Music Education / Music Teachers

Ed Calle is a saxophonist deeply rooted in Latin jazz. His musical journey began in junior high and high school, where he played in school bands and at his local church at just 12 years old. By 15, he was already recording on an eight-track tape machine, setting the stage for a prolific career. Throughout his career, he’s collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including the Bee Gees, George Clinton, Two Live Crew, Julio Iglesias and Gloria Estefan.

Anthony Camarda received his education at DePaul University and is the band teacher at Marlowe Middle School in Lake in the Hills, IL. His experience ranges across a number of different types of band classrooms, where he has learned the value of communication with other faculty and how to understand budgeting funds to best benefit students.

Don Canedy was a beloved band director and professor at Southern Illinois University before being hired by the Roger’s Drum Company in 1961. Don played drums beginning at the age of 10 and was a perfect fit for the company’s Educational Director. Just prior to his job at Roger’s, which at the time was owned by CBS Musical, Don played a vital role in establishing the Percussive Arts Society. Encouraged by Remo Belli, Don organized the first mailing list, poster for PAS and became the organization’s first president.  His passion was always music and music education and he provided a

Jacobo Cargua grew up in Riobamba, Ecuador, surrounded by music that has been a constant source of joy and inspiration throughout his life. Encouraged by his artistic family, Jacobo explored a wide range of instruments—from melodica, guitar, piano, bass, and flutes to cymbals in his school band—nurtured by dedicated teachers and later guided by the renowned guitarist Rugeik Kawayashi, who inspired him to practice with discipline and passion. His first role as a high school music teacher sparked a lifelong love of sharing music with children of all ages, a calling he continued for

Toni Carroll founded the Encore School of Music and Arts in Louisville, Kentucky, to serve students of all ages and abilities. Established in 2024, the school was born from Toni’s vision to create a welcoming and inclusive space for those she felt were often underserved—particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with autism, and older adults. Her approach focuses on nurturing both the musical growth of each student and the needs of their families, creating a supportive environment that has led to remarkable word-of-mouth success. With a background in the performing

Harry Carter was already a school band director when he opened a music store in Ottumwa, Iowa. The year was 1948 when Harry and two partners set out to develop a store specializing in customer service for band directors. As the store grew, Harry hired college friends and several buddies from his army days over a dozen men in fact.

Donald Casey has witnessed many changes in music education during his career. As Dean of DePaul School of Music in Chicago, Donald has studied the role of music and music education and its benefits. His interest in human creativity has led to some noteworthy studies on design and concepts of access and benefits as well as personal satisfaction that is produced with those involved with music making. He has been active in the advancement of music education over the years, a facet of his career he credits to Bennett Reimer.  

Bill Causey had a long history of music in his family.  His father was a band director and both his father’s brother and sister were fine musicians.  Bill had great memories of the family dinners being followed by a sing along and music making!  While earning his music education degree he worked for the local newspaper, a job he continued at night after college when he would teach music by day.

Joe Cecere established a small music school in 1967 in Southern Australia. As a teacher, he wanted to provide a safe and welcoming place for students at all levels to learn and appreciate music. Joe often provided meals for his students and even drove them to and from school so they wouldn’t miss their music lessons. The school grew into a store and later expanded into a music wholesale business all while keeping true to the basic philosophy that gave Joe the inspiration to open the school: supporting music education at every opportunity.

Claudio Cecere grew up in the music store his father established in Southern Australia. He learned to play drums at an early age and started giving music lessons while still in school. His part time job with the store expanded and he soon realized he wanted to make a career of it, working side by side with his father. Together they grew the music wholesale division of the business, which introduced several brands within their region including Evan Speakers, Peavey Electronics and Fender Guitars.

Jim Chapin had the idea of writing a method book for the beginning drummer that would provide clear examples and illustrations. The year was 1947 and no such book was in print. He gathered little hints and simple examples for the book that has become one of the best selling methods in the business. As a player, he toured and recorded countless times, but found the most satisfaction sitting down with one drummer or a room with 101 drummers and providing them with tools to improve their playing.

