Santiago Castillo, a dedicated music educator with over 18 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Texas at Brownsville and is currently pursuing his Master's at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. Coming from a family of musicians, he began playing Conjunto music at an early age and developed a deep passion for preserving his cultural heritage.  

For over 15 years, Mr. Castillo has been a driving force behind conjunto education, planting the seeds of musical tradition in young elementary school students and ensuring that conjunto music remains alive for future generations. His ability to teach such young musicians with incredible success has earned him widespread respect in the conjunto community. Through his dedication, he has created a legacy, shaped the lives of countless students, and inspired them to continue this beautiful musical tradition. 

His Conjunto program has earned widespread recognition, including an invitation to perform at TMEA in San Antonio, Texas. Santiago currently teaches elementary music in Los Fresnos CISD, where he also leads afterschool programs, including beginner Accordion classes, Choir, and an Elementary Conjunto band (LFE Conjunto).  

In addition to teaching, he is a well-known musician, accordionist and music producer, arranging and recording original music for songwriters in his home studio. 

 Through years of experience Mr. Castillo has created this curriculum to start a beginner accordion player with zero experience to a performer. All the recordings in this book were composed and recorded by Mr. Castillo who played all the instrumental parts.