GITS Fest

A Worldwide Celebration of Music & Music Education

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GRAMMY In The Schools Fest, presented by MusicPower, was a free four-day virtual festival celebrating music and music education broadcast online the week leading up to Music’s Biggest Night – the GRAMMY Awards^®.

Watch this rebroadcast of the free virtual festival that featured performances, discussions, question & answer sessions and online curricular materials for students, teachers and the public at large. Special guests included Derek “MixedbyAli” Ali, Jon Batiste, HAIM, H.E.R., Hunter Hayes, Michael League of Snarky Puppy, Manny Marroquin, PJ Morton, Charlie Puth, as well as, top music and music education professionals.

A Worldwide Celebration of Music & Music Education

Re-live the magic from the GRAMMY Museum’s inaugural GITS Fest featuring engaging discussions, performances, and lessons from students and top professionals. GITS Fest truly localized the GRAMMY Week experience in cities and schools nationwide. Woven throughout the virtual festival are free lessons and other valuable information provided by top practitioners across the broad spectrum of music, music education and its connection to other school subject areas.

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program schedule

There will be five 45-minute sessions per day that include performances, Q&A sessions, and compelling interviews from artists, students and educators beginning at 2:00PM Pacific Time (4:00PM Central, 5:00PM Eastern).

Day 1

March 8th, 2021

Day 2

March 9th, 2021

Day 3

March 10th, 2021

Day 4

March 11th, 2021

Time

Session and Speaker

2:00pm

School Feature, Westfield Academy & Central School with Kent Knappenberger and Ashley Carlson.

3:00pm

Hot Takes on Real World Scenarios with GRAMMY Camp Faculty Members Chris Sampson, Jason Goldman, Laura Donohue, Leslie Drayton, and Andy Hermann.

4:00pm

Young Professionals in Music ft. GRAMMY In The Schools Alumni Haleigh Bowers and Justin Klunk.

5:00pm

Music Careers in Preservation and Research Panel with Bridget Carr, T. Christopher Aplin, Elizabeth Race, and Peter Pfordesher.

6:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY nominees HAIM.

2:00pm

School Feature, University of Central Florida with Jeffery Redding.

3:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY winner PJ Morton.

4:00pm

Using Music to Teach Other Subjects with Sunshine Cavalluzzi and Ryan Yoder.

5:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY nominee Hunter Hayes.

6:00pm

Business & Performance Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation Panel with Ella Bric and Gabrielle Garo.

12:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY nominee Jon Batiste

2:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY winner H.E.R.

3:00pm

Afternoon with GRAMMY winner Michael League of Snarky Puppy.

4:00pm

The Art of Tech, Performance & Business with GRAMMY Camp Faculty Nathan Adam, Greg Chin, Hadaya Turner, Larry Steen, and Mike Garcia.

5:00pm

TBA

6:00pm

Young Professionals in Music ft. GRAMMY In The Schools Alumni Billy Norris and Devon Eisenbarger.

2:00pm

Inside Look: Audio Recording with GRAMMY winner Derek “Mixedbyali” Ali.

3:00pm

Women in the Business of Music ft. Nonafaye Williams, Anna Mrzyglocki, and Amy Sciarretto.

4:00pm

School Feature, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with Alexander Lloyd Blake.

5:00pm

School Feature, Maplewood Middle School with Mickey Smith, Jr. and Lacey Blocker.

6:00pm

The Art and Science of Recording, Songwriting & Performing ft. GRAMMY winner Manny Marroquin and GRAMMY nominee Charlie Puth.

guest artists

These artists joined us for an exclusive conversation in the week leading up to the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards

CHARLIE PUTH

Charlie Puth is one of the industry’s most consistent hitmakers and sought-after collaborators. Puth has amassed eight multi-platinum singles, four GRAMMY nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, a Critic’s Choice Award, and a Golden Globe nomination.

Ella Bric

Ella Bric (formerly known as Linda Briceno) is a two-time Latin GRAMMY Award-winning producer. She became the first woman to win a Latin GRAMMY for “Producer of the Year” in 2018. This year, Ella became a finalist in the Rolex Mentor-Protégé program, and had the honor of sharing ideas with Director and Producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. With a conceptual album in the oven, Ella Bric promises to break the schemes of contemporary music. She was also a recipient of a Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation scholarship.

