Laura Sabini, Director & Mirko Tani, Accompanist

Laura Sabini grew up in a musical family where parties became jam sessions. She has sung various types of music including gospel, classical, a cappella, but her heart lies in jazz. A graduate of Trinity College in Psychology, Laura focused on counseling children. While living in Italy Laura teamed up with Mirko Tani, a jazz pianist. Upon returning to USA, Laura and Mirko created Groovy Baby, combining their love of children with their passion for music. Using their original jazz and blues songs, they taught interactive music education throughout the Boston area. With the success of Groovy Baby Laura was eager to train with the Center for Music and Young Children and began teaching Music Together^® in 2000. When not performing for children, Laura and Mirko perform as a Jazz duo. Their lives are full of music, and kids too!Learn more about GROOVYBABY BIRTHDAYS!

Sharon Simon

Sharon Simon, mother of two, knows first hand the benefit of incorporating music into children’s daily lives. Her children, Sophia, 7 years old, and Max, 4 years old, are happiest playing instruments and dancing around the house as Sharon plays piano, and her husband, Ira, plays bass. Her extensive music background in classical piano, flute, and voice, and her experience in dance and musical theater enriches each of her Music Together® classes. A versatile singer and gifted teacher, Sharon has sung gospel, blues, taught piano, and choreographed variety shows. You can currently catch Sharon performing with the a capella group FORTE! In the Music Together® classroom, her exuberant energy is contagious; it’s obvious to all that Sharon is a natural!

Vanessa Trien

Vanessa Trien comes to the Music Together® family after 13 years of experience performing as a singer and songwriter and working in the field of music education. After earning her Masters from Harvard University, she taught music at Cambridge Montessori School. Recently, she has produced various arts festivals around the Boston area. Now a mother herself, of 1 year old Ellis, Vanessa is excited to share her love of music with families in the community. Check out Vanessa's CD of her original music, entitled, "Wash Away," at vanessatrien.com Vanessa enrichens her classes with her original kids songs. Her fabulous CD of children’s music has won numerous awards and praise from parents and children alike. Check out HOT AIR BALLOON

Michael Glashow

Michael Glashow grew up with music and dance all around him. Between his mother, a dancer, his father, a drummer, and his two sisters who played piano, flute and saxophone, there was always someone singing, playing, or dancing. While at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Michael was the music director for the award winning a cappella group the Vocal Suspects. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in music, he taught music at the Academy of Public Service. Currently Michael can be seen around the Boston area playing his guitar and piano, or singing with his all male vocal group Inner D. Making music with his niece and nephew inspired Michael to explore teaching children. The combination of his calm manner, sweet vocals and guitar playing, and overal enthusiasm make him a wonderful addition to our team. He is very excited to share his love of music, and life with everyone in the Music Together family.

Julie Rama Winslow

Julie Rama has spent most of her life surrounded by music. She grew up in a
family of musicians, and was staging renditions of "The Sound of Music" in
her livingroom by age 5. After college, she was on her way to becoming an
opera singer, when she realized that she wanted to use her musical talents
in other ways. She recorded a CD of original songs and began performing at
clubs around the Boston area. Meanwhile, she also took a teaching position
at Echo Falls Preschool in Newton, MA, realizing that she could use music to
inspire and educate her preschoolers. Over the next eight years, Julie
learned many different ways to talk about and involve the children in music.
Her funky and downright goofy style is contagious; it helps her to draw her
students in and allows them to express their own musical creativity.
Currently, Julie is the music specialist at Echo Falls, plays in a folk/funk
band called Smooch, and spends lots of time "rocking out" with her 10 month
old son, Elias.

Erin Blatti

Erin feels lucky to have found what she wanted to do with her life at a very young age. Coming from a family that made music a priority, she was always encouraged to take lessons, starting with piano, later the oboe and finally voice. She always felt that singing was the most fun and expressive and so she went onto the Ohio State University as a vocal performance and music education major. At OSU she was involved in musical theater and light opera performances, as well as traditional and gospel choirs. Since then she has taught all ages, both privately and in groups, focusing on piano and voice. A few years ago she moved to Boston to study contemporary singing and songwriting at the Berklee College of Music and has lived here since graduating in December 2006. She sings with a funk/R&B band called Beantown Project, continues to write original songs and also to teach music to all ages. She is very excited to start working with Groovy Baby Music and looks forward to helping kids become expressive and creative with music!

Kristi Vrooman

Kristi comes from Missouri where she grew up in a musical family: Dad was an opera singer, Mom played trombone, piano, recorder, sister and brother played trombone, clarinet, oboe; holidays were loud events! In the pre-Music Together days, Mom wrote her own curriculum and held community music classes in our living room. Beginning Suzuki piano at age 4, Kristi went on to study the French Horn, dance and voice. After gaining Bachelors degrees in French Horn and Voice in 2002, she moved to Boston to pursue a Masters degree in Voice/Opera at the New England Conservatory, and went on to intensive music and German language studies in Germany. Currently she works in Boston as a freelance singer, part-time nanny, and teaches pre-school music classes at the Beacon Hill Nursery School. She is often seen (and heard!) with Opera del West's "Once Upon An Opera" family performances, and leading singing with her disadvantaged friends on the Boston Common. Kristi first learned about, and became enamoured with Music Together while participating in classes as a Nanny. She's SO excited to have found the Groovy Baby Music and Music Together families as a way to combine her formal music training and her love of children with her energetic and contagiously silly personality, in such an exploratory and encouraging atmosphere!