Kenneth Capshaw was born on September 8, 1947, in Silver City New Mexico. He is the son of Ross and Lucille Capshaw and baby brother to Randy Capshaw and Ida Capshaw Steadman. When Kenny was two years old, the Capshaw family moved to El Paso, Texas, to begin an incredible musical journey. Kenny attended Bonham Elementary School, where he began to play trumpet at the age of ten. He then attended Burges High School, graduating in 1965. While in high school, he was a three year All-State member, drum major, performed in the El Paso All-City Bands and Youth Orchestras, and played in his father’s dance band. He then attended Texas Western College for two years and transferred to the University of New Mexico where he received his bachelor’s degree in music education in 1972.

Kenneth Capshaw recently retired as Director of Bands at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas. He has been involved in music education in the El Paso community for thirty-nine years, and has been a band director in the El Paso Independent School District for twenty-four years. He began his teaching career at Henderson Middle School in 1972, and taught band at Morehead Middle School and El Paso High School before he went into business in 1981. His teaching career resumed in 1996, when he began his fifteen year tenure at Coronado High School. The concert, jazz, and marching bands at all of his schools have been consistent sweepstakes winners. The Coronado marching band has participated in the state marching contest three times, won a regional BOA Championship in Las Vegas in 2000, and has won the New Mexico State Tournament of Bands championship nine times. The Coronado High School jazz band has been a winner at the Texas Tech Jazz Festival, the New Mexico State Jazz Festival, and the Hanks Jazz Festival. The jazz ensemble was a National Jazz Mark of Excellence winner in 2011. The concert bands at Coronado have been sweepstakes winners at UIL and El Paso lSD festivals for sixteen consecutive years.

Mr. Capshaw holds the associate principal trumpet position with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra as well as the principal trumpet position with the El Paso Opera Company. He is a founding member of the thirty-nine year old El Paso Brass Quintet and has performed with the Las Cruces, Juarez, and Roswell Symphony Orchestras. He has toured in Italy and England as a trumpet soloist with the Choir of the Southwest and in Turkey and Germany as a member of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Capshaw has been a guest soloist, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country for many years. He has been a member of the Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp faculty, the El Paso Conservatory of Music faculty, and has served as a part-time adjunct trumpet instructor at The University of Texas at El Paso. He is now a member of the music faculty at New Mexico State University, teaching trumpet and directing the Jazz Ensemble II.

Mr. Capshaw is a member of the Texas Music Educator Association, the Texas Band Masters Association, and Phi Beta Mu. He received the Band World Legion of Honor award in October of 2010 and the Texas Bandmaster Meritorious Achievement award in July of 2011. The Coronado High School band received the Texas Bandmasters Exemplary High School Band award in July of 2012.

Kenneth and his wife Louise are the proud parents of five children and have four beautiful young grandchildren along with two foster grandchildren. They are a branch of the very musical family tree founded by Ross Capshaw. former Director of Fine Arts in the El Paso Independent School District and member of the TBA Hall of Fame.