Symposium Speakers, Facilitators, and Discussion Leaders
Glenna Avila
Director, CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP)
Glenna Avila is an artist, educator and arts administrator, currently the director of the award-winning CalArts
Community Arts Partnership (CAP) program. As director of CAP, she is responsible for 49 visual, performing,
literary, and media arts programs through sustainable partnerships with community centers, arts organizations,
social service agencies, and public schools in 60 diverse neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County. The CAP
program, now in its twentieth year, involves over 7,500 youth annually in after-school, school-based and summer
arts programs which are taught by CalArts faculty, student instructors and alumni artists. Before coming to CalArts
in 1991, Avila was the director of several community arts centers for the City of Los Angeles Department of
Cultural Affairs. She has painted over 75 public murals, the majority of which are collaborations with young
people. Her most famous public project was "L.A. Freeway Kids," commissioned by the Los Angeles Olympic
Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympics. She received her B.A. in Art from UCLA and her M.A. in Art from the
University of New Mexico, and has exhibited her work throughout the country, including the "Made in California"
exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Jessica Balboni
Director, Orchestra Leadership Academy, League of American Orchestras
Jessica A. Balboni joined the League of American Orchestras’ Learning and Leadership Development Department in
October 2008 as director of the Orchestra Leadership Academy, with additional responsibility for Institutional
Vision. Balboni served from 2004 to 2007 as director of educational initiatives for the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
and since returning to New York City last year has been interim executive director and director of programs at the
arts-education organization Stages of Learning. Earlier posts include director of education for the School of the
Arts at New York’s 92nd Street Y. She has also served as co-chair of the League of American Orchestras’ Education
Leadership Committee. Balboni holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Smith College and is currently
pursuing a master’s in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Dan Berkowitz
Manager, Youth Orchestra LA, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Dan Berkowitz is the Manager of Youth Orchestra, LA (YOLA), the LA Phil’s El Sistema-inspired initiative to provide
access to exceptional orchestral education in order to promote youth development. Prior to joining the LA Phil, he
was a member of the inaugural class of Abreu Fellows at the New England Conservatory. Berkowitz received
bachelor’s degrees in both music and economics from Northwestern University, where he studied trombone with
Michael Mulcahy. As a musician and teaching artist, he has appeared across Europe, Asia, and the Americas,
including a residency in China with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Berkowitz worked as an
entrepreneur from 2007-2009, developing the infrastructure for Morningstar’s Pan-European and Asian fund
research endeavor in London.
Leni Boorstin
Director of Community Affairs, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
As Director of Community Affairs for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Leni Boorstin is responsible for
Neighborhood Concerts and other community programs including the Phil the House program that was part of the
opening and fifth year anniversary festivities of Walt Disney Concert Hall. She is staff liaison to the LA Phil Board
Community Engagement Committee. Ms. Boorstin served as co-chair of the Grand Avenue Festival and is working
with a coalition of stakeholders on Youth Orchestra LA, an initiative developed in 2007 in anticipation of the arrival
of Gustavo Dudamel as Music Director. Ms. Boorstin’s previous experience in arts management was at KPFK-FM
and San Francisco's Exploratorium Museum. As a graduate student, she was a Public Affairs and the Arts Fellow
with the CORO Foundation. Ms. Boorstin was trained through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission as an
executive coach and mentors the next generation of arts management professionals. Ms. Boorstin has served
three Mayors as a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of LA. She was a member of the Mayor’s Arts
Task Force in 2004, and currently is a member of the Arts for LA board and the National Advisory Team for
El Sistema-USA.
Eric Booth
Teaching Artist and Author, The Music Teaching Artist's Bible
As an actor, Eric Booth has performed in many plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway and around the country. As a
businessman, he started a small company, Alert Publishing, that in seven years became the largest of its kind in
the U.S. analyzing research on trends in American lifestyles, with a nationally syndicated radio program. As an
author, he has had five books published. The Everyday Work of Art won three awards and was a Book of the
Month Club selection. He has written three dozen magazine articles, was the Founding Editor of the Teaching
Artist Journal, and his new book The Music Teaching Artist's Bible was published by Oxford University Press in
2009. In arts learning, he has taught at Juilliard (13 years), Stanford University, NYU, Tanglewood, Lincoln Center
Institute (for 25 years), and The Kennedy Center (12 years). He was the Faculty Chair of the Empire State
Partnership program for three years (the largest arts-in-education project in America), and held one of six chairs
on The College Board's Arts Advisory Committee for seven years. He serves as a consultant for many arts
organizations, cities, states and businesses around the country, including six of the ten largest orchestras in
America, and five national service organizations. Formerly the Director of the Teacher Center of the Leonard
Bernstein Center, he is a frequent keynote speaker on the arts to groups of all kinds. He delivered the closing
keynote speech to UNESCO's first ever worldwide arts education conference (Lisbon 2006), and gave the keynote
speech to the first world conference on orchestras connections to communities (Glasgow 2007). He is the Senior
Advisor to the Music National Service initiative (lead trainer and training designer for MusicianCorps); and he is
also Senior Advisor to El Sistema USA.
Deborah Borda
President and CEO, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Deborah Borda’s career in music administration has been distinguished by her creative leadership and innovative
outlook for orchestral institutions of the 21st century. As President and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she
manages one of the largest music organizations in the US, which is recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent
ensembles. A trained musician, Borda came to L.A. from the New York Philharmonic. Prior to this she held
positions with the San Francisco Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She
is in demand internationally as a consultant and lecturer in both music and management.
