STAFF
matthew zarba
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Matthew Zarba is a 35 year-old educator and musician from New Orleans, LA. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts ’03 (NOCCA) and Loyola University New Orleans ‘12, Zarba began his career in education teaching ELA and Reading Remediation in 2012. He has been performing at venues and festivals across the country since 2002 and began his journey with the Upbeat Academy Foundation as a volunteer instructor in 2013. In 2014, Zarba, known by students as Mr. Z, was given the opportunity to combine his love of music, education, and mentoring youth when he was hired as Upbeat’s Executive Director full-time. Since 2014, Zarba and his colleagues have grown Upbeat Academy’s programming from a once per week after-school program with 10 students, to teaching 13 classes per week at 12 different locations, reaching over 150 student artists per week. |
Charles Corpening III
lead artist educator Charles Corpening was born in Edison, PA where he began producing at the age of 13, utilizing a turntable and Audacity before transitioning to Ableton Live. He traveled abroad to China where he finished his high school education at Beijing Normal University High School II and Shanghai University. He completed his education at Morehouse College and Temple University. Charles then moved to New Orleans where he works as the lead instructor for Upbeat Academy. He is the founder of the instrumental hip hop production label Bag Season Records. |
BRANDON HEBERT
artist educator From Carencro, LA, James “Brandon” Hebert aka deliciousbeets began his musical career in 1992 with the formation of the funk, rock, rap group Red Giant. During this time he acquired his first sampler, the Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus and began producing sampled beats. In 1997 he formed the hip hop group, Project Next with Grammy Award winning producer Ivan Klisanin in Lafayette, LA. Other notable musical involvement around this time has to include the formation of the hip hop show “Is It Live?” On KRVS Radio with partner Jack Dendy. His production tools include the Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus (still!), Akai MPC2000, MPC1000, Boss SP202, SP303 and various synths. All are used in a chaining method giving a real 90’s warmth to his tracks. With the formation of Bag Season Records, he merged his bedroom production-gritty style with a diverse team of emerging producers including friendkerrek, Wino Willy and AFKA. Within the group, they collaborate on group projects and assist each other on their individual releases. |
CHAD ROBY
artist educator Chad Roby is a musician, new media artist, and audio engineer who started in his field at the age of 15. He took it upon himself to research and self teach the fundamentals of non traditional forms of music and art forms and during high school, attended Upbeat Academy as a student. Under their mentorship, he was able to perform at BUKU Music + Art Project at the ages of 17 and 18. Chad went on to attend Savannah College of Art and Design. While attending S.C.A.D. Chad was introduced to diverse new mediums and furthered his study in the audio arts. He completed his education at S.C.A.D in June of 2019 and graduated with a B.A. in Sound Design. Post-grad Chad opened a recording studio in the heart of New Orleans, Cloud Studios when he saw a need for affordable, professional studio for young people to record. |
ELGIN BROWN
artist educator Elgin Brown is a New Orleans born music producer who has lived in Louisiana for the majority of his life. His style is heavily influenced by Madlib and the current Lo-Fi Hip Hop scene. |
ASHLEY SHABANKAREH
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Ashley Shabankareh (she/her/hers) is a musician, arts administrator, and music education and creative economy advocate. By day, Ashley currently serves as the Collaborative Action Strategist for Artist Corps New Orleans and the Education Manager for the New Orleans Jazz Museum. She also serves as the Vice President for the Jazz Education Network and Board Chair for the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO). By night, Ashley performs as both a trombonist and vocalist. Previously, Ashley served as the Director of Programs for Preservation Hall Foundation, as well as a music educator and teaching artist, primarily serving incarcerated youth and students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. |
LAUREN BLOUIN
MARKETING COORDINATOR Lauren Blouin is a marketer with over six years of experience, as well as a diverse background of roles within the live event and music industry. She is an alumna of Louisiana State University where she graduated with a degree in Marketing. She has worked with various music festivals, production companies and venues within the New Orleans area. |
ADVISORY COUNCIL
de'mont callendEr
