At Boston Music Project, we are proud to have a board that reflects the students and communities we serve, with a shared commitment of bringing transformative music education to Boston youth. This week, we spotlight board members Angela McConney Scheepers, Brittany Seymour, and Beth Harper, who share their favorite aspects of BMP!
Angela McConney Scheepers, Esq. is an administrative magistrate at the Massachusetts Division of Admin-istrative Law Appeals. She is also a trained mediator. Ms. McConney Scheepers has a long history of service on bar associations, is the vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, and previously served as president of the Massa-chusetts Black Lawyers Association.
She is a town meeting member in Milton, MA and serves on the town's Personnel Board.
"[My favorite aspect of BMP is] the diversity of our Teaching Artists/Board/Staff. Since we are serving students from multicultural backgrounds, this is very important ,as they can see themselves reflected in our teaching staff. The students also learn to work together. Furthermore, the diversity extends to the music taught as well."
"Since we are serving students from multicultural backgrounds, this is very important [that]...they can see themselves reflected in our teaching staff. " -Angela McConney Scheepers, BMP Board Member
Ms. McConney Scheepers believes that justice is the opposite of poverty, and that there are resources and opportunity for everyone if we work together. She is passionate about social justice and educating young people. In her capacity on the BMP board, Ms. McConney Scheepers creates norms and procedures as the organization grows.
Brittany Seymour has been an enthus-iastic BPS and BMP parent since 2017, joining the BMP Board in 2021. From an artistic extended musical family, she was raised 'on the stage' and remains passionate about music’s contribution to child development and community building. Today, she is an associate professor and the global health director at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and teaches global health at Harvard College. She grew up in the stunning Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and has loved calling downtown Boston home since 2010.
"My favorite aspect of Boston Music Project has been witnessing the musical and emotional growth of my own daughter as she progresses through the ensemble-based programs. Each time she plays for friends and family, they are amazed by her gains in skills and confidence. I'm delighted that this kind of child development opportunity is available to Boston youth so broadly!"
Trained as a dentist with a public health expertise, Brittany works around the world to develop dental partnerships and bring oral health care to underserved areas. Her programs include starting the first dental school in Rwanda, supporting the launch of a dental wing in a rural hospital in Haiti, and an educational series about indigenous health as a human right in Costa Rica.
"Each time [my daughter] plays for friends and family, they are amazed by her gains in skills and confidence." -Brittany Seymour, BMP Board Member
Beth Harper, M.D. joined the BMP Board in 2020. She is passionate about ensuring that all children have access to safe, secure, and supportive environments that will help them develop in a healthy way. She is a pediatric hospitalist at Boston Children’s Hospital, where one of her favorite roles in her career is heading up a variety of courses for medical students. She finds it rewarding to listen to students' passions and interests and help design and refine curricula to fill in gaps and connect them with experiences or advisers to find their path. Listening to what people need and exploring how they can get there is a transferable skill she brings to Boston Music Project. A current parent in the program, Dr. Harper uses her view-point in pediatrics to amplify the work that BMP is doing to help children develop into their best selves.
"For me, two huge strengths of BMP are the focus on social-emotional learning and learning together in ensembles. Students learn so much about self-regulation, commitment, practice and resilience - and they're having fun with their friends and don't notice how hard this is! One of my very favorite experiences is watching the kids cheer out loud for each other at performances. Their energy and support for one another is infectious. This is so much more than "just" music education!"
"Their energy and support for one another is infectious. This is so much more than "just" music education!" -Beth Harper, BMP Board Member
To learn more about our board, we invite you to check out their full bios on our Board of Directors page.