Jimmy Cheatham was one of the coolest jazz cats in the industry. Having worked with many of the top jazz players such as Duke Ellington and Ornette Coleman, Jimmy brought the sounds of tradition jazz to film scores and television programs over several decades. Jimmy’s warm personality was only watched by the smooth sounds of his trombone. When teamed with his wife, the jazz and blues pianist Jeannie Cheatham, the tones were unmistakable, clear and often strikingly intimate.

Beth Chouinard Mitchell, with a Doctorate from USC in tuba, musicology, conducting, and arts leadership, may be diminutive in stature, but her instrument of choice is anything but small. Beth is a world-class tuba player. She has performed all over the world as an acclaimed solo recital artist, in symphony orchestras, and also teaches masterclasses. She is the founder of Music Matters Global spreading music education and music appreciation to disadvantaged regions around the world. Beth shares with us the joy of music as a performer and an educator, including terrific tuba breathi

Robert Christie grew up listening to classical music at home and naturally gravitated towards percussion instruments. When he was five years old he began to play drums in church, and later on continued his studies in school. He went to Valparaiso University in Indiana where he was one of the first students to study Music Business, and later interned at Gand Music, which was his formal introduction to music retail. Robert was later introduced to A&G Central Music, where he worked for three years before purchasing the business. 

Smaragda Chrysostomou is a board member of the International Society for Music Education and serves as an advocate throughout the world in such organizations as the International Coalition during each Anaheim NAMM Show. Her dedication to music education runs deep and covers the concerns of general education teachers who provide limited but important music programs as well as full musicology and music technology courses at the university level. Smaragda is a firm believer in the idea that one never stops learning music and she never stops working diligently to provide the tools for

Brian Chung grew up surrounded by music and played piano at an early age. He earned an MBA and worked at ATT before returning to music. Brian wrote film scores using MIDI in the early 1980s, but injured his arm. As he wondered what he would do until his arm recovered, he applied and got a job at Kawai Pianos. Within several years he grew within the company, becoming senior vice president. During this time Brian became a strong supporter of many music education programs including those supported by NAMM. 

Andy Clark was one of the great personalities of the music publishing industry. Over his long and respected career, Andy served as a musician, band director, arranger, composer, and publisher, always bringing enthusiasm and creativity to music education. Known for his keen understanding of school music programs, he helped strengthen countless bands and music departments by developing meaningful educational materials and supporting directors and students alike. In 1988, Andy co-founded Norman Lee Publishing before joining C. L. Barnhouse Company later that same year.

Dana Clark grew up singing and playing with her family in church. She was just three when she started performing and within ten years she was already providing music lessons to others. Realizing a need that churches had to record their services, Dana used her initials to form DC Sound, starting off with an 8-track tape machine. In 1989 she opened DC Music in Mississippi where she used her skills as a repair technician to attract classical and orchestral musicians. In 1994 her future spouse, Michele, came into the store as a customer but realized, as Dana was juggling three phone c

Thomas Claxton has had some meaningful vocal coaches over the years who have inspired him and taught him important tips, such as how to protect his voice. Lauren Ringwald was his vocal teacher in school and later he was trained by Ron Anderson, whose long list of clients included Myles Kennedy and Axl Rose. Thomas cut his teeth in the Savannah George music scene playing in bars and nightclubs before his career took off and he could quit his day job. Thomas has also been an events producer and worked closely with the NAMM Show for the Top 100 Dealer Awards after-party in 2018 and t

Leo Coco is a senior policy advisor at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in the firm’s Washington DC office and for many years has worked with NAMM’s government relations team to advocate for access to quality music education programs.  He has played a vital role in representing music education causes before Congress and the Executive Branch and with national organizations in Washington.  Prior to his work with NAMM at Nelson Mullins, he served as a senior advisor to US Secretary of Education Richard Riley and over 2 decades held numerous senior level positions at the com

Jim Coffin was instantly recognized at any given trade show or industry meeting as the energetic advocate for music and music making.  Jim’s career as a music director and educator includes authoring several important method tools including the popular “Performing Percussionist.”  The book has been praised for its unique focus on the snare drum as well as material for bass drum, cymbals, triangle and mallet instruments. Jim’s passion for music education played a role in several programs and organizations over his long and colorful career!   

