des moines' hub for enchanting music education
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Join our singing circle from your baby's earliest days in:
Foundations
Music is a birthright. Connect with your baby's innate musicality and marvel at what a difference music makes in the first year of life.
Learn to use the power of your own voice to soothe, connect, and communicate with your baby.
Enjoy musical routines and rituals that nurture your baby's growth and development through your loving touch.
Connect with new and familiar friends in the same season of life to weave a community of love and support in your baby's first year.
Learn to use the power of your own voice to soothe, connect, and communicate with your baby.
Kindermusik Foundations
ages birth - 1's
It is never too early to make music. Your baby is already part of the musical world around them: the beating of your heart when snuggled close, a lullaby sprinkled over sleepy eyes, the predictable swish of a rocking chair, the chorus of a family's voices sharing stories. Rhythm, melody, meter, and harmony belong to us from the very beginning.
"I have had such a positive experience with my daughter!
We love the class and our teacher!! It's so fun to see my daughter learn and grow and interact with the babies around her!"
-Foundations parent
Learn more about the Foundations experience:
What happens in a typical class?
Foundations is an immersive, gentle, musical environment designed for babies and their grownups. Every 45 minute class is rooted in our research-based curriculum crafted to nurture physical, social, emotional, language, and cognitive needs during your baby's fastest growing and first year of life. A typical class includes: - Musical social rituals and transitions, such as Hello and Goodbye songs, lap bounces, and simple games. - Guided infant massage and rhythmic movement to support healthy physical development and primitive reflex integration. - Gentle dance and gross motor movement to support balance, spatial awareness, and joyful social interaction. - Infant-safe instrument exploration to enrich auditory processing, curiosity, coordination, and steady beat. - Sensory play that is safely in proportion to baby's developing nervous system. - Dedicated rocking and relaxation time for co-regulation practice. - Support for early communication and receptive language skills through signing, singing, rhyming, and repetition. You'll be welcomed into a community of caregivers in the same season of life and supported by our trained and accredited teachers who are experts in early childhood development.
How often do classes meet?
Our classes are ongoing and year-round, so it is easy to get started any time of year. You'll select a weekly homeroom class when you enroll. This is the class section you'll attend each week and in which you'll build relationships. (To view our current Foundations schedule, visit the Class Schedule & Calendar page.) As a complimentary bonus, all enrolled families receive access to Unlimited Attendance allowing you to sign up for extra Foundations classes at no additional charge. Once enrolled, you can make reservations to attend Foundations class sections outside of your weekly homeroom as often as you wish. It's a great way to meet and make additional friends, make-up personal absences, and enjoy the benefits of class on a deeper level.
What are your health and safety protocols?
Our space and experience is designed with your family's safety and health in mind. We know that babies explore the world with their senses. All instruments and props used in class are safety-tested and developmentally appropriate for infants. Items are cleaned, disinfected, and maintained between classes so your baby can safely mouth, touch, and explore. Our classrooms are shoe-free environments (barefeet and socks are welcome) giving your baby access to all the benefits of barefoot play while also ensuring that the space is clean and safe for creepers, crawlers, and new walkers. Our community health agreement firmly requests that families stay home when children or adults are experiencing symptoms of contagious illness. (Unlimited Attendance and live virtual classes make it easy to make-up a class when you do need to miss due to illness.) We use HEPA filtration and increased ventilation practices to help prevent the spread of airborne illness. Our classroom is stocked with hand sanitizer, wipes, and tissues, and our restroom with a changing table and complimentary diapers and period products is accessible from within the classroom for hand washing whenever you need it.
Is my baby too young for this class?
No. Music is a profound way to connect with your baby from the moment they arrive. Our class is designed to be gentle, slow, and immersive with many ways to participate in activities, tailored to your baby's developmental stage. It is absolutely fine if your baby sleeps during part or all of class. Music is still being processed in the brain and body during rest. You'll be learning songs, games, and musical routines to implement at home together all week long so that your Foundations experience and all of the benefits extend far beyond class time. You are welcome to feed your baby during class, change a diaper, and adjust activities. We encourage you to attune to your baby's physiological and emotional needs as well as to your own. You and your baby are never a disruption or a distraction in class.
