Kelly Anthony
​​PRESIDENT

The position of President is a two-year term and presides over meetings with goals to further upon the vision and mission of LASMTA. 
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Kelly Anthony is the music director for Huntington Park High school, where she has been teaching for eight years. Kelly’s number one passion is music and spreading the joy of music to her students and surrounding communities. She loves the staff and students at HP and is proud to be a Spartan! At HPHS, Kelly teaches Jazz Band, Concert Band, String Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Marching Band and oversees the Winter Colorguard and Drumline programs. She is a recipient of the Grammy Signature School awards and has secured multiple grants from both the Grammy Foundation, Latin Grammy Foundation and the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. 

Kelly received her Bachelor's of Music Degree at California State University, Northridge where she studied trombone performance and music education. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and completed the credential program to earn her teaching credential in music. She recently received her Masters in Music Education Degree from the American Band College of Central Washington University. Kelly is excited to take over as the new President of LASMTA. One of her key objectives this year is to continue to grow our membership and continue to empower our members with valuable professional development and best practices.

Claudio Alcantar
​​vice prESIDENT

The position of Vice President is a one-year term and assists the President in duties pertaining to the fulfillment of LASMTA vision and mission. 

Claudio is an active freelance musician and educator in Southern California. He teaches band and orchestra at Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy, an LAUSD school in the South Central-Crenshaw community. Currently, he is a Teaching Artist and Conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s signature 'El Sistema' program, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), and is heavily involved with their curriculum development and implementation. Alcantar is devoted to working with underserved communities and strives to bring quality music education to communities in need. He is currently finishing up a fellowship residency in Lisbon, Portugal with The Academy of Impact Through Music, an innovation lab for changemakers, bringing together teaching artists from around the world to tackle social inequalities through music education. 

Claudio is a proud graduate of LAUSD and holds both his Bachelor of Music in Winds Performance/Education and a Master of Music in Conducting from California State University, Northridge. He is a proud member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor’s Society, National Association for Music Education, California Band Director Association, Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. Claudio is currently the Treasurer for California Music Educators Association Southwestern Section.

Amy Lui
​​Secretary

The position of Secretary is a one-year term and provides necessary documentation and fulfills organizational duties to keep LASMTA running smoothly and its members notified.

Amy Lui is a music educator at John H Francis Polytechnic High School (Title I school) where she teaches music technology, industry studies, and instrumental ensembles. Her goal is to provide young adults with meaningful music career opportunities that go beyond the performance sectors in the industry. Amy received her teaching credential and Master’s in Music Industry Administration at CSU Northridge, Master’s in Music Education from Azusa Pacific University, and Bachelor’s in Saxophone Performance from UC Davis.
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​Amy is active in serving the music education and industry fields. In addition to being the Secretary of the Los Angeles Secondary Music Teachers Association (LASMTA), Amy is also the Representative of Secondary Music Education (Grades 6-12) for the California Music Educators Association (CMEA), Western Division Representative to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Council for Music Composition, and is serving as a cultural ambassador for The Mechanical Licensing Collective. Additionally, Amy is a content contributor and helps facilitate the educational outreach and mentorship program for the Asian American Collective, a non-profit organization formed during the pandemic to provide resources and mentorship to Asian Americans entering the music, entertainment and creative spaces, while also partnering with various organizations to serve communities in need.

Learn about Poly High School’s Music Technology and Industry Studies program here PolyHighMusicTech.org.

David lee
​​Treasurer

The position of Treasurer is a one-year term and oversees all financial aspects of LASMTA in order to fund scholarships and educational events. 

​David Lee holds a Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from UCLA. From 2013-2022, he has served as the Instrumental Music Teacher at Venice High School in Los Angeles, CA, teaching Keyboard, Beginning Band, Beginning Strings, Concert Band, and Marching Band, resulting in re-establishing the program in growth, success, and recognition.

In recent years, David has transitioned into a new and vital role as the Community School Coordinator at Venice High School. In this capacity, he works to coordinate a wide range of community programs and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of students and families in the surrounding area. Lee's dedication to education and community engagement is evident in all aspects of his work, solidifying his position as a passionate advocate for the betterment of the educational experience and the broader community.

JUAN RODRIGUEZ
​​​immediate past president

The position of Immediate Past President is a two-year term and assists with the transition of the new president to further the vision and mission of LASMTA. 

Juan Rodriguez, a graduate of the Music Academy at Alexander Hamilton High School, is a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District. He earned his bachelor’s degree and Teaching Credential at Cal State University Northridge. Mr. Rodriguez plays the Bass Trombone. He has performed with several groups, including the CSUN Jazz Ensembles and the Wind Ensembles.  
 
Juan began his teaching career at Frost Middle School, where he is currently the Instrumental Music Director. He reintroduced the instrumental music program to the school in January 2007 after an absence of approximately 6 years. The 2023-2024 school year marks Juan's and the program’s 17th year at Frost. Participation has been consistently in the 300s for the last several years. Courses taught by Mr. Rodriguez has included Jazz Ensemble, Mariachi, Advanced Band, Advanced String Orchestra, Intermediate Band, Intermediate String Orchestra Beginning Band, Beginning Orchestra, Philharmonic, and Music Appreciation. Juan is happily married to Julissa Rodriguez and has three beautiful children, 5-year-old Jazzlyn, 3-year-old Israel, and 1-year-old Elias.  

julie west
​​president emeritis

The position of President Emeritis is to provide guidance in the operation of LASMTA. Julie is now a retired music educator, having taught at Palms Middle School for multiple decades.