Tara Adams, holds a B.M. in music education and music performance from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. She received her M.M. in music education from Ithaca College.  As an educator, Mrs. Adams has spent the last twenty years teaching elementary band students in the Huntington School District. She has worked with young students throughout Long Island as a guest conductor for both SCMEA and NMEA All-County Bands, and as a certified NYSSMA brass adjudicator. Mrs. Adams has presented professional workshops both locally and at the state level. Outside of the classroom, Tara enjoys performing regularly with her horn quartet Hornucopia, as well as the Suffolk Horn Club and the Northport Community Band. She has also played with Atlantic Wind Symphony, Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra, Long Island Symphonic Winds, and the Huntington Community Band. Mrs. Adams is also a piper with Northport Pipe & Drum. She lives in Huntington with her husband TJ, and two daughters.

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Frank Battista has been a Huntington music teacher since September 2001. He is a graduate of Massapequa High School and obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. His two undergraduate degrees are in Music Education and Music Performance, and his master's degree is in Music Education. Currently, he serves as the 8th grade concert band director, Finley symphonic band director, Finley ukulele club co-adviser and Finley student council co-adviser. He also coordinates the district wide chamber ensemble concert each year. Frank Battista was a member of the Huntington Blue Devil Marching Band staff for 16 years and taught at Huntington's Summer Arts Enrichment camp for 14 years. Mr. Battista has had the pleasure of guest conducting all-county concert bands and at district honors music festivals across long Island. Mr. Battista has also had the honor of presenting numerous workshops for music educators through SCMEA, NYSBDA, NCMEA and MENC throughout his career. Frank Battista is also a founding member of Stik Figures Percussion Ensemble. He enjoys teaching private percussion and ukulele lessons and performing in his free time

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Riki Braunstein earned both a Bachelor of Arts and  Master of Arts in music from Brooklyn College. She continued her studies and earned a Master of Arts in School Leadership and Administration.  She taught instrumental music on the middle school level in the New York City public school system. After 25 years, she left the classroom to become first a Staff Developer mentoring new and developing teachers, then Assistant Principal and finally Principal. During her tenure as a classroom teacher, Mrs. Braunstein served as associate conductor of the Brooklyn Borough-Wide Salute to Music  Orchestra and created several inter-visitation programs to introduce the musical ensemble experience to young school musicians. She was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award and the Arts Teacher of the Year Award in NYCDOE District 21. She has taught a variety of music education courses at Brooklyn College since 2005 and has taught education at the College of Staten Island and Touro College. As a lecturer in Music Education and Secondary Education  at Brooklyn College, she  mentors student teachers through  the observation process,  facilitates workshops on the edTPA, mentors  Teaching Fellows and  presents workshops to fellow principals and school administrators in using the MOTP: Measures of Teaching Practice and the Danielson Framework for Teaching to evaluate teachers of music.

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Cara Brown currently serves as Music and Drama teacher at East Woods School in Oyster Bay. At East Woods, Ms. Brown teaches General and Vocal Music to Pre-Nursery through 4th grade as well as various Upper School electives including Choir, Drama, and Musical Theatre. In addition to her work at East Woods, Ms. Brown maintains an active practice teaching private piano and voice lessons and also serves as Director of the Theater Education Program at the Smithtown Performing Arts Center. Previously the Associate Artistic Director and Resident Musical Director for the Smithtown Performing Arts Council, she has received multiple Broadway World nominations for Best Musical Direction and her private students are regularly selected to attend All-County and All-State festivals. Ms. Brown has also served as accompanist and assistant conductor for the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Chamber Chorale since 2007. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Butler University and her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Hofstra University. 

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Dr. Robert Corbino has served as the Chairperson of the Music Department of St. Francis Preparatory School since 1980, originally joining its faculty in 1976.  He is the school’s longest tenured Department Chair.  Under his leadership, he has guided a department which had only one band, one chorus, and three teachers into a program with a formidable curriculum of three bands, three choirs, three orchestras, two percussion ensembles, beginner classes in all four orchestral families, two levels of theory classes (including Advanced Placement), an electronic orchestration class, two levels of music technology and production classes, and a music history class.  He currently heads a department of eight faculty members and an adjunct instructor, that teaches 60% of the student body.  Now teaching second-generation Prep students, Dr. Corbino was installed as an Honorary Alumnus in 2006 and received Prep’s Excellence in Education Award in 2014.  He also received the Prep’s highest honor, the Franciscan Spirit Award, in 1995. Dr. Corbino taught for many years at St. John’s University, founding the University’s Jazz Band, thus providing scholarship opportunities for students.  More recently, Dr. Corbino received a New York State Senate Proclamation from Martin J. Golden, an Office of the Executive Citation from Edward P. Mangano, a City of New York Proclamation from Eric Ulrich, and was one of the 2013 recipients of the Chairman's Honoree Award from the Josephine Foundation.  In December of 2013, he was recognized a one of “50 Directors Who Make A Difference,” by School Band and Orchestra Magazine.

