International Music Education Program Music Together®
Announces New CEO
Founder Kenneth K. Guilmartin names his successor
Princeton, NJ, March 11, 2015 — Early childhood music education expert Susan Darrow has been named CEO of Music Together LLC. The announcement was made today by the company’s founder/director Kenneth K. Guilmartin, who launched the organization in 1987. A pioneer of research-based early childhood music education, Music Together classes can be found in more than 2,500 communities in over 40 countries.
In making the announcement, Guilmartin said, “Susan has been part of Music Together since 1992 and has proven to be not only an extraordinary educator but also an extremely capable and visionary leader, from her beginnings as an outstanding center director to her more recent work in expanding our international teacher training team and educational services. She carries my passion and vision for Music Together deeply in her heart and mind, and I am personally excited about the future she will lead us to as CEO.”
Darrow said, “I am thrilled to take on the job of leading such a wonderful organization. The parents of the millions of children who have been touched by Music Together over the past twenty-eight years can attest to the extraordinary power of our program. Now it is time for us to build on the strong foundation that Ken has created and expand upon his vision for the company. I am excited to lead us to a future where music is a part of the lives of millions more families, all over the world.”
Darrow, who began her career as a parent educator and preschool teacher, started teaching Music Together classes at a parent resource center in Montclair, NJ, in the early 1990s. In 1996, she opened her own business, Music Together of Montclair, where she led a staff of 12 teachers and offered classes to over 1000 families each year. In 1998, Darrow expanded her role at Music Together, joining corporate operations as an educational workshop leader and teacher trainer. In her tenure as a teacher trainer, Darrow trained thousands of new Music Together teachers worldwide. In 2008, she became the company’s first Director of Educational Services, where she was responsible for key areas instrumental to Music Together’s growth. She built and expanded the infrastructure for training, support, and continuing education for the more than 2,500 Music Together teachers who lead classes at licensed locations around the globe. She also led the development of two new programs, Music Together Within Therapy® (2011) and a revision of the Music Together® Babies curriculum (2012), and she was instrumental in leading the company to open centers in China, Taiwan, and Australia.
Guilmartin will continue as Music Together’s chairman and the editor-in-chief of the company’s publications and materials.
Music Together is an internationally recognized, developmentally appropriate early childhood music and movement program for children birth through age seven. First offered to the public in 1987, the Music Together curriculum, coauthored by Guilmartin and Dr. Lili Levinowitz (Director of Research), is based on the recognition that all children are musical. All children can learn to sing in tune, move with accurate rhythm, and participate with confidence in the music of their culture, provided that their early environment supports such learning. Music Together offers programs for families, schools, at-risk populations, and children with special needs, at licensed locations in over 2,500 communities in more than 40 countries around the world. The company is passionately committed to bringing children and their caregivers closer through shared music-making and helping people discover the joy—and educational value—of early music experiences. More at www.musictogether.com and www.facebook.com/musictogether.
Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 203/270-8929, Rodicompany@earthlink.net