Steve Van Dam

‍Founder & CEO

Steve's music career started in an elementary school band room and took him around the world. After earning a degree in Music Composition & Theory from James Madison University, he toured internationally with his band Everything, whose hit "Who Got the Hooch" put them on stages alongside Dave Matthews, Beyoncé, and *NSYNC. He then built a second career behind the scenes, writing and producing more than 1,000 tracks for television and film. His catalog earns over 50,000 monthly streams.

In 2010, Steve turned that experience into a mission, founding Light the Music to bring real-world music creation into classrooms and communities. Today he leads the company's partnerships, software, and programs, combining an educator's ear, a producer's toolkit, and an entrepreneur's drive. His focus is on reaching underserved learners, especially in juvenile justice and treatment settings, because he believes learning, collaborating, and playing music light up the world.

Caitlin Hughes

Head of Customer Success & Education

After tour managing a five-piece band in my 20's, I traded in the live show experience to try my hand at secondary education, and found my footing as a high school English teacher. A decade later I had the privilege to join an early stage ed-tech start up based in Richmond (MajorClarity) as a founding member of the Customer Success team. Within four years we were serving students and schools in 40 states, ultimately leading to a successful acquisition. In joining forces with LTM - a timely and energizing collision - I have found a place where my passion for music, education, and innovative technology can thrive.

When I am not creating content or collaborating with LTM partners, you're most likely to find me traveling the country, following my favorite band - Phish - on tour.

Ryann Lofchie

COO 

Ryann is Light The Music’s Chief Operating Officer, bringing deep experience building and scaling high-growth companies. A former CEO who led her company onto the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies and through a successful exit, she now turns LTM’s vision into the systems, teams, and culture that bring it to life.

Bird Cox

Content Creator & Facilitator 

Bird Cox is the writing, communication and lyricism content creator for LTM. Listening closely to what young people want, who they want to be, and how they want to get there are her top priorities, and she is always pulling new elements into the program based on students' interests and goals. She's a lifelong writer and rap fan who co-founded Richmond Young Writers, a creative writing organization for youth. For Bird, Golden Era rap still reigns supreme, and Biggie wears the crown. 

Lillie Van Dam

Customer Success Lead & Content Developer

Lillie leads Customer Success at Light The Music, where she also oversees the quality of every piece of LTM’s learning content. A lover of all things creative, Lillie comes from a background of early childhood and special education. She likes working with youth of all ages & backgrounds and being able to make a difference in their lives. Her favorite part is being able to see what they create and what new paths they're interested in.