Groovy Baby Music

Micaella Cattani began her musical journey when she was only six years old due to her father’s incentive. Starting with musical theater, her love for music evolved through the years until she found her true passion, songwriting. In 2016 she began her professional career as singer songwriter in Ecuador, where she was born and raised, with her debut single Extraña Impaciencia. After a year of touring, performing, and releasing original music, MBN Ecuador nominated her to Best Promising Artist. She is currently perusing her bachelor degree in Songwriting and Professional Music at Berklee College of Music in cohesion with her professional career as performer. With Groovy Baby Music and teaching Canta y Baila Conmigo, she is taking her first steps towards her next professional goal; getting her master’s degree in Music Therapy. Micaella started out as an intern from Berklee responsible for social media, and now has become a quintessential part of our team as the Business Manager. Her enthusiasm and talent make her a beloved part of the GroovyBabyMusic family!

Gina Michelle is a vocalist and musician who loves and performs music of all different styles including R&B soul, pop, jazz, blues, rock, folk, gospel, and more, as well as music from around the world. She has sung in over 20 different languages and is also a drummer, percussionist, dancer, and guitar player. She performs with a few different bands and dance companies in the greater Boston area - including her own. Gina is the founder, director, lead singer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and co-choreographer of Meraki Caravan - a world music ensemble featuring folk and fusion music of the Balkans, Romani, Middle East, Mediterranean, and more. She also sings in local cover bands, plays in a Native American drumming ensemble, and went on tour to Mexico in 2019 with Sweet Rasa and the Deborah Abel Dance Company. Gina has been singing, dancing, and performing all her life and loves being a musician, but she also loves helping others. Her first job, in her hometown of Houston TX, was teaching and working at a performing and visual arts program for children and teens with special needs, which gave her a whole new perspective on how music and the arts could make a difference in people’s lives in so many ways and inspired her to pursue her passions of performing and helping others. Gina studied Music Therapy and Voice at Berklee College of Music with concentrations in psychology, vocal performance, and world music. Through Berklee, she gained experience working with several populations including children with special needs, adult oncology, seniors, veterans, mental health, at-risk youth, and more. Gina currently teaches music, dance, and visual art in Cambridge and works with children and young people of all ages, including those with special needs. She is an advocate for expressive arts therapy and education, diversity, and inclusion. Gina lives to create beautiful things as an artist and empower others to be the best version of themselves. She continues to follow her passions for the arts, helping people, and sharing her creativity and “meraki” with the world. Gina is excited to bring her knowledge, experience, and love of music to Hip Kids!

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Catalina Lopez Cesaratto is a passionate musician pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Professional Music at Berklee College of Music, focusing on Performance and Business with a minor in Private Studio Teaching. With over a decade of experience in vocal technique, performance, and coaching, Catalina excels in helping aspiring musicians discover their unique sound and build confidence. She is dedicated to inspiring young artists and encouraging them to explore music with creativity and freedom.

Ella is currently pursuing a dual major in Music Production and Engineering, as well as Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music. She has spent her childhood and young adulthood immersed in music, performing genres ranging from musical theatre to rock, pop, and jazz. Since the age of 13, Ella has been writing her own songs and especially loves crafting fun, creative tunes with her 4-year-old sister. She is thrilled to bring her passion for music to young learners and looks forward to creating new melodies with the brilliant voices of the next generation!

Jeff Jam is a friendly, goofy guy that sings and performs children's songs for kids of all ages. He travels all over Massachusetts, New England and the world with his acoustic guitar, bringing songs and smiles to children everywhere. Born in Massachusetts, Jeff Jam grew up watching Sesame Street, reading Dr. Seuss, and listening to The Beatles. Three of his favorite things are books, music and baseball. When he gets to sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame in a library, Jeff is in heaven. Jeff Jam’s debut CD, "Grin Happy Goofy Style," is now available. Containing 16 fun tunes (classic kids songs and originals) you will find yourself singing and dancing along, and playing it again…and again…and again! He is now working on his second CD, "Elephant Shoes!" Jeff leads a Sing-A-Long every Thursday morning from 11–11:30, at the Stella Bella toy store in Porter Square,Cambridge.

Khensani is a Music Therapy student at Berklee College of Music and a research fellow at the Centre for Music Therapy at Berklee College of Music. When she's not teaching the little ones or taking classes herself, she is a performer, artist, and video creator. She believes that music is a powerful tool to support the growth of young minds!

Born in Rome, Italy, from an American father and Argentinean mother, Mariana is fluent in three languages (English, Spanish, Italian) and is a professional translator, jazz singer and early childhood music educator. Mariana discovered her passion for early childhood music education thanks to the Groovy Baby Music family in 2013 and since has become a certified Canta Y Baila Conmigo instructor, a registered Music Together teacher, and opened her own Center offering early childhood music education classes in Rome, Italy. She has been awarded Certification Level 1 Music Together® for outstanding achievement in teaching and articulating of the program and has had extensive experience in teaching both mixed-age and babies classes. Mariana attended Berklee College of Music, graduating Summa Cum Laude in Professional Music with a concentrate in Vocal Jazz Performance & Composition and has also been trained in Orff Schulwerk music applications for young children and in Drum Circle facilitation. She is the founder and director of "MaidenItaly"® a fourteen piece Italian jazz ensemble featuring three part close harmony vocals, an all-star brass band and the true Italian flair of the 1930s, with performances in both the United States and Italy. Mariana believes that music should be shared and that basic musical knowledge is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children. She is excited to be back at Groovy Baby Music and can’t wait to meet her new families and create a connection through music.  

