After a forty-six year teaching career, Dr. Ron Hufstader continues to be passionate about music. Through guest conducting, clinics and adjudication, he has shared his knowledge in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America.

Dr. Hufstader was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in 1946. When he was in fourth grade, the family moved to Great Falls, Montana, and three years later to Hickory, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from East Carolina University and then moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, where he taught band for the next three years. He was offered a scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he earned a Master of Music Education degree. After graduation, he was awarded a teaching assistantship at the University of Iowa where he earned a Master of Music Performance degree (trombone) and a Ph.D. in Music Education.

After applying for several jobs, Ron was offered a position at The University of Texas at El Paso. For his first semester at UTEP, he taught music education classes and applied low brass. After the first semester, he was named Director of Bands. For the next several years, he conducted the Marching Miners, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, taught conducting classes and applied low brass.

In addition to performing for the UTEP football games, Dr, Hufstader’s marching bands performed for professional football halftimes for the San Diego Chargers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Broncos and the Houston Oilers. His concert bands performed twice for the College Band Directors Association convention and four times for the Texas Music Educators Association convention.

After twelve years in the department, Hufstader was elected chairman of the Music Department. He continued to conduct the Wind Ensemble and teach conducting while serving as chairman. After twelve years as chairman, Dr. Hufstader stepped down but remained Director of Bands. During this period of his career, the Wind Symphony (renamed from Wind Ensemble) started a series of ten CDs with Mark Records. Each CD featured the music of a selected composer. These composers included David Holsinger, Andrew Boysen, Roger Cichy, Frank Ticheli, Julie Giroux, David Gillingham, James Barnes, Robert Jager, Mark Camphouse and Robert W. Smith. During this period, he also served for several years as the conductor of the UTEP Orchestra.

In 2016, after thirty-nine years of service, Dr. Hufstader retired from The University of Texas at El Paso. Upon retirement, he was granted the status of Professor Emeritus of Music.

In 1996, Dr. Hufstader founded the El Paso Wind Symphony, a community concert band. The group has about fifty members, most of whom are area band directors. The El Paso Wind Symphony has made one CD for Summit Records and has performed twice for the Texas Bandmasters Association convention.

As a trombonist, Dr. Hufstader performed with the Greensboro (North Carolina) Symphony Orchestra, the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Symphony Orchestra and for twenty-seven years as principal trombone with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with the Classical Music Seminar Orchestra in Eisenstadt, Austria.
Dr. Hufstader is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda and is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association.

Ron is married to Nancy Taylor, an accomplished musician and teacher. She has the honor of being the first woman to win a trumpet audition with the United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. and performed under the baton of Colonel John Bourgeois. She is now the trumpet professor at UTEP and is a board-certified occupational therapist. Her book, Teaching Healthy Musicianship, is published by Oxford University Press. He also has a daughter, Lindsey Hufstader. Lindsey graduated from UTEP and started in the banking business. After several years, she moved to Austin, Texas, to continue her banking career. She is presently employed by BB&T in Austin. She is a participant in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is active in the community of Austin.