Arthur Winer performs alongside his students in band
By Khalil Reed, September 29, 2026
For most college students, graduating means leaving their professors behind. For some of Arthur Winer’s students, it meant joining his band.
Winer, a music professor and director of Cal Poly Pomona’s Songwriter Showcase, originally started his band MacArthur in New York with some friends before relocating to Southern California in 2005 when he took a teaching position at CPP. The band features several former CPP students who have performed with the group over the years.
“I know them from the Songwriter Showcase, some for years and from other classes,” Winer said. “I told them, ‘Let’s go, let’s go play.’”
The Songwriter Showcase began as a single concert each year featuring students performing their original songs. Winer later expanded the ensemble, which has grown into the largest ensemble in the CPP music department.
Several Showcase musicians have also gone on to perform with MacArthur including current members and music industry studies students Andrea Herrera, Roger Mantero, Brent Mazon and Mark Davidson.
The band is now in its third or fourth lineup since its start, according to Winer, with...