H.E.R

Accumulating 13 GRAMMY nominations and 2 wins in just 3 years, H.E.R. has proven herself as an R&B force to be reckoned with. In 2019, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist won two GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B Album (H.E.R.) and Best R&B Performance (“Best Part” featuring Daniel Caesar) and a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, among additional awards and accolades.

Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste is currently nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and Best New Age Album at this year’s upcoming GRAMMY Awards. In 2020, his music and likeness was centrally featured in the Disney/Pixar film, Soul. Meanwhile, as an activist, he organized several peaceful protest marches, leading thousands in the streets of NYC in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. As an actor, he played himself on the HBO series Tremé and appeared in Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. Jon has also been featured in ad campaigns for Chase Bank, the Apple Watch, Lincoln Continental, and numerous fashion brands including Coach, Gucci, Polo Ralph Lauren, Frye, Kate Spade, Jack Spade, and Barney’s, and his personal style has been profiled in numerous fashion publications including GQ, Vanity Fair, CR Fashion Book, Esquire, Instyle, and Vogue. Jon is devoted to the education and mentorship of young musicians – he has led his own Social Music Residency and Mentoring Program sponsored by Chase and has led several cultural exchanges since 2006. He’s been awarded the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harry Chapin ASCAP Humanitarian Award and appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list; Batiste also currently serves as the Music Director of The Atlantic and the Co-Artistic Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and is on the board of Sing For Hope.

michael league

Michael League is a 3-time GRAMMY Award-winning, 4-time nominated multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, arranger, songwriter, label owner, and bandleader based out of Catalonia, Spain. Michael runs the instrumental music ensemble Snarky Puppy, whose grass-roots approach to the changing music industry has met major critical and commercial success.

p.j. morton

PJ Morton is a multi-GRAMMY-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter, performer and producer, whose latest album Gospel According to PJ debuted #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Chart and is currently nominated for Best Gospel Album at this year’s upcoming GRAMMY Awards. PJ’s remarkable resume includes running his own record label, working as Maroon 5’s full-time keyboardist, serving as Solange’s former music director, and collaborating with the likes of Erykah Badu, JoJo, Kirk Franklin, Lil Wayne, Rapsody, Stevie Wonder, Tyler Perry, Yebba and dozens of others.

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali is a Los Angeles-bred, Multi-GRAMMY award-winning Recording and Mixing Engineer. A Forbes 30-under-30 recipient and globally-recognized audio guru, MixedbyAli got his start working with fellow Top Dawg Entertainment Artists Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab Soul, ultimately leading to a decade-long apprenticeship under Dr. Dre. His contributions to impactful records include ‘The Box’ by Roddy Ricch, ‘This Is America’ by Donald Glover and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’., and he is known for his long-time work with legacy artists such as Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle.

haim

Southern California-bred sister trio HAIM are nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance at this year’s upcoming 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. HAIM has collaborated with artists as eclectic as Stevie Nicks and Calvin Harris, Dirty Projectors and Vampire Weekend.

Hunter Hayes

Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Hunter Hayes has received five GRAMMY Award nominations, a series of platinum-certified singles, and an ardent worldwide fanbase. Having stepped into the spotlight before the age of five, the Louisiana native went on to master more than 30 instruments, making his major-label debut with a 2011 self-titled effort featuring his five-times-platinum smash hit “Wanted.”

Manny Marroquin

Manny Marroquin is one of the music industry’s preeminent mixing engineers. Having graced over 300 million albums worldwide, he has earned over fifty #1 albums and one hundred Top 10 albums on The Billboard 200, plus twenty Hot 100 #1 singles and over fifty singles in the Top 10. He has won nine GRAMMYs, including Best Engineered Album for John Mayer’s “Battle Studies” in 2011 and most recently Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You”. Over the course of two and a half decades in the business he has mixed and engineered countless classics for artists including Post Malone, Rihanna, Portugal.The Man, The Weeknd, Eminem, Linkin Park, John Legend, Imagine Dragons, Mac Miller, Bastille, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Charlie Puth, Camilla Cabello, Alessia Cara, Sia, Future, Thirty Seconds to Mars and The Rolling Stones.

natalie merchant

Over her 40-year career Natalie Merchant has earned a place among America’s most respected recording artists and earned a reputation for being a songwriter of quality through her nine albums as a solo artist and six albums as the lead singer of the group 10,000 Maniacs. Merchant has toured extensively and collaborated with a diverse array of artists on stage and in the studio including: Billy Bragg, Philip Glass, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Tracy Chapman, Mavis Staples and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