Tony Brown
Executive Director, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)
Tony Brown is the Executive Director of Heart of Los Angeles, overseeing 41 full- and part-time staff, who annually
work with more than 450 volunteers to provide more than 1,400 underserved youth with exceptional out of
school/after school academic, arts and athletics programs that help transform their lives. He began his relationship
with HOLA in 1992, creating athletics and enrichment programs after earning a B.A. from LMU’s College of
Communications. He then taught around the country at numerous grade levels and served as athletic director and
coach for private schools, while owning and managing several successful camp programs. Tony also studied choral
singing under the former Los Angeles Master Chorale conductor Paul Salamunovich and performed at the World
Festival in Sydney, Vancouver in 1991. As an elementary student, Tony sang and performed in the Pasadena Boys
Choir as well as studied saxophone and clarinet. After several years of teaching, Tony obtained his Masters Degree
from the University of Tennessee in Sports Management/Marketing and went on to work at Fox Sports Radio &
Clear Channel in Marketing/Advertising sales for the Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers, Angels and UCLA. There he created
nearly $1 million dollars in new business sales. In 2003, he returned to HOLA first as the Director of Development
before ultimately moving into the Executive Director position. Tony, a recent Stanford University Graduate School
of Business, Center for Social Innovation Fellow also has served on the Board of Directors for the AH Scholars
Program at Pepperdine University and is currently on the University of Tennessee’s College of Education, Health
and Human Sciences Board of Advisors. Recently, Tony was awarded LMU’s Distinguished Alumni Award for his
service in the Los Angeles community. Having lost two of his brothers to drugs and the perils of street life, Tony is
driven by a sense of obligation to serve the youth of Los Angeles.
Samvel Chilingarian
Artistic Director/Conductor, Verdugo Young Musicians Association
Samvel Chilingarian is a performing violinist, educator and conductor. After his studies at the California State
University Northridge and the University of Missouri Kansas City, Mr. Chilingarian moved to Vienna to continue his
studies in authentic performance and conducting. In 1994 Mr. Chilingarian was invited to conduct the Linz
Summer Festival Youth Orchestra. Since his return to L.A., Mr. Chilingarian’s focus has been to bring spirited and
passionate music to young musicians. Mr. Chilingarian is the Artistic Director and conductor of the Verdugo Youth
Orchestra (VYO) and the VYMA Music Project @ Longfellow, an El Sistema inspired program in Pasadena, which
was founded after his visit to Venezuela in December 2008 for a 15-day study of the famed El Sistema. In 2007, the
VYO was invited by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to perform at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the
International Youth Festival. Mr. Chilingarian has actively participated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic YOLA
initiative since 2007 as a stakeholder and recently was featured as a guest speaker. Mr. Chilingarian currently
serves on the faculty of East LA College and continues to perform with the award winning Elixir Piano Trio.
Mark Churchill
Director, El Sistema USA; Dean and Artistic Director of Preparatory and Continuing Education, New England
Conservatory of Music
Educator, conductor, and cellist Mark Churchill is the Director of El Sistema USA and the Dean and Artistic Director
of Preparatory and Continuing Education at New England Conservatory where he develops and oversees programs
emphasizing pre-professional training for pre-college students and adults in addition to numerous community
based programs and local, national, and international partnerships including NEC’s initiatives to support the
expansion of El Sistema inspired programs in the US. Churchill is an active advocate for the improvement and
expansion of music education programs in American schools through NEC’s Center for Music-in-Education, which
features the development of new music education curricula and music teacher training programs. Along with
Venezuela’s José Antonio Abreu, he is the founder and vice president of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas,
established in 2002, which draws gifted young musicians from throughout North and South America. In 2005 he
spearheaded the signing of a "Friendship Agreement" between New England Conservatory and Venezuela's
massive youth orchestral training program, El Sistema. He serves on the boards of a number of non-profit
organizations including Project STEP, a pre-professional support program for string students of color; the
Conservatory Lab Charter School, a K-5 public inner-city elementary school offering a music based curriculum; the
Walnut Hill School, an independent school for serious high school age art students; the Berkshire Institute for
Theology and the Arts; and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. Churchill holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree
from the University of Hartford and the B.M. and M.M. degrees from New England Conservatory.
Alvaro A. Cortés
Assistant Superintendent, LAUSD Extended Day Programs and Beyond the Bell Branch
Alvaro A. Cortés is the Assistant Superintendent of Extended Day Programs with Los Angeles Unified School
District. The Extended Day Programs serve over 500, 000 LAUSD students annually in various academic
interventions as well as comprehensive before and after school programs. Mr. Cortés has worked with Los
Angeles Unified for over 31 years as a teacher, program coordinator, principal, District Administrator and now as
Assistant Superintendent. Mr. Cortés, an immigrant from Central America, is a former English language learner
who is a graduate of the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has worked as a teacher and an administrator in
numerous elementary schools in various sections of our city. His focus and passion has always been serving the
underserved and disenfranchised students in the District. After serving his second assignment as a principal at one
of the district’s year-round schools, Mr. Cortés became the Facilitator for the Annenberg Grant in the North
Hollywood Complex of Schools. The Annenberg Grant, a $10 million grant that focused on enhancing literacy and
writing and engaging parents to be empowered within the district, was for the ten K-12 public schools in the North
Hollywood Family of Schools. For 6 years, Mr. Cortés served as a Director, School Services, in the eastern San
Fernando Valley. His responsibility was the supervision of the instructional and operational programs of 15
schools (K-12) in one of the 8 local districts established within LAUSD. He was appointed as Assistant
Superintendent of Beyond the Bell in May, 2006, by then Superintendent Roy Romer. Beyond the Bell Branch
(Extended Day Programs) the LAUSD division that encompasses all programs that occur before and after school.
The LAUSD, through Beyond the Bell, has made the commitment that all students within our district have access
to high quality, safe and supervised educational, enrichment and recreational programs that engage and inspire
learning and achievement beyond the regular school day.
Charles Dickerson
Music Director and Conductor, The Southeast Symphony and the Inner City Education Foundation Youth
Orchestra
Charles Dickerson (Chuck) is Music Director and Conductor of The Southeast Symphony, Director of Music at
Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, Music Director of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (INCYOLA),
and Director of the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF) Youth Orchestra. The Southeast Symphony is a
professional orchestra of 100 primarily African-American musicians in Los Angeles, California that has presented a
season of 8-10 concerts of major orchestral works each year to the diverse communities of Los Angeles since 1948.
