2026 Featured Presenters!

STRINGS FEATURED PRESENTERS

Christopher Schroeder 

Boston-based musician, educator, and arts advocate Christopher Schroeder is a catalyst for social change through music and arts education. With nearly two decades of arts leadership and teaching experience, he has successfully established programs and influenced music ecosystems within the Boston community and throughout the United States. Most recently, he was recognized as a finalist for the 2022 Excellence Award in Leadership for the Massachusetts Non-Profit Network, Boston Future Leader by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and a quarter-finalist for the 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award.

Schroeder currently serves as the Executive Director of the Boston Music Project, Adjunct Faculty at Emerson College, Visiting Faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College, and is a guest conductor and clinician with Conn Selmer, Inc. Under his leadership, Schroeder led the Boston Music Project through transformative growth amidst a global pandemic, penning its first three-year strategic plan, leading an organizational rebrand, expanding the scale of the program from 1 site serving 150 youth with 17 staff, to 14 sites serving 1,000 youth with 52 staff, and establishing fiscal health - quadrupling its operating budget from a -$53K deficit to +$1.3 million in three years. Now, BMP is a $2.6M organization with 70+ part- and full-time teachers and admin, supporting over 2,400 youth across 30+ schools and community centers. 

As an experienced conductor and trumpeter, Schroeder connects and inspires musicians of all ages to achieve their highest level of musicianship, while instilling character traits that transcend rehearsal and performance spaces. As a nationally-recognized speaker and consultant, he works together with arts leaders and educators on organizational strategy, program development/ implementation, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and community engagement.

Prior to this work, he was an Arts Coordinator with Boston Public Schools, the Director of Community Engagement & Resident Artist for Conservatory Lab Charter School since the inception of its El Sistema music program in 2010; Music Director of the Cape Youth Orchestra with the Cape Symphony & Conservatory; Program Manager and Faculty for Longy School of Music of Bard College’s El Sistema Side-by-Side Program; and National Teaching Faculty with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA National Youth Orchestra.

Deborah Apple

Deborah Apple is an active and diverse performer and teacher in the Boston area. At Boston Music Project for 10+ years, she currently serves as the Teacher Resource Manager, supporting our teaching artists to be engaging, effective, and compassionate teachers through classroom management support, social-emotional curriculum implementation, and music literacy resources. She also has a private studio of students in  West Roxbury, where she provides Suzuki and traditional instruction to all ages. Her students learn musicianship, theory, and technical facility as well as leadership, perseverance, and commitment through semi-annual studio recitals. At Beaver Country Day School she directs one of the middle school string ensembles and coordinates the private lesson program. In addition to her teaching, Deborah also performs with the Brookline Symphony.

JAZZ & CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE FEATURED PRESENTER

David Kauffman

David Kauffman is the Senior Manager of the Apex Arts Magnet Program in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He also supervises music teacher interns at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Ithaca College, and directs the CYSO Jazz Combo in Annapolis. Over a career spanning more than thirty years, Kauffman has distinguished himself as an educator, clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, performer, promoter, businessman, and elected official. In 2025, he was inducted into the Maryland Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. His ensembles have consistently earned superior ratings at local, regional, and state levels. In recent years, he has focused on expanding the national presence of Commercial Music Education, notably through his leadership with the Apex Commercial Band. His work helped establish Maryland’s first All-State Senior Commercial Band, where he served as the founding chair.

Kauffman currently serves as President-Elect of the Jazz Education Network. He was a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Council for Jazz Education from 2013–2022, serving as Chair from 2018–2022. He is also a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. 

He lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Jennifer, and their dogs, Stella and Cosmo. They have two adult children, Kaitlyn and Sam.

NAfME/ADVOCACY FEATURED PRESENTER

Jazzmone Sutton

Jazzmone Sutton is the Senior Manager of State Advocacy and Equity for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Before joining NAfME, she was a passionate elementary music educator and advocate.  

Recognizing the importance of creating a positive and supportive environment for others to thrive, Jazzmone implements key relational strategies to build connections and develop a collaborative spirit when assisting educators in their advocacy efforts across the nation.  

Her proven record of success in educational policy has resulted in securing music and arts education in a child’s educational journey in states such as New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and others. She has also developed a national network of state advocacy leaders called the Advocacy Leadership Force. Additionally, Jazzmone was awarded the 2024 Advocate on the Rise Award by the organization Women in Government Relations (WGR.)  

Although her current work takes Jazzmone to communities throughout the country, Jazzmone is proud to call North Carolina home. It was there that she cultivated her deep commitment to music education and advocacy. 

ACCESSIBLE MUSIC/GENERAL MUSIC FEATURED PRESENTER

Jennifer Kauffman

Jennifer Kauffman is currently a K-5 Vocal Music teacher in Baltimore County Maryland.  In her local NAfME she serves as Immediate Past President of Maryland Music Educators Association, and Past President of MD General Music Teachers Association.  Jennifer also served as Eastern Division Rep. for NAfME’s General Music Council from 2020-2022.

Previously, Jennifer has taught K-5 general music and chorus in Anne Arundel, Allegany and St. Mary’s County, secondary orchestra, general music, and band in Baltimore, and middle school orchestra & general music in Calvert County.  Serving as a guest conductor. chaperone, and adjudicator at local, district, state and eastern levels has helped her awareness of the potential for all students and the drive to change instructional strategies to meet their needs.  

Jennifer is married to her husband, David, who together have two children, Kaitlyn (27), Sam (25), and Stella & Cosmo(Beagles) in Baltimore, MD.  As an active member of the church, Jennifer has led Kids Band, Sunday school classes, and participated in several church committees.  Her time in western MD led to co-owning a retail music store, serving as a band parent association president and member, and becoming a certified Musikgarten teacher.  Community service continues as a member of NAFME, MMEA, Delta Kappa Gamma, and a MD 4-H All Star.

From 2014-2017 she piloted the National Core GM Assessments in both 2/5 grades-responding/creating music. She contributed Kindergarten and 2nd Grade lessons to Hal Leonard’s current Essential Elements Music curriculum.  With Maryland State Dept of Education Office of Fine Arts she served on their MC3 Artist Roster as a co-creator and co-facilitator of music teacher professional developments. She has also served as a co-writer for the Grades 3-8 Micro-Credentials, co-writer of the Maryland General Music K-5 Standards Revision Phase 2, and a Master Teacher in the Arts.  She has been the guest presenter for the fall and spring MMEA conferences, Education Closet’s Annual Webinars, Common Ground, and on the e-community for developing MD Music Assessments based on 21^st Century Skills.   In 2015, Jennifer was awarded an MMEA Award for Excellence in teaching.