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Meet the passionate team behind Music of Life

Our Team

Led by musicians. Inspired by every child.

Music of Life was founded by professional musicians driven by a shared passion: to make the joy of music and the life-changing experience of performing accessible to young people with disabilities. Many of our music leaders bring personal insight through lived experience of disability, and all have extensive expertise working with children with special educational needs and disabilities across a range of settings.

Meet our team

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Maria Teterina
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Music of Life began with a simple belief: that you, like any young person, deserve the chance to experience the power of music. As a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music, I was inspired by years of performing and growing up in a musical family in Moscow. I knew firsthand how music builds confidence, brings joy, and transforms lives.

Working with talented young people with disabilities, both in the UK and through my parents’ charity in Russia, showed me just how many barriers still exist. That’s why I started Music of Life in 2003: to make high-quality music education accessible to you, no matter your background or ability.

Today, I lead a passionate team of musicians, educators, and volunteers who share that same mission - to help you thrive through music, performance, and creativity.
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Katie Baxter

Head of Development and Communications

Katie is an experienced fundraiser with a passion for improving lives
through charity work. She has a strong track record in donor
management, having led fundraising teams at Support Through Court
and worked at Cancer Research UK and the African Foundation for
Development.


With a Master’s in International Relations, Katie is dedicated to social
justice and is excited to help grow Music of Life’s income, ensuring more
children and young people with special needs benefit from our services.

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Gina Baker
Community Engagement and Events Manager, and Workshop Leader
Gina is a music therapist, vocal coach, workshop leader, and Music of Life’s Community Engagement and Events Manager, supporting the Choirs in Special Schools programme across the West Midlands. She earned her undergraduate degree in voice from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2018 and completed her master’s in music therapy in 2025. During her studies, she spent time in Malta working with adults with learning disabilities. Gina has worked with charities including Ex Cathedra’s Singing Medicine, Cheltenham Festivals, and Choirs Beating Time, bringing music to schools, prisons, hospitals, and the wider community.
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Suzzie Vango
Choirs at Special Schools Programme Leader
Suzzie brings energy, expertise, and a deep passion for choral education to everything she does. An internationally respected soprano, choral director, and vocal coach, she leads Music of Life’s Choirs in Special Schools Programme, which she founded in 2014. Suzzie delivers weekly sessions, trains musicians, and develops inclusive repertoire, helping choirs thrive in special schools across the UK. She also performs with acclaimed a cappella group Papagena, works with leading vocal organisations such as the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, and has led music projects around the world.
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Ruth Montgomery
Music for Deaf Children Programme Leader
Ruth is a professional Deaf musician, flautist, and music educator, leading Music of Life’s Deaf music programmes since 2017. A former student and long-time trustee, she’s been part of the organisation since 2003. Born profoundly Deaf and a fluent BSL user, Ruth creates visual, inclusive music sessions in schools for the Deaf - championing equal access to the emotional and educational benefits of music. She also performs, teaches, and inspires young musicians across a wide range of settings.
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Shivani Rattan
Workshop Leader
Shivani is a choral conductor, mezzo-soprano, and workshop leader who brings vibrant energy and creativity to Music of Life sessions. She joined the team in 2023, working across special schools in the Midlands to inspire young people through singing and music games. A performer with Papagena and a sought-after session singer, Shivani has conducted for OUP, BBC, and major UK festivals. She also works with leading music organisations, combining her professional skills with a natural ability to connect with and engage children.
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Lucy Hollins
Workshop Leader
Lucy is passionate about getting everyone singing, regardless of experience or background. As a conductor, presenter, composer, and animateur, she brings people together to experience the joy of music-making across the country. Lucy is the Creative Director of the National Youth Choir and a vocal leader for Music of Life. She’s also Principal Guest Conductor of the Cambridge Philharmonic and leads SO Vocal, the CBSO’s community choir. With a career spanning major roles in prestigious choirs and universities, Lucy is known for her creative, engaging approach to choral music.
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Charlie Penn
Pianist
Charlie is a dynamic pianist supporting Music of Life’s Choirs in Special Schools across the Midlands. He collaborates with vocal leaders to deliver fun, inclusive sessions that inspire young people through music. A versatile performer and conductor, Charlie works with choirs of all ages, from youth ensembles to national organisations. He’s appeared on BBC radio and TV, played at top UK venues, and works regularly with groups like the BBC Singers, Sinfonia Viva, and the National Youth Choirs.
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Miriam Dubois
Music for Deaf Children practitioner
Miriam is a Deaf West African drummer, educator, and performer based in London. She joined Music of Life in 2023 and now leads sessions for young Deaf children, delivering music lessons in both BSL and English. Trained in Senegal, she brings vibrant energy to her work in schools and the wider community. Miriam also performs and runs interactive drumming workshops across the UK, collaborating with Deaf artists and organisations including Deaf Rave and Audiovisability.
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Rachel Edmonds
Music for Deaf Children practitioner
Rachel is the music teacher at Heathlands School for the Deaf and is passionate about making music accessible to all children. With Music of Life, she has developed a curriculum using singing, percussion, and movement to engage Deaf students. A professional bassoonist since 1990, Rachel has performed at the National Theatre and Snape Maltings, and was a finalist in the Royal Overseas League competition. She also leads music projects for underprivileged children and supports wellbeing through music for people with dementia.
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Imogen Moore
Workshop Leader
Imogen is a singer, teacher, and choral leader based in Oxfordshire, supporting Music of Life’s programmes after training with the team in 2025. She brings warmth, energy, and experience to every session, inspiring young people to find their voice through music. Alongside her work with Music of Life, Imogen teaches singing in schools and privately, leads a primary school choir, and performs widely as both a soloist and ensemble singer. Her career highlights include appearances at the BBC Proms, the Royal Albert Hall, and recordings with Arundel Cathedral Choir.
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Aliyah Wiggins
Workshop Leader
Aliyah is a singer songwriter from Birmingham who began her journey in music at 10 years old. Over the years, she has developed her practice in Music Leading with community groups, Primary and Secondary schools, and early years groups. She has worked with several companies including Welsh National Opera as their Vocal Leader Intern, B'Opera, Black Voices, National Memorial Arboretum as well as delivering community music sessions and many more. Recently she has had the pleasure of training with Music of Life at many of their schools and looks forward to working with them as a new member of the team.
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Helena Raeburn
Workshop Leader
Helena trained in both Classical Singing and Musical Theatre. She enjoys a wonderfully varied career, both leading music workshops in healthcare settings and performing as a singer and actor.

