Julie Duty completed her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University in 1998, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She then taught high school and middle school band and served as a mentor teacher for nine years in Arizona. 

Julie founded United Sound, Inc. (www.unitedsound.org)  in 2014 and currently serves as the Executive Director, working with teachers, parents, and administrators to bring meaningful participation and inclusivity to the instrumental music classroom. United Sound was created with the goal of developing relationships between students with and without disabilities and providing them with the opportunity to build self-esteem, self-confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging through music. In its first eight years, over 12,000 students in 31 states have participated in United Sound and they have logged over 250,000 relationship-building, music-making hours together.

Julie holds an executive scholar certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg Executive Education program at Northwestern University. She is also a highly sought after speaker and guest lecturer and has presented over 100 clinics and keynote addresses at universities, state and national music education conferences, and school district-wide professional development events. Julie is still an active musician, performing as a member of the Tempe Winds for the last 25 years. She is honored to serve as a Board Member for the National Music Council, El Sistema USA, as a member of The Midwest Clinic Advisory Board, as a part of Music for All’s Advocacy in Action Committee, and The Institute for Composer Diversity Advisory Council.

Stephen Meyer is currently the director of bands and assistant professor of music at Northern Arizona University. He previously served as interim director of bands at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and interim assistant director of bands at the University of South Carolina. As director of bands at Clear Creek High School, the Clear Creek Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the 2013 Midwest Clinic, was a three-time National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors project, a two-time national finalist for American Prize in Wind Ensemble Performance, and the Grand Champion of the 2013 Dallas Wind Symphony Invitational.

Prior to Clear Creek, Dr. Meyer taught at Harrison High School in Cobb County, Georgia, where he assisted with performances at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the Georgia Music Educators Association, and the University of Georgia. As co-director of the marching band, the ensemble was a consistent Bands of America Regional and Super-Regional Finalist, a Bands of America Grand National Finalist in 2007, and a featured ensemble in the 2009 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Dr. Meyer graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor of music education degree and earned both a master's and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is the author of Rehearsing the High School Band  Rehearsing the Middle School Band.