Marvelous Music
Preschool Music for Growth and Development
Preschool Educators: Reach out to bring Marvelous Music preschool music to your classroom
Impact
Every season, Marvelous Music reaches over 700 preschool students in more than 40 classrooms.
About Marvelous Music
Marvelous Music is a collaboration with Crescendo Academy of Music and in partnership with KPS-PEEP, Head Start GSRP, Comstock Public Schools, and Comstock CLC. Through preschool music and movement, Marvelous Music builds social-emotional skills (active participation, focus, expression) and Kindergarten readiness skills (motor, musical aptitude, pre-reading).
The program includes:
Learn More About Marvelous Music
Reach out to our Education Team to learn more about bringing Marvelous Music preschool music to your classroom!
Music Together® Specialists
Meet the incredible educators who run our Marvelous Music program.
Gabrielle Balanda, Music Specialist
Gabrielle Balanda attended Western Michigan University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. She likes working with children because every day is different: “I enjoy when children and parents are experiencing the music with you; everyone gets to experience something new together! I love that we have fun making music while giving children important tools to help them through life.”
Gabrielle teaches Music Together Mixed Ages and Music Together In-School preschool classes. She lives in Kalamazoo and is excited to start making music together!
Lisa Brown, Music Specialist
Lisa loves to teach children during their early years and nurture their love for music. A homeschooling mom to three girls, Lisa has seen firsthand how exposure to music at an early age shapes children by helping them show and express their emotions. Moreover, she loves to see the simple joy that music brings them.
Lisa has a master’s degree in Cello Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and completed Music Together Training and Suzuki Teacher Training in 2009. She has been teaching music to young children for more than 20 years.
Cindy Cross, KSO Director of Education & Community Engagement | Music Specialist
Cindy Cross is a Board-Certified Music Therapist with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Western Michigan University. Her early career included Music Therapy work in Adult Psychiatric Care, Long-Term Care, and Special Education.
Cindy began the transition to orchestral work in 2016 by managing Marvelous Music for the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, a program that provides quality music education for up to 600 preschool families each year. The symphony world was a perfect fit for her energy and skills, and she currently works as the KSO’s Assistant Director of Education, creating and promoting education and wellness programs in Kalamazoo, MI, and the surrounding area.
Annie Dastoli, Music Specialist
Annie is a registered Music Together teacher. She has loved music her entire life and has been immersed in different opportunities from a young age. Her love of music and singing led her to Western Michigan University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in music. After a decade of working in the retail world, she was ready to make a change and focus more on work with music. Music Together is the perfect outlet; it combines two of the things she loves most: music and teaching children! Annie lives in Portage with her husband and two children.
Rachel Stratton, Music Specialist
Rachel Stratton has studied piano and flute since elementary school and is a self-taught acoustic guitarist. While receiving her Bachelor’s in Music Education at Alma College, Rachel participated in multiple ensembles, including the concert band, orchestra, and flute ensemble. After graduating, Rachel pursued a career in worship leading for churches, but now her career is focused on teaching music to individuals and small groups. Before moving to Kalamazoo, Rachel participated in her local music community with the Cadillac Area Symphony Orchestra, the Cadillac Footliters production of Mamma Mia, and became the assistant director for the Cadillac Community Chorus. Having lived in Kalamazoo for over a year, she is excited to be an active participant in the Kalamazoo area music community.
