MusicianCorps
MusicianCorps increases youth achievement and leadership by expanding access to music education. In exchange for 1-2 years of service, MusicianCorps Fellows receive a living stipend, health care and training. Key program components include:
- National Summer Training Camp for MusicianCorps Fellows: Training participants (pdf)
- 10-month term of direct service with ongoing site-based training and development
- National assessment and impact evaluation
- Year-end Gathering to foster best practices, collaboration and momentum for the field
Laura Cambrón (MusicianCorps Bay Area)
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LAURA CAMBRÓN is a celebrated folk musician and dancer. She has pioneered the teaching of Son Jarocho (traditional musical style of Veracruz, Mexico), arranging numerous community events in schools and community organizations in Southern California. Laura has taught underserved youth through a variety of organizations in the Los Angeles immigrant community. She has a BS in International and Chicano/Latino Studies from the University of California, Irvine.
Service Sites: Think College Now Elementary School, International Community School
Service Mission: Develop a Son Jarocho ELL music and performance program in 3rd-5th grades; Create and coordinate a music- and arts-based community service program for 4th/5th grades; Organize community activities to unify two adjacent schools.
Rebecca Crenshaw (MusicianCorps New Orleans)
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REBECCA CRENSHAW is an accomplished violist who has committed herself to the physical and cultural rebuilding of Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina. As part of the first City Year Louisiana corps she implemented after-school creative arts programs for students in Baton Rouge, engaging many displaced young people from New Orleans in much needed arts intervention. Last year, Rebecca served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, leveraging partnerships and securing funding for rebuilding projects to benefit elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners. Rebecca also worked as a music instructor in a Lower 9th Ward community music program and built a recording studio geared toward New Orleans youth. She has a BA in Ethnomusicology from Hampshire College.
Service Sites: Crocker Arts & Technology School (Charter)
Service Mission: Develop an in-school violin program for 1st–3rd grades; Collaborate with visual arts, dance, technology and classroom teachers to integrate arts learning into the academic curriculum.
Zack Feinberg (MusicianCorps New Orleans)
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ZACK FEINBERG is a recent Tulane graduate and emerging New Orleans musician who has already demonstrated a marked commitment to music, service and education. Throughout college he served as project coordinator of the English as a Second Language program at one local school, and tutored young music students at another. Zack grew up listening to The Meters, and their influence drew him to New Orleans and started him on his musical course. He founded The Revivalists, an up-and-coming New Orleans band who are recurrent openers for the Rebirth Brass Band and recently performed at The Kennedy Center. Zack has a BA in Psychology with concentrations in Neuroscience and Music, and is eager to put his commitment to service to work in support of music education in New Orleans.
Service Sites: Success Preparatory Academy Charter School
Service Mission: Serve as second music teacher for K-3rd grade students in a dual-leader classroom model; Implement school-based “Music and the Brain” grant, linking early music instruction and cognitive ability.
Cyndy Fike (MusicianCorps Chicago)
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CYNDY FIKE is a singer/songwriter and guitarist who is passionate about music and youth. She enjoys combining her love of nature and the creative arts, and she has developed cross-collaborative programs for youth at various community centers across the country, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Cyndy recently pioneered a digital music program for adjudicated youth at a wilderness therapy camp in North Carolina. A founding member of the indie folk/rock band, Nelken, Cyndy has also shared her vocal and songwriting talents on the albums of fellow musicians Zach Blew and Chicago-based Horse in the Sea. She holds a BS in Outdoor Education from Montreat College and a MA in Arts in Youth and Community Development from Columbia College, Chicago.
Service Sites: New Sullivan Elementary School, Libby Elementary School
Service Mission: Plan and implement music curricula; Engage neighborhood residents and park district supervisors to provide music driven services to the South Chicago community.
Bob Frazier (MusicianCorps Bay Area)
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BOB FRAZIER has 40 years of experience as a music public servant. In a career beginning in the 1950s, Bob actively participated in the Civil Rights movement, touring with a number of bands on the “chitlin’ circuit” and at major festivals. Bob produced a number of visionary jazz shows, and played with the Eurythmics, Johnny Otis Band and other popular acts. Bob has also served as an Artist Facilitator in state prisons, and taught as a Teaching Artist in several local public schools where he developed curricula that integrated jazz with songwriting and Afro-Cuban drumming. He holds a BA in Music from the California Institute of the Arts.
