for details and registration information.
Winter and spring classes are posted.
Meet your Baby Fingers Teachers!
LORA
is the Founding Director of Baby Fingers; a music therapist, early childhood special educator/teacher of the Deaf, infant massage educator, college music therapy professor, and mom. She is the author of seven sign language books for children.
Fun Fact 1
: Lora's two boys began signing at 6.5 months old and signed sentences at a year old!
Fun Fact 2
: Lora can hula hoop while braiding her hair or reading a book!
Favorite part ever performed in a show
: Cinderella.
Most exciting show to direct:
A Chorus Line
. Also loved putting sign language into The Lion King, almost like choreography!
Favorite work experience at summer camp
: spending time with a Deaf camper learning sign language.
Other amazing work experiences
: relaxing a premature infant in distress through music and therapeutic massage, hearing a teenage patient with a traumatic brain injury begin to sing, boosting confidence in a child through musical theatre performances, teaching a young Deaf preschooler his first signs, seeing a young toddler in a Baby Fingers class sign for the first time.
Alphabetical order by first name below!
DEANNA
is an ASL interpreter for the Brooklyn and SI courts. She's also a mom to a signing toddler. Fun Fact: Deanna
loved Deaf West Theatre's 'Spring Awakening' so much that she saw it three times in the four months it was on Broadway!
Interesting work experience
: college internships... at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu, Hawaii she worked in an annex of Gallaudet University assisting deaf students and teachers in specialized and mainstreamed settings. The students there gave Deanna her name sign! And at Lions Camp Badger in Upstate NY she was a counselor/interpreter for children with serious physical and learning disabilities. She connected with the deaf campers and decided to go back the following summer!
ERIK
is an actor in musical theater for adults and children whose first exposure to sign language was with the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school. Fun Fact: He has played the flute and piccolo for about 15 years! Special work experience: The opportunity to perform in a "Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA)" production of Disney's The Aristocats in St. Louis. One performance was sensory-friendly for children with autism. Training from experts was provided to create a safe environment for hundreds of kids to experience theatre for the very first time, something typically much too overwhelming for them. They were, without a doubt, the best, most engaged audience during the entirety of the run.
IAN
is a professional musician and a college law professor. He is a singer, pianist, and cellist, having received his music training from Manhattan School of Music. He provided years of music programming and guest history lectures at his children's public elementary/middle school. For Baby Fingers, Ian teaches BEGINNER PIANO LESSONS for students of all ages. Fun fact: He is Lora's husband and learned some sign while their children learned as babies.
JACOB
is an actor and teaching artist throughout the NYC area and surrounding regions. A professional nanny, he has a tremendous level of patience and understanding of child development. Jacob has been teaching our baby classes for four years and can often be found in class with his ukulele. Over the years, he has helped to shape our day care/preschool programs. Fun Fact: Jacob first learned sign as a child with the Chicago Theater for the Deaf.
MARIE is a music therapist, early childhood special educator and mom. Her primary instrument has been flute, and she also cantors at her church.
Fun Fact: When she was still in college, Marie was a music therapy intern supervised by Lora at Baby Fingers in our nursery school, baby classes, and an outside adolescent day treatment psychiatry program.
Favorite work experience: Being able to bring her baby Lyla to some Baby Fingers classes, and watching her learn and use the signs!
MARY
is a self-taught yogi, ukulele player, and an incomparable Lord of the Rings fan. As a military kid she had the opportunity to learn and train around the world and has experience with technical theatre, dance, music, voice, acting and directing acrobatics/gymnastics & stage combat. Always drawn to the world of performance and art, she pursued a degree in both theatre arts and communications. Fun fact: Mary was taught ASL as a baby by her parents in a similar fashion to Baby Fingers classes and signed before she could speak. Special recognition:
In 2015, she was awarded the National Partners of the American Theatre (NAPAT) "Classical Acting Award"- recognized for outstanding performance of material written before the 20th century, part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
MOLLY
is a teacher of the Deaf, now in graduate school at Columbia Teacher's College for Neuroscience and Education. She grew up down the street from a school for the Deaf and always loved ASL, so when her mother began working there as a librarian, she seized the opportunity to learn all she could and began pursuing a degree in Deaf Education. Interesting work experience: Molly was hired as a Teacher's Aid sub at the Scranton School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and went on to complete her degree in Deaf Education working in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to high school. Fun fact: She is ambidextrous! Molly loves working for Baby Fingers and is excited to continue!
NICK
is a singer/songwriter, jazz guitarist and recording artist, who also teaches early childhood music classes. He is our star BIRTHDAY PARTY entertainer, bringing joy to your celebration of any age - Nick gets everyone up singing and dancing, and typically the adults have as much fun as the kids do.
PHILIPPA
is in graduate school at Columbia Teacher's College studying psychology. Fun Fact: She can do a singing impression of Celine Dion although sometimes it sounds more like Cher. Favorite work experience: Teaching a young girl who was deaf, with OCD, and on the Autism spectrum actual ASL rather than the "made up" signs taught by other teachers. Being able to communicate and help her gain a sense of control of her world was inspiring. Philippa also spent time working with infants in the NICU - she is now enjoying bringing ASL to families and babies to enhance their bond and ability to communicate.
