About Us

Meet the Music For Minors Staff

Sonja Palmer, Executive Director

Sonja received her Bachelor of Music degree from Bethany College and Masters degree from Wichita State University. Prior to joining MFM, Sonja served eight years as Executive Director at Cantabile Youth Singers and the Cantabile Choral Guild. She was also a Professional Singer at San Francisco Symphony.

Ceci Ogden, Communications

Ceci has a BA from Tufts University, and an MPH from the University of Hawaii. Her background is in nonprofit administration, and she has worked in program development and health education throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands, as well as the Bay Area. Ceci has been active with the local schools, chairing major events, working with teachers and administrators, and coordinating volunteer efforts. For over three years she served as MFM’s In-School Program Director.

Nayna Patel, Program Coordinator

Nayna grew up in Wembley, England and received a degree in Office Management from Hendon College of Further Education. She has worked extensively for nonprofits, including community outreach in England and volunteer management at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills. Nayna is also an active board member of Clips, a Gujarati Indian foundation in the Bay Area, where she specializes in organizing events and cultural programs emphasizing music and dance. Her passions are cooking and gardening, and she has traveled to many countries.

Jean Tyan, Program Director

Jean has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and a Masters in International Business Management from Thunderbird – The American Graduate School of International Management. She has extensive experience in business and market development, project management and advertising. Jean is a former Music for Minors docent and has served on PTA boards, chaired numerous fundraising events, and worked closely with teachers to support classroom goals.

Ingrid Voss, BUSINESS Manager

Ingrid grew up in Germany and earned her BS in Computer Science at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich. Ingrid’s career in Software Development spanned 20 years, most recently as Senior Software Engineer at Apple. After taking a break to spend more time with her young daughters and getting involved in volunteering at their schools and in Girl Scouts (GS), Ingrid decided to pursue a career in nonprofit administration. She has been with MFM for almost 7 years. Ingrid also serves as treasurer for the Los Altos area GS chapter.

Donna Weiher, Trainer

Donna took MFM training in 1988, and has been affiliated with the organization in various capacities ever since. Her employment experiences are diverse, many allowing her to work from home and volunteer at school while her four children were growing up. In addition to docenting and serving as a trainer with MFM, she was Executive Director from 1990-1996. In more recent years, Donna has taught the MFM multi-session Recorder Workshop many times. She has been teaching music part-time in grades K-8 for over 20 years, and continues to do so.

Learn about our music education programs in local schools.