About Us
Empowering youth through music since 2010.
our new name
Our mission is to amplify the voices that are not represented, and are most often silenced in music. We strive to center people who need to take up more space in society and in the world. When this organization started as Girls Rock Campaign Boston in 2010, the focus was on girls and women who needed that space at that time, especially in the music industry. Women and girls continue to be under-represented in nearly all music settings, that that is even more true for other gender, racial, and sexual identities. To be true to our mission it only makes sense to change our name to reflect and include the multiplicity of identities we want to uplift, so that everyone who touches our organization feels included and able to be their true self without limit. We rock.
Who We are
Our Mission
BRPM empowers girls, women, and gender-expansive youths and adults to believe in themselves by building a supportive community that fosters self-expression, confidence, and collaboration through music education and performance.
Our Values
In a world that frequently minimizes these voices, BRPM believes in creating an enriching and supportive environment that celebrates our core values:
Expression
Creativity
Collaboration
Inclusivity
Joy
We Believe
We can play any kind of music we want!
Our voices matter!
In building each other up, not tearing each other down!
We are the change we need!
In standing up for ourselves and each other!
That through our JOY we RESIST!
Programming
Our programming leverages hands-on music education and performance as vehicles to encourage confidence and collaboration while fostering creativity, self-expression, and social impact.
Youth Summer Sessions
Adult Sessions
We have previously offered:
BEATS, after-school program
Youth Activism Project
Each program is facilitated by women and gender-expansive adults who guide participants in instrument instruction, band formation, song composition, and performance. No musical experience is necessary to attend; BRPM provides all instruments and equipment.
Staff
BRPM staff bring their unique array of talents and skills, along with their commitment to listening, learning, and collaborating to foster a vibrant future for the organization.
Vicky Ajene
she/her
Executive Director
Armed with a degree in Fashion Design from Lasell University and a background in instrumental music from Boston Arts Academy, Vicky is an advocate for arts education as a catalyst for increased critical thinking, empathy, and personal growth. With over seven years of experience in nonprofit leadership, including roles at St. Stephen's Youth Programs and College for Social Innovation, Vicky has honed her expertise in program planning, facilitation, and relationship management, and strongly believes that an organization's most valuable assets are its people. She considers herself a lifelong learner as reflected through her certification in Social Impact Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, and her participation in numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings, all in pursuit of a more equitable world. Beyond her professional role, Vicky embraces her identity as an artist, pouring her creativity into illustration, writing, and philosophical conversations.
Hope DeLuca
she/her
Social Media Coordinator
Hope DeLuca is a singer-songwriter & student at Berklee College of Music. Passionate about music & arts education, Hope strongly believes that creativity should be promoted and embraced at all ages. At the beginning of 2023, Hope began as a Social Media Intern through the College for Social Innovation. After her semester of interning, Hope continued on as Social Media Coordinator.
Outside of BRPM, Hope writes music & plays shows all across the East Coast. Her latest EP, ‘prologue’, was released in September 2023.
AVA DUDANI
she/her
Manager of Programs
Ava Sophia is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, educator, and community organizer. Originally from the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Ava is dedicated to the growth of art spaces in the city of Boston and beyond as opportunities for community building and economic empowerment. Ava is a graduate of the world-renowned Berklee College of Music and she is continuing to share her music locally in and around New England.
Ava considers education and community work to be at the center of her artistic practice. She has built and supported high quality music programming within arts non-profit spaces across Boston, solidifying her as a leader within the Creative Youth Development sector. She has served at organizations including Sociedad Latina, Boys and Girls Club of Boston, and Zumix. In her current role as Manager of Programs at Boston Raising Powerful Musicians, she continues to strive for students to foster their most authentic selves through music education. Ava’s skills intersect at the heart of her mission to use music as a tool to elevate underrepresented voices and in doing so, create a more equitable world.
Kasandra thach
she/her
Program Development Fellow
Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at Clark University, Kasandra Thach brings a distinctive combination of academic excellence and a profound commitment to community service to her position as the Program Development Fellow at Boston Raising Powerful Musicians (BRPM) — a position facilitated through her participation in the College for Social Innovation's Semester in the City (SITC) program.
As the founder of the Portland Butterfly Project, a former core leader in Maine Youth Justice, and a board member of Maine's Children Alliance, Kasandra brings years of nonprofit leadership experience and actively contributes to initiatives enhancing the well-being of children, youth, and families. During her tenure at BRPM, her vision centers on ensuring community members have the chance to redefine their narrative and become the empowered individuals they aspire to be.
