Chris Margolin is a 7th grade English teacher and working musician based in Portland, Oregon. For over 20 years, he’s lived in the space where music and education overlap—where a lesson can hit like a lyric, and a song can teach something real.

He’s the creator and former host of TPQ20 (The Poetry Question), a podcast that brought together poets, musicians, and artists for honest, unfiltered conversations about the creative process. That same spirit carries into his current project, CASSINGLES: A SIDE-A Education Podcast.

Chris is also the frontman of Chris Margolin & The Contraband, a rock-driven band with roots in alt-country and Americana. Whether in the classroom or on stage, his work is grounded in connection, storytelling, and the belief that the things that stick with us usually come with a soundtrack.