Musicollaborative
Exploriential Music Learning for All Ages
Creative Collaborators
Musicollaborative facilitators are experienced artist~educators, and many hold degrees and certifications in their respective fields. (If you are viewing on a mobile device please note that a full listing of facilitator bios is available on a desktop computer.)
Kaya, Founder &
Creative Director;
Facilitator of Early Childhood-Teen Programs
"Kaya" Martínez-Lee, MME, has enjoyed more than two decades of experience in educational service. In 2013 she left the public schools and founded Musicollaborative in order to hold space for creativity and collaboration in a small group setting. She is a saxophonist and vocalist with a deep passion for music as a medium of personal empowerment and community building. Ms. Lee is a lead facilitator for most child&family classes, youth ensembles and camps. Proceeds from her album, Emergence, support Musicollaborative.
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Howe,
Percussion & Guitar Specialist & Assistant Facilitator
Equally adept on percussion, strings and voice, Howe Pearson is a multi-instrumentalist with boundless energy, patience and positive energy. He is not only a private percussion and guitar instructor at Musicollaborative but also assists with group classes and camps and leads a youth choir at Arise Academy. You can hear Howe performing with a variety of local bands or singing with Christ Church Cathedral choir.
Xavier,
Percussion & Brass Specialist & Assistant Facilitator
New Orleans native Xavier Reed-Molina is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He studied at the esteemed high school conservatory NOCCA and recently earned his bachelor's degree from UNO. He has been honored to study with some of New Orleans' great players and teachers such as Steve Masakowski, Ed Petersen, and Ricky Sebastien. His skill set includes proficiency on the trumpet and drum set, and is also knowledgeable about various percussion, guitar, voice, and composition/song-writing. He performs regularly with the Dominic Minix Quartet and plays jazz and funk in the Crescent City and beyond.
Khari, Co-Founder;
Woodwinds Specialist
and Director of the
Grown Folks Lab Band
Co-Founder Khari Allen Lee, MM, MFA, is one of New Orleans' most in-demand musicians, regularly performing, recording and touring with noteworthy artists in addition to leading his own ensemble, the New Creative Collective. Along with his full performance schedule, he is a faculty member for the acclaimed New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) and adjunct faculty at UNO and Loyola University. Mr. Lee has produced 3 studio albums as composer and bandleader in addition to his work on numerous other recording projects. To learn more visit www.KhariAllenLee.com.
Jade,
College Intern,
Xavier University
Formerly our high school intern, Jade graduated in 2017 and now studies music education at Xavier University. She is a multi-instrumentalist who brings positive energy and a deep enthusiasm for music making wherever she goes. Her skill set includes proficiency on piano, voice, flute and piccolo, sousaphone, bass and drums. In addition to sharing her musical gifts with younger learners at Musicollaborative, Jade performs weekly in local churches and teaches private piano lessons.
Gabrielle,
Bowed Strings Specialist
When not inspiring learners at Musicollaborative violinist Gabrielle Fischler maintains a thriving private studio, serves on the faculty of the Ellis Marsalis Center and Make Music Nola, and directs NOLA Chamber Fest, a chamber music competition for young aspiring musicians and community members. She makes local appearances with the LPO, the New Orleans Opera, Crescent Chamber Artists, the New Resonance Orchestra, Groupmuse, Jefferson Performing Arts Society among others.
Charles,
Assistant Facilitator,
Low Brass & Bass Specialist
Charles Lumar is a Loyola Graduate and a regular on the New Orleans Music scene. He is a monster bassist and rocks some serious sousaphone. When not helping young musicians get into the groove he is lighting up the stage. Charles is currently touring with Solange.
Audrey,
Piano Specialist & Assistant Camp Facilitator
Audrey Smith is a certified music educator with a specialization in piano performance with an emphasis in jazz studies and K-4 general music education. Among her many talents Audrey also plays drums and guitar. An alumnus of New Orleans' Artist Corps, Audrey has a thriving private piano studio and has taught in both public and private schools. She currently serves as the early childhood music specialist at McGehee School in New Orleans.
Shanda,
Substitute Facilitator
Kei,
Music Therapist
Board Certified Music Therapist Keisha "Kei" Slaughter brings her music therapy expertise to our grant-funded programs serving children with special needs. She is a prolific song-writer and multi-instrumentalist dedicated to helping young people find their voices.
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Jennie,
Substitute facilitator
Jennie Lavine is a classical, jazz, and klezmer clarinetist. She is the founder of Klezmephonic, an Ann Arbor-based klezmer band, and plays with a couple of jazz combos. She has played in swing, blues, and klezmer groups in her previous hometowns and with the Capitol City Opera Company in the Atlanta area. Jennie has a Bachelor's degree from Emory University, where she studied clarinet with Ted Gurch, assistant principal clarinet of the Atlanta symphony. She also studied with Richard Faria, professor of clarinet at the Ithaca College school of music, for six years.
Current musical projects: Klezmephonic (Ann-Arbor based) and
Slow Danger Brass Band (New Orleans)
Réshanda Yates was born and raised on the West Bank and graduated from North Texas with a degree in music education and clarinet performance. Shanda's experience in music education ranges from early childhood general music to developing middle school bands and private clarinet instruction. Ms. Shanda teaches private clarinet lessons in addition to assisting with elementary and teen ensembles.