Thomas J. West is an active music teacher, composer, adjudicator, and clinician in the greater Philadelphia area. He has over twenty-five years of experience as a concert band director, marching band director, jazz improvisation instructor, choral director, orchestra director, private instructor, arranger/composer, and marching drill writer in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He served as a music adjudicator for Drum Corps International from 2016 to 2021. He has served as a music, visual, and jazz judge for the Cavalcade of Bands Association since 2008. He also performs as a freelance clarinetist, saxophonist, and vocalist. 

Tom is currently the Music Department Chairperson, instrumental music teacher, jazz band instructor, electronic music instructor, and educational technology coach for Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School's Center for Performing and Fine Arts. Tom has been pioneering techniques in Blended, Hybrid, and Online Learning for Music Education since 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Penn State University and a master's degree in Music Education with a Certificate in Modern Band Pedagogy from Lebanon Valley College. He was an Associate Director for the Warren Junior Military Band of Youngstown, Ohio from 1995 to 2005 and holds memberships in NAfME, PMEA, JEN, ASCAP, TI:ME, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. 

Mr. Nick Harmantzis is an innovative music educator, voice teacher, and choir director based in the Philadelphia area. He is deeply committed to developing not just strong singers, but smart singers- performers who cultivate healthy vocal technique, musical literacy, and the ability to communicate the emotional and artistic intent of a piece with authenticity and confidence. 

Nick has taught K–12 general and choral music in both Pennsylvania and California and currently serves as Vocal Music Teacher at the PALCS Center for Performing and Fine Arts in West Chester since 2021. He is also the owner and director of Community Through Song and Stage, a performing arts and vocal training school in Paoli, Pennsylvania, where he has the privilege of leading a dedicated faculty of teaching artists, mentoring a thriving studio of young singers, and producing numerous theatrical productions and musical theatre workshops each year.

A classically trained tenor, Nick has performed a wide range of operatic repertoire, including the roles of Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Apollo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. He has a particular love for the works of Gilbert & Sullivan and spent three summers performing with the Cornell Savoyards in Ithaca, New York.

Nick holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Music Education from the University of the Arts, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Ithaca College. He is an OperaWorks 2015 alumnus and was the recipient of the PMEA Citation of Excellence Award in 2023. His choirs have been featured in performances at Temple University and selected to perform at the PMEA Annual In-Service Conference.

Nick is an active member of PMEA and ACDA and serves on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). He lives in King of Prussia with his wife, Lacey, and their long-haired miniature dachshund, Liesel.

Ms. Lisa Bennett is a music educator at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts at the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS), where she has served since 2012. She currently teaches middle and high school Piano and AP Music Theory, having previously served as the vocal music instructor for nine years. With more than thirty years of teaching experience, Ms. Bennett guides students in developing healthy technique, musical expression, and performance confidence while strengthening all aspects of music literacy. She was honored with the 2021 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Citation of Excellence in Teaching Award for District 12 and has been recognized as a quarterfinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award.

Ms. Bennett holds a Master of Music from the University of Florida, where she was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and a Bachelor of Music Education, summa cum laude, from James Madison University. Her earlier teaching career includes elementary, middle, and high school positions in Virginia, where she directed multiple choirs, taught AP Music Theory and guitar, served as music director for school musicals, and incorporated Orff, Kodály, and Dalcroze approaches to support diverse learners. Her ensembles were active in the community, including performances for members of the United States Congress, reflecting her commitment to excellence and community engagement in music education.

In addition to her work at PALCS, Ms. Bennett maintains an active professional life as a private piano instructor, accompanist, and composer. She previously directed and performed with an adult contemporary a cappella ensemble for more than twenty years and has led a variety of community choirs, including ensembles of senior adults and singers experiencing memory loss. Outside of music, she enjoys hiking, gardening, yoga, sewing, kayaking, and spending time with her husband, adult children, and pets.