Ann Torralba

Whether  it's with her band or solo, Little Miss Ann plays upbeat, interactive  fun songs that kids will sing, jump and dance along to!

Ann Torralba, aka "Little Miss Ann," is a Chicago-based, Filipina-American, nationally touring kids  musician who has made seven award-winning Family Music albums. She is also a  former Chicago Public School teacher, an instructor at Chicago's iconic Old Town School of Folk Music, a social justice activist, and a first  generation Filipina American. Whether Ann is singing about Ube, a  Filipino purple yam, or the 606, a landmark trail in Chicago, her musical themes will inspire kids to let their own light shine in their own families as well as in their communities. 

Ann is an award-winning Chicago kids musician, a former Chicago Public School teacher, an instructor at Chicago’s iconic Old Town School of Folk Music, a mom, a social rights activist, a governor for the Chicago Recording Academy Chapter, as well as a DEI Ambassador, and a first-generation Filipina American.

Little Miss Ann has made seven family music albums that span different genres such as indie, folk, rock, punk, country, bluegrass and more. Ann sings and plays guitar, ukulele, various flutes, and percussional  instruments on her albums. She has received awards, including a John Lennon Songwriting award, Parents' Picks Awards,  NAAPA award and a Parent's Choice Award.

Little Miss Ann has performed everywhere from New York to Los Angeles with the Little Miss Ann Band, which includes her husband, drummer Patrick Milani. She has played notable festivals like SXSW, Lollapalooza,  Nashville's Pilgrimage Festival, as well music venues like the Jewish  Museum (NYC), Wolf Trap (Vienna, VA), Millenium Park (Chicago),  BrittKids Series (Oregon) and more.

Besides writing, recording and performing reinvented classics and soulful originals that all children can enjoy, Little Miss Ann has also written and collaborated on songs that highlight her Filipina American culture. The songs include “Ube”, a song about a Filipino dessert ingredient (a purple yam) and “Stars on the Island”, a song about a  Filipina-American daughter going to “where her parents are from,” the Phillippines for the first time during the holidays. 

She observed  “Parols,” the decorative stars that line the streets of the Phillippines during the holidays. She also collaborated on a song with fellow Fil-Am kindie rocker Mista Cookie Jar, CJ Pizarro, on a song about a favorite Filipino dessert called “Halo-Halo” and "Tong, Tong, Tong". All songs were on rotation on Sirius XM Kids Place Live as well  as some of Ann's other originals that have other positive themes like  "28 Days", "We Go Together Very Well" "Welcome Spring" and more.

Besides making music for kids, Little Miss Ann also co-hosts a kids music podcast "Joy Up" with New Jersey based kids musician, Michael Napolitano of "Michael and the Rockness Monsters." While Little Miss Ann enjoys recording and performing as a family musician, she has also produced several charity concerts written about "all things kindie," including the Lollapalooza Kids stage round -up of artists. She also gives workshops about the benefits of music in homes, and classrooms at National Early Childhood conventions. She is actively involved with Family Music Forward, a diverse collaboration of family artists who seek to amplify black family artists in Family Music. She is also currently a Governor for the Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy GRAMMYS®.

Outside of music, Ann enjoys hiking, cooking all sorts of foods, playing tennis and spending time with family and friends. For over a decade, Little Miss Ann has shows her true passion and  love for family music. She feels grateful for having found her true calling, and being supported in many ways by the family music community.