The orchestra concludes its concert season with a concert in the Walt Disney Concert Hall during July of each year.
The 2008 concert featured the music of George Gershwin, and the 2009 concert featured the music of Duke
Ellington. The 2010 concert will feature 20-year old pianist Nicholas King and the INCYOLA who will join the
orchestra for a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. INCYOLA is an orchestra of
about 30 primarily African-American middle- and high-school students from the inner city of Los Angeles. The ICEF
Youth Orchestra is an orchestra in formation for 3rd-12th grade inner city students sponsored by ICEF, a nonprofit, public charter school serving some of the most at-risk communities of Los Angeles. Chuck holds a Masters
Degree in Conducting from California State University, Los Angeles. He is the first and only African-American
member of the Board of Directors of The Conductor’s Guild, an international society of conductors. He also holds
degrees from Howard University (B.S.) and American University (J.D.). He is a member of the State Bar of
California having formerly served as City Attorney of the City of Inglewood, California, and as President of the
Board of Public Works of the City of Los Angeles. He is married and has two adult children. He is an avid baseball
fan.
Anne Fitzgibbon
Founder and Executive Director, Harmony Program, CUNY
Anne Fitzgibbon is Director of Operations and Deputy to the Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs at the
City University of New York (CUNY). She is also founder and Executive Director of the Harmony Program, a not-forprofit music education organization. Prior to founding the Harmony Program, Ms. Fitzgibbon worked for five years
as a policy advisor in the Mayoral administrations of Michael R. Bloomberg and Rudolph W. Giuliani, focusing
principally on social services, youth programs, and education. She has also held management positions in the City's
Office of Management and Budget, the Health and Hospitals Corporation and the Department for the Aging. Ms.
Fitzgibbon holds a Master's Degree in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from the Woodrow Wilson
School at Princeton University. She graduated from Barnard College and studied clarinet at the Juilliard School. In
2007-2008, Ms. Fitzgibbon was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work with the Venezuelan National System of
Youth and Children's Orchestras (El Sistema).
Louise Ghandhi
President, Verdugo Young Musicians Association
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Ms. Ghandhi teaches Economic and Cultural Geography and U.S. History at
Glendale Community College and Pasadena City College, respectively. A lifelong music aficionada and “Suzuki
mom,” Ms. Ghandhi has been involved in music education programs such as the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program,
the Coleman Chamber Music Association’s Meet the Musicians Program and recently the Verdugo Young
Musicians Association (VYMA). Ms. Ghandhi has been an active participant of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA
initiative since 2007, as a stakeholder and recently as a guest speaker. In December 2008, she spent 15 days in
Venezuela to study El Sistema. The VYMA Music Project @ Longfellow Elementary is the result of this survey. Ms.
Ghandhi serves as VYMA’s Board President.
Dr. Ida Guillermo
Parent Liaison, The Harmony Project
Dr. Ida F. Guillermo was born in the Republic of Panama, where she attended the Instituto Pan-Americano and the
National Conservatory of Music. In addition to studying piano and violin, Dr. Guillermo studied harmony,
composition and solfeggio. Dr. Guillermo earned her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California in Educational
Psychology and Technology. The focus of her study was on the variables that impact achievement and self-esteem
in non-English speaking students. Parental attitudes and variables were also studied. Dr. Guillermo served as a
supervising psychologist to various private and public schools in southern California, New York City, Japan and
Korea. She is constantly striving to put her practical knowledge into a theoretical framework. In this regard, she
continues to study the variables that impact student learning in the Harmony Project.
Robert Gupta
Violinist, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Violinist Robert Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in June 2007 at the age of 19. Before joining the
orchestra, Gupta received a Master’s degree in Music from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in premedical
biology from Marist College. Parallel to his undergraduate studies in biology, Gupta attended the Manhattan
School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music, Pre-College Division. His principal teachers have included Glenn
Dicterow, Ani Kavafian, and Isaac Stern. Gupta made his solo debut at the age of eleven in Tel Aviv with the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta. He has performed as a soloist with the New
York Philharmonic, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Bombay Symphony Orchestra among many others.
He has also performed widely as a chamber musician and recitalist on an international scale since the age of eight,
and frequently appears on the Philharmonic’s Chamber Music and Green Umbrella new music series. In 2010,
Gupta led the Los Angeles Opera as concertmaster in the first ever Western hemisphere production of Franz
Schreker’s “Die Gezeicheneten” as part of the company’s “Recovered Voices” project directed by Maestro James
Conlon. In summer 2009, Gupta performed as an associate concertmaster with the Orquestra Comunitat de
Valencia at the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia, Spain in an internationally acclaimed production of the complete
Wagner Ring Cycle led by Maestro Zubin Mehta. Gupta is passionate about education and outreach; he was
featured in several articles by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, and in a 60 Minutes piece on Nathaniel
Ayers, the subject of Lopez’ book, The Soloist. Gupta has the privilege of working with Mr. Ayers as his violin
teacher. Gupta brings his musical activism to homeless and mentally ill communities throughout Southern
California. Throughout his undergraduate course of study, Gupta was part of several extensive research projects in
the field of neuro- and neurodegenerative biology. He held Research Assistant positions at CUNY Hunter College in
New York City, where he worked on spinal chord neuronal regeneration, and at the Harvard Institutes of Medicine
Center for Neurologic Diseases, where he studied the biochemical pathology of Parkinson’s disease. Robert Gupta
is a TED Fellow. Gupta plays on a 2003 violin made for him by Kansas City luthier Anton Krutz.
