Valerie Thomforde is an educator and collaborative pianist who loves using music to build community, empathy, and confidence in young people.  She currently teaches for the Westford Public School system, and her experience has centered mainly in public school education in grades K-8.  In her teaching, Valerie aims to blend creative, highly kinesthetic, elemental music making with beautiful singing, aural development, and global folk traditions.  Valerie is especially passionate about adaptive music education.  Her personal experiences as an adaptive instrumentalist drive her curiosity to find ways to make music accessible to everyone.
She holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of New Hampshire, a Masters in Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names University, and Orff-Schulwerk Certification from George Mason University.

Valerie is thrilled to join the Chelmsford Children’s Chorus and to help this organization grow!