Co-sponsored by Wisconsin Music Educators Association and Wisconsin School Music Association

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Hip Hop is a uniquely American story, and today it is the most influential music genre across the globe. Learn how to leverage hip hop music in the traditional music classroom–band, choir, orchestra, general music– from hip hop performers, creators and visionaries.

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Central

Location: Online Offering

Registration is Now Closed

All registrants receive access to the event and access to recorded portions and post-event resources for one year!

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2026 FULL SCHEDULE

OUR PRESENTERS

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her groundbreaking research focuses on teacher education, critical race theory, and improving educational outcomes for African American students. As a former president of the National Academy of Education, she is a pioneering leader in advocating for equity and justice in education.

 

José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D., D.Min., D.B.E., is a multi–Latin GRAMMY® and EMMY® Award–winning artist, scholar, and creative entrepreneur whose work bridges music, research, and global cultural leadership. He serves as Founder and Director of the Music Business & Entrepreneurship program at the University of Florida and as a U.S. Speaker on Creative Economy and Global Arts Entrepreneurship for the U.S. Department of State. His work integrates performance, production, and scholarship to advance sustainable creative infrastructure across education, industry, and international cultural diplomacy.

 

Franklin Willis, music educator, author, clinician and former instructional coach with Metro Nashville Public Schools equips teachers with instructional support and necessary resources to strengthen their professional acumen and enhance their classrooms. Through his work, he has developed a passion in the cultivation of musicianship for young minds as every child has musical potential and deserves a music teacher who will see the best in them. Willis believes that music education is a vital tool to teach students about other cultures, create community, and inspire a love for learning. Willis has created and facilitated professional development sessions for music teachers of all grade levels sharing his unique and relevant teaching practices. Through his work Willis has received national recognition for his commitment to student learning, his passion for the profession and his innovative teaching practices. He is a three-time recipient of the CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Award.

 

Manny Faces, an award winning journalist, hosts the “Hip Hop Can Save America!” podcast. It explores the innovative, inspiring, and often surprising ways Hip Hop music, culture, and sensibilities are improving society in areas such as education, science/technology, health/wellness and more. Manny also heads The Center for Hip Hop Advocacy and is the author of the recent Hip Hop Can Save America: Inspiration for the Nation From a Culture of Innovation. Manny’s engaging style, enthusiasm for all things hip hop, and tireless efforts in this work will inspire you, and make you curious.

 

Dawry Ruiz, Hip Hop Entrepreneur and Educator, is a first generation Dominican-American from Boston who attended UW-Madison as a full scholarship First Wave scholar, majoring in Community and Nonprofit Leadership with a certificate in Arts and Teaching. Also known as DARS (Dawry Also Raps Sometimes), is an artist of various mediums, including rap, poetry, theater, and graphic design. Early on, most of his work is centered around his personal experience of growing up in Boston and transitioning between high school and college. Dawry was a recipient of a 2022 Truman Scholarship, one of the most prestigious honors for undergraduates in the country. He has served as guest artist in residence the last two years in the Madison School District, working with middle school and high school students.

Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly is a professor at Rutgers University and a researcher, speaker, and consultant–but mostly a teacher. She is also the editor of the Bloomsbury Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy.

 

 

 

L.E.X (real name Alexis Dean Jr.) is a clean Hip-Hop artist, teacher, camp counselor, and early childhood educator from Lansing, Michigan and originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His dream is to positively change the world. The mission is to speak to kids and adults, and empower them to go chase their dreams. His music flows from themes of encouragement, family, life, and love. If you work with elementary age children and are tuned in to their social emotional growth, you will learn from this dynamic artist and creator.

 

Andrew Wang is a music educator, hip-hop artist, and inclusion advocate whose work centers on the intersection of neurodiversity and culturally responsive teaching. Diagnosed with being level one on the spectrum and having an IEP in Elementary School and a 504 in Middle School and High School, Andrew found empowerment through hip-hop and now uses it as a tool to help students find their voice and thrive creatively. He is currently a music teacher at Greenburgh Graham Union Free School District. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Miami and his Master’s degree in Music Education from Kent State University.

 

 

Luke Hrovat-Staedter teaches choir at Madison East High School–a very large and very diverse, culturally rich school. His B.M. and M.M. are from the University of Wisconsin, and he has been a true leader in the music education conversation about student agency, hip hop pedagogy, and youth culture. Luke has his “ear to the ground” with high school students and will inspire and challenge you.

 

Kristen Flak-Solom teaches in Middleton, Wisconsin: 4th Grade Orchestra at Park Elementary School and 5th – 8th Grade Orchestra at Glacier Creek Middle School. She is widely regarded as a string education pedagogy expert.

 

 

 

Justin Festge-Russell (stage name Jexizis) is a Madison artist, specializing in hip-hop, poetry, and creative production. A student and Hip-Hop & Urban Arts Scholar at UW–Madison, he is a member of First Wave Scholars program, a unique urban arts scholarship program at UW-Madison. He is also Madison’s newest Youth Poet Laureate.

 

 

 

 

 

Randal Swiggum is the Arts Teacher Leader for the Madison Metropolitan School District, and a music education thought leader who works with teachers across the globe. As a conductor he’s led All State orchestras and choirs around the country, as well as around the world, including the Scottish National Youth Symphony and the APAC Choir Festival in Seoul, Korea. A latecomer to hip hop, he’s convinced it holds as much promise and power for music education as anything that’s come before it. Just ask him!