Belinda Jackson
Executive Director, The EXPO Center of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
Belinda Jackson became the Executive Director of EXPO Center in August 2001. Ms. Jackson’s initial responsibility
was project manager for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks’ (RAP) $35 million renovation
project to build the largest recreation center (110,000 square feet of program space) in the City and County of Los
Angeles. Additionally, Ms. Jackson is the director of the Department’s CLASS Parks Teen Program, a division within
RAP, that is committed to youth development by ensuring a positive change in communities and leaders in
offering quality opportunities for youth, their families, and the neighborhoods in which they live. EXPO Center
opened to the public in 2004 and now boasts of over 60,000 members. Ms. Jackson manages a $12 million
operations budget and a staff of 280 employees. Ms. Jackson also manages all operations at the historic six (6)
acre Exposition Park Rose Garden. Through Ms. Jackson’s leadership and vision, program partnerships (valued at
$1 Million) have been cultivated to provide a host of premier programs unparalleled by other community centers.
Ms. Jackson is dedicated to providing cutting edge programming and has raised over 4 million in program grants.
Polly Kahn
Vice President, Learning and Leadership Development, League of American Orchestras
Polly Kahn has played a local and national leadership role in the arts community for over three decades. Ms. Kahn
joined the League of American Orchestras – the service organization for American orchestras – in February 2000.
As Vice President for Learning and Leadership Development, she oversees the League’s artistic, learning, and
leadership development programs and services, including the Orchestra Leadership Academy, Orchestra
Management Fellowship Program, American Conducting Fellows Program, National Conference, Ford Made in
America, Music Alive, constituent services, as well as the League’s youth, education, and community engagement
programs and services. Prior to joining the League, Ms. Kahn served as the Director of Education for the New York
Philharmonic, where she revised and expanded the New York Philharmonic’s education programs. Previously, she
served as Director of Education for the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y and as Assistant Director of
the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education. Ms. Kahn has also served: as a consultant to cultural and
philanthropic organizations nationally; on the boards of the Ethical Culture-Fieldston Schools, the Center for Arts
Education (Annenberg III Initiative), and the New York City Arts-In-Education Roundtable, of which she was a
founding member; and as a panelist for numerous arts organizations, including the National Endowment for the
Arts. Currently, she serves on the board of the Center for Educational Partnerships, on the Board of Advisors for
the Sphinx Organization, and she co-chairs the Task Force on Leadership Development for the Arts Education
Partnership. In May 2000, Ms. Kahn was honored as the recipient of the InterSchools Orchestras Award for
Outstanding Contributions to Arts Education in New York City.
Bruce Kiesling
Conductor, YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra
Conductor Bruce Kiesling has a diverse background, which encompasses conducting, composition, and piano work
in both classical and popular genres. Bruce's training includes degrees from The University of Michigan, The North
Carolina School of the Arts, and the University of Miami, Florida. Bruce recently completed an eight-year tenure as
Resident Conductor for the Greensboro Symphony in North Carolina. While there, he conducted classical and
outreach concerts, the Nutcracker, the Gospel Concert, and education concerts for more than a quarter million
students. He also appeared regularly with the Carolina Pops. In addition to these duties, he served as Music
Director and Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, and led them at both the Kennedy Center
and Carnegie Hall. Other conducting appearances include the Clarke Chamber Players (which he co-founded), the
Carolina Chamber Symphony, the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra, and the Miami Oratorio Society. He
has also led the North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, The Carolina Film Orchestra, The College
of William and Mary Symphony Orchestra, the Eastern Music Festival, and All-County Orchestras throughout the
Carolinas. In addition, Bruce was the Supervising Music Director for the five-time Emmy award winning political
satire troupe, "The News in Revue.” Beginning with the 2009-2010 Season, he will serve as Music Director and
Conductor of the Tulare County Symphony in California's central valley. Bruce is also an active composer of theater
music and film scores. He has provided music for more than twenty productions in the past two years, including
the feature films "Wesley" and "Foresight." His music has also been performed off-Broadway and in cabarets in
New York City.
Victoria Lanier
Executive Director, Education Through Music – Los Angeles
Victoria Young Lanier, Founding Executive Director of Education Through Music – Los Angeles, received a B.A. from
Princeton University and M.A in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. An accomplished
violinist with studies under Sally Thomas at Juilliard, Lanier has devoted herself to the mission that every child
should receive a quality music education. She was a Program Coordinator for the Education Through Music (New
York) model, which creates school reform through in-school quality, comprehensive music education – where she
taught violin, mentored teaching artists, and designed curricula. She also taught NY inner-city high school students
as the Program Coordinator for Carnegie Hall's Weill Institute Seminar, violin students at the Mannes Pre-College,
and inner-city Newark youth through NJ Symphony's Outreach. In 2003, Lanier was chosen for the Ralph Lauren
Polo Jeans G.I.V.E. Campaign (Get Involved. Volunteer. Exceed.). Since moving to Los Angeles, Lanier has worked
to bring music and music education to the underserved, including her work with the Henry Mancini Institute and
also as the Music Education Manager for the Da Camera Society. Since 2006, Education Through Music-Los
Angeles has grown to serve over 2,000 children with yearlong, in-school music education, receiving honors from
Councilman Ed Reyes and Mayor Villaraigosa. Lanier’s experience as a professional violinist includes studio
recordings such as Fox’s The Simpsons and Spiderman III, concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Walt
Disney Concert Hall, and with diverse artists and groups like the Ahn Trio, Pacific Symphony, Il Divo, John Williams,
Stevie Wonder and Josh Groban.
Antonio Manning
Region Executive, West/Southwest Region, Global Philanthropy, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Antonio Manning is the West / Southwest Region Executive for the Global Philanthropy Group of JPMorgan Chase
& Co. In this role, Antonio manages philanthropy and community relations for California, Oklahoma and Texas that
includes a staff of 7 and a budget of $20 million. Previously, Antonio served as First Vice President and Regional
Grants Manager in Washington Mutual’s Community and External Affairs Division. In this capacity, he managed
community relations and company corporate contributions in affordable housing, community development and
educational reform initiatives in California. Manning joined Washington Mutual in 2000. His previous roles
included Western Regional Director of the Fannie Mae Foundation and a member of the program staff for the
James Irvine Foundation. Manning is an active member of the community. He is a founding member of AfricanAmericans in Philanthropy – Southern California, a membership organization comprised of corporate and
philanthropic executives. He currently serves as commissioner for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Manning’s other board of director affiliations include Abode Communities, Center Theatre Group, Coalition for
Responsible Community Development, Community Development Technologies Center, Corporation for Supportive
Housing, Heritage Homeownership Partners, Los Angeles Business Council, Los Angeles Urban League, and the
Pasadena Arts Council. Manning also serves on the local advisory board for the Local Initiatives Support
Corporation and the Northern and Southern Leadership Councils for Enterprise. Manning attended the University
of Southern California and is a native of Los Angeles.
