APME Miami 2026: Directory

Welcome to the APME Miami 2026 Conference!
Here you can register and update your Sched profile. A draft schedule will be available March 1, when you’ll be able to explore sessions and build your agenda.

Questions? Visit our website or email [email protected].

Join us June 4–6 at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, as we celebrate the rhythms, relationships, and revolutions shaping popular music education.

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

Jonathan Allentoff

Jonathan Allentoff is the music director of the Eastman Summer Studio Orchestra, Eastman Klezmer Ensemble, and the Brockport Symphony, Greece Community, and Temple Beth El Orchestras, associate conductor and principal arranger for the Brighton Symphony Orchestra, President of the Greece Performing Arts Society, Director of Music and the Sobel Family Center for the Arts and Chair of Encore at Hillel School, composition mentor and conductor for the Los Angeles Inception Orchestra, and the founder of Allentoff Music (ASCAP). He holds a Master of Arts degree from Stony Brook University, and his works... Read more

Company Eastman/Hillel School/GPAS/Inception/Brockport Symphony Orchestra/TBE/Allentoff Music
Position Music Director

Adrian D Barnes

Adrian D. Barnes (B.A. Bethune-Cookman University; M.MEd. Florida State University; Ph.D. Texas Tech University) is the chair of the music department and the Coordinator of the Bachelor of Music in music education at Rowan University.

Company Rowan University
Position Chair, Music
Location Glassboro, NJ

Macy Bell

Dr. Macy Bell is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at The University of Alabama. Dr. Bell is an Orff-Schulwerk Certified music educator with twelve years of professional experience in music education. Dr. Bell’s research agenda centers on critical consciousness and informal music learning. Dr. Bell is committed to preparing preservice educators to create and sustain rigorous and joyful music learning environments that prioritize student creativity, belongingness, and critical thinking. Honors include 2025 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist, Featured Columnist for the Journal... Read more

Company University of Alabama
Position Assistant Professor

Jeff Bernett

Company Caedence
Position Founder/CEO
Location Minneapolis

Brad Berridge

Company Focusrite/Martin Audio
Position US Market Development Manager
Location USA

Sarai Brinker

Sarai Brinker is the Associate Director for Academic Studies and Affairs at the Texas Tech University School of Music, where she also serves as a professor of practice of music humanities. Her courses examine a variety of popular music styles, and she is perhaps best known across campus for developing a collection of courses and fine arts seminars focused on the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Her research focuses on the intersections among music, wellness, and community.

Company Texas Tech University
Position Associate Director for Academic Studies and Affairs

Jeremy Bryant

Jeremy Bryant is a commercial music educator at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, where he teaches guitar, music production, and popular music ensemble courses. He holds a Master of Music Education from Belmont University, where his capstone project explored teacher agency, student belonging, and the role of popular music pedagogies in contemporary music education. Jeremy is the creator and host of the Beyond the Stand podcast, a series of interviews with educators, students, and leaders in PME that highlights the importance of “both/and” approaches in school music programs. His work is driven by a commitment to expanding musical opportunities for all students and supporting teachers as they build programs that are creative, relevant, and sustainable... Read more

Company Battle Ground Academy
Position Commercial Music Instructor
Location Franklin, TN

Orion Burke

Orion Burke is an educator and professional musician who earned his Music Education degree from Hampton University in 2013, followed by a Master of Arts in Teaching in 2014 and a degree in Educational Leadership from Longwood University in 2023.
Throughout his 10-year career as a teacher, he consistently led middle school orchestra students to superior ratings at the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association Concert Assessment. Additionally, he has extensive experience as an adjudicator and guest clinician. Orion currently serves as Supervisor of Music for Chesapeake Public Schools and plays keyboard at Life Church in Virginia Beach. He enjoys video games and spending time with his wife, Mary, and their son, Jamus... Read more

Company Chesapeake Public Schools
Position Supervisor of Music

Dr. Christopher Burns

Dr. Christopher Burns is a music educator and arts-education leader whose work bridges creativity, technology, and access. As the Fine & Performing Arts Resource Specialist for the School District of Osceola County (FL), he supports K–12 music, theatre, visual art, and dance programs across a diverse and rapidly growing community. A guitarist, drummer, and long-time classroom teacher, he brings a practical, teacher-centered perspective to every initiative he leads.Dr. Burns focuses heavily on integrating popular music, modern band, and music-technology tools into traditional programs, expanding... Read more

