TENN LITTLE BIRDS - Key Persons
Allison is the director of Tenn Little Birds and a Level 1 Certified Music Together teacher. She was born and raised in the rural farmlands of Boyertown, Pennsylvania. As a little girl, she would walk around singing to everyone because she thought it was the same as talking. Due to this confusion, she began singing in choir at the age of 3, and has been in the theater since she was 13. Allison holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Westminster Choir College. Post-graduation, Allison moved to the concrete jungle of NYC. There she studied acting at Matthew Corozine Studios, furthered her passion for theater, and had the opportunity to travel and perform on stages around the world. In 2016, she and her husband relocated to Nashville, and by 2017, she accidentally began directing Tenn Little Birds after losing her car keys, getting a drive home from a dear friend, and being convinced Music Together NEEDED to be in East Nashville! She could not be more grateful for their beautiful home, the lack of snow in Southern winters, their two rescue pups Bodhi and CoCo, and their beautiful boys Edison and Finnegan. Allison studied Music Therapy at Belmont University and looks forward to the day she can bring music therapy practices to Tenn Little Birds.
Emily Hammer is a Board-Certified Music Therapist who graduated from Belmont in 2022. She recently completed her 6-month clinical internship at a private practice in Dallas called Heart and Harmony. While with Heart and Harmony, Emily worked with several populations. She provided home health services to individuals with varying disabilities across the lifespan, facilitated groups with older adults experiencing Dementia, led neuro rehabilitation groups with stroke victims, and worked with IEP's in the school system. Emily has a passion for assisting clients in meeting their goals. Her favorite thing about the profession of music therapy is the personal relationships that develop through the support of music and a therapeutic relationship.
Jen and her sons began attending classes at Tenn Little Birds after moving to East Nashville in 2020. Her young family was previously a dedicated participant of Music Together, based in Joshua Tree, California. Music, creativity, and community quickly became essentials for her growing boys, Cosmo and Wylie. Noticing a need for encouraging children's interests and creativity programming in East Nashville, Jen is passionate about bringing new experiences and opportunities to families. Partnering with Tenn Little Birds has been a dream! Her events offer hands on exploration through play, crafts, and social interaction. Jen has had success in fashion merchandising, hospitality, and management.
Jodie has recently relocated to the Nashville area from northern Minnesota where she was director and teacher of Music Together of Cloquet. Since the fall of 2019 she has simply loved serving families and bringing music into their lives through each and every semester of Music Together. Her teaching has been a natural extension of her years of teaching piano and working with children of all abilities through music therapy in IA, CO, TX and MN. She is passionate about helping families share precious moments together through music! Jodie and her husband, along with their four grown kids (and now spouses), share the special bond of music making. Jodie enjoys cooking/baking, scrapbooking, serving in her faith community and looks forward to exploring the beauty of the outdoors in TN!
Ms. Nina has been with Music Together since 2012 and has loved it ever since! A bilingual musician, she loves using both Spanish and English every semester in class. Ms. Nina moved from New York to Nashville in 2018. She studied vocal performance at The Juilliard School before pursuing her Masters in Music Therapy. With a special place in her heart for children, Ms. Nina completed her Music Therapy internship at Mount Sinai Hospital, working in Pediatrics & NICU. Ms. Nina has also worked at various schools providing music classes/music therapy to children both neurotypical and with special needs. When Karina is not leading music sessions, she can be found performing at music festivals or hiking trails with her dog, Jazz.
Ryan grew up drumming and singing in bands around Seattle before finding a calling in musical theatre. After getting a math degree from the Univ. of Washington, he moved to Boston to study briefly at Berklee College of Music, then on to NYC. Following a year on the road with Disney's Aida, Ryan made his 2003 Broadway debut as Roger in RENT, then played Woof on the Hair tour after understudying in the 2009 Broadway company. From 2013 to 2015, he joined the actor-musician traveling cast of Once for its entire US/Canada/Japan tour. Ryan moved from New York City to East Nashville with Miss (now Mrs.) Allison in 2016, where they are raising their son Edison and two dogs. He works in tech, dabbles in writing and production, and still acts occasionally.