With substantial voice and piano training to her credit, Emily spent her teenage and early 20s singing in choirs. (In fact, it was in a choir that she found her husband!) Emily's higher education includes degrees in Choral Music Education and Elementary Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. After growing up in the Milwaukee and Appleton areas, she married and followed her husband to California in 2001.  During the next two years, she taught choral music at Bayside Middle School in San Mateo, CA.  She spent her free time singing First Soprano with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus from 2001-2003. During that time, the Chorus recorded Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony, which won the Grammy for Best Classical Album of the Year in 2003.

The birth of her first daughter in fall 2003 ended Emily’s classroom teaching days. However, during her pregnancy, she was introduced to the Music Together^® program, and after her daughter's birth, she found it to be the ideal way for her to combine her love of music with her young child's needs. Emily took a Music Together teacher training in spring 2004, and she earned Music Together's Level 1 Advanced Certification in spring of 2007.  Emily continued teaching Music Together classes in various locations in northern California, and over the next 11 years, three more children joined the family. Just like their big sister, they all grew up attending Music Together classes and became children who loved making music.

In the fall of 2016, after 15 years of living in California, Emily and her family relocated back home to Wisconsin. In spring of 2017, she opened her Music Together center called "Musical Beginnings," and she feels blessed to be able to make music and work with children for a living. In her spare time, she plays piano & organ and directs the Junior Choir for worship services at her church, Crown of Life Lutheran in Hubertus. She also sings with the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee. And, she enjoys cooking and making healthy meals from scratch, although she does not enjoy doing dishes. She especially loves to make - and eat - pie.

Music, dance, and teaching have always been at the heart of Merry's life. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 2013 with a degree in music education and a minor in dance. She went on to receive her master of music degree in 2015 at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Merry was a public school band and orchestra teacher for five years until she had her daughter and chose to stay home to enjoy being a mom and the milestones of childhood. Upon taking Music Together classes, Merry was inspired to get back to teaching and sharing her passion for music and movement.

In her spare time, Merry loves to travel with her husband, who is a pilot. She has her own photography business, Meredith Spencer Photography. She also loves to garden, and she has two adorable miniature Australian Shepherds.

Merry completed her Music Together training in 2023, and she is thrilled to be a part of Teacher Emily's team bringing the love of music to little ones and their families.