Margaret Martin
Founder, The Harmony Project
Margaret Martin holds a doctorate in Public Health from UCLA in Community Health Science, and additional
advanced degrees in Behavior Science, Health Education, and Population and Family Health. She is the Founder of
the Harmony Project, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that, since 2001, has provided instruments and
tuition-free group and private music lessons to thousands of the most vulnerable children in Los Angeles as a
means of positive youth development and social inclusion. Harmony Project currently maintains seven full-time
youth orchestras, and works to develop youth music ensembles throughout LA’s low-income neighborhoods. On
November 4th, 2009, in a White House ceremony, Dr. Martin accepted the Coming Up Taller Award from First
Lady Michele Obama, on behalf of Harmony Project. Administered by the President’s Committee on the Arts and
the Humanities in association with the National Endowment for the Arts, Coming Up Taller is the nation’s highest
honor for an arts-based youth program. Harmony Project was the only California program to receive the award in
2009. Dr. Martin is working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (through the LA Phil’s Youth Orchestra
Los Angeles initiative) and researchers from UCLA, RAND and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the
Bell (after-school) Branch to document the impact of music education and youth orchestra participation on
disadvantaged youth. Dr. Martin has worked in low-income communities as an educator and community
organizer for more than 30 years. She is a passionate proponent of arts education and its capacity to transform
the lives of children with few resources, along with the neighborhoods in which they live, and she works to seed
music programs for at-risk youth in other communities. She is also a published author and illustrator, a produced
playwright, composer and lyricist, and the mother of three grown children, all of whom happen to be artists.
Joan McCarthy
Senior Manager, Global Community Outreach – Los Angeles, The Walt Disney Company
Joan McCarthy has been with The Walt Disney Company since September of 1984 and is currently Sr. Manager,
Global Community Outreach – Los Angeles. As part of the Disney Corporate Responsibility team, Joan is
responsible for corporate community outreach in the greater Los Angeles area, including the cities of Burbank and
Glendale where The Walt Disney Company is the largest employer. Focusing support in Disney’s philanthropic
mission areas of children and families, youth empowerment, the environment and the arts, she directs the
company’s strategic financial giving, oversees community outreach programs and the Disney VoluntEARS program.
Prior to joining Disney, she worked for two years as executive secretary to Michael D. Eisner, then President of
Paramount Pictures Corporation. Joan currently serves on several local charitable and civic boards including both
the Burbank and Glendale Chambers of Commerce, the Burbank Arts Education Foundation, Hillsides, the Burbank
Community YMCA and the Community Foundation of the Verdugos. Additionally, she serves on the San Gabriel
Valley Habitat for Humanity Advisory Council and on the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
Leadership Roundtable. Enriching the lives of children and families in local communities is the focus of her work at
Disney and is a personal passion for which she has been recognized as a community leader. Joan was named
Woman of the Year in 2003 by the Glendale Chamber of Commerce and again in 2004 by New Horizons Family
Center. Additionally, she was a recipient of a Woman of Heart and Excellence Award presented by the YWCA of
Glendale in 2008. A native of California and resident of La Canada Flintridge, she graduated from San Francisco
State University, is married and has two children.
Sidnie Myrick
Academic Director, Renaissance Arts Academy
Sidnie Gallegos Myrick, co-founder and Academic Director of Renaissance Arts Academy, is a literacy and
curriculum specialist, 1996 finalist for California Teacher of the Year, past president of the Glendale Teachers'
Association, recipient of the California Reading Initiative Leadership grant, and Associate Director of the UCLA
Writing Project. As an instructor with UCLA's Teacher Education Program and USC's Rossier School of Education,
she has helped design instructional programs for students from kindergarten through university. She has a BA in
History from UCLA and a Masters in Education from Cal State University Los Angeles.
Gretchen Nielsen
Director of Educational Initiatives, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
As Director of Educational Initiatives, Gretchen Nielsen leads the LA Phil’s Education Programming. As Director,
Ms. Nielsen designs, implements, and supervises all Los Angeles Philharmonic Association education programs
that reach more than 100,000 schoolchildren, teachers, families, young musicians, and concert-goers annually.
Over the past three years, Ms. Nielsen launched YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA), Gustavo Dudamel’s signature
program based on El Sistema. From 2006 to 2007, Gretchen was a consultant for EmcArts, a Manhattan-based arts
consulting firm whose primary mission is to strengthen the capacities and effectiveness of nonprofit arts and
cultural organizations. From 2000 to 2006 Gretchen was an integral part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s
Education Department as the Associate Director of Education. Gretchen designed and implemented the School
Partners Program, and she established the Philharmonic’s teaching artist faculty, as well as the professional
development training for musicians. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2000, Gretchen was the
Education Director at the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and she is a former management fellow of the Opera
America Fellowship Program.