Denny Coiro spent over 40 years of his career in the piano industry. As a salesman, Denny worked for several stores over the years and had some wonderful experiences bringing a new instrument into the lives of countless customers. He studied clarinet in school and earned a degree in music education. He enjoyed providing private lessons and performing in the folk rock band Joy Unlimited. In 1974, a friend suggested he sell pianos since he had such a love for music, and to his surprise he took to selling right away. Over the years Denny worked with a number of stores, managing some

Ross Cole was inducted into the Australian Music Association's Honor Roll in 2017 for his life long career in music education. In 1978, Ross and his wife Marilyn opened Cove Music and later bought out Dickson’s Music as a way of expanding into the school music market. The business expanded into 22 schools and created programs, headed by Ross, that provide on-going education for music teachers. Ross also led the Dickson Yamaha Band Festival for 24 years, giving thousands of young musicians’ opportunities to play and compete. 

David Cole is the Director of Bands at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and is a graduate of Indiana State University. Here, he speaks about having a relationship with the administration and finding support for his music program even during tough economic times.

Michael Coleman and his wife formed a music store near Melbourne in 1989. Today, Cranbourne Music, remains a family business with their three children's involvement. An early milestone of the store's success was gaining the Casio line of products and with a strong foundation, Cranbourne branched into the school music market. The family also opened a second store and focused on programs that helped encourage music makers such as their Rock Band contests and several music education initiatives. 

Sue Collier-Lewis played piano as a young girl and loved singing, a passion that has continued with her all throughout her career as a music teacher and music advocate.  After earning her master’s degree in music education she opened her own studios, which lead to her relationship with the Yamaha Music Education program.  She worked for Yamaha until 1997 at which point she began her career in music retail.  Billy Everett hired Sue to join the Brook Mays team, which was the beginning of her long association with business side of the music industry.

Andrew Colyer’s diverse musical career has taken him across the United States, England, Canada, and Japan as a pianist, keyboardist, trumpeter, vocalist, composer, and educator. Classically trained with studies connected to The Juilliard School, Andrew developed a broad musical voice that comfortably bridges progressive rock, jazz, film composition, and solo piano performance. Throughout his career he has performed and collaborated with artists including Tony Levin, Jon Anderson of YES, Robert Berry, Simon Collins, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Marvin Stamm. His original composi

Christy Coobatis is a college music professor whose amazing musical journey includes playing professionally before he was a teenager, beta testing guitars for Leo Fender, and helping to create a guitar synthesizer for Allan Holdsworth! Christy’s latest and longest tenure as a teacher has been at MiraCosta College in Oceanside California, where he started in 2000. He grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, taking lessons at one music store in town and teaching at another. In elementary school, he played at the local fair and at 12 he was wearing a tuxedo and playing in a wedding band!

Max Cooke was an Australian classically trained pianist and professor who wrote a series of method books to assist his students. He began teaching piano students at the University of Melbourne in 1952. Along the way, he developed a teaching style based on his teachers and ideas he gathered about how students learn from his own research. When students asked him for method book suggestions for practicing, Max didn't have a good answer because he felt the books at the time did not address what he wanted his students to learn. As a result, he wrote his own method books, which include

Michael Cooney taught music in the public schools in Massachusetts for over 25 years. During the time of his teaching he also established a high-end flute company in the early 1970s called Northeast Winds. Over the years the company built a worldwide reputation for quality of product with a special focus to customer satisfaction. After retiring from teaching he spent more time with the company, which expanded to include Cavallaro cases for a time and added products such as piccolos and clarinets. Michael continued to teach and play the flute and took pride in the products that he

Frank Corniola was born in Italy and moved to Australia when he was seven years old and he began playing drums professionally as a teenager. Like many gigging musicians, Frank took a day job at a music store when he was not out touring. That first job, at Sutton's Music in Melbourne providing drum lessons, lit a fire in Frank that continues to this day. Frank wrote a drum method book based on his lessons and the success of the book prompted him to open his own music publishing company, Musictek. He also opened Drumtek, a drum shop in Melbourne, and he soon realized the drum commun

Kevin Cottrill is the Director of Bands at Seymour Community Schools and the Band Director at Seymour High School in Seymour, Indiana. He received his education at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Here, he provides insights into being a new teacher, and how to be an educator that places students first.