Ron Battani was a middle school and high school band director for 44 years, 18 in Iowa, 17 in Texas and 9 in Nevada. In 1976-77 he was adjunct director of the Iowa State University Jazz Ensemble, Ames, Iowa. His Des Moines Hoover jazz band was chosen 4 times to perform at the annual Iowa Bandmasters Convention. From 1976-85 the Hoover jazz band placed 1st four times, 2nds four times, 3rd once and 4th once in the Iowa Jazz Championships. Mr. Battani is co-founder of the Iowa Jazz Championships. His 1976 Hoover jazz band won the Downbeat Magazine "National Maynard Ferguson Sound-Alike" contest. Mr. Battani directed the AIL-Austin (Texas) Area Jazz Ensemble for 10 years. The AYJE is made up of the finest high school jazz musicians in the Austin area.

Mr. Battani's Des Moines Hoover Bands marched in parades in Washington D.C., Orlando, Florida, Dallas, Texas, and Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hoover Wind Ensemble won 1st place two times at the Drake Relays/Adventureland band contest and was IBA honor band two times. His Austin Anderson band marched in Louisiana and Hawaii. They also won, twice, the outstanding concert band award at the Contraband Days Festival in Lake Charles, Louisiana and the sweepstakes Award for best concert band, class 5A, at the Ski Festival in Winter Park, Colorado.

On May 3, 1994 he was presented the National Band Association Outstanding Jazz Educator Award, one of only 2 given in the state of Texas. He was one of the first two educators inducted into the Iowa Jazz Educators Hall of Fame in 1995. Ron was presented with the CCSD Distinguished Educator Award from Mannion Middle School in 2005.

Mr. Battani received his BME in 1967 and MME in 1973 from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. In his final 7 years of teaching he was the band director at Mannion Middle School. He has been a member of the Henderson Symphony Orchestra percussion section for 9 years and is in his first year as a member of the Desert Winds percussion section.