The Producer Network

Jeff Gleason has been teaching students for 19 years. He spent 7 years teaching percussion, 11 years as a general music teacher and is now teaching music technology at a 6-12 blended online school. His passion for a modern approach to music education inspired his students to speak their truths and to take control of their own learning.

Stevie Frank (she/her) teaches 5th grade humanities in Zionsville, Indiana. Her passions include all things critical literacy, News Literacy, teaching towards an anti-racist curriculum, and socio-emotional learning of her students. Her latest ventures have been podcasting with her students. Stevie loves Soundtrap and how it offers a medium for all of her students’ voices to be heard.

Passionate Music Professional with more than 20 years of experience in Education, Music Production, Audio Architecture, Audio Design and Engineering. My personal philosophy of music education consists of the concepts of Student Empowerment, Active Learning, Embracing Technology, and Innovative Teaching. My primary objective as an Soundtrap Education Producer (Level 3 Podcast and Music) is to assist students in gaining the confidence, experience, skills, and training necessary to become successful and impactful in the endeavors that they pursue. I desire to bring a new and innovative way of teaching modern music, a dual curriculum approach of music and technology.

Michelle Leasor is a music specialist in Pickerington Local Schools in Ohio. She is an active clinician at the Ohio Music Education Association and Technology In Music Education annual professional development conferences and serves as a marching band adjudicator with OMEA. Michelle has conducted research into the experiences of music educators during hybrid and remote learning, and she specializes in adapting digital content and delivery to a variety of students’ and educators’ needs. She is using Soundtrap to help capture student voices and support diversity and inclusion initiatives in Pickerington.

Jessica Grant has been a music educator for 22 years and teaches at Good Shepherd Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas. She is the creator and host of the Afternoon Ti Podcast, which focuses on teacher education and health topics. She earned her BME from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, M.M.Ed from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and is certified in Orff and Kodály Approaches. Jessica lives in Dallas, TX with her husband Jeremy, daughters Riley and Julia, and their little maltipoo Val. Find her work at www.jessicagrant.org.

Chrystal Trapani is an Instructional Technologist with Digital Innovation at Old Dominion University (ODU), an adjunct instructor in the Department of English at ODU, a Google Certified Trainer, and a doctoral graduate student at Old Dominion University in the Instructional Design and Technology program. Her research focuses on instructor attitudes toward digitally accessible course materials. She is Instructure's Educator of the Year (2022), and she has been honored with ADEIL's College Course Award (2022). Chrystal blends her experience working with first-generation and non-traditional students, curriculum development, creating interactive and accessible online course content, digital accessibility, and training faculty to help them achieve positive student outcomes and success. In working with faculty, she helps her colleagues gain strong, working knowledge of how to make course content successful for students of all learning abilities.

Music teacher at an elementary school and in a multicultural project with a master's degree in music pedagogy. Working with music composing and performance.

Briony, a native Londoner, founded Pass the MIC, a music industry program at Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School in Brooklyn, New York. She trained in Musical Theater at the Arts Educational School, London, and is pursuing her masters at Teachers College, Columbia University. Briony has followed her passion for social impact music programming from the U.K to Italy, Sri Lanka to South Korea and, most recently, New York. Briony loves getting to amplify the voices of the incredible young people in her school community. She established a music program for North Korean Refugees in Seoul, and is proud to have had her students’ work performed with Carnegie Hall and Google Arts and Culture. Check out their work on YouTube at VOICES ON - New York - YouTube. Briony is really excited to share their latest project with HBO’s “My so-called High School Rank”, and is grateful to be a part of the incredible Soundtrap Producer Network! You can check out Briony’s music at https://linktr.ee/brionyprice, and @briony_price on Instagram.

Eric has been a teacher since 2002. Before becoming a teacher, he worked as a reporter for MTV News Online and a trainer in Guest Relations at Walt Disney World. He grew up in a very artistic and musical family and loves incorporating art and music in his classroom and assignments as much as possible.

Ary Alvarez is a double bass player, educator and improviser who found his passion in jazz and world music. Ary earned his master’s degree in education mediated by information and communication technologies from Icesi, the university he also works at in Cali, Colombia as a professor of music. Also a professor at Bellas Artes, Ary uses improvisation as a creative resource and new technologies as tools for learning management. For Ary, Soundtrap is a tool that is beneficial for creating innovative learning experiences in the field of composition and music production to inspire students to go beyond.