Heather Noonan
Vice President for Advocacy, League of American Orchestras
Heather Noonan is the Vice President for Advocacy for the League of American Orchestras, the national service
organization for more than 950 orchestras nationwide. From the League’s Washington, D.C. office, Ms. Noonan
represents orchestras before Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. Her legislative portfolio includes
federal policies related to the National Endowment for the Arts, education, immigration, cultural exchange, and
nonprofit tax issues. Ms. Noonan serves on the national steering committee of the Arts Education Partnership and
has served on the U.S. Department of Education’s steering committees for the America Goes Back to School
project and Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. Ms. Noonan has served on the board of directors of
the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, was the Newsbreak Editor for the Teaching Artist Journal from 2003
to 2005, and currently serves on the board of the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning. She earned a bachelor’s
degree in political science and studied art history at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Steven Payne
Executive Director, Youth Orchestras of San Antonio
Steven Payne joined the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio as Executive Director in February 2007. A native of
Bournemouth, England, he earned his bachelor's degree in music at the Royal Welsh College of Music of the
University of Wales and his master's in music in clarinet performance at Indiana University. While at Indiana, he
served as Executive Director for the fourth triennial USA International Harp Competition. He also worked in the
administrative offices of the Britten-Pears School, an international school for young artists in Aldeburgh, England
and at the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Before moving to San Antonio, Steven served as the Executive Director
of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO), which is affiliated to the professional Pacific Symphony based in
Orange County, California. During his tenure, the Youth Orchestra moved its concert series into the internationally
acclaimed Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (opened September 2006) to great success. Steven Payne has
served on the Music Steering Committee for San Antonio's Luminaria 2010, is currently Vice Chair of the Youth
Orchestra Division Board of the League of American Orchestras and serves on the National Advisory Team for El
Sistema USA.
Antonio Rizzo
Violin Maker and YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra volunteer
Antonio Rizzo, violinmaker, engineer and inventor, established his violin making career in 1988 after retiring from
the aerospace industry. His approach to making instruments is both scientific and traditional in nature, using the
principles of physics and the Italian influence on style, character and tone quality. Mr. Rizzo has been tutored by
master violinmakers both in the United States and Italy, and presents his experience by creating instruments with
tonal and artistic appeal. Musicians have characterized Antonio’s instruments as having that “Italian sound”,
being clear, open, well balanced with responsive tone, and easy to play. Mr. Rizzo has completed over 100 handmade instruments since the start if his second career. Many of his violins, violas and cellos received premier
awards from the Violin Makers Association of Arizona and Violin Society of America International Competitions.
His instruments are sold in Europe and Japan, as well as in the United States. He was a former president of the
Southern California Association of Violin Makers and has conducted several tutorials on violin making. Most
recently he has volunteered to support The Los Angeles Philharmonic youth orchestra (YOLA) by providing the
necessary repair services.
Jesse Rosen
President and CEO, League of American Orchestras
Jesse Rosen has been recognized as one of the outstanding thinkers in contemporary performing arts leadership.
As president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras since July 2008, he has raised the level of debate
about the current and future role of orchestras among fellow arts leaders, policy makers, and opinion leaders in
Washington, D.C. and across the United States, and among the League’s more than 900 member orchestras. Mr.
Rosen has introduced international thought leaders such as Jim Collins and Jose Antonio Abreu to the orchestra
world. He has convened and frequently participates in cross-disciplinary conversations that furnish important new
perspectives for the field and the classical music art form. Under Mr. Rosen’s guidance, the League has taken a
leadership role in helping orchestras adapt to a rapidly changing environment. In the fall of 2008 the organization
responded quickly to member needs for hands-on support during the financial downturn by mobilizing programs
across multiple platforms, from mentoring opportunities to seminars and webinars on “Managing During a
Financial Downturn.” New initiatives in Advocacy and Communications; Learning and Leadership Development;
and Research/ Development and Innovation have expanded the League’s support of orchestras as they work to
deepen civic engagement, explore new artistic and operating models, and foster collaboration. The League has
raised nearly $22 million toward its $25-million Campaign for a New Direction, which was launched after a fieldwide strategic planning process of which Mr. Rosen was chief architect. A lifelong musician and experienced
orchestra CEO, Mr. Rosen has stimulated innovation throughout his more than 10-year tenure at the League. In his
previous position as executive vice president and managing director, he was instrumental in creating new
programs such as Music Alive, the American Conducting Fellows, and Ford Made in America. Prior to joining the
League’s administrative staff in 1998, he served as general manager of the Seattle Symphony, executive vice
president and managing director of the American Composers Orchestra in New York City, orchestra manager of
the New York Philharmonic, and vice president of programs for Affiliate Artists, Inc., where he developed and
launched the Seaver Conducting Award and managed the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductors Program. A
trombonist, Mr. Rosen received his bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music and pursued graduate
studies at The Juilliard School. Jesse Rosen serves on the boards of the American Composers Orchestra and the
Performing Arts Alliance and the Board of Overseers of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Sandra Ruppert
Director, Arts Education Partnership
Sandra Ruppert is the Director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a Washington D.C.-based national coalition
of more than 100 arts, education, cultural, government, business and philanthropic organizations committed to
ensuring that every young person has an education in and through the arts as part of life and learning. Sandra is an
established leader with more than 25 years experience working with non-profit organizations, principally in the
areas of education and public policy. Prior to her appointment as Director in June 2008, Sandra was the Senior
Associate for Research and Policy at AEP. She is the author of numerous publications, including the widely
acclaimed, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement as well as From Anecdote to Evidence:
Assessing the Status and Condition of Arts Education at the State Level. Before joining the staff of AEP, Sandra
was a Program Director and Senior Policy Analyst with the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based
national non-profit organization that advises state policymakers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on
effective policies to improve education. While at ECS, she was responsible for the design and direction of ECS
Chairman, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s, Arts in Education Initiative. She also has directed initiatives on an
array of K-12 and post secondary education issues.
