Meet the Music Department

Owen Duggan 

Music Department Chair, Owen L. Duggan, DMA has served The Academy as a music director-teacher since 2004. For the 2022-23 school year, he will teach 3rd through 6th grade as well as direct the Wildcats Chorale, Drum Corps, and Wildcats Pep Band. In addition, Dr. Duggan oversees the music curriculum for the Primary School (pre-K through 2nd grades).

A multi-instrumentalist (piano/keyboard, flute, guitar, drums, and banjo), Dr. Duggan is a specialist in voice and music theory with degrees from McGill University, University of North Texas, and UT Austin. In addition, he has studied choral-orchestral conducting at the Eastman School of Music. He frequently conducts concerts with members of the San Antonio Symphony and in 2019, conducted a concert with five choirs and an 80-piece orchestra at UTSA.

A fan of American music, Dr. Duggan bases his original teaching curriculum at SAA on foundational skills applied to learning and performing rock, blues, and country/Americana music. He brings 17 years experience as a recording artist in children’s, popular, and country music, with three internationally distributed CDs and numerous awards in songwriting and record production.
 

Traci Navas 

Traci Navas is the Primary School Music Specialist as well as band and choir assistant for San Antonio Academy. Mrs. Navas holds a bachelor’s in Elementary Music Education with an emphasis in voice from Brigham Young University. She is Level 3 Kodaly certified and also utilizes teaching methods from Orff and Dalcroze. 

Currently in her 9th year of teaching, she has taught grades Pre-K up to 8th grade in Utah, Arizona, and Texas. She has directed elementary and middle-school choirs as well as taught general music classes. 

Mrs. Navas plays several instruments which she incorporates into her teaching: piano, percussion, ukulele, recorder, and the recent addition of trumpet. Her teaching style includes plenty of movement and singing games to reinforce foundational concepts in note and rhythm reading.

She also loves to sing and perform. Mrs. Navas has been part of the top choirs at Bringham Young University, and has since performed in several semi-professional choirs in Utah, Arizona, and Texas, including Cantorum Chamber Choir, Utah Valley Millennial Choir Organization, Lux Singers, Inspire Chorus, and currently Musica Sacra San Antonio (directed by Dr. Duggan).