Debbie Crane

Debbie brings a fresh, warm presence to her classes with a friendly smile and welcoming manner! Debbie loves to sing and first experienced Music Together^® as a parent while bringing her two, (now teen-aged), children to classes for many years. She later completed her Music Together® Teacher Training in 2003, where she befriended Michelle Tate singing Julie Andrews songs during the breaks! Debbie also has her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood and Human Development and was a pre-school teacher prior to having children. She has been teaching with Apple Country since 2013. Debbie is involved in community theater groups and has been in many Gilbert and Sullivan productions and lately, Once Upon A Mattress, The Music Man, Our Town and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She is also involved in her church, runs road races when she is able, and educates people on how to make safer product choices. Check out her websites www.nontoxicdeb.com & www.dcrane.juiceplus.com.

Gina Cranford

Gina began her musical career with piano lessons at age 5. The excellent choral music program in the Northborough Public Schools laid the foundation for a lifetime of singing. Gina has both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from the University of Connecticut. She taught middle and high school choirs for 10 years and most notably was invited to conduct the 2001 Jr. SEMBSA Festival Choir in Southeastern Massachusetts. Gina is also a piano accompanist for vocalists and choirs. She fell in love with Music Together® while enjoying the classes with her two sons and realized that this was the perfect next step in her musical journey. She became a registered Music Together® teacher in 2009 and in 2013 she was awarded the Music Together® Certification I designation. Gina is the founder and conductor of Melody Makers Children's Chorus. Gina enjoys singing, walking on the beach, yoga, and traveling.

Jennifer Lentz

Jennifer is passionate about helping others have joy with and learn through musical experiences. She is currently teaching our mixed-age class in Grafton, MA. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Music Therapy at Elizabethtown College and is a Board-Certified Music Therapist. With this, she feels comfortable working with children and grown-ups of all ages, with “typical development” and/or with special needs. Jen first experienced Music Together® by bringing her son to class. After attending the first class, she was eager to complete the Teacher Training. She did so in spring 2015 and finds songs in the curriculum beneficial, fun, and multi-cultural. She feels blessed to participate in Rhythm Kids^® weekly with her 7-yr-old son and 10-yr-old daughter. Jen is a classically trained soprano, and before she became a parent, she was in and helped direct children in many music theater productions. Her favorite roles were playing “Annie” in Annie Get Your Gun and “Tzeitel” in Fiddler On the Roof. She currently facilitates individual, small group, and large group music therapy sessions,  directs children singing in her church, and co-leads her daughter’s Junior Girl Scout troop in her town. She enjoys taking walks, playing board and card games with her family, and seeing Disney movies and musical theater shows with her husband and children.

Michelle Tate - Director

Michelle is the Director of Apple Country Music Together, and has been a Music Together® Teacher since 2003. Michelle has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has discovered that being a visual artist greatly informs her Music Together® teaching. Michelle was personally selected by Tom Foote and Ken Guilmartin to pilot the new drumming program, Rhythm Kids®, featuring the African djembe. She has studied voice, piano, flute, piccolo and hand drumming, and quite brilliantly snapped her piccolo in half while branching out into percussion at a high school football game. Some of her happiest memories include being danced around the kitchen and sung to by her father. Michelle has been a member of many choirs, bands, and musical ensembles, and directed the children's choir at her church for several years. Michelle's love of music introduced her to Music Together® as a parent in 2002, which inspired her to become a registered teacher in 2003. In July 2010 she was awarded the Music Together® Certification I designation by the program's co-founder Dr. Lili Levinowitz. Michelle's favorite aspect of teaching Music Together® is nurturing the emotional connections between people through group music making. Michelle's goal as director is to bring the concept of making Music Together® to as many people - young and old - as possible. To achieve this, she has incorporated the Generations and Rhythm Kids® programs into Apple Country and has the goal of offering more Babies classes in the area. Michelle is the lucky mother of three wonderful children, wife to her soul mate, and is attempting to teach herself the ukulele, guitar, bodhran, accordian and kalimba. Michelle is passionate about world music and aspires to infuse a broad range of world music experiences and joy into her classes.