Service Sites: Sequoia Elementary School, MetWest High School
Service Mission: Develop in- & after-school instrumental music programs; Lead arts integration in literacy and math; Create music-driven community service opportunities for High School Students.
Jeff Harms (MusicianCorps Chicago)
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JEFF HARMS is a Chicago-based musician and multidisciplinary artist who has toured nationally and released two albums, The Myth of Heroics (2008) on DRP and Big Amazing Songs (2006) on Naivete Records. He has recently performed with Leroy Bach (Wilco), Sam Wagster (Fruit Bats), and Emmett Kelly (Will Oldham). Jeff is a founding member of the improvisational vocal/movement group, Stridulate, which was chosen to be artist-in-residence at the Roy Hart Institute in France in 2010. Jeff co-produced and played the lead in the film A Thing As Big As The Ocean, which won IFP’s $50k Finishing Grant in 2008. His animated short, The Bite, was screened at The National Film Board of Canada’s “Best Animation of 2007,” and Bauhaus University film festival. Jeff has taught drawing and video in the classroom and afterschool programs, in ages spanning from kindergarten to college. He has an MFA in performance from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in painting from the University of Washington.
Service Sites: Sabin Elementary School, Pulaski Elementary School, Holstein Park
Service Mission: Play a key role in implementing music programs for students, parents and community members; Collaborate with park supervisor and community leaders to provide opportunities for music-driven service for pre-teens and other young people.
Meagan Hughes (MusicianCorps Bay Area)
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MEAGAN HUGHES is a Board Certified Music Therapist and Teaching Artist, specializing in voice, guitar, piano and West African percussion. Meagan has shared the joy and comfort of music with a wide variety of marginalized populations, including homeless families, terminally ill patients, and children with autism. Meagan has a BA in Music Therapy from the University of Minnesota, and trained at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institutes and Hospital in San Francisco, CA.
Service Sites: UCSF Child Life Dept. (SF Unified School District hospital classrooms for inpatient and outpatient child populations), Laguna Honda Hospital
Service Mission: Develop Music Therapy Program at UCSF Children’s Hospital working with chronically and terminally-ill child patients; Expand Music Therapy Program at Laguna Honda Hospital treating residential adult populations living with Dementia, Aids and Psycho-Social patients (1:1, bedside, small & large group, & classroom).
Vernon Lloyd (MusicianCorps Chicago)
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VERNON LLOYD is an accomplished bass guitarist who has performed across Europe, Japan and the US. He was a member of the 70s and 80s funk group, The Fatback Band. Returning to his native Chicago, Vernon served as special events manager at Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, and then as director of Teen Patrol Records, a music program at Corliss and Harper High Schools. He co-founded Beverly Hills Recording Studio, dedicated to providing recording and production experience to aspiring young artists. After school, Vernon can often be found at the studio, jamming the latest hip-hop and R&B sounds with a group of teenagers and sharing his lifelong experience in the music industry. He studied music composition and performance at the American Conservatory of Music.
Service Sites: Chavez Multicultural Academy, Davis Square Park
Service Mission: Teach classes to youth and adults, direct marching/concert band, and fully engage parents and community in Back of the Yards neighborhood in southwest Chicago.
Eduardo Mendonça (MusicianCorps Seattle)
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EDUARDO MENDONÇA, multi-talented musician, producer and composer, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça received his masters in arts education from the Music Institute of the Catholic University of Salvador and has performed for former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, Brazilian President João Baptista Figueiredo and Pope John Paul II. In 1991, Mendonça was featured in Paul Simon’s music video, "Born at the Right Time." He is music director for international performance ensemble, ‘Show Brazil!’ and the founder of Brazil Fest, one of the longest running festivals at Seattle Center. Eduardo is also a voting member of the Grammys and 2007 winner of “Outstanding Brazilian Male Singer based in the U.S.” by the Brazilian International Press.
