Name: 🔑KEYNOTE PANEL: MusicReach, Guitars Over Guns, Young Musician's Unite
Start: 2026-06-05T09:00:00-0400
End: 2026-06-05T09:45:00-0400

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.

🔑KEYNOTE PANEL: MusicReach, Guitars Over Guns, Young Musician's Unite

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT

Newman Recital Hall

The award-winning Donna E. Shalala MusicReach mission is to enrich the education of under-served youth in the Miami-Dade community through unique and innovative music education programming while providing opportunities for Frost School of Music students to develop their teaching and community engagement skills. MusicReach aims to encourage youth participants to stay in school and pursue a college degree.

Guitars Over Guns is on a mission to empower young people through music, mentorship, and the arts. We are here to shift how young people think about the world and their place in it. By sharing skills and experience, rooted in our common passion for music, we inspire our students to see a future that’s filled with potential – and help them be excited and accountable.
We cultivate an enriching community bound by the arts. United by community-based performances. Powered by high-quality instruction. Inspired by meaningful connections between professional musicians and our community’s youth. Because the world changes when people find their voices – and have the opportunity to be heard.
Young Musicians Unite believes that every student deserves access to music education regardless of their socio-economic background. We collaborate with schools to provide free music education, which has been proven to inspire personal development, foster a sense of community and prepare our future leaders.

Speakers

Andrew DeMuro

Guitars Over Guns Organization: GOGO

Candice Mattio

Assistant Professor, USC Thornton School of Music

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 inaugu... Read More →