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Gina Costanza, Music Teacher, KIPP NYC. Gina has spent the last 12 years teaching general music and chorus to students in grades K-12 in public, private, and charter schools. She received her Bachelor's in Music Education from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where she served as the NAfME Collegiate Chapter’s Treasurer and as the Province 6 Representative for NYSSMA Collegiate. She received her first Master’s in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. This spring she will be graduating with a second Master’s in School Building Leadership from City College of New York. This is her 3rd year as the music teacher at KIPP Infinity Elementary School in West Harlem. This year, she co-founded the KIES Choir and is serving as the musical director of Jungle Book Kids, which is her school’s inaugural musical theater production. In addition to this, she serves on the Sunshine Committee, as the Cub Advisor for all before and after school programming at KIES, and as the elementary voice on the committee for the K-8 Pilot Music Program at KIPP Amp in Brooklyn. She has presented workshops at the 2015 NAfME Regional Conference and for the past 5 years she has presented sessions at the NYSSMA Winter Conference. In 2015, she and Leonore Nelson co-founded the NYC Charter School Music Group. They will be producing their 3rd Annual Charter School Music Festival in East Harlem on Saturday, March 3rd.

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Dr. Susan A. Davis is Assistant Professor of Music Education and C-NAfME Advisor at Queens College where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in instrumental and string methods, supervises student teachers, and coaches chamber music. Susan previously taught in the Smithtown Central School District for 14 years where she led string, symphonic and chamber orchestras as well as an alternative string ensemble, the West Side Fiddlers. Susan has published in the Journal for Music Teacher Education, American String Teachers Journal, American Music Review and the International Journal of Music Education. She has presented multiple workshops for NAfME, NYSSMA, ASTA, and ISME, and also enjoyed working as a guest conductor/clinician for MEANYC,  LISFA  and other honors festivals.

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Dr. James Frankel is the Head of Digital Education for the Music Sales Group, and Director of MusicFirst. Previously, he was the Managing Director of SoundTree, and before that he was the instrumental and general music teacher for 15 years in New Jersey Public Schools. Jim is a widely published author in various state, national and international journals of music education. He is the author of The Teachers Guide to Music, Media & Copyright Law, co-author of YouTube in Music Education, contributing author for Critical Issues in Music Education and co-author of Making Music with GarageBand & Mixcraft. In addition to his writing, Jim is a highly sought-after clinician and keynote speaker in the local, national and international music education community. He is on the Board of Directors for TI:ME and is the past president of ATMI.

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Dr. David Gaines is the Curriculum Associate for Music in the Massapequa Public Schools. He has held this position since 2008. In this position, he has developed a strong interest in music and the brain and especially the implications of this research for students with special needs.  Previously, he was the band director at Massapequa High School. During that time, his ensembles routinely performed at a high level of achievement, repeatedly receiving Level 6 Gold and Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Major Organization Festivals. It was during this time that he wrote his dissertation on high school wind repertoire.  Outside of Massapequa, he is the current NYSSMA Past President. Prior to this, Dr. Gaines served as President, President-Elect, 2nd Vice President, and represented Zone 13 (Nassau County) on the NYSSMA Executive Council. He has also served as a major ensembles, all-state and regular brass adjudicator, NYSSMA Manual Band and Wind Ensemble chair. Additionally, he has assisted in the training of new brass adjudicators. Dr. Gaines has received degrees from the UMASS Amherst, Queens College, George Mason University, and Columbia University. His specialties include wind conducting and instrumental music education. He has taught both undergraduate and graduate music education and conducting courses at Queens College.

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Christina Guando is now entering her fourth year as a general music teacher in the Massapequa Public School District. In her time at Massapequa she has participated in the development of the middle school general music curriculum and pioneered a life skills music program for students with special needs at both the middle school and high school level. Through the life skills music program she has developed an incredible passion for teaching music to students with special needs and taking part in the many successes her students experience through music. Christina holds a bachelor’s in music education from CUNY Queens College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in music education at CUNY Queens College.

