What is Flocabulary?
Flocabulary creates hip-hop music and curricular materials to teach academic content in grades K-12. We strongly believe that a motivated student is a more successful student.
We strive to not only boost test scores, but also to foster a love of learning in every child who uses our programs. We believe academic programs can be both rigorous and engaging for students of all backgrounds. Our programs are proven to increase motivation and academic achievement. They are currently being used in more than 15,000 schools nationwide.
Our Team
Founders
Alex Rappaport, Founder, CEO
An entrepreneur and a musician, Alex Rappaport co-founded Flocabulary in 2004 and has been running the business ever since. As Flocabulary's CEO, he has spoken on entrepreneurship and social enterprise for students and adults, and he presents regularly at national education conferences. Alex has a degree in music from Tufts University and currently lives in Brooklyn.
Blake Harrison, Founder, Creative Director
Blake Harrison co-founded Flocabulary in 2004 after dreaming up the idea in high school. Having worked with students in many contexts, he now manages a roster of artists and educators to create award-winning educational content. Blake has been the keynote speaker at teacher conferences and high school graduations. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English.
Team, Educators and Artists
Aliza Aufrichtig, Editorial Director
Aliza Aufrichtig is a former high school English teacher who was known (at least among her students) for her creative lesson plans. Some of these included city-wide scavenger hunts and a Valentine's Day grammar "dating" game. Aliza now funnels her creative energy toward Flocabulary's lessons and written materials. She studied literature at Harvard University, where she wrote the Let's Go guide to France.
Vlad Gutkovich, VP of Sales
Vlad Gutkovich joined Flocabulary in 2008, bringing with him a wide range of experience in teaching, music and business. After graduating from Wesleyan University with High Honors, Vlad freelanced as a music specialist and curriculum designer for organizations throughout New York City. He now crisscrosses the country, spreading the word about Flocabulary wherever he goes.
Tara Miller, Office Manager
Tara Miller is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where she received a bachelor's degree in music business. Tara's previous experience includes jobs at ASCAP and Cherry Lane Music Publishing. In the fall of 2010, Tara joined the Flocabulary team, where she has been committed to furthering our mission of spreading educational hip-hop music and materials to schools nationwide.
Kawachi Clemons, Ph.D.
Now an assistant professor of music at Florida A&M University, Kawachi founded the Hip-Hop Initiative at North Carolina Central University. His research focuses on the interrelationship of artistic agency (problem-posing and problem-solving in the arts) and culturally responsive teaching.
Barbara Hairfield
During her 20-plus years of teaching, Barbara Hairfield has been recognized as the Charleston County Teacher of the Year and as the South Carolina Social Studies Teacher of the Year. She currently serves as the social studies curriculum coordinator for the Charleston County School District's 80 schools and has also served as a teacher coach for the school district and as a social studies teacher specialist for the S.C. State Department of Education.
Sara Kugler
Sara Kugler taught kindergarten through third grade at public schools in Brooklyn, New York, and Fairfax County, Virginia. She worked as a literacy staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York. Recently, she returned to her hometown in Fairfax County to become a reading teacher. She lives with her husband and her daughter.
Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit
A Grammy-winning producer with a soulful sound, 9th Wonder has produced for Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and as part of the group Little Brother. 9th Wonder is now an artist in residence with North Carolina Central University's Hip-Hop Initiative.
Devon "Terrordome" Glover
Devon is both an artist and an educator. Having studied mathematics at Ithaca College, he now divides his time between working at an after-school program in Brooklyn and lighting up stages around New York City.
April Hill
The protege of Marlon Saunders and a Howard University graduate, this talented jazz and R&B singer has performed at the Blue Note, the Cutting Room, Warm Daddy's and numerous clubs in New York and Philly.
Mervin "Spectac" Jenkins
Mervin is both an emcee and a former middle school principal. As an artist, he's recorded albums with Big Daddy Kane and 9th Wonder. As an educator, he has been a principal and an assistant principal in North and South Carolina. He now lives in Atlanta and works with AVID.
Christopher "Play" Martin
Christopher "Play" Martin is a rapper and actor who achieved fame as half of the late 1980s/early 1990s duo Kid 'n Play. Martin, whose songs have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles charts, has also starred in numerous feature films including House Party and Class Act. Recently Martin has worked as a teacher at North Carolina Central University and started Brand Newz, a web-based news show with an urban focus.
Dillon Maurer
Dillon Maurer is an Atlanta-based emcee and producer who tutors students in all subjects when he isn't making beats and writing rhymes. As a performer, he has toured all over the U.S. and Europe and shared the stage with KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Pete Rock, The Pharcyde, and many more. He has also cooked dinner for Chuck D of Public Enemy.
David "D-Stroy" Melendez
D-Stroy, born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn, has been making music since 1996. A member of The Arsonists, D-Stroy has since toured with a variety of artists, from Kanye West, Eminem and Ludacris to The Roots, L.L. Cool J and Busta Rhymes. He's performed on B.E.T.'s 106 & Park and at Shaquille O'Neal's birthday party. D has been working with Flocabulary since 2008.
Emilio "Reason" Montilla
Emilio "Reason" Montilla was born and raised in the borough of the Bronx. Having released his first LP, In-Tune, in 2009, he's gone on to perform on stages throughout New York including the Apollo Theatre. He attended Borough of Manhattan Community College and has worked with special education students as an assistant teacher in the Bronx.
