Meet the Teachers of Music Together...

Meet our Teachers...

The fun learning that completes the Music Together experience originates in the interaction between you, the parent, and your children. The teachers of Music Together of Charlotte act as your guide through the enrichment of musical activity with your youngster. Our teacher's rich personalities, only hinted at here, are an important part of the process.

Carrie Banwell

Carrie at work.

After trying careers as diverse as corporate finance and non-profit development, Carrie Banwell found her way back to her life-long love of music with the birth of her own children. She dusted off the old guitar and fiddle, and started making family music again -- just the way she and her own dad had done throughout her childhood. In the Fall of 2000, Carrie started Music Together in Charlotte, and has enjoyed singing, chanting, rocking, rolling, swaying, twirling, banging and sweating with kids of all ages since then. She is a certified Music Together teacher.

When Phyllis was three she sang her first solo in church, and has sung and danced (and acted and 'gigged') ever since. After graduating from UNC, Phyllis taught Montessori Primary (age 3-6 yrs) until starting her own family. Both of her kids show some musical promise (a good thing; if they didn't, they couldn't stay). As her husband says, "I can't believe you've found a ' job' where you can teach, sing, dance, act and get to know so many people. It's perfect for you." He's right. She is a certified Music Together teacher, and has been teaching since the fall of 2001.

Allison originally hails from Old Lyme, CT. She came past the Mason-Dixon line to attend college at Davidson and has had the good sense to stay. She received her M.A. in Counseling from UNCC and then completed her tour of Charlotte academia by working at Queens University. Allison attended Music Together classes with her first son and immediately fell in love with it. She began teaching in the Spring of '03 and now is enjoying introducing her 2nd son to the songs and silliness of Music Together. Allison enjoys spending time with her family, and you can find them at the park or pushing the double jogger around Dilworth. Allison plays flute (in class!) and is also a certified Music Together teacher.

Beth had the good fortune to know Phyllis, which led her to a life as a Music Together teacher. What luck to be able to work with kids and families, sing great songs, dance around, look silly, act like various barnyard animals, and play with really cool instruments. Beth also has had the pleasure of working with kids at the Children's Theatre of Charlotte for the last six years. However, Beth's newest endeavor is a wonderful position as Training Coordinator with LifeSpan, where she gets to utilize her theatre and music background by creating an arts curriculum for LifeSpan's Circle Schools. Thanks to all the Music Together families past, present, and future --- can't wait to see you and make Music Together again!!!

Recently married, both Morgen and her husband, John moved to the Charlotte area to teach music! Morgen received her Masters Degree in Suzuki Violin Pedagogy at East Carolina University and teaches Suzuki violin at Community School of the Arts. Morgen grew up in a

She grew up singing and dancing to the music of many cultures, her dad is Cuban and she lived in Brazil for several years. While an Early Education Major she took a voice class and was hooked. After graduating with a degree in music she sang with Opera Carolina and anyone else who asked. She gave up the stage in pursuit of motherhood and has been joyfully sharing the traditions of family music with her two children and husband. She is thrilled to be teaching, dancing and singing again. "I knew after I took my first Music Together class that I wanted to teach. For me, this is the best of both worlds!"

Some of Amy's favorite memories growing up were of her family singing together - in the car, at home, on vacation, with her parents, sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles! This love of music led her to pursue a career in music. She received both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in voice at Eastman School of Music, and has sung in opera houses all over the country. She recently moved to Charlotte and is looking forward to returning to school again this fall for Music Therapy at Queens University of Charlotte. Amy loves children and has enjoyed babysitting as her second career for years and years. She is so excited to be blending two of her passions by leading Music Together classes.

As a long-time guitar player and singer, Liz enjoyed attending Music Together classes as a nanny. Every week she watched the little boy she took care of fall more and more in love with music. Impressed with the program Liz became a registered teacher for Music Together in the summer of 2006. Liz is a Charlotte native and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Social Work. She is so excited to be able to dance, sing, and play with all her new little friends!

With her mother on the piano and her father on the guitar, it was always “a moo-moo here, and a quack-quack there” for Lori Handler. As early as age 10, Lori knew she wanted to be a music teacher. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education and taught elementary school music for over ten years in New York. But then…..Lexi and Jesse came along! In 2001, when her daughter was only a few months old, Lori began taking Music Together. She found the program to be so enriching, both as a mother and as a musician, that the decision to become a teacher was quite natural. She and her family have recently moved from New York and have finally unpacked their last box, leaving her with some free time. Having never quite abandoned the kid in her, Lori is enthusiastic to be teaching again because it gives her a great excuse to get down on the floor, sing and play. Who knows? You may even see her moo-mooing and quack-quacking again!

teaching, but new to teaching Music Together! She started playing piano and guitar in grade school in Eugene, OR, and has always loved singing in whatever choir, band or caroling troupe would have her. Following years of private music instruction, she completed her MA in Teaching at Queens College just before having her first child. Excited about opening up the world of music to her son, she accompanied him to three years of Music Together classes in Charlotte, put everything on hold to add twin boys to her family, and has finally returned to enjoy more teaching, music, and Music Together!

The daughter of guitar maker Jack Coobs and ever-loving music lover Caydea, Reeve grew up

immersed in music. She started her musical adventures in church choirs and eventually moved to writing songs and playing in bands. With a vocal scholarship to King College, Reeve honed her skills to become an established singer-songwriter and performer in Charlotte, where she is 1/4 of the

all-gal group The Near Misses and 1/5 of the rock group gogoPilot. She spends most of her free time touring around the southeast with them. She is so excited to be bringing her love of children and music together!

Lisa spent almost every waking moment of her formative years in Rochester, NY either on a stage or in a dance or music class. After graduating from Boston University with a degree in Journalism she took a job performing on a cruise ship and never wrote another news story again! She spent a decade in NYC as a musical theatre "gypsy"- going from one performing job to another. Then she got married and traded performing for parenting. In Charlotte for three years now, her two sons love Music Together and are very excited Mommy is teaching it!