Music Workshop is honored to work with an impressive community of educators, culture bearers, musicians, performers, and researchers to advise our programming. These individuals generously share their expertise and experience to help us develop culturally relevant, evidence-based curriculum.
Our program advisors enrich Music Workshop’s free classroom programming with their deep knowledge and personal connection with the cultures and musical traditions our courses represent. We are honored to work with these highly credentialed musicians, educators, and performers.
Hip Hop
Dr. Jason Rawls is an avid educator with almost two decades of K–12 teaching experience and 10 years of Higher Education teaching experience. In addition to his work in education, he is also known in the independent hip-hop and soul music scene for his hip hop production. Known as a producer and DJ (previously known as J Rawls), he first gained prominence on the national scene after his work with Black Star, a hip hop group comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli.
Along with John Robinson, his partner in the group JayARE, Rawls published his first book, titled Youth Culture Power (YCP). YCP details the many ways that youth in marginalized schools identify with hip-hop culture, as well as the ways that culture can be used as a tool and asset in education. Rawls and Robinson have created an album of jazz-infused hip hop to accompany the book.
Rawls is also co-creator of the first hip-hop based education (HHBE) program at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University. This program is the first program of its kind in higher education in the United States.
An assistant professor of Black Music History at Ohio State with appointments in both the School of Music and the Department of African American and African Studies, Rawls will assist with the creation of one of the first hip hop studies programs in the United States.
Hip Hop
Dr. Tasha Iglesias currently serves as a Lecturer in the School of Education, for the University of California, Riverside, and Southern New Hampshire University. Dr. Iglesias earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D) at California State University Long Beach and teaches in the Education and Social Sciences field. Dr. Iglesias’s dissertation was titled “Each One, Teach One”: The Impact of a Hip Hop Learning Community on the Cultural Wealth of Foster Youth in Higher Education.
Dr. Iglesias’s research interests include: Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Hip Hop Pedagogy and Praxis, and the history of Hip Hop as a culture. Dr. Iglesias develops curriculum, trains professors, consults with organizations and educational institutions and presents her research across the world.
Outside of academia, Iglesias serves as the President of the Hip Hop Association of Advancement and Education (HHAAE) and Chair of the Global Conference on Hip Hop Education.
Hip Hop
Dr. Abimbola Cole Kai-Lewis is a New York-based ethnomusicologist and educator. She serves as a professor in the Africana Studies Department at Berklee College of Music, the Music Department at Hofstra University, and the Department of Performing and Fine Arts at York College – City University of New York (CUNY).
Abimbola completed her doctoral studies in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research explores the music of South African hip-hop collective Cashless Society, emcee Chosan, and incorporating the musical arts in K-12 classroom instruction.
Native American Traditional Music
Dr. Pewewardy served as the Professor Emeritus of Indigenous Studies at Portland State University as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Leadership, School of Education at the University of Kansas. He teaches courses in multicultural education and Indian education. His adjunct instructor appointments include Harvard University School of Education; Union Institute; University of Minnesota, University of Oklahoma, Cameron University, University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma, Portland State University and Haskell Indian Nations University. Dr. Pewewardy was the founding principal of two transformational, award-winning magnets schools in the Saint Paul (MN) Public Schools District. He is also a former elementary teacher and principal on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. He now serves as educational consultant to numerous school districts across the country on improving the academic achievement of underrepresented populations in education and faculty curriculum development.
Native American Traditional Music
As a member of the Apsaalooke Nation, “Supaman” is a Native American dancer and innovative hip hop artist who has dedicated his life to empowering and spreading a message of hope, pride and resilience through his original art form. He was the recipient of the 2017 MTV VMA award for “Best Fight Against the System”. He is also a Nammy “Native American Music Award” winner, “North American Indigenous Image Award” winner, and “Tunney Award” winner. He was awarded “The Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Award” in Canada for best video and was voted MTV’s new Artist of the Week!
Native American Traditional Music
Bobby Mercier, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, was raised near the reservation and is known by the name given to him by his Grandfather… Beartracks. Along with being a language and Cultural Specialist at The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, he is a well-known traditional carver and is dedicated to preserving the history of his ancestors by recreating historical carvings and securing them for future study by generations to come. Bobby’s artwork is well respected in the Grand Ronde Community and has been sold across the country yet he feels that his proudest moments as an artist are seeing his children carve, paint, and create art to tell their own unique stories.