Elizabeth Carney has been teaching music for 23 years. She received her Bachelors of Music in Music Recording Technology, Bachelors of Arts in Jazz Performance: Trumpet and Masters of Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania. She recently received her post-graduate certificate in Education Technology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Elizabeth is currently the Lower School Music Teacher and Middle School Band Director at the Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, New Jersey where she loves to create engaging cross-curricular projects incorporating SoundTrap, while merging music with poetry, social/emotional learning, storytelling, scientific discovery, art and more through the unlimited creative minds of her students.

This is my 9th year teaching high school ELA and ESOL. I love incorporating educational technology into my classroom!

I am Director of Digital Learning for Viewpoint, a TK-12 independent school. I focus on using technology to keep people connected with learning, resources, and one another. I have worked as a Lower School Director, a Middle School Director, a tech integrator, a professional developer, an Associate Director of Online Education, a classroom teacher, and more. Currently I teach two courses: Digital Literacy and Journalism. I also advise a Podcasting club.

For 17 years, Sean was a special educator, music educator, and STEM/CS Coach in NYC’s District 75, citywide special education. He is now the NYC Public Schools Director of School Pathways, Computer Science working with CS For All NYC. Through both he has worked with a diverse range of students and educators and remains committed to accessibly and equitably reaching ALL students through innovative technology and practices. He shares his expertise at making learning personally meaningful, intrinsically motivating, and made for everyone at BraveInTheAttempt.com. He has received the ISTE Outstanding Teacher Award, ISTE Inclusive Learning Network Outstanding Educator Award, NYCDOE Excellence in School Technology Award, the EDxEDNYC Excellence in Technology Award, and many other accolades and certifications.

Melissa is an experienced educator who encourages curiosity, creativity and risk taking in the learning process. She loves using technology combined with adventure to immerse students in active learning to become better global citizens. Melissa has a back ground in Fine Arts and has worked as an educational technology consultant, an esports coach, as well as an Art and Music teacher K-12. She is a committed learner who currently teaches grade 7 in Southern Ontario with Lambton Kent DSB.

Jason Rodgers is the Director of Bands, Choirs, and now Music Technology at Valor Middle School in Woodburn, Oregon, where he has been teaching his entire 24 year career. Like many teachers during the 2020-2021 pandemic year of distance learning, he found that the traditional ensembles could not be taught on Zoom, and instead turned to Soundtrap for music-making that fit the digital environment. What started as a handful of "emergency" lessons turned into a full-fledged curriculum, and two sections of Music Technology were added to the schedule the following year, exploring both music and podcast production. The Soundtrap education network, through the Facebook group and Education Summits, have been a source of inspiration and support through all of this, and Jason hopes to pay it forward as a Producer.

Amber teaches K-6 General Music and Chorus in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Millersville University and is currently pursuing a master's degree at University of the Arts. Amber has been teaching music for 5 years and has been utilizing Soundtrap in the classroom for almost 3 years with her 3rd-6th grade learners. Some of their projects include remixes of common folk songs, ringtones, podcasts, music for the school announcements, student compositions, and more! Amber loves how user-friendly Soundtrap is and how quickly her students are able to make music and share their voices.

Tim Belmont is a high school Technology Specialist and Language Arts Teacher based in New Jersey. In the classroom, he elevates student voices through technology-integrated English activities and implements podcasting as a modern public speaking medium. He is an ISTE Certified Educator and Google Certified Trainer. He enjoys coding collaborative online tools and baking homemade bread in his free time.