CHARLIE PUTH

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali

Ella Bric

haim

h.e.r

Hunter Hayes

Jon Batiste

Manny Marroquin

michael league

natalie merchant

p.j. morton

Panelist Bios

Alexander Blake

Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake works as a conductor, composer/arranger, vocal contractor, singer, and music activist. Blake is the Founding Artistic Director of Tonality, serves as the Choir Director at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), and serves in Los Angeles and New York City as a Principal. Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus. Blake’s musical activities, include singing on the soundtrack of Jordan Peele’s “Us”, Disney’s “Lion King”, and Pixar’s “Spies in Disguise,” preparing singers for their performance at the 92nd GRAMMY Awards® telecast in 2020 and more.

Amy Sciarretto

Atom Splitter PR Principal and Founder Amy Sciarretto’s current clients include Killswitch Engage, Alice Cooper, August Burns Red, I Prevail, Falling In Reverse, Vein, Hatebreed, Halestorm, Trivium, The Acacia Strain, In This Moment, Zeal & Ardor, and countless others. Previously, she worked at Roadrunner Records, operating point on campaigns for seminal albums such as Slipknot’s platinum-selling Billboard Top 200 #1 opus All Hope Is Gone, Korn’s GRAMMY® Award-nominated Korn III: Remember Who You Are, Killswitch Engage’s gold-selling The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies, in addition to key releases from Meat Loaf, Rob Zombie, Stone Sour, Tommy Lee, and more.

Andy Hermann

Andy Hermann’s music journalism career spans more than 20 years, with credits in Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, Downbeat, NPR Music and Rolling Stone. He also writes podcasts for the Wondery network, including multiple episodes of their acclaimed series “Business Wars” and “Imagined Life.” From 2014 to 2017, he was the music editor for L.A. Weekly, where he won the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Award for best music writing.

Anna Mrzyglocki

Anna Mrzyglocki is a product manager at Fearless Records, working with every department within Fearless and Concord (its Parent Company) as the point person, creating and executing marketing plans that help bring artists’ visions and goals to life. She works closely with both established and developing rock, metal, and alternative acts like The Pretty Reckless, August Burns Red, Underoath, Plain White Ts, Pierce The Veil, My Kid Brother, The Plot In You and more. Previously, Mrzyglocki worked in distribution at RED and at The Orchard as a label manager to indie labels like Pure Noise, Equal Vision, Victory, Tooth & Nail, Triple Crown and Dine Alone.

Billy Norris

A former GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble member when in high school, Billy Norris began his touring career, traveling the world as Gavin’s musical director, guitarist, and background vocalist. Still working with Gavin today, Billy has also worked as a guitarist, bassist, vocalist, musical director, live show designer, producer, and songwriter with artists such as Andy Grammer, Colbie Caillat, Train, Mat Kearney, Parachute, the Heydaze, and many others. He has shared the stage with Billy Joel (over 40 shows), Shania Twain (over 70 shows), Bon Jovi, Alanis Morissette, Martina McBride, Maroon 5, The Script, and countless others, performing for tens of thousands at venues ranging from Madison Square Garden, to Fenway Park, to Giants Stadium, to Wrigley Field.

Christopher Aplin

Ethnomusicologist Dr. T. Christopher Aplin is a recorded sound collection grant-writer who helps build sustainable digital collections that reinforce tribal community library, language, and history programs. He is also an author, currently writing a book about the music of the Apache prisoners of war seized with Geronimo in 1886. He was also awarded funding from the GRAMMY Museum Grant Program.

Chris Sampson

Chris Sampson has enjoyed a diverse and multi-faceted career as an educator, producer, performer, songwriter and administrator. Chris is professor of songwriting and Founding Director of the Popular Music program at the USC Thornton School of Music. Chris is a Lifetime Voting member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has produced events and presented seminars with Sir Elton John, Brian Wilson, Steve Miller Band, Sting, Lamont Dozier, Chaka Khan, John Fogerty, Randy Newman, David Foster, Smokey Robinson, Linda Perry, and Lindsey Buckingham, among many others.

