Benwar Shepard is a South Sacramento native, music teacher, and member of the Sammie award-winning Element Brass Band. He is the founder of Bigger Than Us (BTU) Arts, an arts education nonprofit focused on supporting positive forms of expression throughout the community through exposure, instruction, and performance in the arts. Shepard’s Element Brass Band leads second line parades through Sacramento neighborhoods, and BTU Arts has received city Creative Economy grants to support community arts programming.