Rachel Rambach grew up in Springfield, Illinois, where she participated in and studied all types of music from an early age. She completed her bachelors degree in voice performance at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where she graduated summa cum laude. Rachel went on to earn her masters degree in music therapy from Illinois State University, again receiving top honors. She began her career at the Hope Institute for Children & Families, where she designed and implemented its first-ever music therapy program. Rachel is the founder of Listen & Learn Music, an online resource for music therapists and educators. She has specialized training in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy and is a member of the American Music Therapy Association.

Katey Kamerad grew up in Channahon, Illinois. At a young age, Katey became actively engaged in music making of all kinds, taking guitar and voice lesson, performing and competing, and devoting herself to learning piano. She completed her bachelors degree in music therapy at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL where she graduated summa cum laude as college scholar and honors college scholar. Katey completed her internship at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL and is currently providing music therapy services through Music Therapy Connections and through St. John’s Children’s Hospital. She is a member of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy.

Alisabeth Hopper grew up in Roodhouse, Illinois where her interest in music began. By age fourteen she had devoted most of her time to performing with piano, guitar, flute, and voice. Alisabeth attended Western Illinois University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy. Alisabeth completed her music therapy internship at Music Therapy Connections, where she has become an integral member of the team.

Matthew Nall is a native of Camp Point, IL. He completed his bachelors degree with cum laude honors at Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL and studied under the instruction of Dr. Garrett Allman. Matt went on to complete a masters degree in piano pedagogy from Western Illinois in Macomb, IL where he studied under the instruction of Dr. Jeffery Brown. While at Western Matt worked as a teaching assistant for class piano and taught private and group lessons through the Community Music School. Matt has participated in masterclasses with internationally known pianists such as Dr. Stephen Bues, Dr. Robert Satterlee, and Dr. Nicholas Roth. Matt is a passionate teacher of all skill levels and ages and a member of Music Teacher’s National Association. He is an avid church musician and enjoys music theory, the Great American Songbook, and spending time with family and friends.

Kristi Lecocq hails from the Twin Cities area of MN where she grew up in an extremely musical family, singing and playing piano and flute at a young age. She earned a bachelor of Commercial Music (vocal emphasis) from Millikin University in Decatur, IL and graduated magna cum laude. After a brief stint in Nashville to hone her songwriting and guitar-playing skills, she returned to central IL in 2001 and quickly became a regular on the music scene performing in numerous rock, blues and alt-country bands. Kristi joined the music industry faculty at Millikin University from 2004-2009 and in addition to teaching songwriting, she instructed a commercial vocal styles class which focused on jazz, pop, rock and country genres. She is currently a lead singer with Fireside Relics, a local original rock band whose debut CD was released in 2014.

Reid Muchow began playing drums at age 9 and in his late teens decided to further his music studies by enrolling at LLCC to study music theory with Jane Hartman. Having a compelling interest in the arrangement and function of other instruments, Reid also pursued learning guitar, piano, and singing. From 2008-2015, Reid lived in the thriving musical and cosmopolitan environments of Chicago and New Orleans. During this time, Reid received an education from Roosevelt University in jazz studies under the direction of Grammy award winning musician Paul Wertico, jazz theorist Scott Mason, and arranger Tom Garling. In Chicago, Reid worked with students of all ages at the renown People’s Music School, as well as The School of Rock.

Becky Waddell comes to Music Therapy Connections as an accomplished and well-rounded musician. Although her main instrument is the saxophone, Becky also excels in flute, clarinet, piano, voice, and is currently learning the guitar. Becky is a composer, and is published with C. Alan Publications under the name Rebecca Anne Culp. She has written many styles of music, including, but not limited to piano, piano and voice, small ensembles, wind bands, and popular music. Though composing has been placed on hold to focus on family, Becky and her husband, Jason, are currently working on creating a music production company. Becky is excited to offer private lessons in young piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and young voice. She holds a Master of Music Degree in Music Composition from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Theory from Illinois State University. She also holds a Master of Elementary Education from University of Phoenix. Becky currently resides in Pawnee with her husband and three children.

Matt Mifflin was born and raised in Springfield and has been a lifelong student of music. He began playing piano at the age of 3 and guitar at the age of 12. Matt has spent the last 7 years in the Chicagoland area teaching students of all ages and abilities while performing in a variety of venues. His approach as an instructor is to tailor each lesson according to the individuals age, ability and interest. Matt enjoys playing and learning to play any instrument he can get his hands on. Teaching music has truly become his passion and he’s excited to share it with students at Music Therapy Connections.

Elizabeth Farris recently graduated in May 2017 from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where she received her Bachelor of Arts in music with an emphasis in vocal performance. At Webster, she received both University (cum laude) and Department of Music honors while embracing opportunities to work alongside Grammy Award winners Josh Groban and Christine Brewer. Elizabeth is also experienced working with children, including time with the St. Louis Children’s Choirs and six years as a medical technician in the emergency room at Memorial Medical Center. A Springfield native, she is excited to return home and will pursue her Master of Music in Music Therapy beginning August 2017. Elizabeth looks forward to teaching voice, piano, and other classes at Music Therapy Connections!

Melissa Gibson grew up in Mesa, AZ and currently resides in Chatham, IL. Her love for music started at an early age, learning to sing harmony from her father on family fishing trips. Melissa has had formal training in piano, clarinet, and voice and participated in band and choir from grade school through college. She has toured with the Continental Singers & Orchestra and most notably attended the Tanglewood Summer Music Institute in Massachusetts. After college Melissa pursued a career in music and had the opportunity to sing and play piano at the Cottonwoods Resort in Scottsdale and the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix. Although she enjoyed performing in local resorts, favorite musical experience is having led worship in several churches over the past 25 years, where she led vocals and keys.

Laura Tam grew up in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where she trained in piano and French horn, and developed other passions in improvisation and worship music.  She completed her bachelor’s degree in musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Laura went on to receive her master’s degree in music therapy from Illinois State University.  Laura completed her internship at Helping Hand Center in Countryside, IL, where she focused on serving adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.