Our Teachers
Our Teachers
Wendy and Caroline are both Musikgarten Licenced and Certified and between them teach music classes to children aged 0-9. They are both passionate about music education - in particular for the early years. Between the two of them they have 30 years of experience teaching and working with young children. They met at A Child's Way Preschool and Kindergarten when Caroline's daughters were in Wendy's class. Over the years, they have built a solid Pre K teaching team at A Child's Way together. They are avid supporters of performing arts in the Portland community and enjoy exploring new musical experiences.
Caroline has worked as a dedicated and experienced preschool teacher, been a proud resident of the Pacific Northwest for 20 years. Originally from the UK, Caroline moved to the PNW bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in early years education.
She graduated in the UK with a degree specializing in teaching early years with a focus on physical education. After several years of teaching in the UK, where she obtained the Early Years Professional Status, Caroline decided to expand her horizons and moved to Seattle.
In Seattle, Caroline worked with children with severe physical and mental disabilities. This experience cemented her commitment to inclusive education and has shaped her teaching philosophy.
Caroline lives with her husband and their two theater-loving daughters. She has taught piano lessons in her home since 2015 and loves everything musical. She has a passion for running, attending live music events, belting out choral music whilst driving and caring for her beloved cats and chickens. This unique blend of skills, experience, and interests not only enriches her life but also brings a unique perspective to her teaching.
Wendy grew up in Portland, before getting her B.A. in Sociology with focus on Early Childhood Education and Music from the University of Washington. She lived in Paris, where she met her husband, before moving to Washington DC and later to Barcelona. She has returned to Portland with her French-American family which includes 2 lively sons, 2 dogs, 2 cats, a snake, an assortment of ant colonies and a really cool salamander that was supposed to be a frog.
She has 14 years of teaching experience covering topics in English, French, Spanish, and music in early childhood, elementary and middle school. She has planned and led continuing education trips abroad for the Smithsonian Associates, exploring different cultures through music, cuisine, and the fine arts. During her 10 years of teaching Pre-K, she has seen firsthand how music is the most effective and joyful way to teach most concepts and to reach students of almost any learning profile. It is during her time teaching at A Child’s Way Kindergarten and Preschool where she joined forces with Caroline and the two have more fun teaching together and inspiring young minds with each passing year. Music is a constant source of inspiration for Wendy and she will jump at any opportunity to watch or participate in live music, or go on musical adventures such as joining choirs, taking ballet lessons, playing with Portland Samba and writing and recording a few of her own songs. She is thrilled to find a way to combine her two passions, Music and working with young children, by bringing people together and strengthening communities and young minds through music at The Early Music Studio.