Dara Blaker grew up in Long Island, New York.  She has been playing music as far back as she can remember.  As a child, she would sit for hours at her chord organ, figuring out melodies to songs she knew, and those she sang in school.  Ironically, piano was not the instrument on which she started her formal studies.  It was the flute.

Dara traveled a lot with her parents.  Once while in Paris, her father suggested they go to an after hours club to hear some jazz.  It was this very night in the club that Dara decided that she wanted to go into music as a career. 

In 1989, Dara got her Bachelor's of Music from NYU, where she graduated with honors.  She did not major in piano, or even in performance.  She majored in music business and technology with a concentration in audio engineering. It was at NYU where her formal study of piano began, but it didn't end there.

She and her husband Edward, who is also a musician, met while she was in college.  They were in a band together and lived in New York City while pursuing a career in music.  From 80's to Adult Contemporary to Rock to Classical music, they have been writing and recording music together ever since; www.vampangel1111.com.  Edward is also the web designer and webmaster for all of her websites.

Years later, after a few career changes, Dara found herself teaching music privately for a small company in Long Island.  Over a 10-year period, she helped develop a curriculum for students.   She also developed a method of how to train others to teach and grew the company from 3 teachers and 50 students to 15 teachers and 400 students.

In January of 2005, to live closer to family, Dara relocated to South Florida with her husband and their daughter, Olivia.  With her skills as a music educator as well as an administrator, she successfully started her own company, Colour Me Music, www.colourmemusic.com.  She and her caring staff teach piano, violin, voice, flute and guitar, as well as preschool music classes. 

With her students in mind, Dara has also self published a collection of intermediate piano pieces entitled An Introduction to the Piano Works of Turetsky (Turetsky is Dara's maiden name, which she uses in the musical world). 

Inspiration from Olivia and years of teaching music in preschool, led Dara to create a product called Helpful Hallie's Mighty Miracle Mist, www.mightymiraclemist.com.  Mighty Miracle Mist is a 4 pack of water-based sprays that makes it fun for kids to behave.  It has been well received by children, parents, grandparents and teachers throughout the US and Canada.  It was in marketing this product that Dara got involved in groups that support Mom-entrepreneurs, and ultimately to her radio show.

If you don't find Dara teaching or playing piano, you can find her with her family outdoors enjoying the fabulous South Florida weather and beaches