Joyful Sounds Music Studio doubles client base, adds two new teachers to its growing community

Eastown's Joyful Sounds Music Studio has hired two new teachers and expanded its programming to accommodate its growing client base, which owner Michele Venegas says has nearly doubled since this time last year.

"There's definitely more research out there that talks about the benefits of music for young children and babies, so I don't know if it's that or just people looking for something to do," she says. "The parents obviously value music and appreciate it, and so they're looking for this activity and once they get in we can teach them a little bit more about the importance of music at such a young age. I think a lot of people are like, 'Oh my word, what on Earth would you do with a four-month-old in a music class?' We can educate them as to the benefits and the value of that."

Venegas opened Joyful Sounds in the Blackport Building at 959 Lake Drive SE six years ago with two different 45-minute classes – one for just pre-mobile infants and their caregivers, and the other a mixed class for ages birth to five and their caregivers. 

The most recent new hire, Sonja Noykos, will teach a new program with Music Together http://www.musictogether.com/
 curriculum designed specifically for ages five to seven without a caregiver, while music therapist Audrey Stein will bring a new level of expertise and potential to the program's scope. 

"I have wanted to have a music therapist on board, although our classes are inclusive for kids with more mild special needs. So, having her there, we are able to take on some kids that have a little bit greater needs," Venegas says, adding that with so much of special needs children's therapy being individual or one-on-one sessions, she hopes more families will be able to take advantage of a uniquely inclusive activity for families who want to connect. 

"The nice thing about this is that the families can come together and it's an activity that they can all do together with all of the siblings and the (parent)," she says. "In fact, a lot of what we do in there are things they do in their therapy or speech therapies and things like that but they just have a good time and it's in a really fun setting." 

Venegas says she expects to open a second location in the near future and "imagines this time next year (Joyful Sounds) will have a lot more going on," but says right now she's focusing on outreach efforts and hopes to partner with organizations like Bethany Christian Services to offer classes to families with foster children or other organizations that help young mothers and pregnant teens. 

"We're sitting on a lot of potential right now and there are a lot of avenues that we're going to be [exploring] so I feel like yes, we have grown quite a bit since last year, but I also feel like we're kind of sitting on the verge of a lot of bigger growth," she says. "It's endless. The possibilities are endless, so we're putting out our feelers across the board."

For more information on Joyful Sounds Music Studio and the Music Together program, visit www.kidsmusicgr.com. 

Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Joyful Sounds Music Studios, LLC. 

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