MEET RACHEL
Some people choose music. Rachel Bickley was chosen by it.
From the moment she first picked up a saxophone, Rachel knew that sound wasn't just something she did — it was something she was. A gifted composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Sound Designer, Rachel has spent her life following the quiet but unmistakable voice that tells her: this is your calling. And she has answered it — fully, fearlessly, and with every note she's ever played.
Trained as a jazz and blues saxophonist — earning top honors at Essentially Ellington and a NYSSMA Gold — Rachel's gift has always been her ability to make people feel something they couldn't find words for. That is the power of sound. And Rachel has spent her career learning how to harness it.
Today, she stands at one of the most exciting frontiers in audio: the intersection of sound, technology, and human healing. As a Sound Designer and Technical Producer for Vibes AI, Rachel is helping build a neurotech platform that prescribes music as medicine — using voice biomarkers to deliver personalized audio therapies that support brain health and cognitive wellness. There, she is apprenticing under the Chief Sound Therapist and a vibroacoustic designer, deepening her mastery of psychoacoustics, spatial audio, and the science of how sound moves through the body and transforms the mind. Every day, she is learning that music doesn't just touch the soul — it heals it.
But Rachel's vision extends beyond wellness. She is designing the audio experiences that live inside the products people trust most — mobile apps, AI platforms, smart speakers, connected cars — crafting the notifications, micro-interactions, and sonic moments that make technology feel less like a machine and more like a presence. She believes that great UX sound design isn't about filling silence. It's about knowing exactly when silence speaks louder than any sound ever could.
A devoted music educator, podcast sound architect, and AI literacy advocate whose original content has reached communities navigating real-world crises around the globe, Rachel brings the same intentionality and heart to every student, every project, and every product she touches.
This is not a career. This is a calling. And Rachel Bickley is just getting started.
experience showcase
2010 - Present · 13 yrs 4 mos
Jazz/Concert/Studio Musician at RachelBickley.Band, New York, NY
January 2023 - Present
Founder, Sound Designer, Composition & Musician at Substance, Inc, Hudson Valley & New York, NY
Nov 2019 - Present
MusicTech & Sound Design Program Director at DesignedByUs.org, New York, NY
March 2019 - September 2019
Content Review & Rights Administration Specialist at TuneCore, Brooklyn, NY
As a Content Review & Rights Admin specialist, my duties were to familiarize myself with certain style guides and formatting criteria set by online stores and ensure that all releases met the standard set by the stores.
March 2018 - March 2019
Woodwinds & Brass Music Teacher at Brooklyn Center for the Arts, Brooklyn, NY
As the Woodwinds & Brass Teacher, Rachel taught music theory, music performance and music history based on the instruments. She was also responsible for 10-20 students per class season, and was responsible for their improving their performance and growth.
EDUCATION
Fall 2019- Fall 2022
CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
Major: Musicology & Jazz Performance
Minor: Music Technology
Fall 2017- Fall 2018
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York, NY
Major: Music
VOLUNTEER WORK
November 2017 - March 2019
Woodwinds & Brass Music Teacher at Brooklyn Center for the Arts, Brooklyn, NY