Meadowlark is a place to joyfully discover music, at any age! Be yourself and learn music with a focus on celebrating what you already know and what you want to learn. Being classically trained, I value the precision and hard work that goes into studying music, and as a musician and creative myself, I also value the ability to connect with others and follow my own musical curiosity. We combine a solid curriculum with joyful wanderings to offer a path forward that honors humans making and learning music at various levels and in ways they find most inspiring.
We offer Group Classes and Camps (make friends! be in community!) and Individual Classes (focus on your goals at your pace!). This allows us to provide multiples ways to enter into music and find your strengths that you can build upon. Our Camps and Classes are small so we can enjoy each other as we go (no raising hands or waiting a long time for a turn). We know and love all of our families. Come check it out!
Amber Dutton-Hanlon
Hi, I’m Amber! I’m the founder, songwriter, performer, music educator, mom that started this Meadowlark adventure. Welcome and I’m so glad we found each other!
Amber Dutton-Hanlon earned her Bachelor of Music Performance and Masters of Arts in Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill. She then taught Middle School Band, Orchestra, and Chorus at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill, earning her National Boards Certification in Music Education, before moving to Washington, DC (so her husband could work in cancer research).
While in Washington, DC, she focused on her singer-songwriter pursuits, performed regularly, had a band, went on tour, and recorded an original CD. She taught group and private guitar/singing/flute/piano lessons in her own studio and taught for Guitars for Peace (Guitars Not Guns), Sobin Senior Guitar Orchestra, and Girls Rock DC. She founded Meadowlark Music in 2014, a music company that focuses on “joyfully discovering music”, teaching the smallest babies, kids, adults, and all the way up to seniors. She created original CDs for Meadowlark (she was singing to her baby ALL the time so it became multiple CDs!) that are included when families enroll in Meadowlark baby-toddler classes. She believes music belongs to all of us and that it can be full of magic and discovery. Music provides so many scholastic and creative pursuits along the way!
Julia Dow
Julia is a recent graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill where she received a B.A in Psychology and a B.Ed in Human Development and Family Science. She is now working towards her M.Ed in School Counseling at UNC! Julia has helped foster successful music communities in multiple environments through her strong leadership skills and warm attitude. For eight years, she helped her church worship band grow in number as well as musically, led her choirs in high school, and continued that leadership in college as a music director and arranger of UNC’s oldest mixed acapella group, Tar Heel Voices! During her senior year, she and her team won best arrangement at the quarterfinals of ICCAs. She has also spent a lot of time working with children in various roles, including providing ABA therapy for children with autism, becoming a teaching assistant at a local preschool, an intern at a local educational nonprofit, and now as a school counseling intern in Chapel Hill. Julia and Amber have been working and playing together in our Meadowlark Little Larks trio for two years now, and she would love to work with you! Whether you want to casually sing for fun, or you have many vocal dreams and goals, Julia is passionate about working with you to helping you grow.
Treasa McDonald
Treasa McDonald grew up in the Chapel Hill area and is excited to be teaching at Meadowlark! She studied music therapy and psychology at Appalachian State and spent some time studying abroad in Italy and Amsterdam as well as a program in Tanzania. Her primary instrument is voice but she also plays piano, guitar, and ukulele. Music has been in her life since she was little, she was even in Amber’s middle school choir class! For a few years after college, Treasa did floral design professionally and expanded her creative world through that outlet. Along with a friend, she participated in Art in Bloom 2024 at the North Carolina Museum of Art where they were awarded the Directors Choice Award and they are excited to be participating in the event again in 2025. She loves kids and is looking forward to getting to know the babies and toddlers of the Triangle and their families through music!
Emma Lincoln
Originally from Naples, New York, Emma Lincoln received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Fredonia School of Music in 2022. With a concentration in voice, she also teaches piano, guitar, ukulele, music theory, flute, and saxophone. After finishing her degree, Emma moved to Chapel Hill, NC where she now teaches K-5th grade music at McDougle Elementary School. She also had the honor of being the Music Director at Chapel Hill High School’s Musical this spring and is excited to be teaching chorus at CHCCS this upcoming year. Emma is so excited to continue teaching music in the classroom, while also being able to be a part of the Meadowlark Music!
Luna Hou
Luna is a classically trained pianist with ten years of experience. A recent graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill with degrees in English, creative writing, and music, she passionately believes in the value of artistic pursuits of all kinds. While in college, she was a part of the UNC Chamber Singers and a volunteer piano instructor for Musical Empowerment, and she loves singing choral music and Broadway showtunes! Luna looks forward to learning the stories of each of her students and together working to build a space of collaboration, innovation, and care.
Samuel Ellington
Samuel has been playing music for as long as he can remember. Nowadays, he spends most of his musical time exploring the guitar, banjo, and ukulele. Samuel loves bringing bluegrass and folk influences into other genres of music. A senior at UNC studying mathematics, philosophy, and poetry, he believes strongly in the importance of spending time being creative every day. In his free time, you can find Samuel making music with his band or playing outside!