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Jules Hollander is a white, cis-male, musician, music educator, activist, and lover of nature. His most important objectives as an educator is instilling a love of music in his students, while continuously striving to create an anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-capitalist space in his classroom. He also really loves bass.

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Robert L. Johnston is celebrating his twenty-second year as Director of String Studies at St. Francis Preparatory School.  Under Mr. Johnston’s guidance, Prep’s string program has grown from one small orchestra and one teacher, to three orchestras and six sections of beginner classes, and three teachers.  Mr. Johnston’s Prep orchestras have performed for the Formal Diplomatic Departure Ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI’s 2008 American visit, and the “Friar Francis; traces, words, images” exhibit in 2015.  In 2007-08, Prep’s Chamber Orchestra was invited to record a series of concerts for the Brooklyn Diocese’s Prayer Channel.  Just last month, they performed for the inauguration of the new president of St. Francis College.  Under Mr. Johnston’s leadership, Prep’s Chamber Orchestra has earned numerous gold medal ratings from the New York State School Music Association.  He has led the Chamber Orchestra on three European tours to England and Italy, and will travel to Oxford, Cambridge, and London this summer. Since 2009, Mr. Johnston has served as Prep’s Co-Internal Coordinator for their Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.  It was during Mr. Johnston’s tenure that Prep became the first school ever to earn the Association’s Program of Distinction in Music, which is aimed at recognizing only those schools with the most sophisticated programs and the highest goals in music education.

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Kimberly Larkin is an alumnus of The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where she studied both voice and piano and received her BA in Music Education. She also holds an MA in Vocal Performance/Musical Theatre from NYU. Ms. Larkin directs a music program she created at St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens and is the the Vocal Teacher for the Theatre Department at Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset, LI. She directs the CPSM Musical Theatre Summer Workshop at Queens College, a program she also created. Kimberly’s recent NYC theatre performance credits include: G69 Triple X-treme Oscillator (2016 Strawberry One Act Festival), Christmas Rappings (AEA Showcase), Float (2015 Dream Up Festival), F.F. of America (2015 Strawberry One-Act Festival), Molly Bloom-Lately (New York Children's Theatre Festival) and Bare: A Pop Opera at The York Theatre. Ms. Larkin performed as Sarah Lincoln in the off-Broadway musical Honestly Abe at the Actor's Temple Theatre in NYC for over 2 years.

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Dr. Andrea Maas has most recently served as the Andrea is the Director of Curriculum at MusicFirst in NYC and Director of Student Teaching in the program of Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University where she successfully completed her Doctoral degree in Music Education as of May, 2016. She taught K-12 music in Vermont public schools, founded and conducted community choirs with students aged 3-80 for over 16 years and maintained a private voice studio before returning to life as a student in NYC. Since then she has worked with undergraduate and graduate level students to develop skills, understandings and approaches toward music education in both the music and non-music classroom. Andrea’s musical training and teaching experiences include piano, voice, general music, choir, band, theory and musical theater. These experiences along with her work with pre-service teachers, continues to inform Andrea’s commitment to music education. Her dissertation, “Musical Expression in the High School Choral Classroom” is now available online. 

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Dr. Kristin Mozeiko is a full time lecturer of Music Education at Queens College, City University of New York, where she conducts the Queens College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches conducting, and other music education courses to graduate and undergraduate music education majors. She is an AmSAT certified Alexander Technique teacher and teaches the technique to music majors. Dr. Mozeiko holds degrees in music education (BA), French horn performance (MM) and music education (DMA). In her research and writing she integrated the Alexander technique with music education/performance.  Dr. Mozeiko is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the New York State School Music Association, AmSAT, the Women’s Band Directors Association, CBDNA, and IMTE (Instrumental Music Teacher Educator).

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Michel Nadeau, received his master’s in music education at the Aaron Copland School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School of music. Mr. Nadeau has been teaching band for 30 years in the Commack Public Schools in Suffolk county.  He has taught over 3000 beginners and has sent over 1000 students to the NYSSMA solo festival.  His bands have received gold with distinction at the NYSSMA majors’ festival while rehearsing only once per week. He is the author of Band Brilliance Complete band methods for beginners and intermediate level students and has sold over 10,000 books. Mr. Nadeau is the co-founder and assistant conductor of the Long Island Wind Ensemble. He has guest conducted numerous All-County bands and jazz bands on Long Island. Mr. Nadeau also founded both the Elementary band directors’ symposium and the November conference day music symposium in Suffolk County. He has been a guest clinician for NYSCAME on the topics of balance and intonation, music technology, low brass playing, and jazz improvisation. Mr. Nadeau was a euphonium soloist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and is on their “Quiet City” recording. His proudest moment was playing in duet with Wynton Marsalis during a reading clinic for the eventual “Quiet City” recording. Prior to this he marched in the Macy’s parade with the McDonald’s All-American band.

