Meet the Teachers

SARAH MCCAFFREY RITCHIE, OWNER & DIRECTOR

keyboard games • MUSIC MOVES FOR PIANO • music play • FLUTE • UKULELE

Sarah is a native Minnesotan, musician, educator and mother. She has her M.M in Music Education from University of Buffalo (NY), her B.M in flute performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester (NY) as well as her GIML Early Childhood Certification (Level 1) and Elementary General Music Certification (Level 1). She has her K-12 music certification from Brooklyn College and she recently received a certificate for World Music Pedagogy from the Smithsonian Folkways Museum and University of St. Thomas. She also holds the Kodaly certification in Level I from New York University. She has attended and presented at Music Learning Theory workshops and conferences around the world and continues to work tirelessly in her own research and development as a music educator.

Sarah is also a songwriter/composer, flutist, guitarist, and pianist. She has performed competitively and leisurely through the United States and enjoys finding any time to play music possible. She has three children: Cleo, age 9, and Francis and Stephen, age 7. Despite writing and making music her entire life, these three human beings have been her best trio ever composed.

CALLI OLSON

KEYBOARD GAMES • MUSIC MOVES FOR PIANO • media & marketing manager

Calli Olson has been playing piano since she was 10 years old, mostly by ear. She fell in love with making music after teaching herself a few songs for her dad. Her formal instruction has allowed her to make lifelong connections through music. She is grateful to have found such a fulfilling music career after receiving her Bachelor of Music from Victoria University in Australia. She has since completed a comprehensive course in Keyboard Games and completed the GIML Piano Level I course. She wants to give back by giving children the beautiful experience of music education to carry with them through life.

Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Calli enjoys going to local music gigs, seeking out new coffee shops, and rock climbing. On the weekends, she can often be found taking her nineteen year old cat, Eggo, out on adventures around the city. Her favorite type of activity is thrill seeking. After ziplining in the forests of Victoria and leaping off of towers in Auckland and Las Vegas, she hopes to cross skydiving off of her bucket list next!

CARLA SEIBERT

Keyboard games • music moves for piano • MUSIC PLAY

Carla Seibert and her piano students like to audiate, create and celebrate. She resonates with the nurturing, interactive, joyful, playful, low stress way of learning and making music suggested by audiation theory. She started teaching Music Play in 2012, and Music Moves for Piano in 2013, and completed GIML Level 1 courses in Piano and Early Childhood Music in 2014 and Level 2 Piano in 2022. With a Graduate Certificate in Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique from Salem College, NC, she teaches piano students not only to audiate and create, but to play piano with freedom and ease.

Carla grew up in Texas, graduating from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After majoring in Spanish at Rice University, she learned Portuguese, moved to Brazil, married Paulo and had two children, now in their 20s. At an American school, she taught PK-12 general music, completing Orff-Schulwerk certification during summers in the US. A research fellow in Music and Discourse, she earned her Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Carla is nurtured by activities that encourage self-reflection and connection to others and something greater. Her favorites are visual and performing arts; reading; learning languages; having coffee or tea together; and stretching and breathing the air of forests, the seaside and countryside.

DIMITRA KITSOU

Keyboard games • music moves for piano

Dimitra Kitsou is a multi-talented musician and educator from Greece with a strong passion for music. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Integrated Master’s degree in “Music Studies” from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, along with a Harmony Degree.

Dimitra’s interest in working with children and her desire to explore innovative teaching methods brought her to the Orff Approach. She honed her skills in this approach by completing the “Further Educational Course in Orff-Schulwerk Studies on Three Levels” at Moraitis School in Athens, Greece.

Since 2019, Dimitra has been actively involved in teaching and conducting various seminars. These include pedagogy, music-dance-speech integration, improvisation, and physical theatre. Additionally, she also plays the guitar and ukulele, and writes songs for children.

Her lessons are characterized by their creativity and individualized approach. Her ultimate goal is not only to impart musical knowledge and skills but also to foster a deep and lasting love for music in her students. By recognizing and nurturing each student’s unique talents and abilities, Dimitra strives to make a meaningful impact on their musical journeys.

LUKE DARGER

Keyboard games • music moves for piano • podcast engineer

Luke Darger is a Minneapolis born pop and jazz pianist, composer/producer and teacher. He has performance experience across a variety of genres and contexts, including international tours and major festivals such as Roskilde (Denmark), Primavera (Barcelona) and Coachella. He has his B.A. in Music Business from the University of St. Thomas with minors in Recording Arts and English.

Luke has been teaching a diverse roster of students, ages, and styles for the past four years with a special emphasis on audiation, improvisation, and collaborative play. He has completed the Keyboard Games course and has studied Music Moves for Piano extensively since joining us!