Board of Directors
BRPM’s Board of Directors harness their creativity, perspectives, and enthusiasm to champion the mission and future of our organization.
RACHEL HOCK
she/her
Member, 2024 - 2026
Rachel Hock is the Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Liaison at a global healthcare nonprofit. She is a writer and musician. Rachel has been involved with BRPM since 2019.
Tanya Nixon-Silberg
(she/her)
Member, 2024 - 2026
Tanya Nixon-Silberg is a Black mother, puppeteer, multi-modal artist, native Bostonian, educator, and founder of Little Uprisings- an organization focused on centering artivism, racial justice, and liberation with kids and their caregiving allies. Tanya’s art centers the bodily remembrances of joy and the lived experiences of Black women. Her way of experiencing this joy is playing the games of her youth, including hula hoop, hand clapping games and double dutch. You will mostly find Tanya playing with and learning from her 11 year old kid (who has enjoyed rocking with BRPM for 2 years), being in community with other artists and radically imagining how we all get free together.
Instagram: @littleuprisings @tanyanixonsilberg_art
DARBY SMOTHERMAN
they/them
Treasurer, 2024 - 2026
Darby Smotherman has traveled the world as a sound designer and engineer with a passion for live music and theatre. They have played drums professionally and have volunteered with BRPM for several years. Darby has also volunteered with The Epilepsy Foundation’s horseback riding program. During the pandemic shutdown, they distributed food with local organizations and helped facilitate remote learning for families with children aged three to seven. Darby currently works at the Huntington Theatre where they are a member of HEAR, Huntington Equity and Anti-Racism committee. They believe community is key and equity essential.
AMANDA BALAGUR
she/her
Member, 2024 - 2026
Amanda Balagur is the marketing director at a private nonprofit school for students with special needs. In addition to marketing and communications, she has worked as a freelance copywriter and food writer. Her passion for all things audio began in Minneapolis, where she got into community radio, podcasting and doing commercial voice overs. She has been involved with BRPM since 2023, when she participated in an adult session and started playing bass.
kristen bonstein
she /her
Co-Chair, 2023 - 2025
Kristen Bonstein is a UX content designer with a former career in middle and high school education. She started out teaching theatre, and later specialized in "out of school time" programming at various schools and nonprofits. After 20 years in NYC and Boston, she recently relocated to the woods of Amherst, MA with her family. When she's not watching movies with her cat, Kristen dabbles in music, teaches POUND (a drums-inspired exercise class), and co-hosts a feminist film club called Strictly Brohibited.
NINA ANGELES
she/her
Member, 2024 - 2026
Nina Angeles is a Filipino-American, proud daughter of immigrants, and sister to four incredible siblings, two of whom identify as neurodivergent and on the autism spectrum. Nina's upbringing has led her to be a long-time diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging advocate, which has informed her practice as a researcher in the workforce development and nonprofit spaces. Outside of her day job, Nina is a multi-instrumentalist, wedding singer with her partner, long-distance runner (2x Boston marathon and 7x half marathon), and ramen fanatic. She is passionate about bringing greater Fil-Am, AAPI, and BIPOC representation onto the stage through music, performance, and storytelling.
Nina Tobin
she/her
Co-Chair, 2024 - 2026
Nina Tobin, M.Ed is a proudly neurodivergent, veteran inclusive educator, with nearly 25 years of experience in teaching, evaluation, curriculum design, legislation, consultation, disability justice activism, advocacy, administration, research, inclusion practices, and program development. Nina has worked with and for such institutions as the Boston Public Schools, Lesley University, MGH's Lurie Center and their Aspire Summer Program, the AdCouncil on various initiatives, and founded several in-person and online disability communities for advocacy, education, and communal support. Her association with BRPM has spanned ten years, as a vocals instructor, FLOACH, and band coach for both youth and adult programs. Nina served on the Educator Advisory Board for the MFA, Boston for ten years, and co-facilitated the first inter-museum panel in Boston focused on building educational programs for autism students. Nina also provides free consultation to districts throughout New England on transition planning and ADA/504/508 law in higher education. She is currently the Assistant Director of Disability, Access, and Inclusion for a large public university, Secretary of the university's PSA union, and is an active member for several on and off-campus ND and DEI organizations.