ARTIST PARTNERSHIPS With a background in artist management and fashion, Callender is an agent at Paradigm boasting a diverse roster of artists in the rap, hip-hop, R&B and dance space including T-Pain, RL Grime, What So Not, Jack Harlow, Brent Faiyaz, PJ Morton & Kelela. After getting his start in fashion and working in production at MTV, Cal found his passion for the live music space. His focus at Upbeat Academy is developing partnerships with artists and labels, providing industry career path guidance and mentoring for the student-artists, and strategizing on Upbeat’s expansion into other markets. |
cornell hunter
CURRICULUM Cornell Hunter is a middle school teacher, musician and die hard Saints fan from New Orleans. He has over 15 years of hands-on teaching experience and was named Baton Rouge's teacher of year in 2008. At Upbeat, Cornell focuses on curriculum development and school relationships. Ironically, he recorded his first song using borrowed equipment at the LSU School of Music in 2001 and continues to release music as an independent artist via his own label, Dueu Music, today. He enjoys volunteering as an assistant football coach, writing lyrics and traveling with his wife and two children during his time away from school. |
Kanika Harvey
Alumni & student relations |
Paulina Trujillo
workforce development & continued education Born in Mexico and raised in New Orleans, Paulina Trujillo’s career is as diverse as her upbringing. With over a decade of experience in the live events industry, Paulina has worked in Post-Katrina artist and venue management, produced logistically treacherous events, and toured internationally. Her clients range from The BUKU Music + Arts Project, to Essence Music Festival, to 7S MGMT, and she’s worked with artists including Master P, Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, Leon Bridges, Cha Wa, Nas, Ciara, Chance the Rapper, and Mary J. Blige. Paulina is passionate about making New Orleans sustainable for future generations and is excited to have this opportunity to work with the next generation of music industry professionals by mobilizing her network to help advance the careers of those who diversify the field and break the mold. |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Upbeat Academy’s Board of Directors are music industry leaders who founded Upbeat with the dual purpose of memorializing their friend and empowering the youth of New Orleans through dance and rap music education. They are a "working" Board and extremely passionate about Upbeat, providing both time and financial support to the organization. Upbeat acknowledges that its Board is still in the growing phase and is committed to expanding the Board by 3-5 members in the next 12 months, ensuring that the Board better reflects the diverse community in which we serve.
dante dipasquale
president Dante M. DiPasquale is a concert promoter and attorney with over a decade of successful experience in the entertainment and live music industry. As Vice President of Talent for AEG Presents and co-founder of Winter Circle Productions, Dante oversees the talent buying, business affairs, marketing and creative direction for hundreds of concerts a year in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, including the BUKU Music + Art Project and Hangout Music Festival. He is a member of the New York Bar and received a J.D. from Tulane Law School. Dante is the President and co-founder of Upbeat Academy Foundation and finds it to be the most fulfilling endeavor that he works on. He resides with his wife and two daughters on the Queens/Brooklyn border in New York and enjoys frequent trips to New Orleans and his hometown of Pittsburgh. |
reeves price
vice president Reeves Price is the Vice President of Operations and Co-Founder of Winter Circle Productions and AEG Presents Gulf Coast. As the Vice President, Reeves oversees and contributes to all aspects of the business with specialization in the business operations, production management, government and community affairs, creative direction, team building and budget management. With over 10 years of experience in the live music and event industry Reeves is passionate about bringing people together to celebrate and share experiences and ideas. |
andrew clements
secretary Andrew Clements currently works as Vice President for Denver based MCP Presents and Lead Producer for destination event company CID Presents. His primary focuses are event operations and venue development and has contributed to the success of some of the top live events in the world. Andrew is also a founding partner of both BUKU Music + Art Project and Upbeat Academy. Currently Andrew serves as Secretary of Upbeat's Board of Directors. |
peter prevot
treasurer Peter Prevot is a managerial consultant at Bridge West CPA's where he works with a diverse group of start-up clients based in the US and Canada. Outside of the firm, Peter volunteers as Treasurer for the Upbeat Academy Foundation and also serves as the Executive Director for the Louisiana Association for Therapeutic Alternatives. As a founding member of Upbeat, Peter takes great pride in observing as the academy's students grow as both artists and individuals. His deep appreciation for New Orleans underground music scene ultimately led to his connection with Upbeat and he remains overwhelmingly excited to be part of an organization that can help sustain, influence and preserve the city’s hip hop, dance and experimental sounds. |