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Leonore Nelson received her Bachelor of Music Performance in Voice from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her Masters of Music Education from Columbia Teachers College.  She has lived and worked as a singer and music teacher in Berlin, Germany, Washington DC and New York City.  She has sung as a choir member and occasional soloist with the Bach Consort, Master Choral of Washington DC, Basilica of the National Shrine in DC, and Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble.  She currently works as a music educator and choir director at Growing Up Green Charter School and is passionate about advocating for high quality music education to be part of every child’s education, especially in low income neighborhood schools.  

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Alan Orloff began studying the horn at the Sunquam School, Half Hollow Hills Schools, in 1959. He received his BS from Ithaca College where he studied with John Covert and played in the Ithaca College Concert Band under the baton of Walter Beeler. He was the Administrative Assistant of Long Island’s Orchestra da Camera, helping produce over 1400 events during his 3-season tenure.  He began a 32-year career as a music teacher in the Commack Public Schools in 1978. He has performed with the Orchestra da Camera, Suffolk Symphony, Great Neck Symphony, Massapequa Symphony, WICOS, Northport Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band of Suffolk, Northport Community Band and the Huntington Community Band, where he serves as Principal 1st Horn.   Alan Orloff is the founder of the SCMEA Day of Horn, now in its 14th year.  Alan is also the New York State Area Representative for the International Horn Society. A NYSSMA member since 1968, Alan was also the Commack Teacher’s Association Political Action Chairman for over 20 years. Trained by the New York State United Teachers at numerous leadership conferences and seminars, he represented the teachers of Commack Schools at dozens of local, State and National Advocacy events. Upon retirement, Alan received the incredible honor of being asked to become the NYSSMA Government Relations Chairman, responsible for making sure that the 2 million school music students of New York and their parents are supported across New York State as well as in Albany and Washington.   He is, proudly, the principal horn of the Huntington Community Band and a member of the Hornucopia Quartet.  He is the founder of the SCMEA Day of Horn and the Suffolk Horn Club.  He is the NY State Area Rep of the International Horn Society.  He has an active Huntington studio where he teaches private horn lessons.

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Anthony Pinelli received his Bachelors of Music Degree in Music education from Ithaca College and his Master’s Degree in Music and Liberal Studies from Stony Brook University of New York. He is currently employed by Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York where directs two Orchestras and teaches Improvisation and Sound Engineering. Anthony is also an adjunct professor at Long Island University Post where he teaches String Pedagogy and Methods class. Anthony is currently serving as the NAfME Eastern Division Orchestra Chair and the NYSSMA All-State Orchestra Assistant Chair. In the past he has served as the New York ASTA president, and for 10 years the New York State School Music Association String Chair. He is also an active member of Long Island String Festival and Nassau Music Educator Assoc. In his teaching career, he has worked at a verity of Summer Music Camps. Most recently, he has been the Bass Instructor for the Ithaca College Summer Music Academy since it began. He was a conductor of the Camerata Sinfonietta Youth Orchestra where he had the privilege of world premiering works at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. He also was the founder and Co-Director of the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra. Anthony is a frequent clinician for Double Bass and Orchestral Rehearsal Techniques throughout the tri state region. He has presented at New York State Winter Conference, Long Island’s Balanced Mind Conference and Co-Presented at All Eastern in 2015 on NAfME’s new National Music Core Standards. Anthony is also an active guest conductor in the region. Anthony also performs in the New York Metropolitan region as a bassist in both Jazz and Classical venues. He maintains an active private studio.

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Charles Rufino, of the Long Island Violin Shop, born in New York in 1952, has been immersed in the art of the violin since 1974. His apprenticeship at the Newark School of Violin Making in England included periods of study at the great London workshops of J&A Beare, and W.E. Hill & Sons. He returned to New York in 1977 for further training in violin making and restoration under V.Y. "Nigo" Nigogosian. In 1980 he traveled to Chicago to begin a four year association with Carl Becker & Son of Chicago, personally assisting Mr. Becker in the creation of a number of Becker instruments. In 1984 Charles Rufino opened his own studio in New York making violins, violas, and cellos, and working actively with leading musicians. Today his instruments are played in orchestras across the United States, from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to the Santa Barbara Symphony. 

