Discover the power of strategic partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for students and educators. Presenters representing school music education and the creative industries will guide you through key components of building successful relationships. Gain insight into the benefits and challenges of different partnership types, explore real-world impactful collaborations & leave with practical tools to assess your current partnerships and envision new possibilities for the future!
Laurie Fellenz
- Biographical Information
Laurie Fellenz is executive director for Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA), Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) and Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM). In addition to her professional role, she is currently a National Federation for State High School Associations (NFHS) Region 4 music committee member, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Equity Committee member & immediate past chair of the NAfME Council of State Executives.
She is a recipient of Madison Youth Choirs - Carrel Pray Music Educator of the Year Award (2017), Wisconsin Art Education Association Distinguished Service Award (2013), Hall of Fame Award - Tommy Awards Excellence in Musical Theater Program (2012), MMSD Team Distinguished Service Award (2004), and was recognized as a Top Notch Teacher by WISC-TV (2007). Laurie has previously served on the Kennedy Center Partners in Education Advisory Committee (2014-2017), was a founding board member for the Madison Jazz Consortium (2011), and is also a co-founder of the Madison All-City Honors Band (1995) which continues to this day.
In her local community, Laurie is the current Madison Youth Arts Center board vice president and is most proud of the decades she spent with the Madison Metropolitan School District as an arts administrator and music educator. Laurie Nason Fellenz identifies as a career-long youth arts advocate who knows the work will never be done until every child has access without barriers to a well-rounded education inclusive of music & the arts.
Distinguished as a prominent thought leader in public music education, Chiho Okuizumi Feindler is the Chief Programs Officer for the award-winning Save The Music Foundation (STM). Chiho is responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of STM’s national programs aimed at ensuring equity and access to comprehensive music education in America’s public schools. Externally, she builds strategic relationships with school districts, charter management organizations, coalitions, peer organizations, donors, and thought partners to influence systems to advocate for sequentially-taught standards-based music education for students in historically marginalized communities.
Ms. Feindler has presented at numerous state and national educator conferences, including at the National Council on the Arts/National Endowment for the Arts Meeting, SXSW Edu, KIPP Summits, Arts Education Partnership National Summit, NAMM Show and National Association of Elementary School Principals Conference. Chiho is regularly invited to provide consultation to help address challenges that jeopardize arts education in communities throughout the United States. She was a recipient of Honorary West Virginian Award and 2017 and 2024 Casio Leadership in Music Education Award; and currently serves on the Senior Advisory Board of The Center for Arts Education and Social Emotional Learning, Advisory Board of Cultural Connection by Design, Board of Arts Ed NJ and is a co-chair of Grantmakers for Education Arts Education Impact Group.