Joshua Burrola

Mr. Burrola attended Paradise Valley High School where he marched in an award winning band. Mr. Burrola also played Young Sounds of Arizona under the direction of Mrs. Barb Catlin, with guest appearances by Wayne Bergeron. After graduating from Paradise Valley High School in 2007, Mr. Burrola attended Northern Arizona University on a music scholarship and received a double major in Music Education and Trumpet Instrumental Performance. 

While Mr. Burrola was attending NAU, he played in the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra for four years next to Cindy Gould and Dr. Stephen Dunn. He also competed and made finals in the NAU concerto competition for five years. Mr. Burrola was the principal trumpet player for the Wind Symphony and Orchestra for three years and had the pleasure of being taught by Dr. Stephen Dunn on trumpet and Dr. Danny Schmidt for conducting. 

After graduating from NAU, Mr. Burrola taught 6th-8th grade band at Pueblo Del Sol Middle School where he taught beginning band to advanced band. Mr. Burrola created the only audition based program in the district. This allowed for his advanced band containing 7th and 8th graders who had only 1-2 years experience to play 3-4 grade level music. Mr. Burrola helped lead the PDS advanced band to their first Superior With Distinction as well as their first invite to ABODA State Concert Festival, and he continued to earn Superior and Superior with Distinction ratings from ABODA and State festivals throughout his time at Pueblo. 

While at PDS, Mr. Burrola had the pleasure to learn and be mentored by Mrs. Colleen Bosselli; she helped guide and teach him to become the director that he is today. Mrs. Bosselli is, and continues to be a crucial part in the success of Mr. Burrola as a teacher. Before leaving PDS, Mr. Burrola brought the band from having only 96 kids in 2013 to having 280 by 2020. 

After leaving Pueblo Del Sol, Mr. Burrola came to Deer Valley Middle School as the head music director where he taught 7th-8th band, choir, orchestra and general music, as well as being the assistant director at Barry Goldwater High School. While at Deer Valley Middle, Mr. Burrola helped the 8th grade band earn a Superior rating which had not happened in the previous 12 years, as well as receiving their first Superior With Distinction. While being the assistant director under Mrs. Rene Esparza, Mr. Burrola was apart of helping the BGPR marching band receive first and second place awards as well as captions at various marching invitationals and 5th place at state and superstate invitationals. 

Mr. Burrola is passionate about music, seeing students thrive and succeed and become the best that they can be in life. He is extremely happy and excited to be apart of the BCHS Jaguar Pride band, and can’t wait to lead them to a successful marching and concert season. 

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ” – Leopold Stokowski