Our Team
Music Tree teachers and music therapists understand that everyone is unique. We help students and families march to the beat of their own drum!
Meet Our Team
Paula Chase, MM
Paula teaches piano, voice and ukulele lessons at The Music Tree of Boston to students of all ages. Originally from Kansas City, MO, she earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education and her Master’s in Composition from the University of Missouri.
Paula has taught in many schools and children’s theaters in the Boston area. As a composer and playwright, she writes piano and choral music for developing musicians, and her original musicals have been performed by children’s theater groups around Boston.
Mike Dodson, MM
Mike is a versatile musician who has been teaching piano, guitar, and electric bass at The Music Tree since September 2021. He began playing and studying the guitar at age 8 and has been creating music ever since. Mike received his Master of Music degree in Music Production, Technology and Innovation at Berklee Valencia, where he studied production with Emmy award winning producer Pablo Munguia. When he’s not teaching, Mike produces, writes, and records music for local artists in the Boston area, and is on the Production team at Bijou Nightclub.
Tannielle Joseph, MT-BC
Tannielle is a vocalist, pianist, and board-certified music therapist, offering both music therapy services and in-home music lessons at The Music Tree of Boston. She received her Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from Berklee College of Music, and has recently been certified as a Neurological Music Therapist.
Outside of individualized sessions, Tannielle also conducts music therapy groups for people of all ages and abilities, ranging from infant/toddler and early childhood to assisted living music programs.
Tannielle is a fantastic vocalist and pianist, and is the lead singer of a local Boston-based band “TSTOP” that performs at venues such as The House of Blues. Tannielle has a broad musical background in classical singing, musical theatre, and classical piano, as well as other genres like rock, pop, and jazz.
Sona Minasian
Sona currently teaches piano and guitar at The Music Tree, and also offers voice, ukulele and violin lessons to students of all ages. Sona graduated from Ithaca College receiving a Bachelor’s in Music Education degree with concentrations in piano and voice, while specializing in collaborative piano music as well as Armenian folk music.
Sona is also an accomplished singer, performing with several groups like the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective in New York. He has served as choral director at Forest Home Chapel UMC, and interim co-director for Transpose: Ithaca Queer Singers Alliance. Sona was most recently appointed as Music Director for the Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church in Danvers, MA! Outside of teaching music, you can catch Sona at a community circus performance, through Esh Circus Arts in Somerville.
Brooke Tjarks, MB
Brooke Tjarks is an independent consultant based out of Manhattan, and has been involved with The Music Tree’s development and mission for over 6 years. She has advised public and private companies of all sizes across various sectors, working with clients such as Morgan Stanley, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a few. Brooke holds both a Bachelor’s in Science and a Master’s in Business degree from Pepperdine University, as well as a research based Masters from Harvard University.
We value our team members and support them as they continue to expand their careers.
These long-term music teachers, music therapists and workshop artists may not be currently active at The Music Tree, but are always a part of our growing community.
Marcela Bastida
Marcela is a jazz composer, song-arranger, and pianist originally from Mexico City. She is a graduate of Universidad Anahuac and the Berklee College of Music where she studied piano performance and composition. Marcela helps develop assistive technology that supports visually impaired students during their music lessons, inspiring others to overcome adversity through the power of music. After teaching remote music lessons at The Music Tree for over a year, Marcela took the role of Community Engage Programs Coordinator at the Community Music Center of Boston.
Logan DeFranco
Logan is a multi-instrumentalist who specializes in guitar and vocals. He worked with many students and families at The Music Tree of Boston for 5 years on guitar, electric bass, ukulele, voice and piano. Logan is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music where he studied music business, acoustics, and electronics. He currently is the Manager of a Marathon Sports location in the Boston area that he helped open and launch. Logan is an avid runner, performs regularly as the lead singer of a Brooklyn-based band, enjoys screen printing, and spending time with his family and friends!
Jennifer Lentz, MT-BC
Jennifer Lentz is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and a classically trained soprano vocalist, who serviced individual music therapy clients in central Mass, through The Music Tree of Boston, for over a year. As a music therapist of almost 20 years, Jennifer has experience working with people of all ages who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Down syndrome; developmental disabilities; cognitive, communicative, and learning disorders; physical disabilities; visual impairments; and Alzheimer’s/dementia.
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Elizabethtown College, in Pennsylvania. Inspired by her sister with Down syndrome to help others who learn differently, she has a passion for facilitating adapted piano and voice lessons for students with special needs. Jennifer additionally is in her ninth year of being a Girl Scout leader in Grafton, and each summer she leads the music crew for the Westborough Ecumenical Vacation Bible School.
Christian Marrero
Christian is an accomplished professional trumpet player. He offers piano lessons and instruction on all instruments within the brass family. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, where he studied with Sean Jones and Tiger Okoshi. Christian is a loving husband and father of three daughters. “I believe a good father makes a great music teacher because the principles are the same– be a good communicator, show love and respect, and apply practical wisdom.” Christian taught remote music lessons at The Music Tree for 1.5 years, and then went back to live musical performances on Broadway in New York City.
Kevin Metzger
Kevin Metzger is a piano and guitar teacher, who teaches remotely from Austin, Texas. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and the New England Conservatory, where he earned fellowships for both teaching and performing. Kevin performs regularly in the local scene in Austin, and has toured nationally as a rock and jazz sideman.
James Richardson
James is an internationally acclaimed musician and performer. He has been playing drums, guitar, and keyboard for Grammy-nominated artists MGMT since 2007. He holds a Bachelor's of Music from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied French Horn. James currently lives in New York, where he enjoys composing, producing and mixing music for TV, film, and video games.
Are you a music teacher or music therapist?
The Music Tree of Boston is growing and we would love to hear from you! Send us a message and we will reach out with the next steps of our hiring process.