Georgia believes that every young person is whole, promising, and musically capable regardless of their circumstances, and that there is no greater privilege than being a part of a person’s childhood and musical journey. She is a musician, community organizer, and educator who has been passionately teaching music for 13 years to youth aged birth through highschool. At 19, they began their first professional teaching artist job at the Chinatown Neighborhood Center in Boston, where they developed the beginnings of their original songwriting curriculum. Observing the life-changing effects of creativity-powered musical expression within this program, and reflecting on the role musical expression played in her own life and development, Georgia has been finetuning her curriculum each day of her teaching journey since then. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, they spent 9 years in Nashville, working as a music teacher and musician, where they co-founded the nationally recognized organization Girls Write Nashville (NPR, Today Show) in 2016 and helped guide a community of middle and high-school aged girls towards their most authentic voices through songwriting. She was also a public school 5th-12th grade songwriting instructor at Valor Collegiate Academies in Nashville, TN. In 2022, Georgia and her husband Kaston moved to Pittsburgh and launched You Be You Inc. As a fierce advocate for equitable music education access, she made sure that the organization was built on a model of accessibility from the beginning, and committed to having the majority of the organization’s services be free. Georgia has taught in pre-schools, juvenile detention centers, libraries, homeless shelters, schools, and everywhere in between and enjoys working with students long-term through their musical and human development. Georgia holds a Bachelors of Music from Berklee College of Music, and is also attaining their masters in Music Therapy from Duquesne University. Post-graduation, she plans to become a licensed music therapist in addition to continuing her community music education work. She has received extensive training in early childhood music education, trauma-informed approaches in education, and strives for personal and professional growth in cultural reflexivity at all times. She is also a working musician and performs around Pittsburgh. She is obsessed with her puppy Nellie and also fond of her husband Kaston.

Kaston Guffey started teaching himself to play the guitar at the age of twelve. As lead singer and songwriter of his band My Politic, he has been writing, performing and touring professionally for over fifteen years. He prides himself on being a self-motivated and endlessly curious musician, learning as much as possible on his own and from the talented musicians he's worked with along the way. As a teacher, he strives to impart this same sense of curiosity onto his students. Married to Georgia, Kaston has been with You Be You since the beginning and primarily teaches guitar and songwriting in individual lesson settings and community group classes for kids and adults. He has also taught the basics of piano and ukulele in summer camp settings as well as weekly songwriting mentorship meet-ups with teen students. He enjoys songwriting, playing guitar, baseball, playing with his adorable dog Nellie, and exploring Pittsburgh on his bike.

Sean Cannister is a producer and audio engineer with over a decade of experience. Raised in Curaçao, Sean brings a deep cultural understanding of global music styles, rhythm, and sonic identity. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in Recording Arts and a Master’s degree in Entertainment Business, an education that sharpened both his creative and strategic understanding of sound. Sean has worked with artists and brands around the world, delivering high-level sonics across music, media, and commercial platforms. His work has been released and featured through major outlets including Universal Music, ESPN, and BET, reaching international audiences at scale. In the music space, projects he has mixed and mastered have charted on Apple Music and iTunes in multiple countries, and have received radio airplay both in the United States and internationally. Registration will open tomorrow for all our free community music classes. Thank you for your patience with our very very small team.

Erika is a music and literary artist whose voice, vision, and purpose-driven work make her a truly unique talent. Inspired by legends like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, her approach to vocals and compositions reflects a contemporary and alternative sound blending Jazz, Neo-Soul, and Spoken-Word. Her disciplines seek to create music, literature, and spaces that build community and offer both healing and reprieve. Her creative practice has included releasing her debut music project, "Rx Melodies" (Prescription Melodies) (2022); performed at the Rubber City Jazz Festival, producing and writing original music for the theatre company Real Time Arts, and authoring “The Encouragement Guide”: An Interactive Journal to Build Healthy Self-Esteem and Confidence for Girls. Erika has also curated programs and events such as the Healing Intensive Creative Arts Program and The Singer’s Tea: an event that blends live improvisational performance, discussion, and wellness education. Erika is currently writing and co-producing her sophomore project, an album-book experience, and pursuing a master’s degree in music therapy at Duquesne University.

Alyssa Yealy has been teaching piano, brass, and voice private lessons since 2012. Her personal philosophy of music education centers around meeting kids where they are and celebrating their successes and progress together. She guides students through creative processes and assesses what musical approach works for each child's individual strengths and learning styles. She values student-led creative activities in composition and improvisation that show kids that their input is valuable and grants them safe outlets for expression. Her ultimate goal as a music educator is to grow students' love of music, while creating confident and curious musicians who are also kind humans. In addition to her work with You Be You, Alyssa serves as musical director for Saint Matthew Parish and is mom to two young children.

Derek is a multi-Instrumentalist and working musician who specializes in teaching guitar, bass, ukulele, theory, and songwriting. Derek grew up outside of Worcester MA where he first fell in love with the classic rock and folk music of the 60's and 70's. At 18, Derek moved to Nashville TN where he grew as a songwriter and performer. Derek spent seven years in Nashville recording, performing, writing, and touring professionally. After living in Nashville, he moved back to Massachusetts where he began teaching music full time. For the past five years, he has been teaching students from early childhood through highschool and adults, and loves to pass on his passion to those around him. He values taking the extra step to describe and break down the "why" we are playing something, instead of just the "how" to play it. He receives each student as their own unique person with their own wheel of strengths and weaknesses. His main goal is to teach students the way that resonates with them rather than force his own approaches. He hopes to not only teach his students how to play some of their favorite songs, but to also expose them to new bands and sounds that they can fall in love with. He hopes each student of his will find their own unique sound on their instrument of choice.

Nora is a community-based artist, illustrator, and graphic designer. As a resident of Millvale with a longstanding background in nonprofits, she supports You Be You’s social media and fundraising efforts.

Nellie has been with You Be You since its inception and appears frequently in You Be You’s curriculum. She loves her students and enjoys sing-howling with them when she sees them around the neighborhood. With a wide vocal range, she considers herself a bass, tenor, alto, and soprano singer. She is also proficient as a percussionist, banging her incredibly muscular tail to a steady beat on the floor. She enjoys curling up in her humans’ guitar case when they practice. Her favorite music is opera, and when the vibe is right, she will sing along to a recording. She frequently crashes virtual classes and loves having friends all over the globe from Uganda to Australia and everywhere in between. She loves swimming and spends the summers training her amazingly muscular body. She dislikes motorcycles, storms, and balloons.