Beth Thompson
& Lukey
Founder & CEO
Beth is an educator at heart. Sit still long enough, and she’ll try to teach you something—or organize your closets! Beth has spent the last 35-ish years teaching music to students from 6 weeks old through 6th grade in a variety of settings, including public schools, daycare, piano lessons, and a private children’s chorus.
With a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a master’s degree in Administration, Beth loves combining both into creating a website that is rich in musical content and thoughtfully organized. She started blogging in 2009, and today, bethsnotes.com has thousands of subscribers in 140+ countries, reaching music educators who teach everyone from early childhood students to adults.
Recently widowed, Beth lives in Chicago with her three cats, son, and daughter-in-law (see Chanel on the right). She loves spending time with her grown children and granddaughter.
Erin Nowicki
& Macaroni
Content & Operations Manager
Erin is a talented singer-songwriter who also has a passion for diving deep into research, fact-checking, and content sourcing. With a bachelor’s degree in music, she excels in people-centered roles where compassion meets structure.
When not working, you can usually find her traveling, hiking, experimenting with herbalism, cooking something new, or exploring a creative passion—whether that’s music, photography, or writing. She is happiest when curiosity and creativity collide.
After moving around a lot, including time in Germany, Belgium, and various parts of the U.S., Erin now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband, Jon, and their two beloved fur babies, Macaroni and Cannoli—the true CEOs of their household.
Jon Nowicki
& Cannoli
Research & Growth Strategist
Jon is a professional musician, educator, and researcher. His background includes performance, teaching at all levels from beginners to higher education, and working directly with customers and clients. A lifelong drummer, he has toured and recorded professionally and worked as both an instructor and program leader.
At Beth’s Notes, Jon combines his love of music with his interest in research and strategy. He enjoys digging into music education trends, exploring new resource ideas, finding opportunities for growth, and helping make Beth’s Notes even more useful for teachers and Plus Members.
Outside of work, Jon is usually out playing golf, grilling, or finding somewhere outdoors to explore. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife, Erin, and their two dogs, Macaroni and Cannoli—the household’s resident snack inspectors.
Chanel Roche
& Potato
2D Illustrator
Chanel is an Oscar-winning 3D artist and 2D illustrator, and until recently, she worked on the VFX team that brought Avatar: Fire and Ash to life. How can we be so lucky to have her on our team? Well, she happens to be Beth’s lovely daughter-in-law!
With a smile that can light up a room, Chanel enjoys the four Ps: painting, puzzles, popcorn, and people-watching. She also adores Skittles, even though it doesn’t start with a P. 🙂
She graduated from Full Sail University in Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Game Art. After spending three years in Los Angeles, she now lives in Chicago with the love of her life and four cats—in addition to Beth’s three cats! (That makes seven cats under one roof, by the way!)
Singing
Our voices are our natural instruments, so we believe it’s so important we students to feel good expressing themselves with their voices. And, of course, singing with other people unites us in a powerful way.
Folk Songs
Folk songs are a part of what makes us human! We believe that these songs (and other songs in the public domain) should be available to the folk!
Making Music
We believe providing active music-making experiences (not just learning about music) are the best way to engage learners and provide them with skills and appreciation, which will last a lifetime!
Organization
We value your time, so we help you find what you’re looking for by searching our website – organized by musical concepts and lesson objectives!
World Cultures
We continue to add songs from countries and regions from all over the world to honor people and their cultures.
Collaboration
#bettertogether (something our team often says to each other)
Working together, we end up with better results! And we know music teachers are often the only ones in their buildings. That’s why we are here for you!
Improvement
We are obsessed with making our products the best we can, so we are constantly improving – and we value your feedback!
Flexibility
Use what you want, leave the rest. Our lesson ideas can be used with any curriculums around the world!
