Julie Hochman (she/her) grew up in Glenview, IL and has lived in Chicago for 20 years. Starting in middle school, Julie has always been in choirs and participated in variety shows, acapella groups and musicals. At the age of 13 she began singing and taking voice lessons. As a classically trained soprano, Julie has a strong vocal technique which allowed her to develop vocal skills in jazz and musical theater. Julie has a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Drake University, and a Master of Education degree from DePaul University. Recently, she also completed an Instructional Design program through the University of Illinois with goals of moving into the private sector and working in curriculum development. Julie spent five years teaching voice lessons at Glenbrook South High School and went on to be a classroom teacher for over a decade. Her understanding of child development allows her to work successfully with a myriad of students with diverse needs. One of her greatest strengths as an educator has been her ability to build meaningful relationships with her students and their families. Creating a supportive environment allowed her students to thrive and find joy in learning. As a parent of Music Together®, Julie and her daughter look forward to attending weekly classes. Her daughter can often be heard singing the songs from the various collections during meal times or in the car. They have found a lot of joy in the Music Together® community making new friends and sharing their love of music. Having experienced the Music Together® collection with her own child, paired with her experience in the classroom, Julie has a genuine understanding of how to make classes engaging for all ages and musical abilities. In her free time Julie enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, and baking. She also sings with a group called Imprint, a non-profit organization that performs to raise money for music education programs in underserved communities.