Stephanie Scherpf
Managing Director, El Sistema USA
Stephanie Scherpf was hired as the Managing Director of El Sistema USA at New England Conservatory in August
2009. Stephanie is a leader in the development of the newly launched El Sistema USA and its first major initiative,
the Abreu Fellows Program, which aim to support organizations and people inspired by Venezuela’s monumental
music education/ social change program. From 2005-2008, Stephanie lived in Maputo, Mozambique where she
was the Founder and Project Manager of a grassroots project called "Dance for Life," done in partnership with a
local dance company, Milorho Association of Song and Dance. She started this project from the ground up by
competing for grants from embassies and corporations. While in Maputo, she also worked as a freelance
journalist, writing articles for South African and Mozambican magazines and newspapers. From 2000-2005,
Stephanie served as the Director of Outreach and Education at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB), one of Seattle’s
largest arts organizations and one of the major ballet companies in the U.S. While at PNB, Stephanie developed
and implemented Outreach activities that reached over 10,000 people per year, including large-scale community
events and performances, and programming with schools and other partners. Stephanie has written curriculum
booklets for "Dance for Life"/Milorho Association of Song and Dance, Pacific Northwest Ballet and British Council's
"Power in the Voice" program, and she has taught for various institutions, including University of Washington,
British Council and Summerbridge. She received a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Virginia and an
M.A. in English Literature at the University of Washington. Her M.A. thesis, entitled "Rap Pedagogy: the Potential
for Democratization" was published in The Review of Education/Pedagogy/Cultural Studies, Volume 23, Number 1.
Yael Silk
Research Associate, UCLA/CRESST
Yael Zipporah Silk is a Research Associate at UCLA’s Center for Research in Evaluation, Standards, and Student
Testing (CRESST). Her current projects focus on evaluating teacher pre-service and professional development
programs, such as the Armory Center for the Arts’ program for elementary school teachers. Additionally, Ms. Silk
coaches school districts participating in the LA County Arts Commission’s Arts for All initiative and provides
program evaluation and student assessment consulting services to various cultural organizations including the Los
Angeles Philharmonic and the Santa Barbara Symphony. She received her master’s degree in arts education from
Harvard’s Graduate School of Education in 2004.
Susan Siman
International Academic Advisor from El Sistema, Miami Symphony Orchestra
Susan Siman’s invaluable contribution to the Venezuelan Musical Movement was achieved and developed within
the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras, where, through her tireless persistence and spirituality,
has pushed beyond the limits a transcendent ability of service toward music education for children that she
assumes with a mother’s love and a commitment to social work and to the collective social well-being of all. Siman
began her musical studies in the city of Maracaibo, in the State of Zulia, with Professor Francoise Delaval. She was
founder of the Youth Orchestra of Maracaibo. In 1983, she moved to the city of Caracas, and became a member of
the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela by way of a competition, and, under the tutelage of the eminent
Pedagogue José Francisco del Castillo, of the Latin American Academy of the Violin. She has taught with the most
illustrious of Master Teachers: Yossi Zivoni and Margaret Pardee; at the same time, participating in national and
international violin festivals. She has realized her professional career as a violinist with the Simón Bolívar Youth
Orchestra of Venezuela for nineteen years; as Music Director and Pedagogue, in Colombia, founding the Youth
Orchestra of the Department of Antioquia; in Venezuela, at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music, where,
through her position as Department Head of Violin, she has molded students deserving of awards and recognition
at a national and international level. Founder of the National System of Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela and the
System of Pre-school Musical Initiation (Specialized Training in Strings) that encompasses a Special Music
Education Program for children between the ages of two and six years. Currently, Siman is Director of the
Children’s Academic Center of Montalbán (Metropolitan Headquarters of Children’s Orchestras), in the field of
education and pedagogy, belonging to the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela, in
Caracas for 15 years. She is also an advisor in the field of Pre-school Music Education, at an international level, in
countries such as the United States, Colombia, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Presently, she
directs a music education program at Doral Conservatory in Miami.
Nick Skinner
Site Coordinator, Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids
Over the past several years, Nick Skinner has become a prominent music educator in Baltimore. Nick is currently
working with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s major music education initiative, OrchKids, where he acts as
the dean of the students and serves as a liaison between teachers, parents, and students as Site Coordinator. Nick
currently maintains a successful trumpet studio and continues to work as Education Coordinator for the
Archipelago Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to “inspiring a new generation of listeners.” Nick began
his teaching in the Howard County Public School System in Maryland as an elementary instrumental instructor. He
then moved on to teach in the Baltimore County Public School System in Maryland at Catonsville High School
where he was the music director to over 300 children in band, orchestra, and a steel drum ensemble. Nick served
as a chamber music instructor at the Waldorf School in Baltimore as well. Nick has lead lectures, workshops, and
seminars in Baltimore City; Traverse City, Michigan; Hartford and Stamford, Connecticut; Boston, at the New
England Conservatory; and Venezuela, with the El Sistema program. Nick graduated from the Peabody
Conservatory of Music with a bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance and music education.
Mark Slavkin
Vice President for Education, Music Center
Mark Slavkin is Vice President for Education at the Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County.
Mark directs a wide range of programs and services that help advance arts education in schools and communities
across Los Angeles County. He leads a staff of 20 people with an annual budget of $4.5 million. Mark serves on the
Executive Committee for “Arts for All: the Los Angeles County Regional Blueprint for Arts Education.” This coalition
is working to help all 80 local school districts in L.A. County bring back the arts as part of the core K-12 curriculum.
Before joining the Music Center, Mark served on the staff of LAAMP, the Los Angeles component of the national
Annenberg Challenge, a half billion dollar private effort to improve public schools in the United States. From
1997-1999 Mark served as Los Angeles Program Officer for the Getty Education Institute for the Arts, a program of
the J. Paul Getty Trust. At the Getty Mark utilized his advocacy and communications skills to help launch a
renaissance for arts education in Los Angeles area schools. This work culminated in the adoption of LAUSD’s 10year plan for arts education. He served from 1989-1997 as an elected member of the Los Angeles Board of
Education, including two years as President. Mark has also worked in the State Legislature and in Los Angeles
County government on a variety of health and human service policy issues. A native of Los Angeles, Mark attended
local public schools and the University of Southern California, where he earned his BA and MA in political science.
