ELLEN ALLARD, multi-award winning Recording Artist, Composer, Performer, and Educator, is one of the most popular and influential musicians and educators on today’s exciting Secular and Jewish music scene. Traveling to venues across North America and abroad, Ellen has been performing and teaching music to young children and families for over 30 years, charming audiences with her interactive, infectious, and entertaining music. She is equally at home singing with and for adult audiences. One of her new passions is singing with patients at memory care residences. She has released 14 recordings and 7 songbooks, has composed over 300 songs, and is included in both Behrman House’s Hebrew in Harmony project and several PJ Library compilations. Her music has been published by singer-songwriters on 31 recordings and in 11 books. Many of Ellen’s compositions are now sung in schools, synagogues and summer camps throughout the world and are taught to cantorial students enrolled at Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music in New York City as well as at Hebrew College in Newton, MA.
Ellen has been a faculty member of the annual Hava Nashira songleading conference in Oconomowoc, WI for the last 15 years. A former Elementary School Vocal Music teacher and Early Childhood classroom and music teacher, she is a classically trained pianist, having begun her formal piano studies at the age of five. She studied flute and piccolo through elementary and high school, and taught herself to play acoustic guitar while a student in college. She also dabbles with Irish whislte, djembe, banjo, ukulele, autoharp, recorder, and spoons!
Ellen is a graduate of Boston University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. She earned her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Arcadia University and is a Certified Holistic Health Coach trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC. Ellen teaches Baby/Toddler Yoga, and Kidding Around Yoga and Yoga Yeladim for 3 – 12 year olds. She is blessed with 2 beautiful daughters, 2 sweet sons-in-law, and 5 delicious grandchildren! Ellen makes her home in Brookline, MA. In addition to spontaneously breaking out in song 150 times a day, Ellen loves dark chocolate, attempts to register 10K daily steps on her fitbit, and makes sure she experiences at least one hilariously belly laugh a day. Learn more about Ellen at www.ellenallard.com.