Lucas Gomez

Mr. Lucas Gomez is a guitar instructor at Musical Living Academy, McAllen TX. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, he moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 16 years old. He attended South Texas College, and Instituto Canzion McAllen, currently he is an advance guitar professor at the latter. With 7 years of experience as guitar player, session musician and studio recording he joins Musical Living Academy as a result of his passion to teach and inspire the community through music. Mr. Gomez is currently band director at BT McAllen where he plays every Sunday. He also plays guitar for the following bands. Abdiel Solis, as well as a collaborator with other bands and institutions such as Job Gonzalez band, CLC, Semilla de Mostaza, and more.

Christian Davila

Christian Davila is a highly skilled and experienced musician who brings a wealth of talent and passion to his role as Music Director at the Musical Living Academy. He began playing the piano at the age of 12, inspired by his uncle, and soon developed a love for the instrument and a particular admiration for The Beatles.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, earned in the Spring of 2022, Mr. Davila brings a high level of academic and musical expertise to his role as a music instructor at the Academy. He started teaching at the Academy in Fall 2019 and has since proven himself to be a dedicated and committed educator who enjoys seeing his students grow and learn.

Throughout his academic and musical career, Mr. Davila has participated in numerous piano recitals both within and outside of his academic program, showcasing his exceptional musical abilities and earning recognition for his talent. He has established himself as a valuable member of the Musical Living Academy and continues to play an important role in shaping the future of music education.

Julie David Hernandez

Jacques Mendiola-Tagle

Jacques Mendiola-Tagle is a talented pianist with a passion for teaching and inspiring others. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Jacques has become a well-respected figure in the music community. He values empathy and understanding, always taking the time to connect with his students on a personal level.

Jacques has worked with students of all ages and abilities, including special needs students. He is experienced in teaching the Suzuki method of piano, and is dedicated to helping his students develop the skills they need to become independent musicians.

As a hard worker and dedicated learner, Jacques is currently pursuing his masters degree in piano performance. He believes in the importance of interpersonal communication and strives to create a supportive and nurturing environment for his students and teammates.

Jacques’ ultimate goal is to help his students become the best artists they can be, encouraging them to explore their creativity and express themselves through music. He is committed to providing his students with the guidance and tools they need to succeed, and is always looking for new ways to help them achieve their goals.

Alexa Alvarez

Alexa Alvarez is a student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, majoring in English and minoring in music. She is set to graduate in 2023. Since a young age, Alexa has had a passion for singing and playing the piano. She has volunteered at Vacation Bible School for her church every year, and has worked with a music teacher at Cano Freshman Academy in Edinburg to further her educational experiences. Alexa is committed to making classes fun, interactive, and thought-provoking, and believes that learning should be centered around the individual’s passion.

Alexandra Hernandez

Sofia Hernandez

My musical journey started when I was 11 years old. Growing up my parents had always told us kids that music was a beautiful gift that God created and what a blessing it was to others. When we would get invited to talent shows and recitals I always looked forward to the music performances the most and would daydream about learning an instrument someday just like the older kids I was watching. One day my parents asked my sister and I if we would like to learn how to play piano, you can imagine how excited I was! Before committing to piano my parents sat us down and let us know that if we agreed to take piano lessons then it would be a long term commitment. One of the very first lessons that piano reinforced for me was that when I started something I would work hard to finish it.

Last year I took some college road trips and I started to think about what I really wanted to study after High School, I knew that I wanted to pursue music in some way I just didn’t know what. Sometime after that Mr. Garza presented me with the opportunity of an internship at his studio. After working as a teacher’s assistant I completely fell in love with teaching! So much so that I will be majoring in Music Education at UTRGV when I start classes this fall.

One of my main inspirations for teaching was my piano teacher and close friend, Mrs. Bonnie Lafitte. She instilled in me a love and appreciation for music and is a great example of the kind of teacher I aspire to become. I am also thankful that God has placed me in such an awesome team as MLA’s! I have already learned so much from the amazing teachers I’ve been able to work with and am excited to keep growing my skills in music and teaching!

My musical journey has not always been easy but piano has taught and still is teaching me discipline, diligence, work ethic, confidence and so much more! I wouldn’t change any of it for the world and I hope to instill the same values in my students. Music is truly a gift that should be shared and passed on to others!

Edith Garcia

Even though music had been a part of my life from a very young age, I didn’t realize the love and passion I had for it until I was in college.
I grew up in a musical family. My father played acoustic guitar and was a singer as well. I remember him teaching my brothers to play guitar and giving me a mic to sing with him. This continued throughout my adolescence. My mom also influenced my love for music, especially because music allowed her to dance. I remember that She would dance with us as kids and I loved it. In fact I believe that dancing as a child helped me to perform in front of people without shame.
When I entered middle school, I joined choir and loved it. This changed however, when I started going to high school as my interest shifted more to dance. I did have choir a few years, but my focus wasn’t there. Not only that, as I began to think about my “future career,” my focus became directed towards the medical field. I took all the classes offered to prepare me for it, leaving my high school resume in great shape for the medical career I wanted.
My freshmen year as a college student went fantastic. I had decided to major in “Biology,” and I took all the science courses for that year. Everything was going great, or so it seemed, yet something inside me said this is not it. I couldn’t seem to see myself working in this field for the rest of my life, my heart wasn’t in it. In that same year, I started to attend a church and I started to notice the worship team. Seeing a group of young people play and sing sparked the interest I had in music. Soon after that, I joined the worship team as a vocalist. Doing this caused my love and passion for music to grow once again. It also awakened in me a need to better myself in my ability and knowledge in music.
By my second year of college, I had changed my major from Biology to Music Education. I was so excited yet terrified to enter this field, due to my lack of background knowledge in music. I am glad to say that I recently graduated from the University of Texas Pan-American, with a bachelors degree in music Education. I can now look back 4 1/2 years later and say I made the best decision in changing majors. At times, it seemed impossible to obtain my degree. I had to learn how to play piano, an instrument I had never touched before, and learn the theory behind music as well. I had to sing in so many different languages like German, French, Russian, Italian and different styles of music. I learned how to perform, and at the same time learned how to share my knowledge with others.
I’m so thankful that throughout my career, I was also involved in a worship team. This allowed me to grow as a mentor and teacher. I was able to share and help others grow in their process as musicians. Today, I continue finding ways to grow as a musician, minister and educator in order to help individuals discover their talents as well as helping them grow.

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