“I believe that our art tells our stories, tells of one’s journey in life, and tells who a person is or who they are becoming.” – Bobby Mercer
Latin American and Caribbean Music
Bernardo Monk is an Argentinean saxophonist and composer. Graduating from Berklee College of Music and Buenos Aires Contemporary Music School, his discography as a soloist includes six albums. His last one, Atípico was nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards and Gardel Awards 2019 as best tango album of the year. He is the author of two saxophone-tango books: The Tango Saxophone Book and Tango for Two. Monk is also is a professor in Buenos Aires at the National University of the Artes, Avellaneda Popular Music School and Manuel de Falla Conservatory.
Latin American and Caribbean Music
Luis Santiago, from Puerto Rico, is the Commander of the 78th Army Band. Luis is a songwriter, music manager and producer. He served as the Operations Director for the Grammy Music Education Coalition. As the Operations Director, Luis was the operational and logistical lead for all GMEC events across the US and Project Manager for the Interamerican Development Bank projects in Latin America. Prior to his work at GMEC, Luis was the Assistant Director of Global Programs for Berklee College of Music as well as the assistant director of admissions.
Latin American and Caribbean Music
Freddy O. Vilches joined the faculty of Lewis & Clark College as Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies in 2006. He is a multi-instrumentalist (charango, Venezuelan cuatro, quena, zampoñas, Afro-Cuban percussion) and singer/songwriter. Originally from Santiago, Chile, Freddy has performed extensively throughout the US and Latin America (Chile, México, Cuba). He has recorded and performed with some of the best Latin bands in the Northwest. Freddy is an experienced teacher and workshop presenter; he holds a PhD in Latin American Literature from the University of Oregon.
Music from the Continent of Africa
Dr. Cole Kai-Lewis is an Ethnomusicologist with a passion for merging music and arts outside of traditional academic settings. Kai-Lewis has a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her leadership strengths include cultivating student-community partnerships that enhance learning, instruction, and accelerate professional development. She is currently working as a middle school teacher in New York and brings expertise in student engagement, classroom instruction grounded in strategic curriculum design and program development for diverse audiences.
Music from the Continent of Africa
Professor Tiffe received her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Florida State University and is a professor at Kent State University School of Music, where she directs the KSU African Ensemble and KSU Steel Band and teaches courses on world and popular music. Dr. Tiffe’s research interests include the African diaspora, particularly the Trinidadian steel band, as well as musical migration, transmission, pedagogy and education.
Music from the Continent of Africa
Professor Kafumbe is a performing Ethnomusicologist, Professor at Middlebury College, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, composer and instrument technician from Uganda. He holds a B.A. in Music from Makerere University as well as an M.M. and Ph.D. in Musicology from Florida State University. Professor Kafumbe specializes in the music of East Africa. His research interests span diverse fields, including African studies, Ethnomusicology, performance, history, politics, ritual, and social organization.
Advisor on music from Southeast Asia: Vietnam
Kim Nguyen Tran is a scholar, arts educator/administrator, and organizer based in the Los Angeles area. Her work centers around how the arts and storytelling shape our cultural memories, give meaning to our histories, and help us to imagine our futures. She holds a M.A and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a B.A. in Music/PreMed from Dartmouth College. She has taught at UCLA (Asian American Studies, Asian Languages & Literatures, Ethnomusicology); Glendale Community College (Music History); University of Washington (Asian Languages and Literature) and Mount Saint Mary’s University (Music and Culture). She is Associate Director and Resident Ethnomusicologist for Bridge to Everywhere, and is a founding member of the Missing Piece Project.
Advisor on music from Southeast Asia: Thailand
Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Nattapol Wisuttipat is a Thai classical music practitioner and ethnomusicologist. As of 2023, he is an academic visitor at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. Nattapol’s primary research area is Thai classical music, focusing on the social and musical lives of underrepresented musicians. Through ethnography, his scholarly works critically explore non-normativities, diaspora, embodiment, and the politics of representation as they intersect with musical performances. With over two decades of experience in Thai classical music, Nattapol continues to participate actively in this musical community.
Advisor on music from Southeast Asia: Indonesia
Maria Mendonça is an ethnomusicologist who teaches in the Music and Anthropology departments at Kenyon. Her research interests include Indonesian music (particularly gamelan traditions of Java and Bali), circulation of culture, music and prisons, music and film, and ethnomusicology and the public sector. She also directs the Sundanese gamelan degung ensemble at Kenyon.