David Sears

Moderator

David R. Sears is Vice President of Education of GRAMMY In The Schools at the GRAMMY Museum. Having been the company for over 25 years, he spearheaded the development and implementation GRAMMY In The Schools national education initiatives. His professional background includes being a public high school music educator, professional musician, music director, composer, arranger, conductor, producer and more. He has performed or worked with scores of outstanding practitioners in entertainment such as the Foo Fighters, Temptations, Oscar Peterson, Danny Kaye, the Dave Matthews Band, Yolanda Adams and more. His students have also become successful music professionals including GRAMMY winners in the performance, producing, arranging and audio engineering fields. David is a lifetime voting member of the Recording Academy.

Derek Spencer

Moderator

Derek Spencer is a program manager at the GRAMMY Museum, and manages the museum’s Grant Program, Music Educator Award, and City Sounds concert series. He has worked for the museum for 5 years. Derek is also the founder and artistic director of Ceaseless Fun, an LA-based immersive performance company. He is on the founding board of directors for the League of Experiential and Immersive Artists.

Devon Eisenbarger

Devon Eisenbarger, a GRAMMY Camp participant when is high school, is a touring and session guitarist who has been performing with Katy Perry since 2017, when she joined the band for The Witness Tour. She graduated from the University of Southern California Pop Music Program in 2014, and has since performed with many other acclaimed acts as well such as The Chainsmokers, CeeLo Green, Zayn, and Gwen Stefani. She also spent 2016-2019 as one-third of pop/country trio Honey County, writing and recording original material and touring throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Elizabeth Race

Elizabeth Race is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Tufts University where she directs the Integrative Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. Her research investigates how rhythms in the environment, such as musical rhythms, orchestrate neural activity in the brain and how neural responses to rhythm influence the formation of memories in both younger and older adults. She studies the link between music and the brain using cognitive neuroscience techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and by studying the behavior of healthy individuals as well as clinical populations with memory loss. An overarching goal of her research is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how music can serve as a safe, non-invasive, and pleasurable activity to enhance memory across the lifespan. She was also awarded funding from the GRAMMY Museum Grant Program.

Gabrielle Garo

Gabrielle Garo is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the flute, piccolo, alto, tenor, soprano saxophone, and bass clarinet. Performing locally and internationally, Gabrielle has toured with the GRAMMY-winning Christian McBride Big Band, and performed with music greats, such as, Eddie Palmieri, Esperanza Spalding, and Arturo O’Farrill. She is featured in Spike Lee’s Season 2 of “She’s Gotta Have It,” has performed for T.I. on several projects, and opened the 62nd GRAMMY Awards with GRAMMY-winner, Lizzo, amongst various other TV appearances. Recently, Gabrielle is a graduate of The New School, where she has obtained her Undergraduate Degree in Jazz Performance (‘19), and Master’s Degree in Arts Management & Entrepreneurship (‘20). She was also a recipient of a Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation scholarship.

Greg Chin

Greg Chin (a.k.a. Stryke) is considered to be one of the top DJs around today. He’s had Billboard chart success with his Ad Finem project and as a remixer. His guest vocal on the track “Time” with Murk, went #1 in the US in 2004. He’s collaborated with artists such as Murk, Christian Smith, John Beltran, Oscar G, Santos, & Alex Flatner, to name a few, has had residencies at clubs such as the legendary Edge, Warsaw, Maze, & Nocturnal, and in 2004, he was asked to be the official DJ for the MTV VMAs. He’s also just finished his first full score, for the independent documentary for the humanitarian non-profit, Mindo Futures.

Hadaya Turner

Hadaya is a multi-disciplinary designer with over 10 years of professional experience. From her first position as a web designer at UMRG to her latest position as Sr. Art Director at BET, Hadaya has created dynamic visual content for corporate, commercial, and entertainment endeavors. Despite each changing role, her core objectives are consistent: to build impactful brands, to collaborate with teams that uplift, and to exceed all expectations.

Haleigh Bowers

As a songwriter, Haleigh Bowers has gathered international acclaim, with success in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Japan. Her works have been featured on Netflix’s Queer Eye as well as popular shows on ABC, NBC, Nickelodeon, E!, Bravo, Comedy Central, Amazon Prime Video, Lifetime, Disney+, Nat Geo Wild, and A&E. With a powerful perspective and equally powerful voice, Haleigh Bowers is quickly grabbing people’s attention and becoming a force to be reckoned with. She also participated in GRAMMY Camp when in high school.