Service Sites: Seattle Center, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Service Mission: Teach classes to youth at park sites; Train parks staff in ways to bring more music into their programs; Facilitate field trips to community festivals and performances, fostering city-wide civic engagement through music.
Amos Miller (MusicianCorps Seattle)
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AMOS MILLER began playing piano by ear at age 5 and began writing music at age 12. By the time he was a freshman in high school, he was recording his music. Amos has produced tracks for nearly all of Seattle’s hip-hop and R&B talent, including Piece Kelley, Choklate, Silent Lamb Project, Vitamin D and Damien Black. He is currently performing as the resident keyboard player for Jumblaya, Seattle’s notorious weekly hip-hop/soul improv night. Amos has a special gift for connecting with youth through music, and has more than five years of experience teaching for organizations such as Arts Corps, Nature Consortium and Power of Hope.
Service Sites: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Youngstown All Access, Youngstown Records Music CO-OP, West Seattle High School/Chief Sealth
Service Mission: Support an initiative to create a youth run record label and radio program; Teach audio classes afterschool; Coordinate the after school providers in the building (Youth Media Institute, Rock School and Arts Corps) to work together to support this project through video production, graphic art and songwriting.
Nathaniel Money (MusicianCorps New Orleans)
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NATHANIEL MONEY is a multi-instrumentalist who comes to New Orleans with a degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. He specializes in bass, piano, banjo, cello, guitar and percussion, and has extensive experience leading group/individual music instruction and student ensembles in multiple school settings. Nathaniel is especially interested in the impact of music instruction on the cognitive and social development of young elementary students, and in connecting music instruction to literacy and other elements of the curriculum.
Service Sites: Pride College Prep Charter School and Akili Academy Charter School
Service Mission: Develop and implement a comprehensive music education program for Pre-K to 2nd grades, serving students in two charter schools housed on the same campus.
Carla Moreno (MusicianCorps Seattle)
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CARLA MORENO is a pianist and vocalist as well as a world music explorer, writer, and DJ. Her experience as a musician, certified music teacher, and writer grant her the opportunity to educate people both young and old in efforts to foster cultural understanding, appreciation, and love for one another. Carla currently serves as a teaching artist for Arts Corps and as a guest DJ for the Daily Planet show on KBCS 91.3 FM in Seattle. Carla’s passion for world cultures have led her to meeting and discussing important global issues with figures such as reporter Lisa Ling, photographer Alyssa Banta, musician Angelique Kidjo, and the Consul General of Sweden, Olëf Wastberg.
Service Sites: Low Income Housing Institute, Meadowbrook View Apartments
Service Mission: Create vibrant communities in housing projects with immigrant families, through music rich after-school programs, intergenerational and cross-cultural music exchanges and performances that celebrate the diversity and cultures of all resident families.
Javier Núñez (MusicianCorps Chicago)
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JAVIER NÚÑEZ grew up in Puerto Rico, hearing traditional music at every family gathering. He bought his first drum set with savings from a summer job and enrolled at Antonio Paoli School of Music. He later graduated cum laude with a BA in Popular Music at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and earned a teaching certificate in Chicago. He has played drums in numerous bands in Puerto Rico and Chicago, including the Lakeside Pride Jazz Ensemble as a Big Band drummer; Jorge Emmanuelli y sus Bomberos (a Puerto Rican Bomba group); and with R&B recording artist Mekole Wells. Javier has shared his love of traditional music through the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra, comprised of children and young musicians who play that Puerto Rican string instrument.
Service Sites: El Cuarto Ano Alternative High School
Service Mission: Teach music classes to students, engaging parents and community residents; Serve as in-residence artist, directing instrumental activities, including a marching band and classes for adults and children.
Alex Pinto (MusicianCorps Bay Area)
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ALEX PINTO is an award-winning jazz musician and instructor. Drawing on his own mixed heritage, he composes music that integrates the rock sound of his youth and Hindustani music traditions with jazz. Alex placed 3rd at the Gibson Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition in 2008. Dedicated to teaching music in under-resourced communities, he has developed innovative, engaging curricula that combine jazz and rock composition for ensembles. Alex has a BA in Jazz Performance from McGill University and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts where he studied under jazz luminaries Charlie Haden and Larry Koonse and Hindustani music legends Aashish Khan and Swapan Chaudhuri.
