Lisa Michaels (she/her) is passionate about the value of music and its benefits, having seen its impact on her own children and has never forgotten the fascination and fun of playing in the high school band. As a music education advocate, Lisa has spoken at multiple conferences in Canada and the U.S. Prior to co-founding Bandology in 2017, she spent more than two decades running her own businesses as a marketing consultant and serial entrepreneur, and is a member of a local award-winning a capella chorus. Lisa has a B.A. from York University and a M.A. in Community Music from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Lisa is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Bandology and can be reached at lisa@bandology.ca.
Finding joy in all kinds of music-making, Sandy Wright (he/him) strives to share that joy in his work as an educator, performer and composer. His passion for music was shaped by his high school’s band program, and he holds Master of Arts degrees in Community Music and Composition. His music has been performed at festivals and in concerts in Canada and the UK. Sandy teaches privately in Waterloo, performs with the band adult recreation centre and is Artistic Director for the theatre collective One Strange Night Productions.
Sandy is our Education Manager and Head of Programming and can be reached at sandy@bandology.ca.
Julianna Rutledge (she/they) may not have picked up a saxophone in a while but considers her time spent in bands and choirs instrumental to the person she has become. Julianna has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, with a major in English and minor in History. She has served as co-leader of a student-run school choir, reported for the university newspaper and spent an extensive amount of time travelling. In addition to her role at Bandology, she is currently at work on her first novel.
Julianna is our Innovation Manager and Head of Operations and can be reached at julianna@bandology.ca.
Ryan MacKinnon (he/him) started playing guitar at eight years old and switched over to drum kit when he was 10. Upon entering high school he found a new love in playing classical percussion instruments. Ryan has a Bachelor of Music in Self-Directed Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University and has played with a variety of different orchestras, choirs and concert bands including the Stratford Symphony, Guelph Symphony and Oakville Symphony. He runs a private teaching studio where he holds lessons for drums and classical percussion instruments, and is a teacher at the Burlington Music Centre. He is also the General Manager and Percussion Coach of the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra (OSYO). Ryan loves to share all the things he has learned on his journey to help young musicians excel.
Ryan is our Community Programs Manager and can be reached at ryan@bandology.ca.
Asha Swann (she/her) is a recent Bachelor of Journalism grad from the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson). She grew up in a family full of music lovers. Throughout her life, Asha’s learned to play piano, clarinet and electric bass. She hopes to combine her love of music with her passions for communications and media through her work at Bandology.
Asha is our Marketing Coordinator and can be reached at asha@bandology.ca.
Tamara Djuknic (she/her) is a political science student at Wilfrid Laurier University. She found her passion for music at a young age through her family, participated in many choirs and played the bass clarinet in various bands throughout her childhood. Tamara is excited to advocate for music education as she believes music is a key component to communication and building ties within the community.
Tamara is our Public Relations Coordinator and can be reached at tamara@bandology.ca.
Sara Thoeny (all pronouns) is a music educator, performer and composer. Sara has been playing piano since the age of five years old and has since learned to play guitar, ukulele, double bass and French horn. Sara has completed RCM level 10 piano and is working on her Community Music/Music Therapy degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is originally from Langley, B.C., and has performed in group settings in Hawaii, the Royal Nova Scotia Tattoo, the 25th Annual Stratford Music Festival, Kiwanis Music Festival, Fort Langley Jazz Festival and many other festivals and music events across Canada and the United States.
Sara is our Camp and Workshop Coordinator and can be reached at sara@bandology.ca.
Jazz (she/her) is a retired vocalist, music aficionado and nature lover. She was once part of a saxophone-vocal duo who broke up due to artistic differences, mainly their mutual inability to harmonize. Jazz is fond of attending staff meetings and greeting people during instrument drop offs. When she isn’t representing Bandology, she is probably sleeping or looking for treats.
Jazz is Bandology’s Mascot and can’t currently be reached by email.
We’ve also had some amazing faculty for our summer band camps!
2021 – no faculty due to COVID-safe camp
2020 – no faculty due to online camp
Bandology is a proud recipient of Canada Summer Jobs grants to fund these summer positions in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018.
