DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PROJECT BIOS
Alyson Steinman has been and continues to be a local performing musician in New Mexico since 1981. She performs as a bassist for everything from rock and blues to Afro-pop, Colombian, and Mexican music, and as a percussionist and kalimba player for West African and South African dance classes and productions. As an educator, Alyson has taught classes and participated in numerous concerts and workshops throughout the Albuquerque Public Schools, the New Mexico prison system, and hospitals. She currently teaches the "Rico Music" program at Amy Biehl Charter High School, Ambassadors to Africa kids' African Dance at the African-American Performing Arts Center, Project Music at Warehouse 508, and works with the Jazz Workshop's Empowerment Through Music Digital Technology Project.
Dominic Ruiz is an Empowerment Through Music mentor/instructor with incarcerated youth in Albuquerque juvenile justice facilities. He is the artist known as Dahhm Life and has been writing songs since age thirteen. Early formative experiences led to the realization that he could turn his poems into songs with a positive message. Looking deeply into the history of Hip Hop to find more meaning and teachings, he considers his life changed. He works diligently to preserve the Hip Hop culture, travels to perform countless shows, stays socially active with youth and adult programs, and shows no signs of slowing down. He is a co-founder and President of the Southwest’s largest Hip Hop label Skull Control Records. Using Hip Hop as his platform he creates lyrics, songs, produces beats, and is a long time drummer. His group projects include Model Citizens, and the Weekly Alibi’s 2010 “Best Hip Hop” group Zoology. His freshman solo album “Play With Your (Knowledge Of) Self” has received critical acclaim prior to its nationwide release. Dahhm is known by his peers for his ability to bring people together, and his sense of community. “We are Emcees. We put the passion in our art form. Who we are is the formula for creation.” – Dahhm Life
Caro Acuna Olvera is a professional local musician who has been working with incarcerated youth in the Jazz Workshop’s Empowerment Through Music program since early 2010. She performs regularly as a percussionist around the state and on the west coast.