Hello everybody! My name is Tania van Bree and I have been teaching early childhood music for the past 7 years here in Austin and Buda. And it’s a blast!
I live in Buda with my husband Marc and two kids, Elli (8) and Willem (5). I was born and raised in Austin and went to Chicago to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Music from DePaul University and my Master’s of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago. It’s there where I fell in love with providing opportunities for kids to enjoy and participate in music and the arts. I worked with Emerald City Children’s Theatre and ran education and community programs at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
When we moved back to Austin in 2011, I successfully completed the Music Together® Teaching Workshop developed by the Center for Music and Young Children, Princeton, New Jersey and started teaching at the Armstrong Community Music School.
When we moved to Buda, we saw right away that our cozy but growing community needed an early childhood music program. So, I became a Music Together Center Director and decided to open up a music school for my neighbors! I am excited to bring affordable early childhood music to Buda!
A little postscript. My son Willem was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at 16 months old. As parents, we’ve had to become therapists too, and I’m learning more every day about the connections between the variety of therapies Willem receives and the Music Together curriculum I teach. It has already helped us better connect with him. I am so grateful to be able to better encourage and cultivate his exposure to music in such a meaningful way, and share with other families the Music Together philosophy of encouraging all levels of participation, regardless of ability.
It’s also the reason why I’m giving back to the Buda community with free sensory-friendly music classes at the Buda Public Library.