Maria Mendonça has worked as an ethnomusicologist in a variety of settings in the United Kingdom and United States. Most recently, she taught at Bowling Green State University (2005-6) and before this held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Ethnomusicology at University of Chicago (2004-5). In the UK, she was an Ethnomusicology Editor for the recent edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. She has also been a Javanese gamelan tutor and Lecturer in Indonesian music for several British universities and conservatories, and has advised and led projects involving gamelan and music education as for a range of British arts institutions.
Advisor on Music from Asia: China
Dr. Le is a music educator and music education researcher based in the San Francisco Bay area. She holds a Ph.D. in music learning and teaching from Arizona State University. She is a citizen of China, who has been studying, teaching, and living in the U.S. for more than nine years. She has been dedicated to investigating the development of multicultural music education in China and integrating multicultural music teaching and world music pedagogy into general music classes for over nine years. Her research interests include world music teaching, multicultural music teaching, culturally responsive pedagogy, and music teacher professional development. Some of her work includes engagement, multitasking, performance ensembles through world music pedagogies, multicultural music education in Chinese middle school general music classes, the time period of 1978–1988, and the concerns of Chinese music teachers in their early years of teaching.
Advisor on Music from East Asia: South Korea
Dr. Soojin Lee is a professional gayageum performer and music educator who is highly sought-after by educational and arts institutions in Minnesota, U.S., for her expertise in gugak and gayageum. She has conducted Korean Music sessions at the MMEA (Minnesota Music Educators Association) Mid-Winter Clinic on multiple occasions, inspiring teachers to effectively incorporate gugak into their teaching. Since 2021, Dr. Lee has been selected as a Teaching Artist in Residence at the MacPhail Center For Music every year, impacting over 2,500 students through her school visits.
Dr. Lee holds BA and MA degrees in gugak, specializing in gayageum performance from Seoul National University in South Korea, and ethnomusicology from the University of California, Irvine. Her 2018 doctorate from the University of Minnesota focused on multicultural and indigenous music education. As a performer, she has held solo and duo recitals and collaborated with musicians from diverse genres in various ensembles. Notably, she was recently awarded the Creative Support for Individuals grant, furthering her mission to collaborate with a wide range of musicians supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Advisor on Music from East Asia: Japan
Yuki Yageta is a lecturer at Kyoai Gakuen University and a Ph.D. student at The United Graduate School of Education Tokyo Gakugei University. In 2018-2019, she was a visiting student at the University of Washington. Prior to that, Yageta taught at a Japanese school in Thailand for two years. Her research interests include cultural diversity and equity in Japanese music classrooms.
Advisor on Music from South Asia: India
Dr. Andre Elias is an ethnomusicologist, composer, and performer with an emphasis on the music of South Asia. Current academic interests include methodology, organology, and instrument ecology.
His academic background includes an M.A. in Critical Studies from UCSD, an M.A. in South Asian Studies from the Jackson School at the University of Washington, and M.A./Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. He was an Assistant Professor of Music at HKBU and a board member of the South Asian Arts Academy – both in Hong Kong.
Now based in Barcelona, Spain, he practices Hindustani Classical music and Flamenco on a range of string and percussion instruments and continues writing and researching as an independent scholar.
Advisor on Music from South Asia: Nepal
Dr. Lochan Rijal is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, film music scorer, ethnomusicologist, and heritage conservationist, known for his significant contributions to musical and cultural heritage.
He earned Nepal’s first Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology through a joint program between the University of Massachusetts, USA, and Kathmandu University, Nepal, in 2014.
He began his career in Nepal’s pop/rock scene, winning a record number of awards at the Hits FM Music Awards. Internationally, he was named Best South Asian Singer at the South Asian Youth University Festival in Bangladesh, and his music was featured in the film “Penglai.”
Dr. Rijal is an Associate Professor and former Head of the Department of Music at
Kathmandu University. He is also the Visiting Professor at the University of South Wales, UK.
His post-doctoral work focused on restoring both tangible and intangible musical heritage at the historic Tripureshwor Mahadev Shivalaya, in partnership with Guthi Sansthan, the Government of Nepal, and Kathmandu University. His leadership roles include Heritage Advisor, Brand Ambassador, and Artist-in-Residence at Guthi Sansthan, Government of Nepal, and Goodwill Ambassador/Youth Advocate for the United Nations Millennium Campaign.
