Presenters:

Jonathan Grantham

Jonathan Grantham, director of bands at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California, leads a band program of 300 students involved in five concert ensembles, three jazz bands, a competitive marching band, various chamber ensembles, winter percussion, and two winter guards.   

In his twenty-two years at Amador Valley the band program has grown to triple in size and the ensembles have earned consistent superior ratings and high honors. Under Mr. Grantham’s guidance, Amador Valley’s top wind ensemble has performed at the CBDA state conference four times (2007, 2010, 2018, 2023), at WASBE in the summer of 2015, twice at Carnegie Hall (2018, 2023) and twice at The Midwest Clinic (2013, 2019).

Mr. Grantham is active as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor. He was an executive board member for NaFME/CMEA Bay Section and the Western Band Association and served for several years on the Special Projects Committee for the California Band Directors Association. 

Jonathan received his bachelor's degree in music education/trombone performance from Central Michigan University, graduating magna cum laude, and earned his master’s degree in conducting at the American Band College of Sam Houston State University, graduating magna cum laude.

Honors include twice earning the Excellence in Education Award from Pleasanton Unified School District (2009, 2016) and being chosen as Pleasanton Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year (2013). Grantham was honored by the CMEA State Association in 2015 with the Don Schmeer/Byron Hoyt Band Educator Award. In 2018 Jonathan was inducted into the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Bandworld Legion of Honor and in 2022 was awarded the Dr. Eric Hammer “Beyond the Baton” Award by CMEA Bay Section. He resides in Martinez, California with his partner Ryan.

Jessica Vaughan-Marra, PhD

Dr. Jessica Vaughan-Marra is the Coordinator of Music Education at Seton Hill University (Greensburg, PA) and recently completed her Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in string pedagogy at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI). Prior to beginning her Ph.D. coursework in 2015, she taught instrumental music for nine years in the Cupertino Union School District (Cupertino, CA). She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she completed her B.S. in Music Education in 2006 at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA). She received her M.M. Music Education in 2010 from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). She is an active member of: The National Association for Music Educators (NAfME); Society for Music Teacher Educators (SMTE); Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA). Along with being an active ASTA member and conference presenter, she is also the Chair of the ASTA Mentoring Project Committee. Her research interests include: new teacher digital mentoring, instructional technology in the music classroom, and student motivation.