Jason Goldman

Jason Goldman has gained prominence as a saxophonist, composer, producer, and songwriter in the fields of popular music and jazz. He was selected by multi-GRAMMY winning producer/songwriter David Foster to be the featured saxophone soloist for Michael Bublé. Goldman has toured extensively with Bublé and has arrangements on three of Bublé’s multi-platinum selling records, solidifying himself as a top tier, in-demand writer and musician.

Jeffery Redding

Dr. Jeffery Redding currently serves as the Director of Choral Activities at University of Central Florida in Orlando. His choirs have earned first place awards at competitions nationally and internationally, and Redding is consistently invited to conduct and adjudicate on the world’s finest stages for choral festivals, competitions, and masterworks. One of four conductors for Walt Disney World’s Candlelight Processional, he is also the Founder and Artistic & Executive Director of the Orlando Choral Society and Worship Arts Director at Tuskawilla First United Methodist Church. Notably, Redding was a recipient of the GRAMMY Music Educator Award in 2019.

Julie Mutnansky

Moderator

Julie Mutnansky is a Los Angeles based Program and Events Manager with over ten years’ experience producing Industry events and educational programming for the GRAMMY Museum and other Entertainment Industry Non-Profits. She manages and implements all of the GRAMMY Museum’s national education initiatives including GRAMMY Camp, GRAMMY Career Day, GRAMMY Signature Schools, GRAMMY Museum Summer Session, and GRAMMY Museum Career Pathways Program. Julie has coordinated and supervised large and small teams to execute a variety of music education programs that teach students the best way to build a career in music Producing, marketing, and managing events is her passion. Julie is also an LA Soundboard Member for Notes For Notes, Volunteer Guide for Musician’s On Call, and a MusiCares LA Young Ambassador.

Justin Klunk

Saxophone Recording Artist, Justin Klunk, is one of the rising faces of Pop Instrumental music in Los Angeles, CA. Justin is both a recording and performing artist that has toured with many acts such as Ariana Grande, Saint Motel, and Lindsey Stirling. His saxophone and flute work can be heard on various TV and Netflix shows like “Modern Family”, “Dr. Ken”, and “Merry Happy Whatever”. In 2018, singer-songwriter Annie Dingwall (a fellow GRAMMY Camp Alumni) and Justin started their own dark-pop band, RAINNE. In October 2019, RAINNE opened for Taylor Swift, Lizzo, the Jonas Brothers, and Camila Cabello at the Hollywood Bowl for “We Can Survive 2019” as the winners of Radio.com’s Opening Act competition.

Kent Knappenberger

Kent Knappenberger is a music educator at Westfield Academy and Central School in Westfield, NY and has been so for the past 32 years. He has performed with Broadway star Lucie Arnaz and jazz great Michael Brecker on harp, with pop stars “Los Lonely Boys” on mandolin, and fiddle player John Kirk on celtic harp and Irish whistle. Kent is the recipient of the inaugural GRAMMY Music Educator Award, the National Association of Music Merchants “I Support Music” award, and the NYSSMA Distinguished Service award, among other honors.

Lacey Blocker

Lacey Blocker is a National Board-Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence – English Language Arts, with 16 years of teaching experience in a variety of grade levels. She has written and received in total over $20,000 in grants making her classroom a 1:1 technology environment. Her work has been featured and shared with educators across her home state of Louisiana, and she has designed and presented curriculum and technology sessions at various conferences, earning several teaching honors and accolades.

Larry Steen

Larry Steen has performed with world-renown artists Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, Jimmy Buffet, Leonard Cohen and Deadmau5, among others, and currently co-leads Sip of Soul and Sippin’ Time with his wife, vocalist Nikki Steen. He has also recorded on a plethora of other artists’ albums, as well as for film, TV and radio.

Laura Donohue

Laura is a vocal coach, songwriter, and vocalist, who coaches singers ranging from amateurs to major-label artists and other professional vocalists. She has served on the faculties of Belmont University, Lipscomb University, and Middle Tennessee State University, and was one of the founding directors of Girls Up Loud, an empowering singing program for middle and high school-aged girls based in Nashville. Laura’s own vocal experience encompasses international touring as a background vocalist, including international television appearances, studio singing, musical theater roles, and Voice Over.

Leslie Drayton

Leslie Drayton is a music professional, whose career highlights including being a founding member of the group Earth Wind and Fire, working as the musical director and conductor for Marvin Gaye, and being a college professor and mentor for young musicians, among many other things.