She first joined the Music of Life team in 2023 and loves it! The chance to watch children's confidence grow as they join in, invent and lead, is wonderful. Also, there are songs about buffalo, mangoes and diggers. Brilliant!
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Joel Knee

Pianist

Joel is an accompanist, trombonist, and workshop leader based in London. He works with Music of Life in special schools in Brent, bringing energy and creativity to singing sessions. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Joel has toured internationally as a trombonist and performs regularly across the UK. He also leads educational projects for NYJO and the National Youth Jazz Collective, and works as a music producer and sound engineer.
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Manya Teterina

Social Media and Content Creation Volunteer

On her gap year, Manya volunteers with Music of Life in social media and content creation, helping to share the charity’s work and highlight the achievements of the children and young people it supports. She works on digital content, event coverage, and storytelling that helps bring the organisation’s projects and impact to a wider audience.
Manya has a strong interest in the performing arts and education, and is passionate about the role music and artistic expression can play in building confidence and create opportunities for disabled young people. She is proud to support Music of Life’s mission to make music accessible to everyone.

Our Trustees

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Rutger Beelaerts

Chair of Trustees

Rutger Beelaerts has been appointed as chair of Music of Life in 2026. As an active musician, he is excited about sharing the joy of music with even more disabled children and young people and improving their life and development.

Rutger worked for Shell in Europe, Singapore, and the U.S.A. for almost 30 years taking on a variety of commercial, strategy and business development roles. After leaving Shell at the end of 2019, he moved back to London and has built a growing portfolio of roles in arts and charitable organisations, and brings valuable insight into philanthropy, donor engagement and long-term organisational sustainability.

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Calvin Pike
Vice Chair of Trustees
Calvin joined Music of Life in 2025. He brings a lifelong passion for music and significant experience in education to help grow the Foundation’s impact on young people with disabilities and special needs. With an initial degree in music education and an MA, Calvin taught in all phases before becoming an inspector. He later drew on this learning to establish a successful education company, gain a MBA and complete his Ph.D. research focussed on developing quality teams.