Service Sites: Horace Mann Middle School, SF Boys and Girls Club, Youth Movement Records, Pathways Hospice
Service Mission: Coordinate all in and after-school music service programs & school/community performances; Provide multi-instrumental instruction with emphasis on guitar and arts integration in areas of math; Implement school-wide community service program; Support Music Certified Teacher.
David Pulphus (MusicianCorps New Orleans)
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Service Sites: Langston Hughes Academy Charter School
Service Mission: Develop elementary music program for Pre-K to 3rd grade students; Implement school-based “Music and the Brain” grant, linking early music instruction and cognitive ability; Coordinate with existing arts integration programs to prepare students for school and community-based music service opportunities.
Samuel Russell (MusicianCorps Bay Area)
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SAMUEL RUSSELL is a local urban/hip-hop/gospel keyboardist and drummer who has taught youth in a number of schools and community organizations. He recently developed Behind Bars, an innovative program at James Denman Middle School that integrates literacy and math into hip-hop production. Samuel has professional experience in advanced recording, electronic composition, production, post-production, and street-team promotion. He is pursuing a BA in Music at San Francisco State University.
Service Sites: June Jordan School for Equity & Justice ASP, Boys and Girls Club, Youth Movement Records, Pathways Hospice
Service Mission: Provide in- & after-school instruction in electronic, lyrical and instrumental music, composition, recording and performance; Provide bedside music therapy to Hospice patients; Support existing, school-based community service program.
Jamie Topper (MusicianCorps Chicago)
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JAMIE TOPPER is a Chicago-based musician and educator. She is a percussionist and specializes in Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern rhythmic traditions. Jamie has worked as a Teaching Artist in Chicago schools and community settings for over 10 years, designing arts education and arts integration residencies with all ages through nationally renowned arts organizations such as Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE), Columbia College's Center for Community Arts Partnerships and Project AIM (Arts Integration Mentorship), After School Matters, Northeastern University's Chicago Teacher's Center, and Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries. Jamie is also a Musician-in-Residence at Rush University Children's Hospital through Snow City Arts Foundation, a program which brings arts education to hospitalized children. She is an honorary member of the University of Chicago's Middle East Music Ensemble and currently plays with the Manteca Folk Ensemble, an Afro-Caribbean folkloric group, and Judson Claiborne.
Service Sites: Crown Elementary School, Homan Square Park
Service Mission: Serve as fellow and professional development provider for Chicago MusicianCorps fellows; Reinvigorate drumming culture at Crown; Implement after-school music group; Develop community song bank; Encourage intergenerational communication/understanding through music
Aaron Walker-Loud (MusicianCorps Seattle)
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AARON WALKER-LOUD is an educator, composer, producer, drummer and director of many music collaborations and services, including The Flood (1999-2003), Big World Breaks (2000-present) and One Family, Inc. (2000-present). Aaron has directed live music production for reputable Northwest artists including Gabriel Teodros, Toni Hill, Choklate, Khingz, Massive Monkees, Blue Scholars and many more. For ten years Aaron has also worked and volunteered within child-care, music education and other youth programs as a teaching artist, mentor, curriculum designer, child-care director, child-care trainer and event producer/coordinator. Aaron carries forward the philosophies taught to him by his family, mentors and music teachers from his youth in Seattle’s Central District emphasizing respect for differences among people, creativity, development of life goals, anger management, self-discipline and team-building, as well as community activism and understanding social injustice. Aaron actively works to impart these same positive philosophies and principles upon his students.
Service Sites: Leschi Elementary School, Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, Washington Middle School, Garfield High School, Seattle Public Schools / Seattle Music Partners / YMCA
Service Mission: Engage more low income youth and youth of color in district music programs, through a supportive pipeline of drumline classes after school, and in the school day workshops and ensembles at Leschi Elementary, Washington Middle and Garfield High Schools.
