The BIAESN Team
Written by Marlene Markard
We are delighted to launch our summer project to design a music curriculum for aspiring pre-college and college age musicians with learning challenges, alongside our BIAESN partners. Collaboration, inclusion, practical strategies, and real-world experience are centerpieces of our philosophy. Meet our team below!
MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS
Team Leader
Marlene Markard is a music educator, pianist, presenter, program director, and curriculum developer experienced in neurodiversity-centered arts education. Marlene is the founder and director of Markard Music, leads the Boston Arts Academy's music inclusion initiatives, and serves as the principal curriculum developer for Southwest Florida Music Education Center. She is a Berklee certified teacher and concert pianist trained at New England Conservatory and Berklee.
Team Members
Naela Cantigas (voice) is a music educator and performer who specializes in teaching high- and low-support students. Naela is a fellow of the BIAESN Music and Inclusion Project, and founded the Accessible Music Studio in Boston, MA. Classes for neurodivergent singers emphasize inclusion. Naela holds degrees from Berklee and SFCM. Dissertation research: Music therapy for autism spectrum students.
Sarah Ford is an educator and musician focused on creating a more accessible and inclusive music scene. An active leader of regional bands and ensembles, Sarah specializes in innovative curriculum and enrichment for high-support students. She has led summer arts inclusion programs at Boston Children’s Music Center. Sarah is an inclusion advocate widely published on creative learning.
Zoe Geltman is a music educator who specializes in working with students with wide ranges of support needs. She holds an M.S. in Music Education from BU, has a flourishing private violin and piano studio, and serves as an instructor with the BIAESN education team. Zoe’s curriculum focuses on multi-sensory music learning and social engagement. Zoe holds her Bachelor’s of Music from Berklee College of Music.
Marin Giampietro is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator who coordinates ensemble programming for BIAESN. Marin is an adaptive instructor serving a broad range of students in Boston-area schools and at Berklee. Marin is the founder of Inclusion Orchestras, studies music cognition at MIT, and holds a master’s degree in music education from Berklee.
Pixue Liu is a pianist and music educator who specializes in teaching students with learning differences. Is currently independent instructor in Boston and full-time BIAESN educator, holding an MM from SFCM. Pixue developed and piloted adaptive piano curriculum for children and teens.
Tamás Margensi is a pianist, performer, and an accommodating specialist experienced across genres. Tamás teaches music at Boston Arts Academy and collaborates with inclusion programs at BIAESN. His research focuses on accessibility in classical training and performance.
Arleen Sherman has more than 25 years of experience teaching music to neurodiverse students. Arleen serves and designs summer workshops for BIAESN and leads concert performance curriculum at the Boston Conservatory. She developed the Graduate Certificate in Music Inclusion, now at Boston Conservatory & Berklee.
Harley Lloyd is a drummer and music educator who specializes in teaching students with disabilities. Harley regularly presents workshops on assistive percussion, facilitates accessible student performances, and consults on accessibility for concert venues around Boston.
