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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Amy (Ludwig) Pennington is the owner of InJoy Music, which offers Kindermusik® and piano classes in Kansas City, Kansas. InJoy Music has been an award-winning Kindermusik Maestro studio since 2004. Amy has taught Kindermusik for 15 years now, and has quite an impressive resume with Kindermusik International and a wonderful history of service in the Kindermusik community as well, serving as a PKE (Partnership for Kindermusik Educators representative and PKE Board member, training new educators as a Business Mentor & Coach for KI, and piloting the Sing & Play curriculum. To her Kindermusik families, she’s lovingly known as “Miss Amy.” When she’s not teaching Kindermusik or Simply Music® piano classes, you might find Amy knitting, cheering on the Kansas City Royals, or working on reaching her and her husband’s goal of visiting all thirty Major League Baseball parks![/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]TC: What’s your favorite part of teaching Kindermusik?
AP: Creating a community within each of my classes.
TC: If you had to name just one secret to success in the Kindermusik classroom, what would it be?
AP: Know everyone’s names – not only the children’s and their parents’, but also their siblings’, grandparents’, and even pets’ names! Everyone is important. When I welcome family members into my classroom by name, they instantly feel special.
TC: What are one or two of your favorite Kindermusik songs to sing?
AP: “May There Always Be Sunshine” and “The Duke of York”
TC: How about favorite Kindermusik dances?
AP: I love “Mama Paquita” and “Tants, Tants, Yidelekh!”.
TC: Anyone who knows you knows that you have a great sense of humor. So I can’t resist asking… What’s one of the funniest things that’s ever happened to you as a Kindermusik teacher?
AP: My Wiggle & Grow kids LOVE to “swing hello.” One time, when a little boy’s mom was swinging him very high, his pants flew off across the room!
TC: Tell us about a teaching experience or favorite Kindermusik family that has significantly impacted you as a Kindermusik educator.
AP: One of my favorite experiences was piloting the Sing & Play curriculum. I felt a great sense of responsibility to educators everywhere and I felt so blessed to be chosen to help shape the curriculum into what goes into classrooms all over the world every week.
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The Business of Kindermusik
TC: You’re a studio business owner. What do you feel has made your studio business a success?
AP: I have a very strong team of educators that works with me. We are close-knit and have built a wonderful community, both inside and outside the classroom. Choosing carefully when hiring educators has made an immensely positive impact on the success of InJoy Music.
TC: What are some of the goals you have for your business?
AP: We want to constantly evolve to meet the needs of Today’s Mom, while always staying true to our studio’s core values: Connect, Explore, Love, Create, and Play.
TC: What’s something new and exciting that’s happening with your business?
AP: We are excited to host a spirit week this summer in conjunction with our summer service project – wear a pair of pajamas to class when you bring a pair of new pajamas for a family in need!
TC: If you could share one tip with a new Kindermusik educator, what would it be?
AP: Know your lesson plans inside and out, so when you start teaching class, you can work on connecting with families instead of being boxed into what you “should” be teaching. No one will know if you leave out the third verse of a song – but they will forever remember that you made their child feel special.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://animoto.com/play/Sl1BVP5M1FeB9QLm2ihbHg”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Amy hasn’t changed since she was in my Sunday School class when she was in the 6th grade.