Calvin currently leads organisational reviews and acts as improvement partner to a group of special schools. He has served as trustee and chair on the boards of a number of charities aimed at improving the lives of others.
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Simon Perry

Board Secretary

Simon is a solicitor and spent his career practising at a law firm in the City of London. After retiring in 2023, Simon joined Music of Life in 2025. Simon brings experience in advising on governance and risk and compliance issues and in helping clients grow their businesses.

Whilst he can't claim any great musical prowess himself, Simon is surrounded by accomplished musicians in his family and he has been struck by how enriching it is to participate in music-making. Simon is committed to helping to further Music of Life's mission to make music accessible to as many young people with disabilities as possible.
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Dinara Kenessary-Karava

Treasurer

Dinara is an experienced corporate Treasurer with a passion for using strong financial foundations to help organisations grow and thrive. As a mother of two musical children, she understands first-hand the transformative power of music in young lives - and equally, the significant financial barriers that prevent so many children from accessing it.

She joined Music of Life as Treasurer, committed to helping the charity grow and raise the funds needed to reach more children with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that as many young people as possible can experience the joy and confidence that music brings.
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Alex McHardy
Alex joined Music of Life in 2023. He is Head of Corporate Partnerships, Trusts and Foundations at The Lord’s Taverners, a charity which empowers young people to tackle inequality through cricket. Before joining the third sector he spent a number of years working in music, including at record labels and in commercial radio.

He is passionate about promoting access to music for all children and young people.
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Belinda Kembery
Belinda joined Music of Life in 2024. Originally a solicitor, Belinda cared extensively for a decade for her eldest child, who was profoundly disabled with a progressive neurological condition. Subsequently she became involved with the educational needs of SEN and underprivileged children; serving as a governor of a special needs school and volunteering long-term with a foundation that supports disadvantaged primary schools in her local area Belinda has had a lifelong love of music and plays the viola in a leading London-based amateur orchestra.
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Lily Harriss
Lily is a responsible and motivational leader, enthusiastic about delivering access to arts and education. In her work life, she is Director of Development at the Royal College of Music London. Before that, she had over 30 years of senior management experience in arts, heritage and education. She has a deep understanding of the arts, particularly music ( a variety of styles), with a specific passion for and knowledge of the science of music performance and the study of music and well-being.

She became involved in Music of Life as a Trustee because she believes in their vision of music-making to advance education and improve the health and well-being of disabled children.
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Sophie Brüggemann

Sophie Bruggemann has been a Trustee at Music of Life since 2020. She holds a PhD from Ludwig-Maximilian University, where her research focused on behavioural insights in the context of listener and consumer behaviour on music streaming platforms. She is a consultant with over 8 years of experience, specialising in technology transformations and currently works at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Alongside her consulting work, she actively bridges industry and academia as a conference speaker, guest lecturer, and co-author of scientific literature.

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Stefano Filippi
Stefano holds two MSc in Finance and in Economics, has worked in finance roles throughout his career and brings experience of building and growing businesses. Stefano has been passionate about music since a young age, having attended a specialist music school as a violinist, and he is now learning to play the piano. Stefano believes music has the power to enrich children’s lives and has invested countless hours supporting his children’s musical interests.

He is now committed to help Music of Life grow and improve the quality of life of an ever-increasing number of young people with disabilities and special needs.
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Tristen Hennigs
Tristen joined Music of Life in 2023. She is the Development Manager for London Mozart Players, the UK's oldest consistently operating chamber orchestra.  Her previous roles have included Arts Officer for a local government and a partner in programming arts for well-being initiatives across Surrey as well as Communications, Promotion and Development positions for Sony Classical, IMG Artists and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Following her degrees of MA Labour & Human Resources, Business and BA Psychology & Music from Ohio State University, she began working for Very Special Arts, supporting arts programmes for people with disabilities.  She has remained committed to access to all arts for everyone since that time.
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Valentina Di Venuta

Valentina joined Music of Life in 2024. She is an investment professional and has worked in finance roles throughout her career. She brings experience in investing and growing businesses. Valentina has been passionate about music from an early age, and she has experienced firsthand music’s ability to boost confidence and enrich the lives of anyone who could experience it in their lives.

Passionate about music and inclusion?

If you’re a musician, educator, or therapist with experience working with children with SEND, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Us

Statistics for the year 2024-25

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music opportunities for disabled children

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children supported across the country

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performances held in schools and concerts

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