teachers

Meet Miss Natalie

Miss Natalie has been singing and working with children for over fifteen years. Growing up in San Francisco, CA, Natalie’s parents put her in music classes as an infant, as she was singing in her crib very early on! Being exposed to music and exploring different instruments with other children developed her love for and understanding of music, as well as her early cognitive, speech, and emotional development. Natalie attended and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied Vocal Performance and theory. She fronted the rock band Stains of a Sunflower for seven years and toured throughout New England regularly, howling rock and roll and blues in the evenings and teaching littles music in the mornings, before moving to sunny Los Angeles! Natalie truly believes that music is one of the most, if not THE most, universal language. Introducing your children to a love of music at a young age is so beneficial for development, structure, socialization, empathy, and confidence to carry with them throughout their lives. Miss Natalie is beyond excited to get the chance to welcome your family to the magical world of music and looks forward to meeting and growing with you soon! 

Meet Mr Micah

Micah Herrera is a musician, performer, and educator whose passion is to share the power of music to all who will hear. His journey began when he was a toddler standing next to the family piano and singing songs while his father played along. He then began to play the clarinet at the age of eight and from there was determined to make the musical journey his life’s pursuit. Micah performs in several musical acts in LA and is excited to share in the growth and education of all of our lovebugs.

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Meet Miss Raine

Raine (she/hers) was born and raised in Orange County and grew up surfing and playing softball. Her passion for music and movies motivated her to study sound design for visual media in San Francisco. In her free time, you’ll find her playing in various recreational sport leagues around Los Angeles, playing the bass guitar and enjoying sunny day picnics with her friends. Her love for art was highly encouraged by her mom, who always had a paint brush on her while growing up.

Meet Miss Avani

Avani Hamilton is an actor, singer, and dancer, originally from San Francisco. She is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, where she studied acting and voice. Her passion for the performing arts began at a young age with musical theatre, and eventually led to various Film and TV projects. Getting to teach other children to love creativity is so special to her. Avani also enjoys cooking, traveling with family, and boba!

Meet Mr Andy

Andy Chess is a songwriter and audio engineer born in Richmond, Virginia. Beginning with violin as a toddler, he’s been playing music for over 20 years, now enjoying singing, guitar, and piano. He has a Bachelors of Music Technology from the University of Vermont, and is finishing a Songwriting and Production Certificate from Berklee College of Music. In addition to songwriting for other artists, Andy has written for podcasts, film, and the Vermont PBS children’s show “Mr. Chris and Friends.” He is excited to share the passion and excitement for music with LoveBug kids and parents! CPR Certified

Mr Andy is bilingual in English & Spanish.

What people are saying…

“Our son had such an incredible time in his music and sensory art class this past spring season that we decided to have his music instructor (Mr Andy) and lovebug come to his 2nd birthday party. it was a blast! everyone said it was the highlight of the party. Even the adults had a great time during the performance. Mr Andy is incredible. 10/10. not only was he amazing at the party but every class was on point. and my son keeps asking to go to art and music class again so definitely going to sign him up for the next season! And several parents at the party said they will be signing their kids up too!”

– Dima B. (5 Star Yelp Review)

Meet Miss Toby

Toby Rose (they/them) grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and has always been musically inclined, singing in the school choir as soon as they were old enough and doing musicals in the summer every year. They started playing ukulele in high school, attending open mic nights at the local cafe. Toby moved to LA to pursue acting in 2018, and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a BFA in musical theatre. As a small child, Toby found joy in music and dancing with their favorite teachers, and it is an honor and a privilege to pass on that joy to the next generation.

What people are saying…

We just finished our second session of LoveBug music and we have absolutely loved every class! Miss Toby is welcoming, friendly, and wonderful with the little ones! They also have a great voice and play the ukulele very well! We always look forward to class each week. The songs are fun and engaging and we love the variety of instruments we get to play with too. Miss Toby has gone above and beyond to remember my son’s allergies and has been very thoughtful and considerate with making sure he was safe during class. Miss Toby is the absolute best!! 

– Maureen S. (5 start Yelp review)

Meet Miss Armie

Armie is a singer, actor, and songwriter from Las Vegas. She moved to sunny Los Angeles back in 2017 to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she earned her BFA in Music Theatre. Since graduating, Armie has found herself performing in local theaters, appearing in the background of Dhar Mann videos, performing as a princess at birthday parties, and working on her own music! Being the eldest daughter of four, Armie was blessed to be able to help take care of her younger siblings. And now she is overjoyed to be joining the LoveBug & Me team to share her love for music, art, and yoga with all these little lovebugs!

What people are saying…

LoveBug & Me is the BEST music class in all of Los Angeles. I started my son at 3 months of age since he loved music from the get go. Miss Armie is our teacher and my son is just enamored by her. She is beyond talented, patient, and interactive with each child in the class. As parents we see how much love bug & me has enriched our son at an early age by learning new words, sounds, and instruments. As a new parent this also gave me an opportunity to engage with other families!

– Ally J. (5 Star Yelp Review)

Meet Mr Gabe

Gabe Deibel is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles, where he grew up performing, writing, and recording music. Gabe received his Bachelor’s in Musicology from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, which focused on music education, and music performance. He’s been teaching music with his mom from a very young age and is deeply inspired to instill his love of music in younger generations. You can probably catch Gabe surfing the beaches of Malibu or performing his original music across West LA. Gabe is thrilled to be working with Lovebug & Me and loves creating wonderful experiences with all of our LoveBug families.

CPR Certified

What people are saying…

I’ve gone to one sensory art class and several events hosted by Love Bug & Me and Mr. Gabe and let me just say, they are FANTASTIC. I take my daughter to different kids events throughout the Westside / South Bay and LB&M events are by FAR the best in terms of interaction, energy level, engagement, and overall program. Mr. Gabe’s energy is so positive and upbeat, and he’s so kind. The kids love him. The singing is great and the play is fun. It’s always a good time with LB&M and Mr. Gabe! Thank you!!

– Miss M. (5 Star Yelp Review)

Meet Miss Karis

Karis Brizendine is an actor and singer, born and raised in greater Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University’s BFA Acting program, with a minor in music. You may have seen her perform in College Light Opera Company’s 2020 virtual season as a Vocal Company member, or in various short films and plays from LA to Cleveland, OH. When she’s not on set or singing with LoveBugs, Karis is reading books, jumping waves at the beach, or making avocado toast.

What people are saying…

We had Miss Karis for our son’s 2nd birthday party & it was a lovely treat. She was able to keep the young children engaged through the whole 45 minutes! The kids got really into using the instruments too. It was a great addition to our party, we would definitely do it again.

– Nana H. (5 Star Yelp Review)

Meet Miss Marlenn

Marlenn Luna was born in Mexico. She is a singer, voice actor, and music producer who moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to earn her BFA in Musical Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since her graduation, Marlenn has successfully landed voice acting roles for children’s animation and composed music for independent short films. In 2017, she started a music program at the Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces, New Mexico where she taught kids ages 4 – 13 how to play the piano. Now she is here to share with the LoveBug community and ignite a love for music for all lovebugs.

What people are saying…

We love LoveBug & Me! We especially love the Bilingual class with Ms. Marlenn! Because of the class my little one started clapping and being really responsive to music. Offering a bilingual class (Spanish) supports my families choice to ensure that our child will be bilingual and starting this young creates a solid foundation for language acquisition. Thank you LoveBug & Me!

– Adriana A. (5 Star Yelp Review)