Amy Ahlert

I've been on the Teaching Artist Roster of ArtsWestchester for 18 years, teaching music and playwriting to a range of age groups and ability levels, including adults living with mental illness. In addition, I work with the elderly in senior centers all over Westchester, providing them with music programs specifically designed for their entertainment and pleasure. Coming from a family of songwriters who contributed to the Great American Songbook gives me keen insight and knowledge of the music that is enjoyed by generations of seniors. They are familiar with and love the standards recorded by some of the greatest artists of their era. I also teach gourmet cooking, singing, and playwriting classes to kids in Armonk and have taught singing to special needs children in elementary schools in White Plains. As a jazz singer and member of ASCAP, I recorded an album of standards written by my grandfather, the first inductee into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, that still receives airplay on jazz stations. I am also the former owner and creator of an award winning café and store in Larchmont, NY which hosted classes in painting and cooking and featured my hand-painted pieces. While owning the café, I gained an enormous amount of knowledge about running a business and attracting customers with products and events designed to appeal to a diverse community base.

Amy attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art in NY where she studied all aspects of the theatre. She has also studied playwriting at Manhattanville College and SUNY Purchase.

Amy has experience teaching to all age groups and abilities from youth to seniors. Recently, she conducted residencies in music at Hope House in Portchester, Sunshine Social Club in Mohegan Lake, and The Guidance Center in New Rochelle. At the Sterling Center in White Plains, she taught both music and playwriting in separate residencies. Amy has taught many other disciplines including fine art, cooking, drama, and jewelry making to every age group and developmental level in schools and privately, giving her the ability to work with and understand many diverse styles of learning.