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40 under 40

Chris R. Millett

Meet Chris R. Millett, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at the University of Louisville in Ke…

Tiphanie L. McClenton

Meet Tiphanie L. McClenton, Elementary Music Specialist at Bryant Elementary School in Georgia, w…

Jake Matheson

Meet Jake Matheson, Band Teacher at Forest Lake Area Middle School in Minnesota, who was recogniz…

Aron Kontorovich

Meet Aron Kontorovich, Marching Band Director and Director of Piano at James Madison High School …

Keith Ziolkowski

Meet Keith Ziolkowski, Orchestra Teacher at Creekside Middle School in Indiana, who was recognize…

Sarah Williams

Meet Sarah Williams, Band Director at West Junior High School in Pennsylvania, who was recognized…

Alex Whitehead

Meet Alex Whitehead, Director of Bands at Jefferson Middle School in Indiana, who was recognized …

Daniel Upton, Jr.

Meet Daniel Upton, Jr., Director of Bands at Harrisonburg High School and Adjunct Music Faculty a…

Enrique Tellez

Meet Enrique Tellez, Director of Bands and Orchestras at Butler Middle School in Utah, who was re…

Luis “Tito” Talamantes

Meet Luis “Tito” Talamantes, Interim Assistant Professor at Cesar Chavez High School and Mariachi…

Erik Stone

Meet Erik Stone, Band Director and Vocal Music/Media Arts Teacher at Gordon Parks Academy in Kans…

Shannon Stem

Meet Shannon Stem, K-8 Music Teacher and 6-8 Musical Theater Director at University Academy in Fl…

Eric Stashek

Meet Eric Stashek, Director of Bands at Lincoln Jr./Sr. High School in Minnesota, who was recogni…

Dr. Andrew J. Smouse

Meet Dr. Andrew J. Smouse, Co-Director of Bands and Orchestras at Valley High School in Nevada, w…

Matt Siffert

Meet Matt Siffert, Director of External Affairs with the Musical Mentors Collaborative in Colorad…

Dr. Sonya Schumann

Meet Dr. Sonya Schumann, Lecturer of Piano and Community Music School Piano Coordinator at San Di…

Trevor Rundell

Meet Trevor Rundell, Band Director at Bartlett High School in Tennessee, who was recognized as a …

Sean Rosenberry

Meet Sean Rosenberry, General Music Teacher and Director of Bands at Horace Mann School Lower Di…

Al Rodriguez

Meet Al Rodriguez, Orchestra Director at Mount Vernon High School in Virginia, who was recognized…

Rolando Rivera

Meet Rolando Rivera, Mariachi Director at Diamond Hill – Jarvis High School in Texas, who was rec…

Catherine Plichta

Meet Catherine Plichta, Director of Instrumental Music at The Theater Arts Production Company Sch…

DeVon Pickett

Meet DeVon Pickett, Director of Arts with the Scotland County Schools, who was recognized as a 20…

Kyle Norris

Meet Kyle Norris, Assistant Director of Bands at Vandegrift High School in Texas, who was recogni…

Amrutha Murthy

Meet Amrutha Murthy, Band Director at Park Vista Community High School in Florida, who was recogn…

Meghan Mulligan

Meet Meghan Mulligan, Music Teacher at The Deron School in New Jersey, who was recognized as a 20…

Kasey Julian

Meet Kasey Julian, Vocal and General Music Teacher at Orchard Hills Elementary School in Michigan…

Dr. Kyle Hutchins

Meet Dr. Kyle Hutchins, Assistant Professor of Practice in Saxophone at Virginia Tech, who was re…

Heather Hurley

Meet Heather Hurley, Director of Bands at Princeton Community Middle School in Ohio, who was reco…

Matthew Gramata

Meet Matthew Gramata, Band Director at West Milford Township High School in New Jersey, who was r…

Elaina Gallas

Meet Elaina Gallas, Music Teacher and Choral Director at Mill Creek Elementary in Tennessee, who …

Joshua Emanuel

Meet Joshua Emanuel, Music Teacher at A. MacArthur Barr Middle School in New York, who was recogn…

Heather Barclay Drusedum

Meet Heather Barclay Drusedum, Director of Choirs at Tarkanian Middle School in Nevada, who was r…