Company School District of Osceola County
Position Fine and Performing Arts Resource Specialist
Location Kissimmee, FL

Richard Cangro

Originally from Staten Island, NY, Richard M. Cangro, Ph. D., is a Professor and Director of Music Education and the conductor for the Symphony Orchestra at Western Illinois University. He was formerly a public school band and orchestra director for 15 years in Connecticut, as well as a youth ensemble conductor and chamber music coach for the Hartt School Community Division, University of Hartford (West Hartford, CT). While teaching in Connecticut, he also served for 10 years as a beginning teacher assessor for the State Department of Education. Dr. Cangro received a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet... Read more

Company Western Illinois University
Position Professor
Location Macomb, Illinois

Abby Casey

Company Durfee High School
Position Music Production
Location Fall River MA

Moises Chavez

Company Pasadena Unified School District

Jordan Craig

Virginia Davis

Dr. Virginia Wayman Davis is Professor of Music Education at thse University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and serves on the APME board. Her research interests include drums and percussion, meaningful music education practices, secondary general music, and popular music education. She is published in the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, General Music Today, The Journal of Popular Music Education, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, and several others. Dr. Davis stays active as a musician, currently playing percussion with the Valley Symphony Orchestra in south Texas and with her faculty pop/rock band The Minör Revisiöns... Read more

Company University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Position Professor of Music Education
Location Edinburg, Texas

Ruth Debrot

I am interested in all things about teaching and learning. I sing, play guitar and keys in my band, Notorious Jones. Let's jam!

Company Boston University
Position Senior Lecturer in Music Education
Location Attleboro, Massachusetts

M. W. Degan

M. W. Degan is a public-school music teacher in Massachusetts, U.S.A., and a doctoral candidate in Music Education at Boston University, where he also earned Masters in Music Education and Ethnomusicology. His research interests include investigating how individuals conceptualize musicality, music teacher education, issues of social justice within music education, and issues of masculinity in popular music. In addition to his work as a scholar and teacher, M. W. plays bass in several rock bands in the Boston area.

Company Boston University
Position Doctoral Candidate

David Dockan

David Dockan, PhD (he/him/his) is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Louisiana State University, where he teaches courses in elementary music methods, popular/commercial music techniques, and teaching music in diverse settings. Committed to helping teachers design curricula that reflect students’ musical worlds, he studies popular music pedagogies, music teacher agency, and belonging in music education. Dockan’s research is published in the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Music, Technology & Education, Journal of General Music Education, Music ... Read more

Company Louisiana State University
Position Assistant Professor of Music Education
Location Baton Rouge, LA

Cassandra Eisenreich

Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich is Associate Professor of Flute and Music Education at Slippery Rock University. She is the principal flutist with the Butler Symphony Orchestra (Butler, PA) and has performed with the Florida Grand Opera, Florida Sunshine Pops, and New World Symphony. She has also performed and recorded with top artists including George Benson, Michael Feinstein, Dave Grusin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mark O’Connor, Terence Blanchard, Jon Secada, Patti Austin, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, Sammy Figueroa, Pharrell Williams, Josh Groban, Lou Gramm and groups including The Jacksons, Evanescence, Take 6, and Tiempo... Read more

Company Slippery Rock University
Position Associate Professor of Music

Serona Elton

Serona Elton serves as Head of Educational Partnerships for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Elton directs The MLC’s efforts to engage future members of the music industry currently studying music business and related subjects at colleges and universities across the country and around the world.

