Founder, Director & Registered Music Together Teacher

Hello Ev'rybody!  Making music at home with my mom holding me and singing harmony with my dad is my earliest musical memory.  I feel very fortunate that music was a part of not only my family culture but my West Virginia / Appalachian heritage as well.  My Mother was deeply enamored with music making, singing and dancing and I grew up listening to her vinyl collection containing everything from Gregorian Chant to Bach to Frank Zappa.  

My family moved to Austin in 1988 and our first house in Austin was 2 blocks from The Continental Club back when SoCo was the red light district.    I attended Travis High School for Junior and  Senior years and was enrolled in as many music classes as my schedule could hold.  I joined concert choir which lead to being hand-picked for the 'Heartbeats' show choir. I loved singing, entertaining and competing in UIL solo and ensemble. I packed my school schedule with piano, guitar, music theory and got elected Choir President in my Senior year. Summers were all about seeing and exploring as much live music as possible at night and plenty of busking with friends on the drag during the day.  

From high school I jumped right into an intensely fulfilling career in educational publishing at Holt, Rinehart & Winston.  Having always been curious and passionate about both early childhood development and education, it was a great fit since I had spent so much of my childhood running around printshops with my parents (who were both writers and musicians!).  In 2003 I married the greatest guy Daniel Nichols (a bass player, audiophile and armchair musicologist). Once we started our family I went in search of the very best music education program out there and was delighted to find Music Together. 

Realizing that not all families felt capable or empowered to sing and dance together was so shocking to me that I started tuneBugz! to make sure that every family had the opportunity to experience the benefits of being raised in a musical household. Every child who is raised in a musical household benefits greatly in  that family music making strengthens family bonds, increases sense of well being for the child, and it provides a measurable mental and physical health boost that everyone can benefit from.  Musical experiences at tuneBugz! shows all parents that raising musical children is within reach.  All children ARE musical. All parents have the power to raise musical families!  Every parent can do this regardless of their own musical ability!

What is on my heart is to make sure every family has acccess to the joy and beauty of music making so that the world can be made better through shared musical experiences that inspire children to continue making music for the rest of their lives.    

Amber holds an Internationally recognized Director's license from Music Together in exceptional standing since 2009 for family and community classes, In-School programming for school based music and movement programs and Canta y Baila Conmigo (Spanish Immersion Music and Movement for Early Childhood.)

Registered Music Together Teacher

Sahara has been a music maker her whole life but her professional music career took off in 2003 when, at the age of 15, she placed second in "A Prairie Home Companion's" contest 'Talent from 12-20' performing an original song.  After the release of her debut album Myth of the Heart Sahara performed on David Letterman and was also named Best Female Vocalist, Best Folk Act, and Best Songwriter at the 2010 Austin Music Awards. She still continues to write and perform, but has discovered a deep passion for connecting with children though music.  Sahara brings us her experience as musician but also her experience as an assistant Montesorri guide and a music instructor for elementary school children, and (most importantly) her joy as a musical model for own daughter.

Sahara earned her Music Together teaching certificate from Music Together Worldwide in January 2024 and we're thrilled to have her join our teaching team as an apprentice for Winter 2024 term and begin her own classes this Spring. 

Registered Music Together Teacher

Keerthi, a  life-long lover of music making, singing and playing her violin is also a doctoral student under the mentorship of Dr. Jun Wang at the University of Texas at Austin. Keerthi works as a graduate research assistant in the Speech Disorders and Technology Lab. She received her Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from UT Dallas in 2023. Her research interests include better understanding the cognitive processes underlying speech planning and production as well as speech kinematics, borth typical and disordered. 

Keerthi completed her Music Together Teacher Training in Spring 2024, apprenticed in the Fall 2024 and will begin her Music Together teaching adventure in Winter 2025! 

Registered Music Together Teacher

Ken comes to tuneBugz! as a seasoned and classically trained guitarist and bassist with a heart for Austin's youngest musicians.  Growing up in a musical home with diverse musical  influences, Ken knows the value of starting music learning early to enrich families lives through musical expression and play-based learning. As a multi-instrumentalist and music instructor of all ages Ken has lead and worked with various productions and ensembles and has performed in front of diverse audiences from Antones to KMFA! 

Ken completed her Music Together Teacher Training in May 2025! 

Registered Music Together Teacher (Sub)

Sara is a singer, songwriter, visual and graphic artist and expert in early childhood music development. Sara is passionate about music education and music expression and works behind the scenes at tuneBugz! to support our social media and mentoring programs that produce the very BEST early childhood music educators in Austin!

Though now retired from the classsroom Ms. Sara remains one of our most beloved teachers, mentors and all around silly billies!  

Sara has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Psychology and Studio Art and received her Music Together training in April 2014 at the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, NJ - the "Mothership" of Music Together.  

Sara's music, art and graphic recording can be supported here: https://www.snillustration.com/ & here: https://www.instagram.com/snillustration/

This class will be taught by a trained and Registered Music Together teacher who has successfully completed Music Together Worldwide's renowned teacher training program and completed their full apprenticeship with practicum.