Valerie Thomforde teaches general music and chorus to elementary and middle school students at Carlisle Public School. She is a past-president of the New England Chapter of AOSA. Valerie has presented in local school districts and at the 2016 AOSA National Conference. Most recently, Valerie did a presentation on Adaptive Piano Techniques at the OHMI Conference on Music and Disability. Valerie was born with an atypical cleft hand and she has been an active member of the Helping Hands Foundation for many years. Her blog on adaptive music can be found at anotherwaytoplay.org.