I’m a Tejana who hails from a large family that has nurtured in me a love of music throughout my entire life. My earliest memories of music are the sounds of my grandmother singing me to sleep in her deep, comforting voice and our family gatherings, marked by beautiful music playing at every celebration.

My love of percussion began in middle school and developed further when I joined the Brazoswood High School Buccaneer band. After graduation, I attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a B.A. Liberal Arts degree in Mexican American Studies.

Beginning in 2005, I worked with children at the Center for Child Protection (CCP), a local children’s advocacy center. This environment provided me with an education in how trauma impacts brain development in early childhood. My role as a forensic interviewer ignited a lifelong passion for working with children.

I fell in love with the Music Together^® in 2017 when I enrolled my son, Oliver, at Heartsong Music.  Every Friday morning Alyssa created a magical, musically immersive class experience with her talent, humor, and skill as an early childhood educator. Her classes were exceptional! They were educational for both Oliver and me, and yet, also filled with a silliness that brightened our days with giggles and playfulness. Who knew a toddler music class could be so wonderful?  We built a community with the families we met in class, and this brought tremendous joy into our lives. Participating in music class reminded me of how much I loved singing and making music.

Attending classes with Oliver led me to enroll in Heartsong’s Guitar for Grownups class. Carey Youngblood, our center director, encouraged me to take the Music Together teacher training and follow through with an internship during the summer of 2019. Proudly, I have just celebrated my 4th year teaching Music Together at Heartsong Music and have a secondary role supporting our center as the Marketing Director! The opportunity to teach music to children and the grownups who love them^® has been so rewarding.  

In the fall of 2022, we launched Canta y Baila Conmigo^®'s Spanish language music and movement class at Heartsong. This Spanish immersion program provides our families with an opportunity to share in the rich musical traditions and cultures of people that speak Spanish worldwide! It is meaningful to sing and make music with my CyBC families on my own journey alongside them as we connect with the Spanish language together.

The mission of Heartsong Music, to make the world more musical one family at a time, has inspired my journey as a teacher. I’ve had the privilege of teaching through the pandemic in pre-recorded videos in a makeshift studio in my home, via Zoom, and exclusively outdoors in yards all over Austin. Building connection with Heartsong Music families through song and dance has been a life enriching experience. I’m so lucky to be a part of this vibrant musical community.

I’m thrilled for the coming session and a chance to see all the old friends returning and all the new ones I’ve yet to meet. I can’t wait to sing and dance with you!

Testimonials

"Amanda has been an absolute dream to work with! She is super professional, extremely charismatic, and so very talented. We took a demo class with her and couldn’t wait to register for the summer program! She was and is so welcoming. My 10 month old enjoys the class so much and is engaged by all of the fun songs and activities throughout! So glad that we found this gem that is Heartsong Music! Thank you!"

"Amanda is great! She's so responsive to the kids throughout the class. She's welcoming, warm, and makes it a fun and comfortable experience for everyone."

"Amanda cares so much about the kids. it's still shocking how she is able to navigate all of the little kids names almost immediately and seems to genuinely care for the kids' learning of music."