Lisala Beatty
Director
Lisala Beatty
Director
For over 19 years, Lisala Beatty has supported music educators and students with thousands of music lesson observations/demonstrations, professional development sessions, recordings, and curriculum development through Music and the Brain.
For the last five years, Lisala’s leadership of MATB has contributed to a nationwide expansion of school partnerships and curriculum resources for grades K-8 and beyond. Lisala and the MATB team’s innovative response to the pandemic led to the launching of Music and the Brain All Access, an award-winning, dynamic hybrid learning online platform for synchronous and asynchronous music instruction (learn.musicandthebrain.org).
Also a professional vocalist and composer for over 30 years, Lisala has appeared on over thirty-five recordings, several commercial jingles, and performances across the U.S., Europe, Russia, Canada, and Japan. As a product of public elementary education devoid of music instruction, Music and the Brain’s mission to provide a high-quality curriculum and piano instruction to all students is crucial to Lisala.
Before working with Music and the Brain, Lisala was an advertising sales executive at Vivendi Universal Net USA, the Walt Disney Internet Group, and Ziff-Davis. Ms. Beatty holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Email: Lisala@musicandthebrain.org
Tel: 212 631 7825
Elana Stiel Obstfeld
Program Manager
Elana Stiel Obstfeld spent 16 years teaching elementary and middle school music prior to joining the Music and the Brain team in 2019. A former MATB teacher, she has experienced firsthand how Music and the Brain can positively impact individual students, educators, and entire school communities.
A passionate and innovative educator, Elana began her career in New York City where she taught K-8 music in Manhattan’s Inwood neighborhood and coordinated arts programming for her school. After relocating to the Philadelphia area, she taught PreK-8 music, built and supervised her school’s enrichment program, introduced various arts programs and performance opportunities for students, and served as a mentor to new teachers.
Elana holds a BA from Barnard College where she majored in music and education, and holds an MA in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Emina Nusbaum
Program Administrator
Emina Nusbaum has provided administrative and operational coordination for Music and the Brain for more than twelve years. In addition to data management of school partnerships, she supports program material design and production, research, vendor relationships and budgetary record keeping. Emina helps implement the mission of the program including prompt communication with partners to ensure quality control and the delivery of program materials and equipment.
Chiara Fasi
Program Manager
Chiara Fasi is a long time educator with over 15 years’ experience in classroom education, coaching and teacher mentorship. Chiara began her career with Music and The Brain as a classroom teacher, where she taught the program in Bronx and Brooklyn k-12 schools for 8 years. She also worked as an Instructional Coach and Teacher Mentor for Harmony Foundation and Greater Miami Youth Symphony Orchestra. Recently she joined the adjunct faculty teaching theory and ear training at Long Island University.
As a professional violinist Chiara has shared the stage and recorded with many notable artists and venues including Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. Chiara holds a BA in Music with a concentration in Violin Performance from Florida International University and a MA in Media Arts with a concentration in Audio Production from Long Island University.