Dalouge Smith
President & CEO, San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory
Dalouge Smith joined the San Diego Youth Symphony in February of 2005 with over ten year’s of arts
administration and production experience. He previously served as Associate Director of Mainly Mozart in San
Diego and Production Stage Manager at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. He is highly regarded as an arts
advocacy leader and serves as Chairman of the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition as well as Vice
President of the Board of Directors of California Arts Advocates. Dalouge’s guest editorials detailing the
importance of the arts have been published in the San Diego Union Tribune. He is also the author of the arts
advocacy blog “Dog Days” at the national website artsjournal.com. Dalouge is a regular speaker on the community
impact of the arts at local events as well as state and national conferences. Dalouge serves on the boards of the
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership and Balboa Park Central and was appointed to the Balboa Park Task Force by
Mayor Jerry Sanders in October 2009. In 2007, Dalouge received the 1st Annual Herbert G. Klein Visionary Award
for Exemplary Leadership from LEAD San Diego and was also named one of San Diego Metropolitan Magazine’s
2006 “40 Under 40” young leaders. Dalouge earned a Bachelor of Arts in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA and
worked as a child actor in professional regional theatre productions through high school.
Dan Trahey
Director, Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids
Musician, educator, and innovator, Dan Trahey’s professional experiences and accomplishments are as varied as
they are impressive. Currently he serves as director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Education Initiative,
ORCHkids, a program he and Marin Alsop founded in 2008. This nascent, innovative program, which brings
musical instruments and instruction to low-income children, is already receiving national and regional attention as
recent stories by National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, and local coverage by the Baltimore Sun can attest.
Previously Dan served as Director of Community and Outreach Events for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in
Hartford, Connecticut. As a HSO teaching artist, Dan presented concerts, lectures, and demonstrations to over
40,000 Connecticut school children. In 2000, Dan founded the McDougal Center Concert Series in New Haven,
Connecticut, which continues to present innovative artists to the community. Dan plays tuba and with The
Archipelago Project, a non-profit music education ensemble he co-founded. This project advocates musical arts
through performance, residency and consultation in various locations in the US and Europe. When Dan is not
directing and teaching at ORCHkids or traveling and performing with The Archipelago Project, he mentors for the
Peabody Conservatory of Music where he founded the Tuned In program. Dan’s Community Engagement classes
at Peabody have helped cultivate Teaching Artists and community minded musicians throughout Baltimore. Dan
has presented lectures on music education at Princeton University, Maryland Institute College of Art, The
Mozarteum, American Visionary Arts Museum, Yale University, League of American Orchestras, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Urban Music Education Conference, The New England Conservatory and various other colleges, civic
institutions, and public forums. As a tuba player, Dan has performed with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra,
Washington Summer Opera, Interlochen Arts Academy, Bayreuth Easter Orchestra, Orquestra de Nueva Leon,
New Britain Symphony, Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra, Orchestra New England, Kennedy Center’s Theatre for
Young Audiences, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s ”Musical Dialogues.” Dan’s early teaching experience
includes the Baltimore School for the Arts, Idyllwild Arts, Manchester, Connecticut Public Schools, and in the
Baltimore City Public School System. Currently, he holds teaching residencies with the Innsbruck Musikschule,
Tyrole, Austria; the Nuclea Acarigua, in Portuguesa, Venezuela, and in the Traverse City, Michigan public school
system. This past summer he was conductor and coach for the International Youth Orchestra in Leesburg, VA. He
received a Masters of Music from Yale University and a Bachelors of Music Education from Johns Hopkins
University. Dan spends his summers touring with The Archipelago Project and hosting a two-week music camp in
Northern Michigan.
Paloma Udovic
EXPO Center Youth Orchestra Program Manager, The Harmony Project
Paloma Udovic Ramos has formed a musical career in both performance and social justice. She received her
Bachelor of Arts in 2003 from Northwestern University in Anthropology, with a focus on Ethnomusicology and
Latin American Studies. Paloma moved to Los Angeles following her undergraduate studies, and began touring
extensively in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S as a violinist for bands including the Eels, Gnarls
Barkley, Spiritualized, and DaKah Hip Hop Orchestra. She has recorded with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vietnam,
Heavens, the Eels, Great Northern, Har Mar Superstar and several film soundtracks. In 2007 she traveled with the
band Lions of Panjshir to Afghanistan to play and record with masters of traditional instruments. She began
mentoring in public schools with Southwest Chamber Music in 2006 and soon became Education Associate,
heading an exciting curriculum of chamber and new music outreach. In the winter of 2008, Paloma joined the
staff of Harmony Project, an award-winning research-based program that targets at-risk youth in underserved
areas of Los Angeles. She is currently the Program Manager of the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra, in
partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the EXPO Center, a facility of the Los Angeles Department of
recreation and Parks.
Sheila Woodward
Assistant Professor and Chair of Music Education, USC Thornton School of Music
Dr. Sheila C. Woodward is Chair of Music Education at the University of Southern California, USA. She is a native of
South Africa and earned her Ph. D. in Music Education from the University of Cape Town in 1993 and a Performer’s
Licentiate in Organ from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (London). She previously taught at the
University of South Florida, USA, and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Dr. Woodward has served
on numerous professional boards in South Africa, in the USA and internationally; among them being two terms on
the Board of Directors of ISME (2004 – 2008), three terms on the ISME Early Childhood Music Education
Commission (1992 – 1998, two of those as Chair), and two terms on the Executive Board of the Society for General
Music (MENC, USA). Dr. Woodward’s research focus is Music and Wellbeing. She explores this from before birth to
adulthood, with studies on the fetus and neonate, the premature infant, the young child, the at-risk youth, the
juvenile offender and the adult musician. She has published numerous articles, in addition to chapters in Elliott’s
Praxial Music Education: Reflections and Dialogues (Oxford, 2005) and in Malloch and Trevarthen’s
Communicative musicality: Narratives of expressive gesture and being human (Oxford, 2009). She has been
awarded generous grants to promote international exchange programs in which South African musicians visit the
USA to work and perform alongside American students and professors, and she has directed numerous outreach
programs in both countries.