About the author
Background
Roxy Trotter has loved teaching children of all ages for more than 30 years throughout the Los Angeles area. A UCLA graduate, Roxy was drawn to teaching as she specialized in early education and tutoring in her early career. She went to become the co-director of the Lalo Guerrero School of music where she helped design curriculum and founded a their children's choir. She then went on to teach at schools such as Oakwood School and Wesley School, and later La Primaria Elementary. Roxy has directly observed how music can be a very powerful tool in helping children raise their self-esteem and become thriving members of our communities.
Musical Influences
Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles has given Roxy a unique perspective of music and culture. Roxy was an artist from a young age (she loved drawing with pastels and doing crafts), and she also loved singing and later went on to form her 9-piece Latin swing band, Roxy and her Chucos Suaves, which played throughout Los Angeles during the swing revival in the 1990's. Later Roxy focused more on songwriting, recording, teaching music and finally being the ultimate teacher - mom.
Inspiration for the book
Roxy was teaching singing to 4-8 year olds at an elementary school in El Monte in 2025. She wanted to create a curriculum that would allow her students to have an impactful time with their first instructional singing experience. Upon her own self-discovery of the importance of processing emotions in a healthy way, she designed a curriculum that would teach children how to express their emotions through singing. As she saw her students become more confident and well-adjusted, she saw the power of the combination of expression and singing. She wanted this powerful combination to reach more kids, and thus the idea for the book "I Can SIng my Feelings" was born.
Thank you letters from some of Roxy's students