With extensive experience as a music industry professional and educator, Elton is also a professor and Chair of the Music Industry Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. In 2023, she was named Music Business Educator of the Year by the Music Business Asso... Read more

Company The MLC
Position Head of Educational Partnerships

Joshua Emanuel

Joshua Emanuel is a music educator, percussionist, and music technology specialist from Suffern, NY. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and M.S. in Music Technology from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. He has taught students ranging from kindergarten to graduate music students. He is currently a PhD Candidate in Music Education at New York University. As a presenter, Joshua’s work has been shared at conferences across the United States and around the world. Joshua currently teaches middle school general and instrumental music in... Read more

Company Nanuet Union Free School District/New York University
Position Music Teacher/PhD Candidate
Location Nanuet, NY

Thomas Faulds

Thomas Faulds is a sound designer and percussionist based in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by new technologies and production, Thomas is an active participant in the dynamic music scene in Chicago. Aside from recording and releasing albums, he works as Ableton’s Education Development Manager for the US and Canada, teaching the inner workings of music production tools to students and professionals alike. Thomas believes in universal creative potential and actively introduces students to the vast creative possibilities afforded by modern music instruments. With a heavy focus on beat making, editing... Read more

Company Ableton
Position Education Development Manager

Heather Fortune

Educator and Flutist Heather Fortune leads instrumental ensembles at Friends Select School in Center City, Philadelphia. Her inclusive approach centers student voice and choice, utilizes good music technology to empower learners, and builds responsive classroom spaces. Heather coaches rock bands and is a prolific arranger of symphonies, pop classics, Latin grooves, jazz standards, and modern mind-benders. She is the author of Breaking Band - Legacy Ensembles Transformed, published by FFlat Books. In addition to conducting mixed ensembles, Heather provides instructional coaching and program sup... Read more

Company Friends Select School
Position Music Teacher
Location Philadelphia, PA

Justin Fraser

Company University of British Columbia

Tim Fullerton

Tim is pursuing a DMA in Studio Guitar at the University of Southern California, with a mission of bringing a popular music program to a university that does not have one. Splitting his time between San Diego and Los Angeles, Tim teaches and performs throughout Southern California, focusing on bands, session work, worship music, and musical theater. He has also earned a Master of Music from San Diego State University, a Bachelor of Music from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Business Administration from University of San Diego. Further formal training includes study at Berklee College... Read more

Company University of Southern California
Position DMA Student

Anish Ghosh

Company University of Miami
Position Graduate Student and Researcher
Location Miami, Florida

Anish Ghosh

Anish Ghosh is a Master’s student in Music Engineering at the University of Miami and a research assistant with the Concerts with Humans and Artificial Intelligence (CHAI) project. With a background spanning music business, production, and engineering, his work examines how emerging AI technologies shape modern music creation and learning. His research interests include human–computer interaction, product design, music engineering, and the development of AI tools for creative practice.

Company University of Miami
Position Master's Student, Music Engineering
Location Miami, FL, USA

Dylan Gorenberg

Company Golden West College
Position Faculty

Jeff Green

The Metrics of Music, which is free and lives online so that it can be continually updated, covers the importance of data in streaming, copyright and royalties, analytics platforms, music licensing, sync, social media, touring, audio/radio, airplay/music charts, touring and related subjects. Students learn how algorithms, consumption, curators, engagement and other factors influence business decisions. There are more than 1,100 pages of content, supported by more than 1,000 sources, colorful tables, graphs, photos, videos, an extensive glossary, library of books, trade pubs, podcasts, trade groups... Read more

Company Stone Door Media Lab (publisher of The Metrics of Music)
Position Managing Partner
Location Monterey, California

Jennifer Greene

Jennifer Reynolds Greene has been an instrumental music educator, specializing in bands, for more than thirty years. Currently, she is the Wind Symphony Director at Binghamton University (SUNY). For the majority of her career she held a position at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, a suburb of Syracuse, New York, where she taught Concert Band, Studio Music, Music Theory 2, AP Music Theory, brass and percussion lessons, and chamber ensembles. As a director, Dr. Greene’s bands have performed nationally in San Antonio, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington D.C., and Chicago, earning consistently high ratings... Read more

Company Binghamton University
Position Wind Symphony Director

Lawrence Grey

Lawrence Grey is a music educator, curriculum designer, and creative leader who’s reshaping how music and media are taught in schools. He is the founder of Young Producers Group (YPG), an organization that brings hands-on, industry-aligned music production and podcasting into classrooms, boosting literacy and amplifying student voice with music and audio. Over the past fifteen years, Lawrence has designed learning experiences that reflect the lives and imaginations of young people—especially those often left out of traditional music education.His work invites students to explore identity, community... Read more

