trombone Festival in New Orleans.

Originally from Missoula, Montana, Aric holds a DMA in Trombone Performance from the University of North Texas, a MM in Vocal and Operatic Performance from Boston University, a MM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, and a BM in Trombone Performance from the University of Montana. Aric is the creator and Artistic Director of the SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival, a composer and arranger for Alfred Music Company and Belwin Jazz, a music reviewer for the International Trumpet Guild, a Yamaha Performing Artist, a member of ASCAP, and a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Grammy Awards.