Dr. David Dockan

Meet Dr. David Dockan, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Louisiana State University, who …

Brittany Dacy

Meet Brittany Dacy, Director of Bands at Westwood High School in Texas, who was recognized as a 2…

Ashley Cobb

Meet Ashley Cobb, General Music Teacher at Catawba Trail Elementary School in South Carolina, who…

Mary Claxton

Meet Mary Claxton, Director of Teaching & Learning at Music Will in Colorado, who was recognized …

Dr. Francis Cathlina

Meet Dr. Francis Cathlina, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Memphis in Tennesse…

Ben Byrom

Meet Ben Byrom, Music Teacher at Raleigh Oak Charter School in North Carolina, who was recognized…

Zachary Arenz

Meet Zachary Arenz, Instrumental and General Music Teacher at Flower City School No. 54 in New Yo…

Ryan Adair

Meet Ryan Adair, Director of Bands at Salem Hills High School in Utah, who was recognized as a 20…

40 Under 40 – 2026

For the sixth year, Yamaha recognizes 40 outstanding music educators under the age of 40 in the “…

Liam Keller

Meet Liam Keller, Director of Orchestras at Chatham High School and Lafayette Avenue School in Ne…

Lilly Streich

Meet Lilly Streich, 5-12 Vocal Music Teacher at Galena Unit School District in Illinois, who was …

Dr. Aaron J. Witek

Meet Dr. Aaron J. Witek, Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Coordinator of Brass and Percussion a…

Dr. Rachel Woolf

Meet Dr. Rachel Woolf, Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Texas at San Antonio, wh…

Kim Webb

Meet Kim Webb, Director of Bands at Greene County Tech School District in Arkansas, who was recog…

Riley Warren

Meet Riley Warren, Director of Percussion and Assistant Band Director at Forney High School in Te…

Dr. Andrew Stetson

Meet Dr. Andrew Stetson, Director of the School of Music at Texas Tech University, who was recogn…

Michael Schnell

Meet Michael Schnell, Middle School Band Teacher at Oostburg School District in Wisconsin, who wa…

Annie Ray

Meet Annie Ray, Orchestra Director and Performing Arts Department Chair at Annandale High School …

Joshua Race

Meet Joshua Race, Director of Bands at Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Colorado, who was reco…

Nicholas Popovich

Meet Nicholas Popovich, Music Technology Teacher at Shadow Mountain High School in Arizona, who w…

Kate Phillips

Meet Kate Phillips, PK-5 Music Teacher at Grant Avenue Elementary School in New York, who was rec…

Adam Odenwelder

Meet Adam Odenwelder, Guitar Teacher at Belmont Ridge Middle School in Virginia, who was recogniz…

Leah Motl

Meet Leah Motl, Orchestra Teacher at IJ Holton Intermediate School in Minnesota, who was recogniz…

Kevin Morrison

Meet Kevin Morrison, Director of Bands at Lambert High School in Georgia, who was recognized as a…

Coty Raven Morris

Meet Coty Raven Morris, the Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education and Social Jus…

Christopher McCurdy

Meet Christopher McCurdy, Band Director at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Oregon, who was recogn…

Orien Landis

Meet Orien Landis, Director of Bands at American Fork High School in Utah, who was recognized as …

Shan Kazmi

Meet Shan Kazmi, Director of Bands at Zion-Benton Township High School in Illinois, who was recog…

Zane Kaiser

Meet Zane Kaiser, Band and Orchestra Teacher at Justice Page Middle School in Minnesota, who was …

Cody Jackson

Meet Cody Jackson, Band Director at Heights Middle School in New Mexico, who was recognized as a …

Alex Hitrick

Meet Alex Hitrick, 7-12 Music Teacher at Broadalbin-Perth Jr./Sr. High School in New York, who wa…

Dr. Cordara X. Harper

Meet Dr. Cordara X. Harper, Assistant Professor of Music Education and Choir Director at Gramblin…

Bob Habersat

Meet Bob Habersat, Director of ShedTheMusic and Commercial Music Teacher at Oak Lawn Community Hi…

Dr. Liliana Guerrero

Meet Dr. Liliana Guerrero, Assistant Professor of Voice at the Butler School of Music, University…

