Sarah Santa Cruz is currently the Percussion Specialist at Westwood High School, where she has taught since 2010. Westwood is a part of the Round Rock Independent School district and is located in Austin, TX. At Westwood, her responsibilities include teaching percussionists in the marching band, concert band, and percussion ensemble settings, as well as occasionally conducting a concert band. Under Ms. Santa Cruz’s direction, the Westwood Percussion Ensemble performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2012. In addition to her work at Westwood, she teaches private lessons at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock, and was recently selected to be the Drumline Caption Head for The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps located in Seguin, TX.

Ms. Santa Cruz graduated from the University of North Texas in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Music. During her time at UNT, she played in the marching band, concert band, South Indian Ensemble, Gamelan, Afro-Cuban Ensemble, and Classical Percussion Ensemble, and studied with Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Mike Drake, Jose Aponte, Ed Smith, and Poovalur Sriji. She was also a member of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps snare line. Professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Percussive Arts Society (PAS), and ASCAP, and she holds an educational endorsement from Vic Firth, Inc.