Dr. Rijal’s work connects tradition and innovation, helping Nepal’s musical heritage grow while protecting cultural heritage. His dedication ensures these traditions will continue to inspire future generations.
Advisor on Music from Asia: Iran
Dr. Solmaz Shakerifard is an ethnomusicologist, researcher, and professor in Seattle, Washington. She has been affiliated with the University of Washington, where she has worked as a teaching and research assistant. She currently teaches at Seattle University (Cornish College).
Her academic interests lie at the intersection of ethnomusicology and music education. She has a particular focus on Iranian classical music pedagogy, the ways this tradition interacts with Euro-American musical practices, and the broader social and political dynamics of musical change and continuity.
Among her achievements, Shakerifard has received the Roshon Fellowship for Excellence in Iranian Studies. She has also contributed to community music initiatives in Seattle, and serves as assistant in the University of Washington’s ethnomusicology archives.
Advisor on Music from Asia: Georgia
Dr. Marina Decristoforo is an anthropologist, filmmaker, writer, and singer, based in Brooklyn, NY. Marina holds a PhD in Anthropology, with regional focus in Georgia (the country), where she did several years of dedicated fieldwork. Her dissertation, and subsequent academic pursuits explore how power, preservation, and death — both semiotic and literal — coincide, intersect, and diverge in the Georgian folk singing communities. Her academic articles, poetry, and essays have appeared in a number of journals throughout the years. Since 2019, Marina has been actively involved in documentary and fiction filmmaking. Her directorial debut, Life in Three Voices (2020), is an award-winning documentary that follows a group of young Georgian singers on a journey throughout the US and their native Georgia. She has worked in various capacities on projects for the Discovery Channel, and the BBC, as well as a number of independent film productions, and has directed several short fiction and documentary films and music videos. With her partner she is the co-founder and co-director of Pillusion Film Festival, an international film festival that takes place in a repurposed barn in a small Alpine village in Tyrol, Austria. She occasionally performs Georgian and Lithuanian songs with various folk choirs and family members.
Advisor on Music from Asia: Turkey
Ben Wheeler is an ethnomusicologist and the co-founder/executive director of Mountains of Tongues, an organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of the diverse musical traditions of the Caucasus region. Ben has spent years conducting recording sessions and interviews with musicians throughout the South Caucasus; compilations of his project’s field recordings have been released internationally in multiple forms (LP, CD, Tape). He regularly gives lectures and conducts workshops on music preservation and hosts the radio program Caucasus All Frequency in Tbilisi.
Music Workshop works with some of the leading experts in music education research and practice to develop professional development courses grounded in evidence and experience. Each of our advisors are trailblazers in music education. Their research and guidance have been instrumental in our mission to empower educators with practical, evidence-based ways to improve their students’ well-being through music.
Associate Professor at Northwestern
Dr. Sarah J. Bartolome is a children’s music specialist with an interest in world music for the classroom. She earned degrees in music education from Ithaca College (BM), Northwestern University (’02 MMus), and the University of Washington (PhD). She is also a fully certified Kodaly educator, having received all three levels of certification from the New England Conservatory’s Kodaly Music Institute and serving on the faculty of the Kodaly Levels Program of Seattle.
Associate Dean of Research University of Miami
Carlos R. Abril is Professor of Music Education and Associate Dean of Research at the Frost School of Music, where he teaches courses in philosophy of music, general music methods, and equity, access, and diversity in music education. Dr. Abril has served on the Research Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts and is Chair of the Society of Research in Music Education. He has also served on over ten editorial boards in North America, South America, and Europe. Prior to joining the University of Miami, Dr. Abril was an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D. in music education at The Ohio State University, an M.M. in performance at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a B.M. in music education at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He is also a former general music and choral educator in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he was named the Region V Teacher of the Year and awarded the Cervantes Outstanding Educator Award.
Chair of Music Teaching & Learning at USC
Beatriz Ilari (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Music Teaching & Learning at the USC Thornton School of Music, where she teaches graduate courses in music psychology, the sociology of music, cultural diversity in music teaching and learning, and research methods. She has conducted extensive research with babies, preschoolers, and school-aged children from the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. In her work, she uses a variety of approaches to study different aspects of musical development and growth of infants, children, and adolescents. Her research is interdisciplinary in nature. Beatriz Ilari collaborates regularly with researchers from USC’s Brain & Creativity Institute and Bionic Ear Lab, and with scholars from different research centers and universities across the globe.
