Group Music Theory with Hector Torres
Build a strong musical foundation with group music theory classes led by composer and educator Hector Torres. Classes blend ear training, sight-reading, and hands-on composition to help young musicians understand the "why" behind the music they play.
Pre-sign up now and save 50% on your first beginner season.
About Composer & Educator Hector Torres
Hector Torres, born in Southern California, is a Bay Area-based composer, performer, and teacher focused on new and post-modern fusions of classical training and improvisation. He holds a B.M. in Music Composition from San Jose State University.
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His music has been performed by the Golden City Brass Quintet, ECHO Saxophone Quartet, and San Jose State University's Wind Ensemble. Hector is a founding member and Secretary of the Golden City Brass Quintet, a group focused on premiering new works, arranging repertoire, and community outreach.
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Hector brings over five years of teaching experience across wind ensemble, jazz, and marching band programs, working with musicians ages 7 through 18 throughout the Bay Area.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Jazz Band Director, Monta Vista High School — 2026–Present
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Jazz Trumpet Sectional Coach, Branham High School — 2026–Present
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Wind Band Trumpet Sectional Coach, Dartmouth Middle School — 2026–Present
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Founder & Secretary, Golden City Brass Quintet — 2024–Present
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Contract Musician, Counselor & Sectional Coach, San Jose Youth Symphony — 2022–2026
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Sound Assistant, San Jose State University School of Music — 2023–2025
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B.M. in Music Composition, San Jose State University — 2021–2025
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Private Music Teacher and Beginning Band Director — Joyful Melodies (2025–Present)
• Taught beginner musicians the basics of music theory, ensemble skills, and instrumental technique on flute, clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet
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Extracurricular Music Teacher — Modern Music Education (2024–Present)
• Taught beginner musicians the basics of music theory, ensemble skills, and instrumental technique on flute, clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet
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Music Camp Counselor — Donner Mine Music Camp (2024–Present)
• Monitored and mentored approximately 200 young musicians exploring their musical development
Group 1: 3rd–5th Grade
Treble and bass clef, basic rhythms, singing with hand signs, major and minor scales, and ear training on major, minor, and diminished chords — building the fundamentals through singing and short original melodies.
Group 2: 5th–8th Grade
Alto and tenor clef, sixteenth notes and triplets, an introduction to irregular meters, and major/minor scale and chord construction with basic Roman numeral analysis — applied through a short rounded binary composition.
Group 3: 8th–12th Grade
Reading in treble, bass, alto, and tenor clef; all key signatures and complex meters; and the 7 modes of the major scale with advanced Roman numeral analysis and classical form — culminating in an original 1-to-3-minute composition and a four-part performance.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe music theory shouldn't feel separate from playing — it should explain the "why" behind every piece a student performs. My classes blend ear training, sight-reading, and hands-on composition so students leave with a toolkit they can hear, sing, and write down.
I've spent the last five years teaching wind ensemble, jazz, and marching band musicians ages 7 to 18 throughout the Bay Area, and I built this curriculum around the gaps I kept seeing in my own students — starting with the fundamentals and building toward real analysis, composition, and performance by high school.
Hector continues to compose and perform beyond the classroom, including this Saxophone Quartet No. 1, written to explore the distinct voices and characters of the saxophone family.
He remains passionate about helping each student build a real, lasting relationship with music theory — one they can hear, sing, and use.
