OUR TEAM

KELLEY MCRAE, Founder & Executive Director

Kelley McRae has dedicated her life to the craft of songwriting. As a professional musician, she toured the US and Europe, released 7 albums and was featured on NPR, Billboard, and Paste Magazine. As a teacher, she has taught hundreds of students from around the world. Kelley helped found the Music Program at the School of Creative and Performing Arts in NYC, where she developed a college accredited songwriting curriculum.

EQ AUSTIN - Partner, Runs our THRIVE Mentorship Program

Song Rise Arts partners with EQ Austin , a non-profit dedicated to promoting diverse and inclusive cultural representation in Austin’s music scene - to run our THRIVE Mentorship Program.

EQ Austin’s impressive track record in the community made them an ideal collaborator to expand the network of mentors and industry experts who reflect the lived experiences of our students.

ALEXANDER ZAPATA, Young Artist Program Director

Alex Zapata is a songwriter and activist who works on local efforts to make youth homelessness brief and nonrecurring. As a member of the Austin Youth Collective, Austin Homeless Advisory Council and E.C.O.H, he has contributed to the national dialogue on youth homelessness. Alex participated in the Young Artist Program in 2019, became a teaching assistant in 2020, and today leads the very program he once entered as a student.

"Being a mentor for Song Rise Arts is one of the most meaningful things I’ve done. I’ve been deeply moved by how affirmed students feel, how their curiosity and confidence grows." - Rebecca Jordan Smith (Songwriter for Prince & Kelly Clarkson, taught at NYU)