The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

Steven Calantropio, retired music specialist, spent 31 years teaching music and movement in the River Edge, N.J. public schools. He has served as clinician at numerous regional Orff Schulwerk chapters as well as the National Conference of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (A.O.S.A.) and state Music Education conferences. Mr. Calantropio holds an Orff-Kodály-Dalcroze certificate from the Manhattan School of Music as well as an Orff Certificate from the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. He has been named a New Jersey Master Teacher of Music. Steven has been awarded the New Jersey Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award and also received the Achievement in Music Award from Ohio University, his graduate school alma mater. Mr. Calantropio has served as clinician at Carl Orff Canada National Conferences and as instructor at the English Summer Course of the Orff Institute. He has taught Orff Level III courses for over 20 years and has been a guest lecturer, levels teacher, and conference presenter at Orff Schulwerk training programs in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Hobart, Australia. Mr. Calantropio’s innovative Master Class in Elemental Music has been presented numerous times in the United States and Canada. He also teaches the Master Level IV in Orff Schulwerk at George Mason University. His most recent book, Pieces and Processes is published by Schott Music Company. Steve has been a certified computer technician for Apple Computer and has taught courses in digital technology in a number of locations. He serves as A.O.S.A.’s first Education Director.

Mary Goetze's professional activities have centered around choral music, multiculturalism, teacher education and children’s singing. Recently retired from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Dr. Goetze taught Music in General Studies and Music Education courses, and founded the International Vocal Ensemble (IVE) and the University Children's Choir. She challenges the profession to promote cultural understanding through the way diverse musics are presented and performed—an innovative approach she developed with IVE. Her initiative, for which she has been awarded numerous grants, resulted in on-going series of DVDs entitled Global Voices Interactive and Global Voices Comprehensive. As a clinician, author and conductor, she has educated teachers about children's voices, and through her synthesis of research, musical composition and choral work, she played a role in the spread of children's choirs across the country. Her numerous compositions and arrangements can be found in the Mary Goetze Choral Series published by Boosey & Hawkes. She also served as a coordinating author of Share the Music and Spotlight on Music, series books for grades K-8, and is the co-author of Educating Young Singers: A Choral Resource for Teacher-Conductors.

She holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, and the University of Colorado. Her dissertation entitled "Factors Affecting Accuracy in Children's Singing" was named Outstanding Dissertation of 1985 by Music Educators National Conference and Council for Research in Music Education. She was named Outstanding Hoosier Musician by the Indiana Music Educators Association and Outstanding Educator of the Year by the Organization of American Kodaly Educators. She has received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Indiana University as well as a Distinguished Alumnus Awards from the University of Colorado College of Music and Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and awarded the R. L. Jones Distinguished Professorship at East Carolina University School of Music, Fall 2005.

Nellie Hill, Playful Spirit Adventures, is currently a full time middle school music teacher in Howard County, Maryland and a professional Drum Circle Facilitator. She has her MA in Music Education from the University of Maryland, with extensive post graduate studies at Duquesne and Villanova. She has been a teaching assistant for Will Schmid and the World Music Drumming Workshop for 8 years. Her training includes the Arthur Hull Playshops, serving also as a mentor in Hawaii. It also includes Healthrhythms with Christine Stevens, Drum Circle Music with Kalani. Nellie was Drum Circle Facilitator for the opening of the National Music Center in Washington, D.C. and presented Drum Circle at the MENC National conference in 2009. She has presented “Drumming in your Class” workshops to school districts all over the East Coast.

Nellie believes that rhythm is the driving force of life. Circles come in many forms; circles for reflection, for healing, for community, for leadership, but most importantly for enjoyment. When you rhythm is off so is your life. So today we find our rhythm and enjoy the spirit!