Music Advocacy
Lisa Lang is the 5th and 6th Grade Band Director and Assistant High School Band Director in Independence, Iowa. Ms. Lang has taught for 25 years in both Iowa and Delaware and received her education at the University of Iowa.
Beth Lyons is the 5th through 8th Grade Band Director at five different elementary schools and one middle school in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She has taught several elements of music, ranging from instrumental, choir, and general music. Ms. Lyons received her education at Bradley University in Peoria,...
Marguerite Wilder was a band director for 25 years and now works in publishing as an editor and clinician. Over her time as an educator, she taught at a variety of levels, ranging from primary and secondary to junior college.
Bryan Itzkowitz is the Director of Bands at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, Illinois. He became interested in becoming a music educator in eighth grade when his band director gave him the opportunity to run rehearsals for a piece of music he had become interested in; he even got to conduct the...
Jim Funada has proudly served the music products industry in several important ways over the last 40 years. He began his career by working for the Yamaha Corp. in keyboard retailing. Beginning in the late 1960s, Jim oversaw the Yamaha school programs among keyboard dealers in the San Francisco Bay...
Ginny Mancini always loved singing! When she had the chance to form a backup group for a 17 year old vocalist coming from Chicago to Los Angles for the first time in the 1940s, Ginny jumped at it. The group became known as the Mel-Tones and they became the backup group for Mel Torme for over 3...
Felice Mancini grew up in a home full of music. Her father was an Oscar-winning composer and her mother is the noted vocalist who formed the Society of Singers. Felice has devoted herself to the non-profit world when she became involved with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation in 1998, just two years...
Cynthia Hoover has devoted her career to the history of musical instrument making in America as curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Her love of the subject has resulted in many important exhibits and publications on musical instruments since her arrival at the Smithsonian in...
Paul Gentile has created a series of artwork in the form of miniature musical instruments. His art incorporates the passion and history in works such as the saxophone, violin and piano. Like musical performers, Paul feels a great satisfaction when people connect with his art. In creating his...
Madeleine Crouch always has an endless amount of energy. In the role of industry association manager, Madeleine took over the company established by Don Dillon, which offers organizational and planning services for a number of music industry associations including RPMDA, ISB and NASMD. Madeleine...