About Us

Babette Lightner, Wholeness In Motion, Creator:

Babette articulated the roots of Wholeness in Motion (WIM) from a synthesis of 40 years exploring movement, somatic work, nature, mythology, and culture to understand what it is to live in our wholeness, to feel the richness of our nature as the foundation for a thriving world. 

She is part of the faculty at the VoiceCare Network, co-creative director of the Center for Sound Music Education and is guiding collaborative Wholeness in Motion Practitioner/ Teacher education. She is a Certified Alexander Technique teacher (30 years) and a LearningMethods™ teacher (20 years).

Babette has created video resources and is the author of Your Inner Compass, Pedagogy of Empowerment, Coordination of Being for Conductors and other articles that elucidate how your magnificent system can work for you rather than against you. Seeing people awed by their own capability is like witnessing a miracle and is at the heart of her work.

Marie Anderson, Co-Founder,  SONG (Sounds Of The Next Generation), El Sistema Northumberland 

Marie Anderson is a lifelong learner, and this Big Ideas About Singing project grew out of 10 years of exploring Wholeness In Motion, the pedagogy created by Babette Lightner. 

After experiencing classes, workshops, and using this material in her choir classes and private studio, she wanted to document some of what she has learned and show how it has influenced her teaching. 

Marie has a Master of Education degree that focused on vocal pedagogy from Queens University. She is Artistic Director and co-founder of the SONG program: Northumberland County’s El Sistema program that offers choir and string instruction for any child from Grade 1 to Grade 12.

Aside from regular programming, SONG has produced an R. Murray Schafer Children’s Opera, The Spirit Garden, has performed with The Good Lovelies, and is now planning a video with Hawksley Workman, to be released in early December this year. 

In 1988, Marie co-founded La Jeunesse, Northumberland Youth Choirs. Under her direction they toured Europe 5 times–bringing home 4 gold medals, and producing 5 CDs. 

She enjoys working with Northumberland Players, Safe Harbour (SONG’s adult mentor choir), and has a private studio. 

Marie uses Wholeness In Motion pedagogy in all of her teaching, and it continues to surprise and delight.

Jennifer  Moir, CSME, (Centre For Sound Music Education)

WIM practitioner, Jennifer Moir is a choral artist-educator, who recognizes the well-being of each individual as the foundation for excellence on every level – from the quality of the music itself to the ability for the music-making experience to leave every participant  enriched, inspired and alive.

For over 20 years, Jennifer Moir conducted choirs and taught voice and choral conducting at Western University, in Canada. During this time, Jennifer also served as artistic director for local youth and adult community choirs. In 2005, she founded the Kaleid Choral Festival, where she continues to serve as artistic director. Jennifer is co-founder and co-creative director of the Center for Sound Music Education, an international hub for contributing to the conversation on well-being and excellence through music.

Happy in her new Finnish home,  Jennifer conducts, teaches voice, and facilitates programming for community engagement through courses in global choir and global choir leadership, pedagogy and well being at the University of the Arts, Helsinki, in the Global Music Department of the Sibelius Academy.

Jessica Outram: Curriculum Consultant

As owner of Creativity Coaching Canada Jessica Outram connects with artists, writers, and arts organizations to nurture their life’s work. Jessica is co-host of Hummingbird, a podcast exploring creativity for writers and artists.

Jessica is Cobourg’s 4th Poet Laureate. She is a Métis writer and educator with roots in the Georgian Bay Métis Community. She has a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Community Development with a focus on Arts-Informed Inquiry. Currently, she works as a system Principal of Indigenous Education, supporting all schools K-12 in Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

She is on the steering committee for the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, works with the SONG and SONGtech programs, sings in the Safe Harbour choir, and has been an active volunteer with Northumberland Players. Visit Sunshine in a Jar for more info.