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.