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 our teachers make all the difference 

OUR TEACHERS  create a fun musical experience that spurs engagement and supports each child's musical development. All of them are passionate about music and guiding the growth and development of every child's musical ability. All of our early childhood instructors are Registered or Certified Music Together® instructors. Each and every private lessons instructor will tailor the method to the individual student's learning style, which may include the Suzuki methods or a more traditional approach.

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Jacqueline Smith  
Katie
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   Katie Dunn-Rankin 

Early Childhood Music Instructor

Katie Dunn-Rankin (she/her) is an early childhood educator with experience teaching kindergarten and preschool. With a background in musical theatre, Katie has a lifelong love of music and performing that she has enjoyed sharing with young people since she was still in grade school herself. She has a degree in elementary education from Wheaton College, and a certification in ESL education, speaking conversational Spanish. These days, Katie enjoys acting in the comedy and theatre scene here in Chicago, as well as performing in character at children’s birthday parties and events with Princess Party Chicago

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Jacqueline Smith  
Jessie
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   Jessie Ewers  

Early Childhood Music Instructor & Enrollment Manager

Jessie Ewers (she/her) is a mother of three daughters and music and dance has always been a part of their everyday routine--whether it be family karaoke night or a random dance party in their living room. She was in choir and acapella singing groups all through school. Jessie worked as a preschool teaching assistant at a local public school and a Montessori school. She has her paraprofessional education certificate, as well as an associate's in early childhood education. When she's not teaching, or handling enrollment for MMM, she loves to spend time with her daughters and snuggle with her dog.

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Jacqueline Smith  
Amber
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  Amber Farish    

Early Childhood, Voice, & Piano Instructor, Early Childhood Operations Manager

Amber Farish (she/her) has been teaching voice and piano to students of all ages since 2012. Her love and experience in teaching grew exponentially after she moved to Illinois in 2014. After moving to Chicago in 2017, she discovered and cultivated her love of teaching preschool-aged children. Since then Amber has been utilizing an array of resources and methods for 3-5 year old musicians that encourage them to learn how they learn best: Through play! No matter what the age, Amber’s favorite aspect of teaching private lessons is playing games, a sneaky way to teach and reinforce any musical concept and make it fun. Although she has a foundation in classical vocal technique she is comfortable teaching styles such as musical theatre, jazz, commercial, and pop. Amber also performs as a veteran member of both the William Ferris Chorale and Chorister of St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church. Amber holds a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Central Florida and a Master's Degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in Vocal Performance and Literature.

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Jacqueline Smith  
Julie H
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  Julie Hochman   

Early Childhood Music Instructor

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.

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Jacqueline Smith  
Sarah
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  Sarah Ma  

Director 

Sarah Ma is the new Director of Merry Music Makers as of February 2023. As founder of LYRIQ Music School in 2016, Sarah brings a wealth of experience to Merry Music Makers as both a performing artist and business owner. She is excited to be part of a musical program rooted in early childhood development and learning styles that establishes pathways in young brains for musical fluency. Sarah attributes much of her success to her background in Chemical Engineering and her time in the Peace Corps Tanzania as a Chemistry Teacher. She lives in the Northcenter neighborhood with her husband, two children, and dog, Crash.

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Jacqueline Smith  
Sam
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  Sam Sharp  

Violin Instructor & Camps Manager

Sam Sharp is a music teacher, violinist, composer, arranger, and very mediocre juggler. A full-time teacher since 2010, Sam uses his Suzuki training, therapy and healing work, and performance experience to create a unique and highly personalized learning environment. His vision as a teacher is to guide each student in a way that allows them to find their own creatively fulfilling path with music. Sam's performing activities include outreach concerts at hospitals and schools and shows with his Beatles string quartet. He loves playing classical, blues, bluegrass, and Irish music and has been exploring improvisation as important element of learning the violin.  He holds violin performance degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University.

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Jacque
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 Jacqueline Smith  

Early Childhood Music Instructor

Jacqueline Smith has been surrounded by music for as long as she can remember. From singing in choirs to musical theatre, she has made it an integral part of her life. She has a BFA in Theatre Performance from Wayne State University, and since has worked in all manner of shows, though children's theatre is her great love. A Music Together teacher since 2016, it is a perfect melding of her two passions. Now with three (soon to be four!) children of her own, Jacque has worked to bring the little things she's learned along the way into her teaching style. She is excited to be returning to Merry Music Makers to learn and grow with each student and family.

Jacqueline Smith  
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