Ms. Rachel
Ms. Rachel | ||||||||||
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Personal information | ||||||||||
Born | Rachel Griffin November 30, 1982 Biddeford, Maine, U.S. | |||||||||
Occupations |
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Spouse | Aron Accurso | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
Channel | ||||||||||
Years active | 2019–present | |||||||||
Genres | ||||||||||
Subscribers | 9.25 million[1] (April 16th, 2024) | |||||||||
Total views | 6,066,411,969[1] (April 16th, 2024) | |||||||||
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Last updated: January 9, 2024 |
Rachel Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel, is an American YouTuber, social media personality, songwriter, and educator. She is best known for creating the YouTube series Songs for Littles, a children's music series focused on language development for toddlers and infants.
Life and career[edit]
Rachel Griffin was born in Biddeford, Maine and raised in Sanford, Maine. She attended Sanford High School, where she did theatre, and the University of Southern Maine.[2] She earned a master's degree in music education from New York University and worked as a music teacher at a public preschool in New York City before starting her YouTube channel.[3] As of 2023[update], she is pursuing a second master's degree in early childhood education.[4]
She started her YouTube channel in 2019 under the name Ms. Rachel with her husband, Broadway music director and composer Aron Accurso; they created the channel in response to the lack of media resources for her son who had a speech delay and did not say his first word until he was two years old.[5][3] She created Songs for Littles, a children's music YouTube series made up of a combination of classic children's songs, such as nursery rhymes, and original music for toddlers and infants.[6] It was originally started as an in-person class led by Griffin-Accurso and was inspired by the techniques of her son's early childhood intervention speech therapist with a focus on language development milestones and inclusive subject matter.[5][3][7] The channel became especially popular starting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has over seven million subscribers as of 2024[update].[8]
Songs for Littles features Accurso as the star, with her signature outfit of a pink shirt with overalls and a headband,[9] alongside diverse cast and crew members including actress and teacher Keisha Gilles, diversity and inclusion consultant Alexa Smith, speech therapist Frida Matute, animator and editor Beth Jean, singer-songwriter Jules Hoffman,[9] actress Natalie Kaye Clater, and Accurso's husband Aron, the last of whom writes and arranges music for the series and operates two puppet characters named Georgie and Herbie.[3][7][4] Accurso also became popular on TikTok as Ms. Rachel, where she had over two and a half million followers by March 2023.[3][10] Accurso took a break from TikTok in February 2023, citing her mental health as the reason.[5] The break was assumed by fans to be in response to backlash from some parents on the platform against Accurso's co-star Jules Hoffman for using they/them pronouns.[10] However, some[who?] argue that Accurso's inclusion on the show brought positive representation for children.[citation needed] That same month, Accurso returned to TikTok while she and Songs for Littles were signed to Creative Artists Agency.[9][4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "About Ms Rachel - Toddler Learning Videos". YouTube.
- ^ Goldberg, Lee (April 10, 2023). "Former Maine teacher 'Ms Rachel' posts educational videos for the masses". News Center Maine. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Hanson, Kait (December 7, 2022). "Who is Ms. Rachel and why are your kids obsessed with her?". Today. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hailu, Selome (March 7, 2023). "Ms. Rachel and 'Songs for Littles' Sign With CAA". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hogan, Kate (March 3, 2023). "Internet Sensation Ms. Rachel on Her Break from TikTok: 'Self-Care Is Important'". People. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Thompson Payton, L'Oreal (October 19, 2022). "Screen time may not be as bad for children as previously thought". Fortune. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Borresen, Kelsey (December 8, 2022). "12 Kids' TV Shows That Experts Let Their Own Children Watch". HuffPost. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Jones, CT (March 10, 2023). "A Kids YouTuber Uses They/Them Pronouns. Some Parents Just Found Out -- And Lost Their Minds". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hanson, Kait (March 7, 2023). "Ms. Rachel returns to social media with honest message about 'boundaries'". Today. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Sung, Morgan (March 2, 2023). "Viral kids' star Ms. Rachel is taking a break from social media after backlash over co-star who uses they/them pronouns". NBC News. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- 1982 births
- Living people
- YouTubers from New York (state)
- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni
- Educators from New York City
- American TikTokers
- American children's musicians
- 21st-century American women educators
- 21st-century American educators
- 21st-century American women musicians
- 21st-century American musicians
- Educators from Maine
- YouTubers from Maine
- People from Biddeford, Maine
- University of Southern Maine alumni
- People from Sanford, Maine