Director of Bands

Mr. Ben Abada

​Ben Abada is the Director of Bands at San Mateo High School. Before joining the San Mateo faculty, Mr. Abada taught band for one year at Gunn High School and JLS Middle School in Palo Alto, and for two years taught instrumental music at Point Loma High School in San Diego. In January 2024, he was honored as “Newcomer of the Year” by the CMEA Southern Border Section.
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Mr. Abada holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and earned his teaching credential from San Diego State University. While at SDSU, he was a dual major in Music Education and Trumpet Performance, studying under San Diego Symphony trumpeter John Wilds. He performed in several ensembles, including the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Brass Quintet. His mentor teachers include Jeanne Christensen, Dean Hickman, Carrissa Mattison, and Harvey Tellinghuisen. He was recognized by the School of Music and
Dance as a Presser Undergraduate Scholar and was named a Music Education Fellow in 2020.

A native of Sunnyvale, CA, Mr. Abada is a graduate of Homestead High School. He marched trumpet with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in 2017 and with the Vanguard Cadets in 2015. Outside of teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing Minecraft with friends, and singing in a community choir.