University of Wyoming Laboratory School & Curriculum Developer at Smithsonian Folkways
Jennifer Mellizo has been the K-8th grade music teacher at the University of Wyoming Laboratory School in Laramie, WY since 2002. She is also an independent researcher and a curriculum developer for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. She has been recognized as a Wyoming Arch Coal Teacher of the Year in 2014, the Albany County School District Teacher of the Year in 2016, and a 2021 Fulbright U.S. Scholar (Spain).
Assistant Professor at Oakland University
Dr. Cat Bennett is an assistant professor of music education at Oakland University, where she teaches undergraduate introductory and capstone music education courses, choral methods, student teaching seminar, and supervises choral education student teachers in their internships. Over the past 15 years, Cat has taught and studied vocal music in many countries around the world, teaching K – 12 general and choral music in Japan and Thailand, and working as a volunteer music teacher in Honduras and South Africa. Prior to completing her PhD at the University of Miami, she studied vocal jazz and Creative American Music. Cat also has a BME from Ithaca College and a MME from Indiana University.
Assistant Professor at Portland State University
Coty Raven Morris is a proud alumnus of Texas State University-San Marcos where she studied with Drs. Lynn Brinckmeyer, Jonathan Bacock, and Joey Martin. She received her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in the Spring of 2020. She is currently the Hinckley Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education and Social Justice at Portland State University. She has presented at educational conferences and professional developments across the country including the American Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.
Senior Science Educator Exploratorium
Michelle is a senior science educator who has both a teaching and research background in elementary education. Her research interests focus on supporting diverse instructional shifts to cultivate child-led knowledge building communities in science. Within her research, she specializes in elementary scientific modeling, equitable classroom discussions, and supporting others to build relationships with the natural world and with the discipline of science. She focuses on co-designing equitable learning environments with teachers and which include family engagement with science concepts to support and elevate a diversity of student participation. She is a current National Board Certified Teacher and has taught elementary school for close to a decade. She has also worked as science curriculum developer, professional development provider, and embedded instructional coach.
Learning Designer and Researcher All Circles of Learning
Dr. Erin Riesland is a PhD graduate in Learning Sciences and Human Development from the University of Washington’s College of Education, a Fullbright scholar, and partner with All Circles of Learning. With degrees in both visual design and education technology, her research and practice aims to produce inspirational and equitable postdigital learning environments. Prior to her PhD journey, she worked as a learning designer for more than fifteen years in both K-12 and higher education settings including Seattle University, McGraw-Hill Education, and the University of Southern California. Her research interests focus on understanding and addressing the challenges that face our increasingly visual and digital world by considering the agency of the learning environment and its integral role in equitable STEM education.
Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of Graduate Studies at University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Daniel Johnson is Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of Graduate Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he coordinates the Graduate Certificate Program. His main teaching specialization is music teacher-education, with a focus on classroom music instruction and Orff-Schulwerk. A Fulbright and Medici Scholar, Dr. Johnson regularly presents teacher-education courses and workshops across the country and abroad. His research interests include classroom music instruction, professional development, rural music teaching, interdisciplinary education, and music-supported health and wellness. As a multi-instrumentalist, he also has experience leading instrumental ensembles and performs professionally on tuba and euphonium.
Associate Professor of Music Teaching and Learning at Eastman School of Music
Mara E. Culp is an associate professor of music teaching and learning at Eastman School of Music, and she earned a Ph.D. in music education from The Pennsylvania State University. She has taught elementary-, middle- and high school-aged children in general, choral and instrumental music settings and has provided music for pre-kindergarten children. Diversity, access, equity and inclusion are at the heart of her scholarly interests, where she investigates topics related to music for students with special education needs, music and communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, intersectionality and music for young learners. She serves on the editorial committee for Music Educators Journal and collaborates with professionals in and outside of music education regularly. She has presented her work at state, national and international conferences.
Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Wyoming
Tiger Robison, Ph.D., is associate professor of music education at the University of Wyoming where he teaches courses in elementary general music methods, aural theory, world music, popular music pedagogy, and supervises student teachers. In research, Tiger is comfortable in the quantitative, qualitative, and philosophical realms equally. He has diverse interests related to gender, music teacher career paths, music in early childhood, and modern music-making with prisoners.
Tiger’s research is published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music in Early Childhood, Journal of Music Teacher Education, The Journal of General Music Education, and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education among other outlets. He has presented his work at most major music education research conferences in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Let’s work together to make music-empowered education relevant and accessible for all.