Our Mini Music Instructors
Ali Mann
Ali Mann, a credentialed school teacher, was certified in 2006 to teach interactive music classes to infants and toddlers and has taught well over a thousand families since then. Prior to starting her business, Mini Music, Ali taught private music lessons at the Sonoma Academy of Dance and Art in Sonoma, CA. During that time she received many requests to teach private music classes to groups of parents and children in family living rooms. It was then that she decided to start her own music program and thus Mini Music was born with its first official class in the fall of 2009. Since its inception, Mini Music has grown from one class with twelve mamas and their children in a living room in Mill Valley to twenty classes a week in three counties with five locations and over three hundred families currently enrolled in the spring of 2017. In addition to teaching Mini Music classes, Ali performs Mini Music kids' concerts with her partner, Warren Mann. She also performs original grown-up music around the Bay Area in her duo, The Honeymann Band, with husband, Warren Mann, who can also be heard singing, playing guitar, mandolin and banjo on Mini Music recordings.
Warren Mann
Warren Mann loves music, plain and simple. Growing up in a house surrounded by musical parents, siblings and housemates, the joy shared around music was ever-present. This joy has continued to influence Warren's life to this day. Warren is certified to teach interactive music classes to infants and toddlers and also graduated from UCLA with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. He is particularly fascinated by the many different ways in which people learn and interact. At home within a musical setting, Warren thrives on seeing the reaction of young children when they hear and are exposed to music. Their expressions, intrigue, curiosity, excitement and joy continue to inspire him to write, share and promote the music that he has grown to love. Warren plays guitar, mandolin, banjo and whatever else he can get his hands on. You can hear Warren playing and singing on all of the Mini Music recordings, find him performing around Sonoma and Marin Counties with various bands and with his duo, The Honeymann Band with Ali Weiss.
Michaela Thomas
Michaela Thomas is a Professional Singer, Multi-Instrumentalist, and Music Educator in Sebastopol. Michaela has been studying music for the past 25 years and has earned over 45 credits in Music Education. In her classes, she weaves the gentle magic of play, music education, and somatic awareness to create an imaginative and nurturing environment. Michaela has a particular affinity for inspiring little songwriters and fostering a sense of community in her classes. She comes from a background of teaching in special education classrooms and welcomes children and parents of all capabilities and differences. She looks forward to nurturing your children's creativity and musical expression.
