Workshop Presenters MARIA ELEANOR BARLONGAY Maria Eleanor Mabaquiao-Barlongay, or simply “Yek” to her students, is a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Her formal training in various dances such as classical ballet, modern jazz, and tap dance started at the age of four at the Julie Borromeo Dance Arts Studio. She was a member of the premier Jazz dance company Douglas Nierras’ Powerdance. As a member of the dance company, she performed and participated in various local and international dance concerts and expositions. She was a creative director and choreographer of ADB Dance Guild. Presently, she is a faculty member of the International School Manila, where she has been teaching beginning dance, advanced dance, and ISM Dance Company and has been choreographing for the school’s various productions.Yek is also a certified Zumba instructor (ZIN member), has attended further dance studies and professional dance teacher’s workshop in the University of California in Sacramento, USA. Recently, she was invited to choreographed the tap number for La Cage Aux Folles that was shown in Manila last February and August 2015. CASSANDRA BASILE Cassandra is the associate director for International Planning and Outreach at the College Board. She is responsible for professional development event promotion and marketing strategy in an effort to increase awareness and implementation of College Board’s programs and services. Prior to joining the College Board, she spent three years in marketing at an international education technology company. Originally from Thousand Oaks, California, Cassandra has spent the last five years in New York City working in the fine art industry, technology, and education. She holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from California State University, Northridge. ROLF BECKER Born in April 1962 in Selters, Germany, Rolf graduated in 1984 from Staatliche Musikhochschule, Cologne, Germany. He has been a professional musician, composer, arranger (orchestrator), conductor and producer since 1984. He has worked on collaboration as musician (all saxophones, clarinets, flutes), conductor and arranger for RIAS Big Band (Radio Big Band Berlin), HR Big Band (Radio Big Band in Frankfurt), Paul Kuhn Orchestra, Gunter Noris Big Band, Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley Bassey, Gloria Gaynor, and many more. As collaboration as composer, orchestrator, and producer he has worked for various German and international radio, TV, and movie production companies, e.g. 1998 “Liebe Deine Nachste”; 2000-2005 “Tatort” (German crime series); 2006 “Die Heilerin 2&3” (German movie series for TV); 2006-2009 “Lily Schonauer” (German & Austrian co-production for TV); 2008 “John Rabe” (award winning cinema production); Rudi Carrell production, weekly comedy show for German TV; soundtrack for Keanu Reeves’ youngest movie “The Man of Tai Chi,” and many more. CHRISTOPHER BILL Chris is an up-and-coming musician based outside of New York City. He has been playing piano since he was six years old, trombone since he was 10, and he has been composing/arranging since he was 12. He has a bachelor of music for classical trombone performance at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music in New York. While at the conservatory he studied with critically acclaimed trombonists Weston Sprott (Metropolitan Opera), Denson Paul-Pollard (Metropolitan Opera), John Fedchock (Grammy nominated jazz trombonist), and the absolutely incomparable Timothy Albright. Chris is best known for his all-trombone arrangements of popular songs. His YouTube Channel has been gaining popularity since the summer of 2012 when he posted his version of Owl City’s “Fireflies” for six trombones. More recently, a cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” where Chris uses a looping station to compose the song on the spot went viral in the spring of 2014. His videos have amassed over 9 million views and a following of over 75,000 subscribers. In April 2014, Chris independently released his first cover album, Breakthrough, followed by his Christmas album, Smiling’s My Favorite. Since graduating from the Purchase Conservatory, Chris enjoys a busy schedule of performances, clinics, and masterclasses. In addition to producing a new video every Saturday for his YouTube Channel, he often performs at festivals such as the American Trombone Workshop, Midwest Clinic,Texas Bandmasters Association, Con Brio Festivals, Conn-Selmer Institute, and the International Trombone Festival. PETER BOONSHAFT Called one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, Peter Loel Boonshaft has been invited to speak or conduct in every state in the USA and around the world. He is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books “Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise, as well as his first book for teachers of other disciplines, Teaching with Passion, Purpose and Promise. He is also co-author of Alfred Music Publishing’s new beginning method book series, Sound Innovations for Band and Sound Innovations for Strings, as well as Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Intermediate Concert Band and Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Advanced Concert Band. Honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education, he is currently on the faculty of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he is professor of Music. Dr. Boonshaft has received official proclamations from the Governors of five states and a Certificate of Appreciation from former President Ronald Reagan, as well as performing for former President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and for Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His honors also include being selected three times as a National Endowment for the Arts Artist in Residence.
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EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2016