SAMANTHA ROSEMEIER

keyboard games • music moves for piano

Samantha Rosemeier started her love of music, singing karaoke as a little kid with her family members as is a Filipino pastime. Her piano journey began when she was 8 years old. She has always loved being in choirs also, taking part in the church choir growing up and college choirs. She completed an Associates in Music and a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Augsburg University and minors in psychology and family studies. She loves sharing her love of music by assisting little ones in their exploration of music and transferrable skills through Music Therapy. Music lessons are an important mode for her to support students in learning about music, gain transferrable skills, develop their individual strengths in music and give space for students to explore music in a diverse way.

She enjoys dancing and seeing live music for fun and personal development. She loves finding new hiking spots around the Twin Cities area to explore on the weekend and all the cute coffee shops on the way.

DEVIN KELLY

Music Play • ukulele • violin • voice

Devin Kelly is a singer, violinist, and ukulele player with over a decade of teaching experience. She attended Berklee College of Music with a major in Voice Performance and has performed with many groups and organizations in styles including classical, jazz, rock and roll, folk, and musical theatre. She is a recent transplant from California and she looks forward to engaging in as much Twin Cities music and theatre as she can. Her favorite performance experience was as a member of the first San Francisco regional production of Once The Musical. Devin first joined the Songs With Sarah family attending Music Play classes with her daughter Rowan and she’s thrilled to be continuing the adventure as a teacher.

DREW KELLUM JOHNSON

Guitar • bass • cello • ukulele

Drew Kellum Johnson (sometimes stylized as Drew d’Lakes) is a multi-instrumentalist who explores the nooks of pop, rock, classical, and free improvised music. Drew studied classical guitar with Maja Radovanlija at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) where he graduated in 2015 with a degree in Music Therapy. Outside of teaching, Drew leads his high energy indie glam pop band, d’Lakes, which has celebrated the release of two full length albums, two halloween remix EP’s, and features on The Current, KFAI, and KVSC.

Drew has been teaching music for several years now and is excited for the years to come! He offers guitar, bass, cello, and ukulele lessons, but of course he’s always excited to help students with songwriting, production, and recording needs as well. Drew makes sure to customize each lesson so students are learning their favorite types of music while still covering proper technique. In his free time outside of music, he loves cooking, traveling, and hanging out with his husband Ethan and their cat Kiki. Drew is currently working on a third album for d’Lakes and finding more ways to spend more time with friends.

HANNAH KENNEDY

Violin

Hannah Kennedy is a committed collaborator and recitalist known for creative and thoughtful performances. She enjoys creating programs with works from differing eras, styles, and composers and loves exploring how music has and has not changed over time. She is also active in the Early Music community and is a supporter of historically-informed performances. Hannah was awarded first prize in the 2020 Bruce Ekstrand Competition and presented J.S. Bach’s Chaccone as an Ekstrand semi-finalist in 2019. Currently, she performs with Pro Musica Colorado, the South Dakota Symphony, and Lyra Baroque Orchestra. She also served as a member of the Altius Quartet for the 2020-2021 season. She is an assistant faculty at Stringwood Chamber Music Festival in Lanesboro, MN, and teaches sponsored lessons for Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony’s Harmony Program. Recently, she participated as a virtual performer fellow in the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Music Academy and performed with Compass Resonance Ensemble at the Boulder Bach Festival’s 2022 festival week. Festival appearances include Madeline Island Chamber Music (’11. Fellow ’19), Stringwood Chamber Music Festival, and Twin Cities Baroque Instrumental Program. While at Madeline Island, Hannah worked with members of the Arianna, American, Dover, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. She has also performed in masterclasses with members of the Tákacs, Enso, Pacifica, Arianna, Juilliard, Brentano, Jupiter, and Pro Arte String Quartets, and the Smetana Trio.

Hannah obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she attended as an Eileen Phillips Cohen string quartet fellow. She went on to receive a Master’s degree at CU Boulder, studying with Harumi Rhodes and Edward Dusinberre of the Takács Quartet. She continued her studies with Ms. Rhodes and Mr. Dusinberre, completing an Artist Diploma in solo violin and serving as teaching assistant to Dr. Robert Hill. Hannah lives in Chaska, MN with her husband, Nick, and their dog, Lacy.

MIKE LIMBYBLIW

guitar • percussion

Mike LimBybliw became a board-certified music therapist in 2010 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from the University of Minnesota. Michael has served a wide variety of populations since becoming a music therapist and because of his experience as a professional drummer, most of his work focuses on rhythm as a transformational tool.

