Teachers

Wendy Coles
Co-Centre Director

 

 

Wendy has enjoyed an extensive, professional career in theatre having performed on stages across Canada & the US, as well as in film & television, including numerous commercials. Born in Timmins, her background includes studies of piano and music theory through the Royal Conservatory of Music, as well as years of dance and figure skating training. She is a graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City, & the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England. Wendy has successfully completed the Music Together® Teaching Workshop developed by the Center for Music and Young Children, Princeton, New Jersey.

 

 

Cyndi Carleton 
Co-Centre Director
  

 

Cyndi is a Toronto-based music theatre performer and has performed in theatres across Canada.  A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier in Theatre and English, she also studied acting at the University of Windsor.  Her music studies have included Voice, Music Theory, and Flute.  Cyndi has written and directed for youth and teen music theatre programs, and she has taught for the after school drama program Arts Express.  She has also enjoyed volunteering her time to perform at the Hospital for Sick Children. 

 

Cyndi has successfully completed the Music Together® Teaching Workshop developed by the Center for Music and Young Children, Princeton, New Jersey which recently awarded her the Music Together Certification Level I status for outstanding achievement in teaching, musicianship, program philosophy and parent education.

 

 Shannon Dooks (online)
 
 
Shannon Dooks has been singing since the ripe age of 4 years old in Oshawa, ON and started enjoying drama at an early age as well. Now she lives in Toronto after returning home from studying musical theatre in Australia. She has taught in various capacities including family group classes, private teaching as well as taught for the Australia Girls Choir while also pursuing a career in music and acting. She has performed on various stages in Australia, America and Canada and also writes and records her own music at Kensington Sound. She has worked with and taught many artists over many different genres including musical theatre, pop, jazz, r&b, soul and folk. She also has music out on any platform that you listen to music. Shannon has a passion for sharing music, drama and performance with children because of how young she started and how important it is to start early. 
 
Gabrielle Levesque
 

Gabrielle is a musical theatre performer based in Toronto. She is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts where she studied musical theatre performance. Gabrielle has been studying voice privately since the age of 5 and participated in competitive dance for over 10 years. While she has worked with children for many years, following graduation she has had the pleasure of working for a national non-profit child and youth foundation. At said foundation she facilitated programs for all age ranges, including, but not limited to: mentorship for mothers and daughters, career development for at-risk youth, as well as a dramatic arts program for struggling youth in conjunction with a local school board. Fun with Music Together combines her passion for early childhood development with her love of music.

 

 
Ara Glenn-Johanson (sub)
 
 

Ara is a trained singer and performer/choreographer working in theatre and dance.  Originally from New York, she holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and MFA from UC Davis. She has taught theatre and dance classes as well as directed plays for children in New York and California.  Highlights include creating two original jukebox musicals (Gulliver's Travels and Where the Wild Things Are) that featured 80s power ballads and arena rock -- as Max sails to the island students sang Stix' "Come Sail Away" while five year olds dressed as lobsters played hardcore air guitar. Ara is a registered Music Together teacher.

 

Meagan MacPherson
 
 

Meagan is a graduate of the Musical Theatre program at the Randolph College for the Performing Arts. She started studying music at the age of 11, and currently works as a voice actor for a number of children’s cartoons, commercials, video games and audiobooks. For years, Meagan performed for children of all ages as various characters for Fantasy Fables Princess Palace birthday parties and events. She currently sings in Mississauga based cover band Streetfire, and performs in various theatre productions in the GTA. 

 

Melissa Van Wert

 

 

Melissa Van Wert came to Fun with Music Together as a new mom years ago and fell in love with the program. With a background in human development, early childhood literacy, and social work, Melissa immediately saw the potential of music in supporting overall child development. Melissa previously worked in a variety of settings with children, including therapeutic centres for children with autism, recreation programs, and children's healthcare. She has also worked as a social work researcher at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and in government and charitable organizations. She participated in Music Together with both of her children for six years, experiencing the immense benefits and watching other families become more closely connected to their children and community through music. She recently completed the Music Together training program and is excited to bring together her love of music with her passion for supporting early childhood development. 

 

Riley Ough 

 

 

Riley Ough is a Toronto theatre maker and a graduate of Randolph College for The Performing Arts. She has been training vocally since the age of 5 and began doing musical theatre not long after. Now, they have expanded their practice to dance, theatre creation, physical theatre and even clown! Outside of performance, Riley has always worked with children; as a gymnastic coach, music director at a theatre summer camp and now as part of a Toronto childcare company. Riley knows firsthand the profound and joyous impact music can have early in life and she is so happy to share this experience with families.

 

Chance Kellner

Chance Kellner is a musician and teacher local to the Roncesvalles neighbourhood of Toronto. She was first introduced to the wonderful world of Music Together with her eldest at four months old. More than six years and three kids later she’s witnessed the joy and musical gift that the classes have brought to her whole family.

Chance is a violinist/fiddle player and theatre maker and has been teaching music for the last 20 years to all ages. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Education from Queen's University and is also a certified Suzuki violin teacher and Orff Teacher for elementary school classrooms. She’s played and sang, toured and recorded with various bands in Canada and the UK. She started a folk music and dance summer camp for kids, taught privately in her own studio for many years and most recently co-created a theatre show for babies and their grown-ups called The As We Grow Show. Chance loves how music and song can bring people of all ages together, and she can’t wait to meet you in one of her classes soon!

 
 
Iva Delic
 
 

Iva Delic is a composer for film and television. Her love of music and passion for connecting with others has always inspired her to teach, from private piano lessons to university workshops. She earned a BFA in music composition from Concordia University, is a Canadian Screen Award nominee, and an alumnus of The Canadian Film Centre. Her work writing music for children’s TV shows sparked an interest in understanding the importance of music in early childhood. In addition to composition and facilitating Music Together, she is currently pursuing a Master’s of Education at the University of Toronto. She has fallen in love with Music Together's mission statement and research-based program, and hopes to meet you and your child soon.


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