Company Young Producers Group
Position Executive Director

Alena Holmes

Dr. Alena Holmes is a professor of music education at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she coordinates the music education program and teaches courses in music technology and music education. She is an active composer, lyricist, and librettist, having written family and children’s musicals, over one hundred original songs, numerous choral works, and a song cycle based on Shakespeare’s sonnets. Her original musical Florida Christmas: The Musical, blends diverse musical genres with storytelling inspired by Florida wildlife and has been featured in festivals and community performances. Dr. Holmes’s scholarly and creative interests include songwriting as a pedagogical tool, world music pedagogy, inclusive teaching practices, interdisciplinary learning, and the role of emerging technologies and AI in music education. She frequently presents her work at national and international conferences and is committed to integrating songwriting and creative music-making into classroom practice... Read more

Company University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Position Professor

Randy Klein

Randy Klein - Bio Randy Klein is a multi-award-winning composer, pianist, record producer, author, music educator and the president of Jazzheads, an independent music label. He was recently commissioned to compose the music for the folk-opera Jubilee, based on Margaret Walker’s esteemed novel. The commission is underwritten in part by a generous grant from Yale University through the Yale Alliance for Scholarship, Collaboration, Engagement, Networking and Development (ASCEND) Initiative and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a Grammy nominated songwriter for his song ... Read more

Company Randy Klein Music
Position President
Location New York, New York

Kateryna Komar

Company Katapulta Music School
Position Music Teacher/ Music Producer/ Songwriter
Location Ukraine

Emily Langerholc

Emily Langerholc is a 20 year veteran music educator from Florida. She has taught grades preK-12, teaching middle school band, chorus, exceptional music education, music appreciation, and currently teaches elementary general music in Orlando. She has taught in Broward, Palm Beach, Pasco, and Orange counties. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, The Florida State University, and is a current doctoral candidate in Music Education at the Center for Music Research at the University of South Florida, dissertating on involuntary musical imagery. You can find her on social media most... Read more

Company University of South Florida, Orange County Public Schools
Position Doctoral Candidate/General Music Teacher
Location Orlando, FL

Jonathan Sang-Joon Lee

Jonathan Sang-Joon Lee is a K-12 music educator in Vancouver, Canada and a doctoral candidate in music education at Boston University. His research interests encompass cultural diversity, popular music education, and music education within special education contexts. He has delivered clinical workshops and research presentations at various conferences across North America and Europe. As a musician specializing in popular, rock, and jazz genres, he has performed at various venues in Canada, USA, Argentina, and his home country, South Korea. He has also released two records as a band leader.

Company Boston University
Position Graduate Student (DMA)
Location Vancouver, BC Canada

Scott LeGere

Scott LeGere is an award-winning educator, composer, strategist, and entrepreneur. With over two decades in higher education, Scott focuses much of his time on empowering youth, increasing arts accessibility, and creating opportunities for the next generation of creative professionals across Minnesota and beyond. Surveying the post-COVID arts and cultural landscape and emergence of powerful generative Artificial Intelligence platforms, Scott is keenly aware of the fragility of our creative ecosystems. As such, he encourages everyone to remember that art matters, songs matter, and attending a concert... Read more

Company Augsburg University
Position Program Director- Music Industries
Location Minneapolis, MN

Candice Mattio

Dr. Candice D. Mattio is Vice President of APME, and Assistant Professor of Music Teaching & Learning at USC’s Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles where she leads the graduate program in Popular Music Teaching & Learning .

She is a music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and music technology specialist. Candice's research focuses on creative thinking and representation in music technology education, and socio-political issues in contemporary and popular music education. She recently served as the inaugural co-clinician for popular music ensembles with the CMEA Multi-Music Festival, and previously co-lead the FMEA All-State Popular Music Collective and Digital Music Showcase. Prior to USC, she was faculty at Florida International University, and previously was Chair of Fine Arts in Chicago Public Schools where she ... Read more

Company USC Thornton School of Music
Position Assistant Professor
Location Los Angeles, CA

MR

Ms. Roberta McCabe

Edward McClellan

Edward McClellan is the Rita O. Huntsinger Distinguished Professor of Music, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at Loyola University New Orleans. Dr. McClellan is a member of the Editorial Boards for the International Journal of Music Education, Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, and Music Educators Journal. He has published research in the Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, Visions of Research in Music Education, and Music Educators Journal. Dr. McClellan is member... Read more

Company Loyola University New Orleans
Position Associate Professor, Music Education

Edward McClellan

Edward McClellan is the Rita O. Huntsinger Distinguished Professor of Music, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at Loyola University New Orleans. Dr. McClellan is a member of the Editorial Boards for the International Journal of Music Education, Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, and Music Educators Journal. He has published research in the Visions of Research in Music Education, Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, and Music Educators Journal. Dr...

