Maggie Frederick

Research and Communications Coordinator

Resume

Maggie is a recent graduate of the University of St Andrews, where she earned a Master of Letters in Modern History with Distinction. At St Andrews, Maggie studied the intersection of American religious history and capitalism. This research culminated in a dissertation on gender roles within the Nation of Islam, as seen through the women’s section in the Muhammad Speaks newspaper. Maggie holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, where she majored in History and Religion. Maggie also competed on the field hockey teams at Bowdoin and St Andrews. Maggie is passionate about transferring her academic background into mission-driven work. She is adept at studying power structures and inequities and believes in the power of community and human connection to foster positive change. 

Dan DeCristofaro

Teaching artist/songwriters circle instructor

Dan DeCristofaro is a singer, songwriter, producer and arranger based in Massachusetts. His recent “genre bending” content series has pulled in over 50k followers across multiple platforms. He is also a founding member of Blue Light Bandits, an award winning, 4-piece independent groove rock band from Worcester, MA that has amassed over 3 million streams on Spotify over the course of 3 full length albums, 2 EP’s, and an array of singles. They recently made their festival debut at Boston Calling in May of 2023. In 2022 he formed quiet thrill, a singer / songwriter super duo along with long time friend and collaborator Joel Ansett. They released their debut self-titled album in July ‘22 and their song “Grace” was featured in Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist. In 2024, they were awarded the Jon Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of The Year for their song “Lost For Now”. Whether Dan is performing with the band or as a solo artist, Dan has been a staple of the New England music scene for over 10 years and stays busy with local showings and record production from his home studio in Northbridge, MA.

Harman Kaler

Teaching Artist/Songwriting instructor

Harman first began studying music at the age of 11. Throughout middle and highschool, he pursued extracurricular studies in guitar and piano. His sophomore year atCatawba College in Salisbury, NC, he elected to begin collegiate level studies in music,and for the first time considered higher level music education as a career path. Duringhis time at Catawba, Harman performed in R&B, funk, rock, and jazz ensembles underthe instruction of Dennis Reed, Jr. and Jeff Little, where he was inspired by both hiseducators and peers—who were sincere, skillful, and personable musicians—to pursuea career in music education. Since receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Music in 2022,Harman has enrolled at Boston University College of Fine Arts to obtain his Masters of Music in Music Education, with a goal of conducting doctorate research in musicology ormusic psychology.

When not engaged in his academic pursuits, Harman teaches private lessons forguitar, piano, and bass guitar. His diverse assemblage of students provides him withfresh perspectives on music and fuels his desire to do research. He enjoys studying jazz guitar in his free time.

Jeff Conner

Artistic Director, Summer Music Institute

resume

Jeff is the only original member of Boston Brass. He founded the group with some fellow Boston musicians while a student at Boston University and has engineered the meteoric rise of this ensemble’s fame in the world of popular chamber music. Jeff received his master’s degree in Music from Boston University and his bachelor’s degree in music from Boston Conservatory of Music. Jeff is a Yamaha Performing Artist, bringing 36 years experience of building and branding the Boston Brass name in the world of chamber music. He is also on the Artistic Advisory Committee for Mahidol College of Music in Bangkok, Thailand.

In 2020, Jeff was awarded the National Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for Eagle Scouts who achieve extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession and/or service to the nation.

His entrepreneurial clinic, "The Portfolio Musician" is designed to challenge, engage and assist young musicians conceptualize their potential in the music industry. He is co-author of “The Portfolio Musician, Case Studies in Success” with Grammy Nominated Musician John Laverty.

Dan Thomas

teaching artist/Songwriting instructor

Curriculum Vitae
 

Dan Thomas is a composer, bandleader, educator and internationally touring freelance guitarist based in Western Massachusetts. He holds a M.M. in Jazz Composition and Arranging from the University of Massachusetts. Since 2008, Dan has taught privately and in classroom settings from preschool through college. Dan is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with students and believes that music education is a vital part of any well-rounded curriculum. Since 2019, Dan has worked with the OpporTUNEity Music Connections program, providing guitar, piano and songwriting instruction to inmates at the Worcester, Hampshire and Franklin County correctional facilities. In an effort to continue offering music education post-incarceration, Dan also teaches guitar and songwriting classes for returning citizens at Clark University. On the stage and in the classroom, Dan fosters collaborative community-based work and encourages an open mind and an eagerness to explore a diverse range of musical influences.

Outside of the classroom, Dan has built a diverse career as a multi-genre performing/recording artist. He is the leader of the Valley Moonstompers Society, a western Massachusetts based collective of musicians and fans celebrating the legacy of Jamaican jazz and ska. Dan has worked with many regionally, nationally and internationally recognized artists including Jon Carroll (Starland Vocal Band), Mitch Chakour (Joe Cocker), Mystic Bowie (Tom Tom Club), Cappadonna (Wu Tang Clan), Jim Belushi (Blues Brothers), Ali McGuirk, Jamie Kent, Denroy Morgan, and Peter Blanchette and the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra, to name a few.

Cinamon Blair

Teaching artist/songwriters circle instructor
 

I am a descendant of the Aniyunwiya, Chickahominy and Choctaw Nations, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY on Canarsie and Munsee Lenape Land. As a singer, songwriter, and musician, I have been growing my creative expression over the past 40 years. I love to sing, vocalize harmonies and use music to self-soothe and to build connections, educate, and activate myself and listeners into whatever experience emerges and needs to happen. 

Music has literally been about health wealth my whole life. My creative process and advanced studies foster a people-focused, nurturing approach in to human interactions. In this and many ways, I’ve been inspired by my ancestors and my parents. My mother would sway in front of the speakers while I was in utero, blasting “Blue in Green” off of Kind of Blue by Miles Davis–hyper focused on the person she was growing inside. To this day, this music is my go-to soul soother, imprinted onto my DNA, it still repairs my genetic code. I have been using Music Therapy applications for self-reflection and communal connection most of my life without even knowing that’s what I was doing in an academic or professional sense.