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Michael Salzman, NYSSMA President, has been the Tuba and Euphonium instructor at Hofstra University since 1994. In addition, he has held the position of Coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts for the Syosset Central School District since 2004. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University where he studied with Harvey Phillips, and a Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music where he was a student of Warren Deck, former Principal Tubist of the New York Philharmonic. Other important teachers have been Sam Pilafian, Bill Barber, Michael Lind and Paul Krywicki. He also holds degrees in music education and educational administration from Queens College and Hofstra University respectively. A well known and respected tubist and teacher in the New York metropolitan area, Professor Salzman is a former Principal Tubist of the Long Island Philharmonic and a founding member of the Cosmopolitan Brass Quintet. He also has performed with such groups as The Concert Pops of L.I., the Bridgeport Symphony, the Goldman Band and Max Morath's 92nd Street Y Ragtime Band. Extremely active in the field of music education, he has served as the President of the Nassau Music Educators Association (NMEA) and as All State Band Chair for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). He has also served NYSSMA as a member of their Finance, Government Relations, and Advocacy Committees. In addition to his work at Hofstra and in Syosset, he remains active as a freelance tubist and as a guest conductor.

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Jennifer Schmelter is a graduate of Fredonia School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook. As a public school educator for 29 years, she has taught middle school and high school level marching band, jazz band, and pit orchestra. Jennifer is currently employed in the South Huntington UFSD as the 7th grade band director, and is the assistant marching band director of the Huntington Blue Devil Marching Band. She takes her bands to NYSSMA Majors and they achieve gold status on a regular basis. She is an active member of NYSSMA, NAfME and SCMEA and has also co-chaired all county and district festivals.  She performs as a french horn player in the Long Island region and is a member of the Suffolk Horn Club.

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Paul Schmelter is a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook. He has been an educator for 28 years, teaching middle school social studies before becoming a school administrator.  Paul was honored as a Finalist for NY State Teacher of the Year, LICSS Middle School Teacher of the Year and News 12 Educator of the Month. He has served as an instructor for numerous NYSUT graduate level courses. As both a teacher and an administrator, Paul has served on dozens of interview committees. He is currently the principal at Burr Intermediate School in Commack, NY.

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Dr. Janice Smith, Professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music, is currently serving as Acting Dean for the Division of Arts and Humanities. Dr. Smith's research addresses the impact of teacher imposed structure on children's musical compositions. Her work also focuses on the revision process in children's compositions and the effect scaffolding can have on that process. Another area of research interest is the professional experiences of beginning music educators in urban settings. Professor Smith is co-author with Professor Michele Kaschub (University of Southern Maine) of the book, Minds on Music: Composition for Creative and Critical Thinking (Rowman and Littlefield, 2009) and co-editor of the forthcoming book, Composing our Future: Preparing Music Educators to Teach Composing. Professor Smith's writings have appeared in the Music Educators Journal, General Music Today, Research Studies in Music Education, Music Education Research International, and Research and Issues in Music Education and in state journals in Maine, Illinois and New York . She has presented sessions at divisional and national NAfME conferences, national College Music Society conferences, The Society of Music Teacher Education, the International Conference on Assessment in Music Education, the Research in Music Education conference in Exeter, UK and state conferences in Maine, Illinois and New York. She has served on the editorial board of the Music Educators Journal and served as guest editor of an issue of that publication on teaching opera to children. Prior to coming to the Aaron Copland School of Music, Professor Smith had a thirty-year career in the public schools of Maine as a general music specialist. At the Aaron Copland School of Music she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in general music, foundations of music education, and music methods for elementary teachers. She supervises student teachers and advises the graduate music education portfolio projects. She is the undergraduate coordinator for music education. 

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Martin Urbach - Percussionist Martin (pronounced mar-TEEN) Urbach is a Latino immigrant, music educator, musician and activist. His work in the classroom is based on creating safe spaces for young students to fall in love with music and to promote social justice through music making. Since 2003, Martin has shared his love for music, and all the arts with thousands of students as a master teaching artist and certified music educator. He has taught world drumming, general music, music technology and popular music courses in elementary, middle and high schools. Martin also has a wealth of experience teaching students with different abilities, ranging from students on the autism spectrum, deaf-blind students as well as students with cerebral palsy. He has designed and implemented Arts integration curriculum aligned to the Common Core State Standards as well as the National Arts Standards.