Marissa Guarriello

Meet Dr. Marissa Guarriello, Visiting Assistant Professor of String Music Education at the Univer…

Paul Glader

Meet Paul Glader, Band and Choir Director at Bethel-Tate Middle School in Ohio, who was recognize…

Lee B. Gibson

Meet Lee B. Gibson, Assistant Director of Bands at Barberton City Schools in Ohio, who was recogn…

Dr. Catheryn Shaw Foster

Meet Dr. Catheryn Shaw Foster, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Virginia Tech, who was r…

Dr. Sarah Fabian

Meet Dr. Sarah Fabian, Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Gardner-Webb Univers…

Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich

Meet Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, Associate Professor of Music Education and Flute at Slippery Rock …

Laura Del Rosso

Meet Laura Del Rosso, Modern Band Teacher at Lower Manhattan Community Music School in New York, …

Lindsay Cummings

Meet Lindsay Cummings, Professor of Musical Theatre Voice at the Chicago College of Performing Ar…

Tanatchaya “Tanya” Chanphanitpornkit

Meet Tanatchaya Chanphanitpornkit, Director of Orchestras at Nyack High School in New York, who w…

Dr. Gene Butler

Meet Dr. Gene Butler, Director of Bands at Smiths Station High School in Alabama, who was recogni…

Nick Blue

Meet Nick Blue, Assistant Director of Bands at Franklin High School in Tennessee, who was recogni…

Michael Blanco

Meet Michael Blanco, Assistant Director of Mariachi at Las Vegas High School in Nevada, who was r…

Erin Barra

Meet Erin Barra, Executive Director of We Make Noise and Assistant Professor and Director of the …

Evan Aguilar

Meet Evan Aguilar, Director of Choral and Piano Activities at Cibola High School in New Mexico, w…

40 Under 40 – 2025

For the fifth year, Yamaha recognizes 40 outstanding music educators under the age of 40 in the “…

Jacob Abbott

Meet Jacob Abbott, Performing Arts Director at Dresden High School in Tennessee, who was recogniz…

Dr. Jessica Vaughan-Marra

Meet Dr. Jessica Vaughan-Marra, Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education a…

Kyle D. Phillips

Meet Kyle D. Phillips, Band Director at Princeton High School in Ohio, who was recognized as a 20…

Kevin Longwill

Meet Kevin Longwill, Music Industry Teacher and Director of Modern Music Makers (M3) at Abington …

Julie Anne Russell

Meet Julie Anne Russell, Orchestra Director at Blythewood High School in South Carolina, who was …

Matthew Rupert

Meet Matthew Rupert, Co-Founder and Clarinet/Piano Faculty at Little Mission Studio and Co-Founde…

Ben Pedersen

Meet Ben Pedersen, Director of Bands at Foreman College and Career Academy in Illinois, who was r…

Cale Patton

Meet Cale Patton, Music Teacher at Gillespie Technology Magnet Cluster School in Illinois, who wa…

Dr. Stephen C. Page

Meet Dr. Stephen C. Page, Associate Professor of Saxophone and Director of Undergraduate Studies …

Allison Paetz

Meet Allison Paetz, Vocal Music Teacher at Rocky River High School in Ohio, who was recognized as…

Christopher Noce

Meet Christopher Noce, Director of Bands and Orchestras at Concord-Carlisle High School in Massac…

Alex Mutz

Meet Alex Mutz, Director of Bands at Sam L. Martin Middle School in Texas, who was recognized as …

Adam Murray

Meet Adam Murray, Orchestra Director and Music Department Chair at Port Clinton City Schools in O…

Kimberly Kraft McLemore

Meet Kimberly Kraft McLemore, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement with the Nashv…

Andrew Muth

Meet Andrew Muth, Director of Bands and Director of Performing Arts, Westfield High School in Ind…

Kacee Sanders

Meet Kacee Sanders, Band Director at DuPont Hadley Middle School in Tennessee and Executive Direc…

Dr. Jessie M. Vallejo

Meet Dr. Jessie M. Vallejo, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at California State Polytechni…

Dr. Paulina Villarreal

Meet Dr. Paulina Villarreal, Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Memphis in Tenness…

Christopher Lape

Meet Christopher Lape, Orchestra Director at Upper Arlington High School in Ohio, who was recogni…