Since 2012, Michael has been a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences on multicultural percussion, guitar, and clinical groove concepts. In 2016, Michael was certified as a POUND® Pro and has been teaching as a Group Fitness Instructor through the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities since 2018. Michael is a Supervising Music Therapist with Twin Cities Music Therapy Services where he serves clients in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metropolitan area. In 2020, Michael joined the POUND®️Fitness Tour Crew as a Global Brand Ambassador. During this same year, Michael began teaching 3-4 virtual POUND®️ fitness classes per week. He was also certified in Generation POUND®️, a program for youth ages 6-12 years old that he has been also been teaching virtually.

STEPHANIE EHRLICH

Voice

Stephanie Ehrlich is a vocalist, music educator, and arts administrator based in Minneapolis, MN. She has worn many hats throughout her professional career, such as gigging musician, studio recording artist, member of a collegiate vocal ensemble, and choral manager, and finds that nothing is as rewarding as teaching a fellow vocalist about the intricacies of their instrument. Stephanie works closely with her students to create a list of goals and an accompanying practice plan for flexible, yet consistent musical development. Above all else, she promotes a positive space for vocal discovery, centered around the joy in making music as a team. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Jazz Voice from the University of North Texas.

ANNA BRUDZINSKI

Music play

Anna Brudzinski, MMT, MT-BC, is a graduate of St. Olaf College (Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance) and Augsburg University (Master of Music Therapy). She is a board certified music therapist at Twin Cities Music Therapy Services, where she serves clients of all ages and abilities. Anna frequently brings music and play together in her work with young clients and has presented on improvisation-based play for children and adolescents in clinical practice.

Anna is also an active vocalist in the Twin Cities and has been singing soprano with The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists since 2014. She has previously sung with The Beethoven Festival Chorale, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Chorale, Mozarteum Chor (Salzburg), VocalEssence, and The St. Olaf Choir.

Anna has watched her two boys, Henry and Milo, grow up in Music Play classes! She has loved seeing them express themselves creatively during each session, gaining a better understanding of themselves and an awareness of the world around them through music and play. She is so excited to be a part of the Songs with Sarah team!

KRYSTEN TOMLINSON

MUSIC PLAY

Krysten Tomlinson is a licensed K-12 vocal music educator with diverse experience working with students in schools and in private lesson settings. Krysten has taught general elementary music and choir classes as well as private piano and voice lessons to students of various ages and backgrounds. Krysten has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Southern Utah University and a Master of Arts in Teacher Education from the University of St. Thomas.

As a mom to three young kids, Krysten has loved getting to share her passion for music with her kids in playful and creative ways. She loves creating new songs with her kids and having family jam sessions that usually include everyone surrounded at the piano to sing together or singing songs accompanied by stringed instruments and percussion.

Krysten loves all things outdoors and is always willing to explore new places. Some of her favorite activities include camping, hiking, running, and mountain biking.

STEPHANIE HUBBARD

Music Play

Stephanie Hubbard has a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Augsburg University, and a Master of Arts in Music Therapy from St. Mary-of-the-Woods college.

Stephanie began providing early childhood music classes and music lessons to children in 2008, and has been a board-certified music therapist since 2010. During that time, she has cultivated a deep personal mission to provide collaborative and integrative music-based services for children, youth, and their families. Stephanie believes all children need and deserve high quality music experiences. She enjoys collaborating with community and school-based musicians, educators, and clinicians to support young people as they explore and expand their relationships with music. She is interested in the importance of family on music development and overall wellness, and completed her master's thesis on collaboration in wellness programming for children with young families.

Stephanie traveled to Jamaica to learn Afro-Caribbean drum techniques and explore Jamaican music culture in 2010. She has also completed specialized training in Guided Imagery in Music (level 1), and improvisational music therapy. Stephanie studies vocal improvisation, scat singing, and circle singing with local Jazz singer and educator Sarah M. Greer.

In 2018, Stephanie welcomed her first child and attended her first Music Play class. She’s been hooked ever since! She continues to dive into learning opportunities that enrich her practice. She highly enjoys attending music play classes with her husband Will, and both of her daughters, Thea (4) and Quinn (1).

ZORA ROBINSON

administrator

Zora Robinson is a 25 year old community coordinator, activist, artist, and leader based in MN. She has a love for both music and the arts, studying both Opera and Musical Theater in middle and high school, before moving on to get her degree in Boston, MA at Berklee, majoring in Music Management and Marketing. In addition to Zora’s administrative and coordinative work, she can also be seen around the city as a singer, songwriter, and performing musician.