All About:
Nicholas and Ær
Nicholas and Ær met in early 2021, and have been presenting together on transgender equity since the summer of that year. They are both transgender nonbinary music educators, and they are passionate about bringing the information they have to as many people as possible.
To find out ways you can help, please click here.
Nicholas Prosini
They/Them/Theirs
Mx. Nicholas Prosini found the love of music at age 9 from playing alto saxophone in the band. Nicholas continued studying alto saxophone in middle school and added piano and clarinet skills. In high school, Mx. Prosini switched to bassoon but played alto saxophone in the marching band.
After high school, Mx. Prosini pursued undergraduate study at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. There, Mx. Prosini completed their music education degree. After graduation, Mx. Prosini taught band, orchestra, and general music in New Jersey’s public schools for 6 years. During that time, Mx. Prosini doubled the size of the instrumental music program, started a recorder program for third graders, and hosted a recital featuring Carnatic music. Additionally, Prosini assisted in PTO fundraising efforts by giving performances at the local Barnes and Noble.
Upon receiving tenure, Mx. Prosini began a Master of the Arts in Music Education degree at Montclair State University. Highlights of Mx. Prosini’s graduate study include instruction in music technology and democratic practice in the classroom.
When the COVID pandemic began, Mx. Prosini reimagined their entire music program to exist digitally. Mx. Prosini has a passion for technology and has further developed their skills using Google Classroom, Logic Pro X, Final Cut Pro, Google Chrome Lab and Flipgrid. Mx. Prosini’s students have learned how to use a step sequencer and record videos of themselves singing soloistically. Mx. Prosini’s technological expertise has empowered them to create 3 virtual arts shows during the pandemic.
In December 2022, Mx. Prosini completed their second masters degree to earn their School Building Leader/School District Leader (SBL/SDL) certificate at Hunter College.
Mx. Prosini currently teaches in Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. Mx. Prosini’s work includes teaching K-5 general music and choir.
Ær Queen
They/Fen/Fens
Ær is a transgender non-binary elementary General Music teacher at Bradock Elementary School in Annandale, Virginia. They have been teaching General Music for seven years, mostly in Title I schools. They were a quarterfinalist for the 2022 and 2023 Music Educator Grammy Awards, and a single parent to a sweet four year old.
Ær earned their Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA and is planning on beginning their Masters of Music Education at some point in the near future.
They are passionate about how their students feel when they are in the music room, and want to do everything they can to make sure that their students know they are loved, cared for, and included from the moment they enter the classroom - and not as an afterthought. As a part of this work, Ær continuously works on being intersectional and anti-racist in their approach to teaching and interacting with their students, as well as choosing material for their students to use while learning.
Ær uses a mixture of Conversational Solfege and the Orff approach in their music teaching, which is heavily driven by their students interests and strengths. They also have great success with their “musician rotation” which highlights a different musician from every background and genre possible, with an emphasis on Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian voices, women, and nonbinary people.
Ær started presenting at various state MEAs in 2021, and plans to continue doing work in the field of inclusion and gender equity in the future.