Vocalist and Berklee College of Music graduate Emily Badger has been singing since age two. Raised by two musician parents in Scituate, Massachusetts, Emily’s love for music was deeply instilled in her from a young age. As a child, she spent all of her free time performing in local musical theater productions and choir groups, leading her to be selected for Allstate Chorus and to perform at Symphony Hall. In her early teens she formed an oldies girl group that would go on to open for, and later perform with, The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Tokens, and many others. All of these experiences both shaped her sound and solidified her desire to pursue music in and outside of her education. She was accepted with scholarship to Berklee College of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance. Post graduation she formed her duo, Badknight, and wrote and recorded two original albums, “It’s Alright.” and “Blue Blanket”. Emily now lives in Middleboro, MA with her husband, two dogs and her cat! She spends most of her time now as a nanny for two amazing children. Her love for working with children parallels her love for music. Incorporating music and art into the children’s daily routine has been a great joy and everyone in her class can feel the enthusiasm! Emily became a super star of our GroovyFamilies Private Facebook Group with her incredible educational, and entertaining series. Emily is a prized part of the GroovyBabyMusic family!

Julie has spent most of her life surrounded by music. She grew up in a family of musicians, and was staging renditions of "The Sound of Music" in her livingroom by age 5. After college, she was on her way to becoming an opera singer, when she realized that she wanted to use her musical talents in other ways. She recorded a CD of original songs and began performing at clubs around the Boston area. Meanwhile, she began teaching preschool and realized that she could use music to inspire and educate her students. When she started her own family, she decided to focus solely on music education. She began teaching parent/child music classes for Groovy Baby Music in 2007 and fell in love with this model of teaching music to young children. Julie went back to school and received a Masters of Music Education from Boston Conservatory, in 2015, and has since taken on additional responsibilities at GBM, including curriculum development and teacher training. She also works as a music specialist at two different preschools in the area, and a part-time preK - 8th grade music specialist at Fayerweather Street School in Cambridge. Her funky and downright goofy style is contagious; it helps her to draw her students in and allows them to express their own musical creativity. When she’s not teaching music, she loves spending time with her husband and two teenage sons, doing crossword puzzles, dancing and snuggling her two kitties.

Madeleine (Maddie) de Matteis Welch is the founder/creator of CANTA Y BAILA CONMIGO; our Spanish music and movement program for children! She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early on in life she developed her interest in music, theatre and languages. Maddie obtained her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and her Masters in Bilingual Education from Boston University. She then worked as a bilingual teacher at the preschool and elementary levels in Chelsea and Framingham, Massachusetts for over 10 years. During that time she performed with Soundstage7, a mixed-voice a cappella vocal band. Maddie is currently a registered Music Together nstructor and teaches after school Spanish classes, in addition to CANTA Y BAILA CONMIGO. She is the mother of two bilingual children ages 5 and 8. CANTA Y BAILA CONMIGO is the product of Maddie's passion for music, her vocation as a teacher and her personal commitment to transmit her language and culture to the next generation. We are thrilled to have Maddie join the GroovyBabyMusic family!

If you ask Rebecca’s family, they’ll tell you that as soon as Rebecca was talking...she was singing. Growing up in the Rocky Mountains, Rebecca sang with John Denver as a member of the Earthbeat Children’s Choir. At the University of Colorado, she received her BFA in Theater Performance. She is also a graduate of the Second City Chicago Music Conservatory where she studied musical improv comedy. Rebecca has played the guitar since she was eight and studied guitar at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. Rebecca’s two great loves in life are music and working with children. She has had the honor of nannying and teaching children for over twenty years. In 2016 Rebecca began teaching parent and me art and music classes with PLAY in Los Angeles. In 2019 she began using her original songs to create her own music program at local libraries in Colorado. She moved to Boston this year with her husband and two year old and is so excited to continue her musical journey with Groovy Baby Music!

Laura grew up in a musical family where gatherings became jam sessions and singalongs. At the age of five, she began studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music. Throughout her life, Laura has danced and performed in theater venues and has sung various types of music—gospel, classical, musical theater, and a cappella— but her heart lies with jazz.. A graduate of Trinity College in Hartford with a degree in Psychology, Laura focused on counseling children and completed internships at Hartford Children’s Medical Center and the Institute of Living. After graduation, she lived in Italy where she performed as a singer and continued to work with children, always using music as an educational tool. Upon returning to the US, Laura began teaching music and movement classes to preschool children in Cambridge and Boston using her original songs. She then studied with the Center for Music and Young Children, and became a certified Music Together Center Director. In 2000, she opened GroovyBabyMusic™: an award-winning school committed to bringing the best research-based programming to kids newborn to age 5 in Greater Boston. Committed to the best teaching methods, Laura started with Music Together, but expanded to offer other superb programs such as Canta y Baila Conmigo, Move Baby Move, Radiant Child Yoga, Monkey Jump Music Party, and Groovy Beats. With HipKids™, Laura expands her offerings with music, movement, and art classes with a cool vibe for elementary school-age kids, 6 to 12. She chose to team up with InHomeJams™, MiniMovers™, and Kidcasso™ in order to give kids the best opportunities to discover, learn, and thrive. In every endeavor, Laura is committed to bringing the joy of music to every child, offering scholarships to every family in need, and producing free events for the community. GroovyBabyMusic™ and HipKids™ thrive with a team of enthusiastic, talented teachers who share Laura’s dream… to make learning music, movement and art fun and enriching for children. When she’s not teaching children, Laura sings jazz with the Laura Love Trio in Boston!