Company Loyola University New Orleans
Position Professor, Coordinator of Music Education
Location New Orleans

John Merchant

Company Focusrite/Martin Audio
Position Focusrite Group
Location Director, FG Professional

Theo Metz

Based in Birmingham, AL, Theo Metz is a multifaceted audio specialist, educator, and dynamic performer with over a decade of experience in music technology, live sound, and audio production. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Samford University, Theo teaches courses in music technology, recording techniques, and live sound production while directing one of the Commercial Music Ensembles, Montague.Theo's academic credentials include a Master of Music in Studio Composition from SUNY Purchase and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance (Magna Cum Laude) from William Paterson University... Read more

Company Samford University
Position Assistant Professor
Location Birmingham, AL

Taylor Miranda

My name is Taylor Miranda. Since the second grade I have been all in for songwriting and I have never stopped. I studied commercial music at BYU, have released 6 EPs of original music, and have had an incredible journey over the last 15 years in the world of custom music, writing songs for commercials, video games and soundtracks. My passion for songwriting for myself has expanded into a love of teaching others how to access their own songwriting abilities, leading to the creation of my first ever textbook “The Songwriting Breakdown” simplifying the art of creating original music. I love...

Company Self-employed
Position Private Music Teacher

Jesse Moore

Company Penn State University
Position Rock Ensemble Director, Program Coordinator

Amy Moss

Amy Moss is the director of choral studies at Frenship HS and is a vocal coordinator for Frenship ISD. She teaches traditional choir classes, show choir, music production, songwriting, and directs music for the fall musical. Her ensembles and students regularly receive superior ratings at festivals and contests. Under her direction, Frenship High School Varsity Chorale was featured as an honor choir for the 2022 Texas Music Educators Association Convention, making school history. She is the TMEA Region XVI chair-elect and often serves as an adjudicator around Texas. She holds a B.M. in choral... Read more

Company Frenship High School
Position Director of Choral Activities

Jessica Muñiz

Jessica Muñiz is a music career consultant, composer/producer, and Assistant Professor of Music Business at the University of North Texas. She is also the Founder/Owner of NIZCO Music – a music career consulting company that helps musicians compose their careers to their own B.E.A.T. (Business, Education, Artist Development, Technology). Passionate about supporting musicians, Jessica serves on the boards for multiple music industry organizations, including The Recording Academy (Texas Chapter) and the College Music Society. Additionally, she serves as an Educator Ambassador for The Mechanical... Read more

Company University of North Texas
Position Assistant Professor of Music Business

Raina Murnak

Dr. Raina Murnak serves as President of the Association for Popular Music Education and as Assistant Professor and Studio Director of Contemporary Voice and Performance Artistry at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she also leads the MA in Popular Music Pedagogy.
Her work moves with a bright, cross-disciplinary energy. A vocalist, composer/songwriter, producer, performance coach, visual artist, actress, choreographer, author, and entrepreneur, she designs experiences that animate creativity and well-being. Recent highlights include contributing vocals to Pharrell Williams...
Read more

Company University of Miami
Position Head of Contemporary Voice and Performance Artistry
Location Miami, Fl

Patrick Olsen

Patrick Olsen is an Assistant Professor of Music (Education) at Singapore Management University. He has experience teaching pop music to students ranging in age from primary to university. Patrick's research explores learning cultures, meaning-making, and student–teacher perceptions. Prior to Singapore, Patrick lived and worked in Cambridge (UK), Limerick (Ireland), and Boston (USA)... Read more

Company College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University
Position Assistant Professor of Music (Education)
Location Singapore

David Penn

David Penn is the co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed, a leading educational platform that provides detailed data and analysis on the craft and trends behind today’s hit songs. Often described as “music theory for popular music,” Hit Songs Deconstructed has become an essential resource for music professionals and academics, and is utilized by institutions including Berklee College of Music, the Frost School of Music, MTSU, Belmont University, and USC Thornton, among many others. Mr. Penn is a recognized expert in the craft and trends behind hit songs, and his insights have been featured...