Zach Prottas
A workshop leader for Flocabulary, Zach approaches hip-hop with a personal passion as well as an academic focus. Zach has written about hip-hop for Foundation magazine and BallerStatus.com, has led history projects for students for PBS and is now earning his Ph.D. in African American Studies at the University of California, Berkley.
Alan "Grey" Ramos
This Chicago-born, Brooklyn-raised Puerto Rican and Chinese emcee has made a name for himself as a performance artist and battle rapper. He's appeared in Fight Club, RIX Magazine, and in videos with 50 Cent and Mobb Deep. Grey has also opened for an array of artists including Camron, Obie Trice, and Clipse. He's been contributing to Flocabulary since 2005.
Shanette "Miss Netty" Santos
Miss Netty, born and raised in Harlem, is a versatile female emcee with a unique east coast style. Having worked with Flocabulary since 2007, Miss Netty has appeared on numerous albums and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Anthony "Trajik" Smith
Trajik was born in Queens, New York. A mixtape artist who has gone beyond the confines of that label, Trajik infuses on the music he works on with hope, pain, anger and joy. Trajik has released numerous albums and now resides in St. Louis, Missouri.
Our Story
The idea for Flocabulary first came to founder/lyricist Blake Harrison in high school. A good student who still struggled to memorize facts for tests, he wondered why it was so easy to remember lines to his favorite rap songs but so difficult to memorize the definitions of new vocabulary words. Blake realized that if a rapper released an album that defined SAT vocab words, students would have a fun and effective way to prepare for the SAT.
After studying English at the University of Pennsylvania and working on his rapping at gatherings around Philadelphia, Blake moved out West. In San Francisco, he met Alex Rappaport, a musician and producer. Alex had studied music at Tufts University and was writing tracks for indie films and producing ring tones for cell phones. Both he and Blake found jobs at a local Italian restaurant to help pay the bills.
During a game of basketball before work one day, Blake mentioned his idea of vocabulary rap to Alex. Alex gave the typical response: "That's a great idea." But he also added something new: "Let's do it."
A month later the duo had a demo recorded. Six years later, Flocabulary's programs are being used in more than 15,000 schools and reach a weekly audience of nearly 6 million students. Wondering what happened in between? See our timeline below.
Flocabulary has grown to include songs and curricular programs for language arts, math, social studies and science. Defined as much by its success as by its committed social mission, Flocabulary is poised to reach more students than ever, putting smiles on their faces and A's on their report cards.
The Timeline
The Inspiration: In high school, Blake Harrison wonders why it is so easy to remember lines to his favorite rap songs but so difficult to memorize the definitions of new vocabulary words. Blake realizes that if a rapper released an album that defined SAT vocab words, students would have a fun and effective way to prepare for the SAT.
2003: Blake Harrison and Alex Rappaport meet in San Francisco and create a demo song.
July 2004: This leads to a contract to produce two SAT vocabulary raps for Sparknotes.com.
November 2004: Flocabulary.com launches with four SAT vocabulary songs.
April 2005: Blake and Alex, with the help of talented artists on both coasts, complete their first full-length album, featuring 12 songs that define 500 SAT vocabulary words.
Fall 2005: Flocabulary appears in the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, New York Times and on MTV News. Soon after, Alex and Blake relocate to New York City and begin a school tour, performing shows up and down the East Coast.
April 2006: Flocabulary: The Hip-Hop Approach to SAT-Level Vocabulary Building hits bookshelves worldwide thanks to a deal with Cider Mill Press and Sterling Publishing.
May 2006: Flocabulary is awarded first prize in Columbia Business School's Outrageous Business Plan competition in the social value category. This leads to several rounds of financing with angel investors.
September 2006: ABC News reports that Flocabulary helped to raise average SAT scores at one Virginia high school by nearly 60 points. Soon after, Flocabulary is featured on CNN, Fox News, NBC Today in New York and Geraldo at Large. Geraldo himself exclaims, "I don't care if it's hip-hop or opera, as long as it works!"
December 2006: Flocabulary releases Hip-Hop U.S. History. The project, which teaches students American history through fact-filled narrative raps, is praised by Cornel West and Howard Zinn as "extraordinary" and "necessary."
March 2007: Flocabulary works with Grammy-winning artist 9th Wonder on Shakespeare is Hip-Hop. The album features an array of new artists, many of whom came together for a CD-release party and performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
September 2007: Flocabulary publishes The Word Up Project, a groundbreaking, multileveled vocabulary program. Word Up uses best practices in vocabulary instruction and features story-based rap songs to teach essential vocabulary to students in grades 2 to 8.
September 2008: Flocabulary creates new programs for math, science and world history. Vlad Gutkovich joins Flocabulary as the sales manager and marketing director.
November 2008: Flocabulary launches the Week in Rap, an online current events resource for teachers and students.
February 2009: Flocabulary partners with Channel One News to distribute the Week in Rap to over 6 million students each week.
January 2009: Dr. Roger Farr, former president of the International Reading Association, conducts an independent study to test the efficacy of The Word Up Project and finds that the program significantly increases vocabulary proficiency among students of diverse backgrounds and that students using the program had higher scores on state reading tests than their academic peers.
August 2009: Flocabulary signs a distribution agreement with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Spring 2010: Flocabulary is featured on The Today Show and in a Fox News documentary on the state of education in America.
Winter 2010: Tara Miller joins Flocabulary as the office manager. Aliza Aufrichtig joins Flocabulary as the editorial director.
August 2011: Flocabulary launches its new Digital Subscription.
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