Is my baby too old for this class?
No, probably not. We find that most little ones are ready to promote to our Level 1 curriculum when they are between 14 - 16 months of age. There are so many benefits to taking a luxurious pace in early childhood and we love advocating for a no-rush approach. Giving your baby time to practice new skills builds their confidence and creates a strong foundation upon which later learning will be layered in toddlerhood. We love having 1 year-olds in our Foundations classes as they explore joyful leadership and social connections with their younger peers. If you are wondering whether your child is ready for a progression to Level 1, we urge you to chat with your teacher. Our year-round ongoing classes make it easy to transition to the next phase of your musical journey at any point.
"It's so great to have a dedicated time set aside each week to laugh, sing, play and cuddle with my baby one-on-one. We've made wonderful memories. I have enjoyed the other families I have gotten to know as well as the amazing staff - it's truly been a highlight of the growth and development of each of my children!"
-Foundations parent
Create your family's soundtrack
Enrollment in our program gives you access to Kindermusik International's full library of Foundations music albums to complement your class experience. Every 4-5 weeks, our learning focus and thematic content will shift to welcome a new unit. It's the perfect mix of repetition to foster confidence and fresh material to keep you and baby engaged. You'll build a repertoire of dozens of songs with access to hundreds more for everyday streaming. These are the rhymes, games, dances, toe tickles, and lullabies that will accompany you through so many milestones and that will be the soundtrack of some of your most cherished memories for a lifetime ahead.
Get started today, before you enroll, with a free gift from us! Click the button below to download your copy of Your Baby's Musical Day- a curated playlist of simple musical rituals to add to your daily routine.
"There is nothing I don't love about Pied Piper Studios...the friendly, always welcoming atmosphere, the care and love that each teacher expresses is beyond what I could have envisioned, the cleanliness, and the teaching opportunities constantly mixed in with fun... truly, I couldn't imagine a better place for my children to grow. And the fact that they are excited every time we pull into the parking lot tells me everything!"
-Foundations parent
Your enrollment questions answered:
When can I start?
Our classes run year-round, 43 weeks of the year, with scheduled breaks sprinkled throughout. There are no semesters or sessions to wait on or to lock you into an enrollment comittment. You can get started at ANY time. Complete and submit the enrollment form at the base of this page and we'll be in touch to get you settled into a class section. Your first tuition installment will be prorated to reflect your start date so you are never paying for classes that have already passed.
How does payment work?
We use a sliding scale tuition model so that families can select the monthly tuition installment that matches their own resources. Tuition is divided into equal monthly installments which are automatically charged to a family's account on the first business day of every month. You can stop at any time. To learn more about our tuition model and payments, visit our FAQ page.
What's included?
Your enrollment guarantees your space in your weekly homeroom Foundations class section and it provides you access to Kindermusik's Foundations library, full of streamable music, age-appropriate activities, digital storybooks, and more. You'll also have access to Unlimited Attendance which means you can make reservations to attend extra Foundations classes throughout the week at no additional charge. We love to see you and your baby as often as you're able to join us. Live weekly virtual class access is also included with enrollment. This is a great way to enjoy a class when you're home with illness, traveling, or just want some extra music in your day. Visit our Benefits & Services page for additional info.
What if I have older children too?
We adore making music with the whole family. If your baby has older siblings under age 5, we have a class for them too. In fact, baby siblings with an enrolled older sibling receive free enrollment in our Foundations classes up through 6 months of age as our gift to you. Baby can also tag along to their older sibling's class free of charge up through 6 months of age. If you prefer a family-style experience and want to bring multiple children of varying ages to the same class section, we've got you covered. Our Level 2 curriculum is the perfect all-ages fit for the whole family. Ask us about all of your options.
