Dr. Veronica Salinas holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. In 2012, she earned her Doctorate in Musical Arts in Viola Performance at Texas Tech University under a full scholarship as an AT&T Chancellor’s Fellow. She has taught at all grade levels from elementary to the collegiate level, most recently having served as the Associate Professor of Strings at Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Music Director for the Kingsville Symphony Orchestra, and Director of Mariachi Javelina. 

Dr. Salinas most recently came to NEISD from OPERA San Antonio as the Artistic Administrator, where she managed daily operations for the company, including marketing, grant research, fiscal management, and artistic planning. However, she began her career in the performing arts and has gained extensive performance experience in orchestral playing on the violin or viola in several regional orchestras across Texas. Additionally, she has held conducting fellowships at the Los Angeles Conducting Institute in San Diego, California, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the International Conducting Institute in New York City, and the International Conducting Workshop and Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria.

She maintains her performance skills on and off the podium by performing on viola as the Assistant Principal Violist in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and this year, was selected as one of the three conducting finalists for the Music Director postion at the Austin Civic Orchestra in Austin, Texas. 

Serving as a representative for the Texas Music Educators Association as the Region 12 Middle School Coordinator, Dr. Salinas helps to support outstanding middle school orchestra students from all districts in Region 12, which include NEISD, Alamo Heights ISD, Comal ISD, Judson ISD and Schertz/Cibolo ISD by organizing performing opportunites for the Region 12 Orchestra Clinics and Concerts each fall. Region Orchestra is an excellent performance opportunity, as well as an honor, for those students who successfully audition to be members.

Dr. Salinas is incredibly excited about beginning her third year at Bush Middle School in an exemplary district such as NEISD, where she can help shape students' musical lives from the beginnings of their journey. She is also honored and humbled to have been named the Bush Middle School 2023-24 Teacher of the Year as well as an NEISD District Teacher of the Year Finalist. 

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