Bill Carbone

Executive nonprofit leader with nearly a decade of experience building and scaling a national organization at the intersection of education, arts, and social impact. Proven fundraiser, strategist, and communicator with expertise in board governance, major gifts, foundation relations, government and institutional partnerships, and curriculum innovation. Track record of translating complex mission into compelling stakeholder narrative, diversifying revenue in resource-constrained environments, and building high-performing, mission-driven teams.

Bill Carbone champions the transformative power of music to build vibrant communities in education. Decades spent as a researcher, teacher, journalist, and musician, led him to TeachRock.org, where he now helms a team of brilliant minds dedicated to reshaping school culture.

Upon joining TeachRock in 2016, Bill created the PBS Soundbreaking and Beatles curriculum collections in his first year. Since, Bill has helped TeachRock reach 10,000 teachers face-to-face on Stevie Van Zandt’s 2018-19 "Teacher Solidarity Tour," navigate a 400% surge in usership during the pandemic, and build a school partnership team that brings TeachRock’s open educational resources to life in classrooms nationwide. Bill and the TeachRock team are on a mission to help every student find joy, meaning, and a sense of purpose by bringing core curriculum to life through music and culture.

Bill holds degrees in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, and when not standing behind his desk at TeachRock can be found sitting behind drums and percussion with Max Creek, The Z3, She Sings Dylan, and 10ft. Bill also taught music history, ethnomusicology, and percussion at Central Connecticut State and Wesleyan Universities.

Looking back, Bill can see the kind of student he might have been if his algebra class had featured the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart or his social studies course had included Muddy Waters. However, since a time machine isn't an option, Bill’s mission is simple: make sure today’s students have that opportunity through TeachRock.