Company Hit Songs Deconstructed
Position Co-Founder

Yael Penn

Yael Penn is the co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed, a leading music platform that provides detailed data and analysis on the craft and trends behind contemporary hit songs. Often described as "music theory for popular music," Hit Songs Deconstructed has become an essential resource for music professionals and academics alike, utilized by renowned institutions like the Berklee College of Music, Frost School of Music, MTSU, Belmont University, USC Thornton School of Music, among many others.
Penn’s expertise in contemporary hit-song analytics has been featured in podcasts and leading indust... Read more

Company Hit Songs Deconstructed
Position Co-Founder
Location yael25

Shauna Pickens

Dr. Shauna Satrom Pickens is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University. Her teaching responsibilities include brass methods, music technology, popular music pedagogy, graduate seminar, and supervision of student teachers. Her research is focused on teaching music in low-SES urban and rural communities, teaching popular music, music teacher preparation, and instrument preferences of children. She has presented her research at national conferences and has co-authored articles published in Update: Applications for Research in Music Education and Texas Music Education Res... Read more

Company Texas Tech University
Position Assistant Professor of Music Education

Emmett Price

Company Berklee
Position Dean, Africana Studies
Location Boston, MA

Marysol Quevedo

Marysol Quevedo is Associate Professor of Musicology at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She is the author of Cuban Music Counterpoints: Vanguardia Musical in Global Networks (Oxford University Press, 2023), which traces the intellectual and artistic networks Cuban composers forged between 1940 and 1991, examining how they navigated aesthetic innovation and political agendas across local and international contexts. Her research centers on Cuban art music before and after the 1959 Revolution, with particular attention to cultural diplomacy and Cold War-era transnational net...

Company University of Miami
Position Associate Professor
Location Miami, FL

Kat Reinhert

Company Berklee College of Music, BNYC
Position Full Professor of Songwriting
Location NYC and Boston

Terry Roberts

Company Francis Marion University
Position Professor/Coordinator of Music
Location Florence, SC

Dr. Helen Sapieka

Dr. Helen Sapieka is currently the administrator of SmithTech: School of Computer Science, Innovation and Design, a Virginia Laboratory School in Chesapeake, VA. She is passionate about integrating computer science into all contents, including music, bringing a new elective, “Music Technology: Recording and Production” to her Title 1 middle school students.

Company Chesapeake Public Schools
Position SmithTech Lab School Administrator
Location Chesapeake Public Schools

Sharon Selinger

Company Pine Crest School
Position Band Program Director Boca Raton| Digital Music Librarian | Fine Arts iPad Administrator

Ashley Shabankareh

Company Trombone Shorty Foundation
Position Director of Programs
Location USA

Carlos Silva

Eric Songer

Eric Songer has taught music in Chaska, Minnesota since 1997. He has a Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His middle school program includes jazz, rock, country, hip hop, and marching. Mr. Songer teaches privately, composes and arranges music, and performs as a trombonist. He was named 2008 and 2021 Minnesota District 112 Teacher of the Year; has published articles in "Instrumentalist", "Teaching Music" and "Music Educators Journal"; and regularly presents at universities and conferences. He was awarded the 2019 Give A Note Innovation in Music Education Award and... Read more

Company Chaska Middle School West
Position Middle School Music Educator
Location Chaska Middle School West

Eric Songer

27 years is a long time to teach middle school music, but I love it. I was hired to direct concert bands, but the program is much more than that. Students write songs, produce, form their own bands, learn non-band instruments, rap, beatbox and more. Our students perform in rock bands, pop ensembles, DJ clubs, country/bluegrass bands, fusion jazz groups, hip hop groups, Latin bands and much more.

