MEET OUR AMAZING TEAM!
Shay Ryan (aka Ms. Shay)
Kindermusik Educator & Owner of Kiddos and Kin
From cruise-ships to Off-Broadway, to being signed to a major label, Shay Ryan (she/ her) brings over 30 joyous years of professional singing experience to Kiddos and Kin.
An Early Childhood Music Specialist, Shay Ryan is a proud member of ECMMA (Early Childhood Music and Movement Association) and holds Level I ECMMA certification. She is certified and licensed to teach all levels of Kindermusik curricula. She is also the co-writer and emcee of the popular interactive symphonic concert series "Mini Maestros" with the Symphony Tacoma Orchestra. Her studio, "Kiddos and Kin" has received the Top Program Maestro Award from Kindermusik International eight years in a row, ranking it within the top 5% of studios around the world. The last 2 years, it has ranked in the top 1%.
Shay's extensive background in Applied Behavior Analysis compliments her masterful teaching. As a former Behavioral Therapist and Program Coordinator through Rutgers University, she has had the pleasure of witnessing monumental growth in the students she has worked with. She has firsthand experience in the power of music and its ability to help facilitate language development and positive peer interaction. She is passionate about class integration.
Shay is also a graduate of the Creative Enterprise Program with Spaceworks (a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber), where she took intensive courses in business planning and marketing.
Her love of music and teaching has only been eclipsed by one thing- the birth of her daughter in 2010. After experiencing for herself the amazing bonding, social, and whole-child learning experience Kindermusik provided, Shay is thrilled to offer classes in the Tacoma area to those of all developmental and musical abilities.
Megumi Azekawa Licensed Music Therapist
Megumi Azekawa (she/her) is a board certified music therapist (#09710) and holds her master’s degree in music therapy from Colorado State University. She completed music therapy clinical internship at Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, CO. She has a wide range of clinical experiences including inpatient/outpatient neurorehabilitation, pediatric outpatient clinic, community outreach groups, nursing homes, special education, and psychiatric settings. She focuses on addressing physical, speech/language, and cognitive rehabilitation goals due to individuals with neurological conditions. These conditions include stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy.
She is a member of American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and Music Therapy Association of Washington (MTAW). She actively presents her clinical research at local, regional, and national levels. Her research interests include the use of clinical singing and voice exercises in treating individuals with neurological conditions, music therapy treatment as cognitive training for people with dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease, and music therapy cost-effectiveness analysis. She also shares her music therapy knowledge and insight by hosting the blog, “Musically Thinking”.
Megumi offers private sessions at Kiddos and Kin.
Lyndi Knox (aka Ms. Lyndi) Kindermusik Instructor
Lyndi Knox (she/her) is a professional clarinetist and teacher and a native to the Pacific Northwest. Ms. Lyndi earned a Masters degree in Clarinet Performance from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance from Pacific Lutheran University.
Ms. Lyndi enjoys teaching music to students of all ages. She is the Adjunct Clarinet Instructor at Pierce College, runs a private clarinet studio for middle and high school students, and is a recent graduate of Kindermusik University. She is also the clarinet and chamber coach for the Tacoma Youth Symphony. Ms. Lyndi is very excited to join the team at Kiddos and Kin, as she loves working with young children and sparking a love for music from a young age.
Ms. Lyndi teaches all levels of Kindermusik, as well as private clarinet and piano at Kiddos and Kin.
Heather DeJesus (aka Ms. Heather) Kindermusik Educator
Heather DeJesus (she/ her) found her love for music when she was introduced to the flute at a very young age and she attributes her success in high school, college and beyond to her early exposure to music.
From being a first seat band student to being in the first row of the Dave Matthews Band concert, her passion for music and the enrichment it offers in undeniable. As a mother of a student who attended Kindermusik, she has firsthand experience of the many benefits it offers. She is witness to how music stimulates the brain and calms the mind of a young child. With this discovery, she has made it her mission to share and introduce the magic of Kindermusik to all children.
She is a proud mother of two wonderful boys and a beautiful baby girl, and teaches Kindermusik at many private and public schools throughout Pierce County.
Heather teaches our Level 4 Pre-piano classes at Kiddos and Kin.
Gabrielle Campagna (aka Ms. Gabe) Kindermusik Educator
Gabrielle Campagna (she/her) earned her BA in Dance and BS in Biology from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Traveling the country with her husband, an officer in the United States Army, she has been a professional dancer and choreographer for companies in Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and the Tacoma area for over 15 years. She and her husband have settled in Tacoma with their two children, and she is thrilled to join the arts and early education community.
She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from The George Washington University in Washington, DC in 2011. She works as a Board-Certified Physical Therapist in Orthopedics and serves as a Co-Director for the Barefoot Collective in Tacoma. Gabe also is a Reiki I certified practitioner and is currently pursuing her 200-HR International Yoga Teacher Training.
A mom of two Kindermusik children, Ms. Gabe believes strongly in the power of music and movement, and brings her experience as a physical therapist, a parent, and a dancer to our class community.