Maria - Music Class Leader
Maria Winder MNZM, B. Arts, PG Dip Tchg., (Primary), Australian Kodály Certificate (Early Childhood)
Maria has a love of choral music and believes that singing is essential for children’s well-being. She is a certified Kodály-inspired music practitioner and registered primary school teacher, and currently teaches Kodaly-inspired preschool classes for First Singing.
Maria coordinated The Kids Sing 2024 for NZCF Auckland and was recently contracted as NZCF’s Auckland Regional Events Coordinator, Children’s Outreach Coordinator and as a Singing Matters mentor. She was the music specialist teacher at East Tāmaki School, Otara and at Ellerslie School in Auckland. She has worked for Victoria University in Wellington and the University of Auckland as a district Music Adviser to Primary Schools.
As a singer, Maria has been a member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, and the University of Auckland Chamber Choir. She currently sings in Luminata Voices Women’s Chamber Choir.
Maria co-authored 'Hear Our Voices' a choral resource, published by NZCF for leaders of children's choirs and was musical director of massed choirs for the APPA Music Festival for 16 years. Maria was a founding trustee, director of music education and co-author of Kiwileles Songbooks for the NZ Ukulele Trust (2007-2021) and a former board member of MENZA. She was awarded an MNZM for services to music education in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday honours.
Maria has always had a passion for singing with children, and especially loves spending time and singing with her 4 grandchildren.
Kate - Managing Director
Photo: Dominic Wilson
Kate Bell BA, MMus
Kate is the co-founder (with Maria) of First Singing, and manages it as part of her All Together Now group of choirs. She also runs the website, so any questions about the website or app should be directed to her, or to her Administrator, Linda.
Kate is a professional choir director, arranger, composer and singing teacher. She returned to study at Auckland University in 2008, after a long hiatus raising her 3 children and teaching Suzuki-method piano, as well as high school music and drama.
With Steven Rapana, she founded Volcanic City Voices in 2012 and worked with that choir until it became part of the Everybody Sings Group in 2017. Kate co-founded Everybody Sings and was a director until that organisation closed in 2021. She was also musical director of Stonefields Choir from 2013 until 2022, and of Sister Shout (a women’s choir based on Waiheke Island) from 2013 until the end of 2016.
Kate graduated in 2017 with a Masters in Music, majoring in composition and choral direction. She is a member of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing and of the New Zealand Choral Federation Association of Choral Directors, and sang with the University of Auckland Chamber Choir from 2008 to 2020. And that's where she and Maria crossed paths, singing in the choir together for more than a decade.
Kate is currently studying again - this time a PhD, researching the experiences of community choir singers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Any spare time she has is devoted to her grandchildren, her wild garden, and her knitting - often in some kind of combination!
The arrival of Kate's grandchildren in the past few years has inspired her to refresh her repertoire of children's songs and games. She and her granddaughter have loved coming to singing with Maria over the past year,.
Linda Bean - Administrator
Linda Bean has taken over the role of Choir Manager for All Together Now at the beginning of 2025, and will be assisting with administration for First Singing as well. She has been singing in ATN Auckland Central for several years, and undertook a voluntary admin role during the World Choir Games in July 2024.
Linda has always loved singing, and has sung in choirs over many years. She also learned the violin as a young person, and really enjoyed the experience of playing in an orchestra.
Linda and her husband lived in France and in the UK, and she joined local choirs in both those countries - they were a great way of meeting people who enjoyed making music together.
Her professional background is in health, firstly as a nurse at Auckland Hospital, and then in a GP practice. In France she worked alongside her husband in pastoral care, and while they were living in the UK she did her counselling training. On their return to NZ she worked as a high school counsellor before retiring at the end of 2023.
Linda is now delighted to be working part time with ATN. She loves belonging to this community, and is committed to keeping everyone up to date with what is happening so that they can concentrate on enjoying singing together!