Company Eastern Carver County School District
Position Music Educator
Location Chaska Middle School West

Steve Stewart

Former Stone Temple Pilots manager. Helping musicians collaborate across film, gaming and media programs, and to register their songs properly in order to collect royalties for their work - with SongHub (www.songhub.co) Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Company SongHub
Position CEO & Co-Founder
Location Los Angeles

SS

Stacey Swanson

Company APME
Position Director of Operations

Nicolas Sykes

Nicolas Sykes is the Chief Examiner for Music Performance and Production at UAL Awarding Body, overseeing assessment, moderation, and qualification design. As a performer, composer, and educator, he has contributed to curriculum development and innovative course design in music education. Nicolas holds a Master’s in Music from the University of Nottingham, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Training, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has worked extensively in Further Education, with additional experience in Higher Education and Secondary School settings. Passionate...

Company University of the Arts London Awarding Body
Position Chief Examiner for Music Performance and Production

Tamara Thies

Tamara T. Thies, PhD is Area Director of Music Education for the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and Co-Coordinator of Music Education for the Single Subject Credential Program in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach. Currently, she is the Music Education in Higher Education Representative for the California Music Educators Association. Her creative and research interests focus on music education at the intersection of creativity, culturally relevant and sustaining practices, and empowering individual identities.

Company California State University, Long Beach
Position Area Director of Music Education
Location Long Beach, CA

Benjamin Thurtle

Benjamin Thurtle is currently studying Music Education at Boston University. He works to connect Pre-Professional Popular Music Educators and make APME's opportunities open and accessible to more university students.

Company Boston University
Position Student

Martina Vasil

Martina Vasil, PhD, is Professor of Music Education and Director of Graduate Studies for the University of Kentucky School of Music. She is a board member of Music Will and past president of APME. Martina learned to salsa dance from Marlon Silva in Pittsburgh, PA and was his dance partner and co-teacher for several years. Martina has 14 years of K–8 teaching experience and has taught salsa dancing to both middle school students and adults.

Company University of Kentucky
Position Professor of Music Education
Location Lexington, KY

Dr. Kristian Wahlström

Dr. Kristian Wahlström is an established guitarist and has played professionally for over 25 years in the Finnish music scene. As a freelancer, he has performed live with, e.g., Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) and Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica) as well as recorded with Darude among others. He has taught guitar and bands now for over 20 years at the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory, a pioneering institution for popular music in the Nordic countries. He also teaches guitar pedagogy. He holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Helsinki. His research interests include student-centered pedagogy... Read more

Company Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory
Position PhD, Lecturer in electric guitar and band performance

Pam Welsh-Huggins

Pam Welsh-Huggins began teaching over 40 years ago — initially as an English teacher — and has spent the last decade directing choirs and popular music ensembles at Centennial High School, one of the flagships of Columbus City Schools. In 2017, her district asked Pam to pilot a Modern Band program through Little Kids Rock (now Music Will) and it transformed her approach to music education. Her choral program is jazz- and popular-music-forward and student-driven, and she loves creating new music and arranging old tunes with and for her students. Outside of school, she is a sought-after theatrical... Read more

Company Centennial High School/Columbus (OH) City Schools
Position Teacher, Vocal Music & Modern Band

Brian Wilkins

BRIAN WILKINS - BIO Brian Wilkins is a manager, educator, technologist, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the music, education, and technology. Brian has held executive and creative positions at major record labels (Sony Music Entertainment/Sony BMG/Universal Music Group), broadcasting/live entertainment companies (Clear Channel/SFX), higher education institutions (Frost School of Music/University of Miami) and music technology companies (NUSIC/Lark42).

Brian brings a track record of creating new opportunities and new revenue streams for artists, partners, and clients. H... Read more

Company Aesthetic Music Group/Frost School of Music
Position Founder/Lecturer
Location Los Angeles

Dr. Tom Zlabinger

Dr. Tom Zlabinger is an Associate Professor of Music at York College in New York City and a leading figure in popular music education, serving as Founding President of the Association of Popular Music Education's New York Chapter (APME-NY). With a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the CUNY Graduate Center and an M.A. in jazz performance from Queens College, he has transformed York College's music program from a jazz-centric curriculum to one focused on popular music, establishing new degree programs, minors in hip-hop studies and popular music history, and pioneering live online performance. Dr. Zlabinger... Read more

Company York College / CUNY
Position Associate Professor of Music
Location New York, NY

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