Music Faculty

Andrew Beckwith is the Director of Bands at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. He directs the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Blue Regiment Marching Band, Musical Pit Orchestra, Jazz Band, and teaches AP Music Theory and class piano. 

Mr. Beckwith previously was the Associate Director of Bands at Lockport Township High School for seven years where he directed four concert ensembles in addition to numerous other groups. 

He earned his Bachelor's Degree with Highest Honors from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, his Master's of Music Education Degree from VanderCook College of Music, and his Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership from Concordia University Chicago. 

Mr. Beckwith has conducted at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, presented at the Illinois Music Education Conference, and served the Illinois Music Education Association as the District 1 Band Representative. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education and the National Band Association.

Cassandra Ruiz is the Director of Orchestras at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. She directs the String Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, and Symphonic Orchestra, and teaches class guitar and class piano. 

Ms. Ruiz previously was the Director of Elementary Orchestras at West Chicago Elementary District 33, where she taught 4th and 5th grade orchestra at all elementary schools.

Ms. Ruiz earned a Bachelor's of Music Education with High Honors at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Master's of Music Education from Kent State University. 

In addition to teaching, Ms. Ruiz performs as a violinist with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra and is the first violinist in the Chiara String Quartet. 

Ms. Ruiz wrote for the January 2021 issue of the Illinois Music Educators Journal, and was the 2021 recipient of the Illinois American String Teachers Association Emerging Educator award. She was interviewed by the Illinois Arts Alliance about teaching during the pandemic, and was featured in the Naperville Sun regarding a community string quartet performance.

Ms. Ruiz is a member of the American String Teachers Association. 

Kate Lee is the Director of Choirs at Maine East High School. She directs Treble Choir, Bass Choir, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and All In Choir. She also directs Audacity In Blue A Cappella, assistant directs the annual V-Show, and vocal directs the annual musical. 

Ms. Lee has more than tripled the size of the choir program since she began her career at Maine East in 2018. She also started a new class called All In Choir: a choir for students of all physical, cognitive, and sensory ability levels. It is a class in which both special education and general education students come together to build connections and friendships through music. 

She was recently named the Illinois State Board of Education's 2021 Outstanding Early Career Educator and is a 2020-21 Teach Plus Illinois ILSTOY Policy Fellow. She is currently working on policy initiatives regarding the recruitment and retainment of teachers of color in Illinois.

Ms. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice & Opera Performance, Music Education, and a minor in Sociology from Northwestern University. She is currently working towards a Masters of Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association.