Center for Music National Service

JoVia Armstrong – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

JoVia Armstrong is a Detroit-bred multi-percussionist, educator, songwriter, and producer. A 2009 Detroit Music Award nominee for Outstanding World Instrumentalist, she studied Afro-Cuban percussion at Michigan State University and earned a BA in Music Business at Columbia College, Chicago.

Mikki Boyd – MusicianCorps Bay Area 2010 - 2011

Mikki Boyd is a multidimensional and distinctive Bay Area urban vocalist, composer, singer/songwriter, arranger and educator. Mikki earned her B.A. in jazz/popular music at San Francisco State University and her M.M. in jazz composition and performance at Northern Illinois University.

Laura Cambrón – MusicianCorps Bay Area 2009 - 2011

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. She has a BS in International and Chicano/Latino Studies from the University of California, Irvine.

Rebecca Crenshaw – MusicianCorps New Orleans Pilot 2009 - 2010

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.

Zack Feinberg – MusicianCorps New Orleans Pilot 2009 - 2010

A graduate of Tulane University and an and emerging New Orleans musician, Zack Feinberg has 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 has a BA in Psychology with concentrations in Neuroscience and Music.

Cyndy Fike – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

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. 

Bob Frazier – MusicianCorps Bay Area Pilot 2009 - 2010

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 has 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.

Jason Grimm – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

Jason Grimm has been a professional pianist and teacher in Chicago for the past ten years. He’s had the honor of working with several youth arts and arts-therapy programs around the city, including Gallery 37, The Goodman Theatre, DePaul University and The Auditorium Theatre. He regularly teaches musical improvisation and is also a private vocal coach.

Jeff Harms – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

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. 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.

Vernon Lloyd – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

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. He studied music composition and performance at the American Conservatory of Music.

Eduardo Mendonça – MusicianCorps Seattle Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Arts Corps)

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." 

Amos Miller – MusicianCorps Seattle Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Arts Corps)

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. 

Nathaniel Money – MusicianCorps New Orleans Pilot 2009 - 2010

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. 

Carla Moreno – MusicianCorps Seattle Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Arts Corps)

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’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.

Javier Núñez – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

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. 

Alex Pinto – MusicianCorps Bay Area Pilot 2009 - 2010

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.

David Pulphus – MusicianCorps New Orleans Pilot 2009 - 2010

David Pulphus is one of New Orleans’ premier bass players, touring and recording with internationally acclaimed artists such as Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Harry Connick, Jr., and Tony Bennett. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his studies with legendary jazz pianist and instructor Ellis Marsalis inspired his passion for teaching and furthering New Orleans musical traditions.

Samuel Russell – MusicianCorps Bay Area Pilot 2009 - 2010

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.

Lendl San Jose – MusicianCorps Bay Area Pilot 2009 - 2010

Lendl San Jose is a music educator known for his appetite for learning new instruments. He has studied every instrument in the symphony orchestra as well as guitar, saxophone, piano, ukulele and the 14-string Philippine mandolin. Lendl has served as a pre-school teacher, band and choir director, conductor and mentor to urban youth. He has a BA in Music from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently working towards his Music Teaching Credential at California State University, East Bay.

Jamie Topper – MusicianCorps Chicago Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Urban Gateways)

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), and others.

Aaron Walker-Loud – MusicianCorps Seattle Pilot 2009 - 2010 (Arts Corps)

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. 

Alexandra Anaya - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Alexandra Anaya recently graduated with a MA in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Riverside. She previously served as a Gluck Fellow for the Arts in Riverside, California working as a performing  scholar, playing with an Andean music ensemble and teaching children's Salsa workshops.

Douglas Blossom – AmeriCorps*VISTA, Chicago

Doug Blossom is a singer and voice teacher. Doug holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Grand Valley State University and a MM in Vocal Performance from Western Michigan University. He has helped establish new community and church choirs throughout West Michigan.

Victoria Hall - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Victoria Hall has worked as an arts administrator in a variety of organizations.  Most recently she was the Administrative and Financial Assistant at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, MA.  Victoria received a MS degree from Boston University in Arts Administration.

Cooke Kelsey - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Cooke Kelsey has ten years experience serving nonprofit organizations. After graduating from the University of Texas, he served at a community camp in the backwaters of Florida and in disaster relief efforts in the gulf. He enjoys Texas blues-rock keyboard and plays the accordion.

Jasmine Mahmoud - AmeriCorps*VISTA, Seattle

Jasmine Mahmoud is a musician, arts journalist, and public service advocate. After she received her MA in Arts Politics from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Jasmine founded the magazine The Arts Politic. She received a BA in Government from Harvard University, where she volunteered as a music teacher and wrote for The Harvard Crimson.

Clare Smith Marash - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Clare Marash is a multi-instrumentalist and writer. She studied psychology, musicology, and creative writing, graduating with honors from the University of Michigan. During college, she served with Arts Enterprise, an organization that brings the tools and resources of the creative arts into the fields of business and civic service. She is also the winner of a Hopwood Prize in Short Fiction.

Lauren Silberman - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Lauren Silberman is a classical musician and music teacher specializing in clarinet, flute and saxophone. Lauren holds a BM in Clarinet Performance and Musicology from the Boston University College of Fine Arts.  She is a graduate of the San Francisco School of the Arts High School.

Eliot Winder – AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Eliot Winder is a trombonist who has performed at prestigious venues on four continents. Eliot received a BA in Music at UCLA. He continued his studies at the Univ. of Texas, Austin, where he received an MM in Historical Musicology.

Chris Howarth - AmeriCorps*VISTA, SF Headquarters

Chris Howarth is a musician, filmmaker, graphic artist and web designer. Chris has been involved in a number of musical activities, including giving lessons and performing in several bands. Majoring in Music Industry Management, Chris received his BS in Business from Ferris State University in Michigan.