RYAN DIEFENDERFER
Music Educator | Composer | Arranger | Trombonist
Student-Centered Large Ensemble Curriculum
Covering the why, the what, and the how, these tools
will provide guidance and recommendations for implementing student-centered learning into any band, orchestra, or choir high school classroom from beginning to advanced applications. I share my fist-hand experience, and the experiences of my students, to help you
re-envision and expand your curriculum to be more engaging and enjoyable, and foster strong relationships,
skills, and memorable experiences for students.
If you have additional questions or would like additional guidance in implementing student-centered learning into your program, contact me for consulting services.
About Me
Ryan Diefenderfer is currently in his eleventh year of teaching band and orchestra. He is the proud recipient of the 2021 Silver Apple Arizona Teaching Award, and was a Quarterfinalist for the 2024 Grammy Away in Music Education.
Over the course of the past ten years, Mr. Diefenderfer has served as the Director of Bands and Orchestras at Paradise Valley High School, Director of Bands and Orchestras at Greenway Middle School, and Adjunct Brass and Jazz Faculty Member at Paradise Valley Community College where he led the Brass Choir and Jazz Combo. Recently, Diefenderfer joined the staff at Klein Cain High School in Houston, Texas as Associate Band Director.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Ryan Diefenderfer graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2013, where he studied music education, music composition, trombone, and jazz studies. He completed his student teaching at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. Diefenderfer pursued his graduate students in Music Teaching and Learning at Arizona State University. While at ASU, Diefenderfer’s focus was on music curriculum development with a focus on student-centered practices. Diefenderfer has presented on this topic at music education state conferences in New Jersey, Kansas, and West Virginia.
Ryan Diefenderfer is a classical and jazz trombonist, some of his personal highlights including: performing Arthur Pryor's "Fantastic Polka" as an international soloist, giving concerts in Denmark, Poland and Germany with the 2014 Blue Lake International Northern Wind Ensemble, winning 2nd place in the 2010 Southeast Trombone Symposium National Solo Competition, and most recently playing principal trombone with the North Valley Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Winds Wind Ensemble in Phoenix, Arizona. Diefenderfer is also a composer, having had his compositions played by wind ensembles and other musical groups at: Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Kansas, and Indiana University.
Diefenderfer believes a life is fullest when filled with hobbies, so in his spare time, he loves to: cook, hike, exercise, read, keep up with the latest in movies and streaming, and watch and play basketball. One of Diefenderfer’s other passions is traveling, including embarking on an ambitious 28-day backpacking trip through Europe in 2023. Diefenderfer is also a board game designer with his first board game available on Kickstarter very soon.