Liz is the Director of Music Together of the New Haven, Hamden, Branford, Madison locations. She is a native of Ireland and came to the United States in 1987. Liz is a registered Music Together teacher, and is thrilled to have trained and worked for one of the top Music Together Directors and Music Together trainers in the US, Jackie Jacobs of Music Together of Fairfield County, Inc.

Liz has been involved with music her whole life, starting at a young age while living in Ireland, and continuing her love of music on stages here in the US. She is a well known folk/celtic singer and has sang throughout the US with the Acclaimed Irish Traditional all female group “Cherish the Ladies”, and now has her own folk band here in the CT area called "The Crickstones". Liz plays the guitar and bodhran (Irish drum). She has two boys, Darragh and Gavin and is thrilled to combine her love of music and children as she pursues her journey with Music Together. For more information on Liz's band visit www.lizmc.com

Nik has always had a passion for music, dance and acting. He still remembers a song he performed when he was in 2nd grade, word for word. Always having much encouragement from his parents, his passion continued to grow. He was involved with musicals throughout his education, which led to receiving a BFA in Musical Theater from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Nik has performed for more than 10 years professionally, all over the world; two favorite places would have to be Holland and Beirut, where he performed the role of Claude in the Musical HAIR. Nik’s dedication to music thrives in his willingness to teach himself how to play instruments such as the guitar, keyboard, and drums. He recently moved to New Haven from Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Jenny, and son Rune. Being involved in Music Together helps to inspire more love of music in their home. He and his family collect percussive instruments to experiment with (Rune loves the kitchen table best). Nik’s other life-passion is photography, which he has recently turned into a career. He takes pictures of events, portraits, and headshots, but he spends a lot of time capturing Rune’s enjoyment of life, especially when it comes to music. You can see some of his work at his website, www.nikrocklin.com. Nik is looking forward to jumping into his new role as a Music Together teacher.

Rebecca has been involved in music for as long as she can remember. She sang in choruses from middle school through college and was also active in school and community theatres as both an actress and a director. In addition to singing, Rebecca plays the piano and strums a few chords on the guitar. She is a Connecticut certified public school teacher in both music and English. Rebecca taught chorus and drama at Amity Middle School for seven years. She now stays at home (almost) full-time to care for her 18-month-old son Elijah. The newest addition to Rebecca’s family is scheduled to arrive late March. Rebecca is thrilled to be joining the Musical Folk team so that she can be a part of spreading the joy of music to the young children in our community.

Val was first introduced to Music Together as a parent. Having been involved in music and dance for as long as she can remember, and after seeing the amazing effect the program had on her son, Val decided to become a teacher. Growing up in Tennessee, she was the lead singer of sorts in her family's "band" -some of her fondest memories involve singing along with her brothers' guitars in her family living room.  Val plays the ukulele and the guitar.

Val is also a classically trained ballet and modern dancer who graduated from Walnut Hill School for the Arts and later trained at SUNY, Purchase. She previously taught Dance, and Dance History in the New Haven public school system and continues to dance as often as she can. Val now teaches English at Southern Connecticut State University, but spends her days at home with her sons, Carson and Raleigh. Val is thrilled to be part of the Music Together family!

Carrie Howes has been teaching Music Together for 3 years at Music Together of the River Valley, under the Direction of Jessica Nevins and has just received her Cert I for teaching mastery in June 2009. Carrie has taught at the North Madison Congregational church for Jessica for many years and is continuing to teach at this location.

Carrie sizzles with a unique super grooviness and warmth. She has always considered herself musical; singing and dancing have always been part of her daily living. She performed in musicals during her high school years, something she truly misses doing. Now the mother of three boys, Carrie enjoys being musical with them. She experiences firsthand how music can effect their little minds,bodies and souls. Carrie is very eager to bring her enthusiasm for music, creativity and playfulness to other children and their caregivers. She is also a freelance Graphic Designer,holding a BA in Studio Art from SCSU. You will love Carrie's enthusiastic spirit.

As a young girl in rural Wisconsin, Loralee grew up watching Soul Train, American Bandstand and listening to her dad’s Motown records. She has had a love of singing from her earliest memories and has sung with numerous choirs, including the Riverside Church Choir in Manhattan. As a teenager, she toured the Southwest as the lead singer of a popular Funk/Soul band. She now performs regularly, along with her husband, in the Alt-country band Mercy Meadows. A perennial student, she is also experimenting with the ukulele, tenor guitar and autoharp.

Loralee got involved in Music Together through her 18 month old daughter. She became excited about the program after seeing her daughter’s love for the class and overall interest in music flourish. She became a registered Music Together teacher in 2010 and is thrilled to be a part of Musical Folk.  Loralee believes all children are inherently musical and deserve an environment that nurtures this potential. A licensed massage therapist for 14 years, she studied at Chicago School of Massage, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from SCSU. She is excited to make music with new friends.

Kimberly is thrilled to be joining Musical Folk & is a registered Music Together teacher.  Kimberly is a violinist and flutist and performs with a variety of different musical groups, from classical to rock and roll.  She teaches violin both at her home and at Assumption School in Fairfield.  Kimberly is from Storrs, CT, where she received her BFA in violin at UCONN, and now resides in Bridgeport, CT.

She is a proud mother of two girls, Zoe and Lily, and they make music constantly in the house from the moment they wake to good night lullabies.  Kimberly looks forward to sharing her fun, silly, and loving musical experience with new children in Music Together.

After attending Music Together classes with her son, Alisdair, Nancy became an MT groupie and is now one of our teachers. Nancy has been involved with various musical pursuits since a young age, always finding an excuse to dance and sing at the top of her lungs. Nancy is a native of Connecticut, but left the state for a while to complete a degree in Religious Studies and Fine Art at Colgate University, followed by some time climbing and singing around Boulder, CO and several years doing much of the same in Scotland. Nancy returned to the US in 2003 to begin her Masters degree in Divinity at Yale Divinity School, and then worked in South Boston for two years. While in Boston, Nancy had the opportunity to direct an afterschool program that provided under privileged children opportunities to explore art and music. It was then that Nancy realized the profound impact that music can have on children, on their sense of self and connectedness to one another. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Nancy is now the Pastor for Family and Children's Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of New Haven, and will be joining Music Together's staff part time this fall. She looks forward to sharing with your family the joy that Music Together brings to her family! joy of music to the young children in our community.