Singer/ Songwriter and Center Director Allison Wilkins,  known by her students as "Ms. Alli" has been performing and singing with children since her childhood. Granddaughter to the late James Bridges (conductor and founder of the James Bridges School of Music in Pittsburgh), Allison adheres to the Music Together philosophy that children are naturally "musical" from birth and recalls her fondest childhood memories were centered around "music making". She studied drama and voice at the Pittsburgh Playhouse for the performing arts. She holds a degree in psychology with an emphasis in special education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her experience with children is extensive from raising her own children, to leading girl scout troops and working with children with special needs. Organizations that she has been privileged to provide classes for are the Manasota Buds, Special Olympics & Champions for Children in Tampa.  Allison completed the Music Together training program, developed by the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, New Jersey in 2001 and is a Certification Level I teacher of the Music Together program. Ms. Alli's new sing along story book, "Monsters are Afraid of Music", is now available for purchase. Her second book "Angels Watching Over Me" is scheduled for release  in December of 2016 and 3 additional books to launch in 2017. Ms. Alli's passion for music can be summarized in her philosophy that music empowers and is "the stuff of the soul", to be produced by the child within all of us.

Ms. Karen, former center Director of Ditties for Kiddies in New Tampa, is a passionate teacher with a long history of working with children. Karen received Music Together training in 2002 and began teaching immediately. While teaching Music Together, Karen has spent the last 7 years working with special needs children through "Friend Zone", a respite program for parents  offered at St. James United Methodist Church. Ongoing she uses her education background working with both adults and children for over 23 years teaching group fitness. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Education and an M.S. in Adult Education from Old Dominion University. Her musical background is rooted in 6 years of clarinet study. Karen is passionate about sharing all that music can do to help children and families grow.

We are pleased to welcome the newest addition to our staff- music man extraordinaire Mr. Todd Lutes. 

 For the past 30 years Mr. Todd has been playing music professionally. Starting his professional career on drums at the ripe old age of 15, Mr. Todd quickly realized that music was his path. At 18 he was accepted into the Berkley College of Music but cordially declined to pursue his own musical endeavors.  After many years of playing drums and singing in bands such as Zepton Groove and The Brickyard Poets, Mr. Todd decided it was time to shake things up by switching to guitar. Mr.Todd taught himself guitar and for the past 10 years he has been happily playing solo and duo gigs with his duo Scratch & Dent. Mr. Todd caught the attention of Allisongs for Tots when he had a large gathering of children flocking around him at his Fresh Market performance in Hyde Park Village. His warm, engaging (and silly) style make him a natural fit for our team of music makers. Stay Tuned for  drumming, guitar and music classes that will be taught by Mr. Todd starting in September 2017! 

Ms. Hallie grew up in a musical family where she learned first hand from every child's best teacher, her mother, who was also a  professional violinist. She quickly  learned how to play Suzuki piano at the age of three, and later  at the age of six, percussion and string instruments.  In high school  she  joined the band,  playing flute. Her passion for playing flute and piccolo blossomed so much that she decided to attend the  Interlochen Arts Academy where she excelled in performance. Later, Ms. Chandola went on to  study at the Prague Conservatory and Czech Budweiss Conservatory while playing in the Prague Film Orchestra. Recently, Ms. Hallie has been a  teacher for the Flutes and Strings classes at Unison World School in Dehradun, India. Her passion for children and music extends to her own family. She is mother to two active boys, ages 1 and 5.  She is passionate about music and children. Her  goal is to instill the  passion for learning into every one of  the students who are fortunate enough to call her teacher.  Ms. Hallie is a welcomed addition to our teaching team and will be joining us this fall!

Jessica Freedman is a graduate of the University of Tampa with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology. Originally bound for medical school, she had a change of heart after viewing the direction of traditional western medicine. After college her interest in holistic medicine peaked as did her desire to help people live a healthy and happy life. This led her towards her graduate studies in Eastern medicine and her yoga trainings.

She completed her first 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2006. In 2011, she finished an additional 200 hour “Prana Flow” yoga training while pregnant with her first child and is a certified Prenatal Yoga teacher with over 10 years of experience.

Over the last decade, she has guided hundreds of women through prenatal yoga practices and was blessed to be able to teach during the full duration of both her pregnancies. She feels lucky to have shared all the wonderful aspects of pregnancy with hundreds of women.

Clare Lannan Seng is an E-RYT 200 Ashtanga graduate and a Florida licensed massage therapist, MA# 47229. She has a passion for the expectant mother, with both advanced training in prenatal yoga and massage therapy.

Her background also includes a BA from Purdue University in Organizational Communication and an MA from The University of South Florida in Counselor Education. These studies allowed Clare to assist children & their families in social service for over 10 years.

With this love for community, Clare completed the Next Generation Yoga program, created by kids yoga pioneer, Jodi Komitor, for 2-13 year olds and their families. 

Clare has woven her experiences together to truly create a mind, body & spirit meditation for her yoga students.

When not on the mat, Clare enjoys being a mom to her 4 yo daughter, Stella, and their border collie, Graham.