James McNair

James McNair’s is in his 13th year with Argyle Band Staff and his 26th year as a music educator. Mr. McNair teaches 6th grade beginner brass classes and assists with the Argyle High School Marching Band and the Middle School Varsity and Non-Varsity Bands.  Mr. McNair’s experience as a musician and music educator over the past 30 years is as vast as it is varied ranging from military musician to middle school band director to elementary music teacher to private lesson teacher to college professor. Mr. McNair served as Assistant Professor of Music, Associate Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music Education at Texas Christian University from 2005-2008. Previous to this appointment at TCU, Mr. McNair taught for ten years in some of the country’s finest band programs including Lake Highlands High School, The Colony High School and Cross Timbers Middle School. Mr. McNair is an active clinician, consultant, and adjudicator throughout the state and has been a clinician for the Texas Music Educators Convention and Texas Bandmasters Conventions in San Antonio.

Mr. McNair is a former member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. where he performed regularly at the White House for the President of the United States, on many Marine Band recordings, and on national tours. Mr. McNair is also in high demand as one of the most versatile freelance trombonists in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. He performs regularly with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Lewisville Lake Symphony Orchestra, the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Garland/Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Winds, and Imperial Brass. As a soloist, he has performed with the Dallas Winds, twice at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and once at TMEA. Mr. McNair is a two-time winner of the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Classical Solo Competition in Washington, D.C.

Mr. McNair has maintained a private trombone studio throughout his career and has had multiple students make various All-State groups at TMEA. Students of Mr. McNair have been accepted to Texas A&M University-Commerce, SMU, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Indiana University, the Eastman School of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. McNair was recognized at the 2016 TCU Trombone Summit and presented the “Unsung Hero Award” for his contributions to the trombone community through teaching and performance. Also in 2016, he was named Teacher of the Year for Argyle Intermediate School.

Mr. McNair earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from East Texas State University where his primary teachers were Dr. Neill Humfeld, Jim Clark, and Ed Jones. He also earned a Master of Music in trombone performance from Texas A&M University-Commerce.