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Caitlyn Nguyen
Mrs. Nguyen is an experienced music educator and active performer, entering her 14th year in public education and her 7th year in Prosper ISD. She currently serves as the orchestra director at Rushing Middle School.
Prior to her time at Rushing, she taught at Reynolds Middle School, also in Prosper ISD. Her previous teaching experience includes five years as Head Orchestra Director at Rosemont Middle School in Fort Worth ISD and two years as Assistant Band Director at MacArthur High School in Houston ISD.
In 2019, Mrs. Nguyen authored the district-wide string curriculum for Fort Worth ISD. She has also presented a clinic at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention, offering guidance for band directors transitioning into orchestra education.
Most recently, her orchestra was named a finalist in the 2024 TMEA Honor Orchestra competition.
She holds both a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Arts in Music from the University of Texas at Arlington, graduating cum laude and summa cum laude, respectively.
Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and the American String Teachers Association.
Mrs. Nguyen lives in Celina, TX with her husband, Dustin, and their four children: Sam, Emily, Ayla, and Lainey.
Jess Miller
Ms. Jess Miller attended Texas Tech and studied Music Education on Trombone under the direction of Dr. James Decker and Dr. She now plays viola consistently and has been teaching orchestra going on 7 years, starting in Arlington ISD in 2019 until 2024. Ms. Miller teaches Orchestra, alongside head director Caitlyn Nguyen, her 6th and now 7th year at Rushing Middle School.
Ms. Miller strives to continue bettering her skills as a musician while performing with several community orchestras. She has performed on viola with the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra from the fall of 2022 to 2024 and currently performs with the New Philharmonic of Irving since the spring of 2024. Ms. Miller also played Trombone with the Arlington Community Band from 2019 to 2021.
Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. Outside of work Ms. Miller loves gardening, reading, and watching anime, enjoying her time in Addison with her husband, Zach.