Mickey Smith, Jr.

The 2020 GRAMMY Music Educator Award recipient, Mickey Smith, Jr. is a dynamic and driven sax man that is passionate about music and education, serving as the band director at Maplewood Middle School since 2005. In addition to playing music and teaching, he also serves educators through his SOUND180 EDUCATORS program and has served as president of the non-profit Musicmakers2U, which gives deserving young people musical instruments at no cost.

Mike Garcia

Michael Garcia is the CFE Director of Business Development for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena, which is managed by USC. He is also the President of the Redpoint Consulting Group. Mike Garcia brings over thirty-five years of experience in the music, entertainment, and venue management industry and is successfully responsible for overseeing all aspects of the live business. Mike additionally serves as an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Thornton School of Music, teaching classes in concert management.

Nathan Adam

Nathan Adam is a leading educator and author in audio and music production, with more than 20 years of experience in audio and video production, editing, instruction and content creation. He has post produced hundreds of TV episodes, authored two books on production and mixing, and presented at TEDx Nashville on the future of Virtual Reality. As an educator, he has worked with the GRAMMY Foundation, Belmont University and the University of Southern California’s Pop Music program to teach audio engineering for over 60 GRAMMY Camps.

Nonafaye Williams

Nonafaye joined Fearless Records in 2010. Working in social media, advertising, and video production for several years, she assisted in running the accounts for many bands, and helped get hundreds of music videos created. After working on the teams for several successful bands, including platinum recording artists Pierce The Veil, I Prevail, and GRAMMY-nominated August Burns Red, Nonafaye began leading album releases as a project manager, steering all label departments that touch an artist’s work and leading the overall marketing, with the goal of transcending the artist’s career to the next level.

Peter Pforfresher

Dr. Pfordresher is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology at SUNY Buffalo, and was previously a faculty member at the University of Texas (San Antonio). His primary training has been in experimental psychology, and his many years as a practicing musician provided the basis for his research interest in the cognitive bases of musical communication as it occurs during performance. Dr. Pfordresher currently serves as associated editor for the journals Music Perception and Psychological Research, and as a consulting editor for Attention, Perception & Psychophysics. He is co-author (with Siu-Lan Tan and Rom Harre) of the textbook, Psychology of Music: From Sound to Significance (2010, Psychology Press). He was also awarded funding from the GRAMMY Museum Grant Program.

Ryan Yoder

Mr. Ryan Yoder is the Director of Choral Music at El Dorado High School, conducting EDHS Choral Music’s five major ensembles. During his tenure, EDHS Choral Music has received highest ratings at Southern California Vocal Association festivals and toured New York City to perform at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. In 2018 and 2019, the EDHS Vocal Ensemble was selected to participate in Disneyland Resort’s Candlelight Processional & Ceremony. Yoder is an active member of the Bonner Institute for Choral Advancement, California Music Educators Association, Southern California Vocal Association, and the American Choral Director’s Association. He has also conducted multiple choral ensembles and musical theatre productions throughout Orange County and currently serves as Choir Director for Placentia Presbyterian Church.

Scott Goldman

Moderator

Since 2010, Goldman has served as the Host and Moderator of the GRAMMY Museum’s Public Programs series, conducting interviews with hundreds of artists from across the musical spectrum. He has also served as both the Artistic and Executive Director of the Museum, setting the curatorial direction for the institution. Goldman previously served in Executive positions with the charitable affiliates of the Recording Academy: The GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares, as well as 17 years directing the City of Hope’s philanthropic campaigns in the music industry. He has produced numerous high-profile, multi-artist events, as well as writing and producing tribute events to BB King, Gregg Allman, Iggy Pop, and more. In addition to his work at the Museum, Goldman is currently writing and hosting a podcast for the Concord Music Group celebrating the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records.

Sunshine Cavalluzzi

Sunshine Arena Cavalluzzi is a social science teacher, Mock Trial coach, and Law Academy coordinator, at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA. She teaches or has taught AP United States Government and Politics, Government, Economics, Government & Economics with a Digital Arts emphasis, LAW Discovery, LAW Capstone, Intro to American Studies, and Contemporary World Affairs. She was honored to be named a 2012 Orange County Teacher of the Year, a 2013 and 2014 GRAMMY Museum Jane Ortner Educating Through Music Award recipient, and a 2017-19 C-SPAN Senior Fellow.

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