QuaranTunes Welcomes New Board Members for the 2021 Summer Term

Last Monday (6/27/2021), the first board meeting of the QuaranTunes 2021 summer term kicked off with lots of excitement. Four new Chiefs were welcomed by the returning board members and the newly appointed Chief of Staff.

Before getting down to business, CEO Julia Segal and COO Lisa Kopelnik had a few important words to say to the new members.

“When you join … the board, you're essentially becoming another one of me or [Lisa]. …We hope you guys can treat QuaranTunes as if it's your baby,” Julia said with a bright smile.

Lisa went on to warmly thank the new Chiefs for their cooperation during the selective application process and emphasized the weight of their positions.

“[What] … distinguishes QuaranTunes from a lot of other organizations is that we [give you the freedom] … to fulfill your creative visions for the organization,” Lisa said. “We trust you and believe in you and you guys are all … amazing people.”

They definitely are. During the meeting, the new Chiefs fitted right in with the returning ones as they shared out different developments in their committees. Continue reading to learn more about them and what they wish to accomplish for the term!

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SOLA LONG - CHIEF OF STAFF (CoS)

Instrument: Violin

Through QuaranTunes, Sola gained a lot of leadership experience. She was a communications secretary last year and then became last term’s Chief Communications Officer.

“I felt like this whole journey with QuaranTunes has helped me grow as a person and musician and it feels great to contribute to QuaranTunes’ mission, which is to ultimately bring music to more children around the world,” Sola said. “Therefore for this term, I wanted to try another position.”

And here we are. Sola is this term's Chief of Staff, who is responsible for overseeing all the Chiefs. Many of last term’s board members who are going into college this fall resigned. Sola, a rising college freshman, was still determined to remain in QuaranTunes.

“[Time] … management … [isn’t] too big of an issue for me ... and I also genuinely love being on the board and helping everyone out,” Sola explained.

She has a few priorities in mind for the term.

“I hope to carry on what Sage (the former CoS) has done and also have more inter-board bonding activities since we’ve never met each other in person,” Sola said. “We could have more online activities to get to know each other more. Other than that, I just want to help the Chiefs with the resources they need.”

SIMREN KOCHHAR - CHIEF OUTREACH OFFICER

Instruments: Guitar and drums

Simren was inspired to apply for the Chief Outreach Officer position through her teaching and outreach committee experience in QuaranTunes. The outreach department mostly focuses on donating instruments so as many children as possible can have the opportunity to enjoy music without financial barriers.

“Seeing the impact that an instrument can have on the student and ... how much the outreach committee is helping [made me want] … to be more involved,” Simren said. “There's also the community class side … which I didn't get a chance to be very involved in [previously]. I know how much potential it has to grow.”

The two main goals for the term are to expand both the instrument donation and community class program to more areas of the country. Although the term just started, under Simren’s leadership, the outreach committee is already busy emailing different organizations for community classes and reaching out to nearby music stories for instruments.

ERIN KIM - CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Instruments: Soprano singer and flute

Previously on the communications committee, Erin takes great pride in her role as Chief Communications Officer.

“Being an email secretary allowed me the privilege of communicating with the wonderful parents, students, and QuaranTunes teachers,” Erin said. “As Chief Communications Officer, I [hope] to serve as an effective liaison between volunteers [and] … community members.”

Being the main bridge between QuaranTunes and the community has its perks.

“It was nice to get to know QuaranTunes on a more personal level because as a … teacher, I feel like I wouldn't have known all the events [and] … fundraisers … going on,” Erin explained.

To increase transparency, the communications committee will promptly send out mass emails and event reminders to maximize participation in all the unique events and fundraisers QuaranTunes has to offer. Monthly newsletters are another important source for spreading awareness of these events, and Erin is in charge of creating them. During bi-weekly board meetings, she is responsible for taking notes on what is happening in each committee so that the newsletter has an even distribution of topics.

Erin looks forward to the rest of the term and shared some final words with us.

“QuaranTunes’ work of making music accessible is inspiring because personally, music has been like a source of healing and connection my entire life,” she said. “I really appreciate the opportunity to share music with other children. I’m a strong believer in the idea that music shouldn't have barriers.”

LIAM QUINN - CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER (CFO)

Instrument: Viola

Liam worked with QuaranTunes since January 2021. To get to his current position, Liam went through quite the application journey.

“I was super hesitant to apply [for CFO last term] because I had been there for like a week when they announced [new positions],” Liam said sheepishly. “I remember turning in my application at 11:55 the night that it was due.”

Hannah Schendel ended up becoming CFO, but everything ended up going perfectly in Liam’s favor. He was offered to be a part of the finance committee and got some experience under his belt to eventually qualify him to become this term’s CFO.

He noted some differences between the committee and Chief jobs.

“It's … more involved and … overwhelming. Before, I would … plan everything [and hand it] … off to Hannah … [to] follow through with it and talk to Julia,” Liam explained. ”Now it’s on me to [continue] that relationship.”

The most exciting development in the finance department is turning QuaranTunes into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, or a tax-exempt charitable organization. This recognition allows QuaranTunes to open a bank account and store revenues that can be used to expand its mission.

“But I'm excited to get ... more involved with fundraising," Liam added. "Right now I'm [researching] ... complicated … legal stuff. So looking forward to moving on from that."

The first board meeting left a great impression on Liam and reminded him of how special QuaranTunes is.

“I see how young [and passionate] everybody is … and to think that it all started from like one person, Julia, … [is] just so amazing,” he said.

DIVYA MATHUR - CHIEF TEACHER COORDINATOR

Instrument: Piano

Fittingly, May’s Teacher of the Month is also this term’s Chief Teacher Coordinator, who is responsible for managing all of the wonderful teachers and Head Teachers at QuaranTunes. Divya was a teacher orientation officer last term, which has similar responsibilities as a Chief Teacher Coordinator’s. The biggest differences are how much more involved she is with the board and the authority she has to implement different activities. Divya discussed her current priorities with us.

“I want to finish the teacher bonding idea with Angela Gao (Chief Marketing Officer),” she said. “[Sola and I] have also been working on a teacher cleanup to [determine] … which teachers are still teaching.”

Divya feels that the transition into her current position is smooth, especially with the teachers’ cooperation and effective teacher-managing system (thanks to former Chief Teacher Coordinator Zach Chang-Otanez).

“The teachers of QuaranTunes have great communication,” she said. “They are really open and respond to basically everything so they don't make it hard for me at all. … Zach created this big spreadsheet [tracking] … different [orientation] calls for me and … calls with the Head Teachers.”

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With these new additions to the board, we can’t help but be excited to see where QuaranTunes will go next! Make sure to stay tuned for more blogs about the amazing people behind the organization by subscribing.