Dr. Giovanna Cruz

Orchestra Director, Bowie High School

As the sole Director at Bowie High School, Giovanna is responsible for juggling 4 large ensembles as well as 30 chamber groups each year. She has implemented SmartMusic to maintain the highest possible standards for her ensembles. Dr. Cruz uses SmartMusic for:

• Concert and contest repertoire
• Automatic SmartMusic assignment feature
• Importing Finale created SMP files (region etudes and final exams)
• Defining fingerings in Finale, breaking down difficult sections, then importing into SmartMusic for assignments

In this video, Giovanna shows her personal SmartMusic files created in Finale and used to maximize student performance, as well as built-in tools and repertoire that has helped her students perform their best.

Giovanna Cruz obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the Universidad Metropolitana in her hometown of Caracas in 2000. After finishing her degree, Dr. Cruz moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies in music at The University of Iowa. She obtained her M.A. in cello performance in 2002 and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2005. Dr. Cruz has been the Orchestra Director at James Bowie since 2008. During her tenure at the school, her varsity groups have received Superior ratings in performance and sight-reading at every UIL Competition since her hiring. Her groups have also received superior ratings in competitions in Corpus Christi, TX and Richmond, VA.