The History of SoundTree, part 1

Lee Whitmore Vice President B2B and Education, Focusrite Group

In the 90s I was working for Korg USA in Long Island as a digital piano project manager, and something happened one day at a local doughnut shop that subsequently changed my career trajectory to this day. It has also impacted music education for hundreds of thousands of students and teachers for three decades. With some of the company's senior leaders, including KORG President Mike Kovins, we took a break from the office, walked up the street, and chatted about how we could create an education division.

We grabbed a napkin and sketched the first "business plan" for SoundTree.

I served as SoundTree's first managing director, missed it when I left, and went back for a second term heading the organization. During that time, SoundTree became the first supplier of digital keyboard labs for the nascent Save The Music Foundation, offered professional development and training services for school districts and campuses across the United States, and began the journey that continues today—making a difference in young people's lives by helping schools bring engaging, culturally relevant music education to their students.

Early SoundTree Lab

In the early days of SoundTree, I have fond memories of working with the St. Louis Public Schools to design and implement its first music labs, regularly offering professional development sessions for NYC Department of Education teachers from all five boroughs, teaching and producing summer graduate courses in music technology for in-service educators on Marthas Vineyard and the University of Wisconsin, Villanova University and Central Connecticut University, and participated in many state, regional, and national music educators' conferences.

We all worked together to build a community of technology and creativity-focused classroom practitioners that still come together regularly through organizations like the Technology Institute for Music Educators. Korg and SoundTree helped found TI:ME.

Having started its first regular publication for teachers, I'm honored to write this contribution to SoundTree's newsletter. SoundTree has expert leadership and staff that can assist any music education program. It also partners with market-leading hardware and software companies that work well in classrooms and hold up under the hands of droves of students coming in and out of classrooms daily.

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Dr. Lee Whitmore is a thought leader in music, audio, creative digital media, and education. He’s the Vice President for business-to-business (B2B), including education, pro, post, and government, at Focusrite Group, which includes Focusrite, Novation, Sequential and Oberheim, ADAM Audio, Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, Linea Research, and Sonnox, and more.

With a career that spans three decades, his professional assignments have included leadership positions at music industry companies Avid, Sibelius, and Korg USA, which included serving as the founding Managing Director for their education division, SoundTree, as well as the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition and Berklee College of Music. He has a doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College in music education and technology. Because music has dramatically affected his personal life and career, Lee is a vocal advocate for access to music and related arts for all young people.

Lee is an author, educator, public speaker, and industry and education executive. Well-read articles include pieces for the Inter-American Development Bank, the Hechinger Report, and the Washington Post. 

Dr. Whitmore's commitment to music, community, and education is evident in his active involvement in various organizations. He serves as a board member for We Make Noise and The MIDI Association, where he also holds an executive board position and serves as treasurer. His leadership extends to the MIDI in Music Education (MiME) Special Interest Group, which he leads.

Contact Lee at lee.whitmore@focusritegroup.com.