I am a general music teacher in Colorado’s Boulder Valley School District. With a decade of professional music and teaching experience in Chicago, degrees in Music Composition and Sound Arts & Industries from Northwestern University, and a Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois, I have accumulated a breadth of arts and life experiences which I incorporate into innovative teaching strategies and interdisciplinary experiences for my students. At the Chicago Park District I taught voice, piano, guitar, and preschool music and wrote and music directed children’s musicals. Prior to that I interned at 98.7 WFMT, coached middle school track & field, and worked for composer Paul Caldwell at the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago. www.blim-hockberger.com

I am a music teacher throughout the year in the public-school system (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) and maintain a schedule of gigs and examining for conservatories. Since 2006, I have played guitar, keyboards, and trumpet in the country/rock band FOUR MILE ROAD. During my summers, I enjoy learning about diverse cultures and communities. In the last few summers, I have explored rebuilding Hurricane Katrina homes in New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity as well as been a volunteer music teacher in Mpigi, Uganda. In addition, I have been to Brazil to volunteer teaching music in a public elementary school and have been involved running arts workshops with The People Concern (formerly the LAMP Community) in the Skid Row district of Downtown Los Angeles. I have also recently spent time volunteering at the Bowery Mission in New York. https://roberthrabluk.com/

Frederick (Rick) Ballew is a middle school Computer Science teacher in Bloomington, MN. His interests include educational technology and music education (his previous position was as a music teacher). He uses Soundtrap to with his students for music and podcast production.

John is a music technology teacher from the UK based in the independent school Stamford School. He teaches ages 11-18 and is in charge of the A-Level Music Technology course and devising new ways of introducing more music technology into the curriculum. He has studied BA Hons in Popular Music at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK, where he achieved a First Class Honours degree. He is a keen guitar player and vocalist.

James Watts has been an educator for almost two decades, having made career pit stops in nearly every facet of academia. From elementary schools to college lecture halls, he has always attempted to bring creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to his classroom practice. While he currently serves as a Social Studies teacher in Northern New Jersey, he is extremely passionate about technology integration and innovative curriculum design for all subjects.

ustin Tolbert is a Technology Resource Teacher for the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) in Mobile, Alabama. He trains and supports his district's teachers in the use of various educational technology tools. He is also a cohost and editor of Learning Leading NOW, a podcast of MCPSS. Before transitioning into his role as a Technology Resource Teacher, Justin taught at Baker High School in Mobile for 13 years, during which he taught English courses, trained students in the use of Adobe Premiere and Wirecast for Baker's broadcast journalism and sports broadcasting program, and founded and coached Baker's Esports program.

Melanie Hilden teaches general music at Colegio Menor in Quito, Ecuador, South America. She holds a bachelor's from the University of Florida and a master's in wind band conducting from the American Band College. She just finished her Orff-Schulwerk Level III certification from the University of St. Thomas. After teaching in Colorado, she now enjoys her diverse expat life in Quito. Her passions include audio recording, running live sound, video editing, podcasts, and designing curriculum.

Rob Yaple teaches band and music at Daniel Wright Junior High in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Mr. Yaple studied music education at Ithaca College (BM 2009) and Northwestern University (MM 2017.) He is a lifelong learner and is thrilled every day to empower student musicians as they develop their creative voices.

Amy Lui is a music educator for the Los Angeles Unified School District at John H Francis Polytechnic High School, where she teaches music technology, industry studies and the instrumental ensembles. Her goal is to provide young adults with meaningful music career opportunities that go beyond the performance sectors in the art, media and entertainment industries. Amy received her teaching credential and Master’s in Music Industry Administration at Cal State University Northridge, Master’s in Music Education from Azusa Pacific University, and Bachelor’s in Saxophone Performance from University of California, Davis. ​ ​Amy is also active in serving the music education and industry fields. She is the secretary of the Los Angeles Secondary Music Teachers Association and the Representative of Secondary Music Education (Grades 6-12) for the California Music Educators Association. Additionally, Amy is a contributor and helps to facilitate the educational outreach and mentorship program for the Asian American Collective, a non-profit organization formed during the pandemic to provide resources and mentorship to Asian Americans entering the music, entertainment and creative spaces, while also partnering with various organizations to serve communities in need. To see what her music technology and industry studies program is up to, visit polyhighmusictech.org.

Soy Ingeniero en automatización, dedicado a la enseñanza de robótica y tecnología educativa desde hace 9 años. Director de coro amateur. He encontrado en Soundtrap una excelente herramienta para combinar con robótica educativa, sobre todo para educación musical con tecnología.

Passionate about professional development and digital learning, Alexandra holds a DESS in Educational Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, as well as a Google Trainer certification (and many others!). She taught high school for 15 years before making the leap to educational consulting and then to coordinating educational services at École branchée. She loves to network and share her discoveries and is always in a learning posture!