You could say that Amy Pennington was destined for a career in music. At just one week of age, Amy’s great-grandmother took her tiny hand and said, “This child will play the piano.”

A graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Miss Amy founded InJoy Music in 2003 and offers a bright future for children through Kindermusik classes and Simply Music piano instruction. Her studio has maintained Kindermusik Top Program status since its third year, and is thrilled to be among the top 1% of Kindermusik studios worldwide. In previous years, Amy proudly represented over 5000 educators as the Communications Advisor for the Partnership of Kindermusik Educators, and served as a Business Mentor for new Kindermusik educators. She is featured in dozens of curriculum training videos for Kindermusik International, and piloted Kindermusik’s Level 1 curriculum. She has been teaching piano for over 20 years and is a former officer of the Kansas City Music Teachers Association.

Amy and her husband Aaron have been married since 2004 and have a son, Aidan. They enjoy traveling to different major league ballparks around the country and comparing the quality of nachos at each location.

Miss Amy can be reached by e-mailing amy@injoymusic.com.

Cara Castaldi knew she was destined for a life filled with music at a young age. She took her first Kindermusik class as a 1 year old and has been singing in choir since she was 4. She started piano lessons with Miss Amy at InJoy Music when she was 7, and continued through her high school graduation. Cara has always loved making music with others and felt called to teach.

Cara earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. While attending, she performed with the Adelphian Concert Choir, Voci d’Amici, and UPS Opera Theatre while taking voice lessons and learning all sorts of instruments. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Kansas while continuing to pursue personal musical projects.

Cara is beyond grateful to be back at InJoy music as a Kindermusik educator and is so excited to share the gift of music with young musicians!

Miss Cara can be reached by emailing cara@injoymusic.com.

Darcy Maret developed a love for music at an early age. Her family owned and operated a radio station, so she grew up listening to a wide variety of music. Darcy sang in the school choir and began playing saxophone and piano at age 10. At age 14, Darcy began teaching saxophone and piano lessons to a friend’s little sister and has continued teaching lessons ever since.

Darcy is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and University of Missouri-Kansas City and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education. She taught instrumental music in College Springs, Iowa and elementary music and French in St. Joseph and Kearney, Missouri. Darcy taught applied saxophone lessons at Creighton University and Northwest Missouri State University. 

Darcy has been teaching Kindermusik since 2008. Getting to know the families and watching the children grow up are some of her favorite things about the Kindermusik program. As a teacher and mom, Darcy delights in watching the faces of young children light up with the joy of music. She believes that you can never be too young or too old to begin to learn about music.

Darcy has been married to her college sweetheart, Kevin, since 1995. They have a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Madeline. Both kids are Kindermusik alumni and take piano lessons from their mom. Darcy values spending time with her family. They enjoy playing games, reading, puzzles, traveling, fishing, basketball, and collecting musical instruments.

Miss Darcy can be reached by e-mailing darcy@injoymusic.com.

For as long as she can remember, Hannah Bradley has always had some form of music surrounding her. Hannah’s father would serenade her and her twin sister with his guitar in her earliest memories. As she grew, she learned how to play the clarinet, tenor saxophone, and was active in several different choirs. In college, she played first chair clarinet in the Graceland University concert band and orchestra, and loved singing with the choir as well. She graduated with a degree in K-12 Music Education.

After college, Hannah gained experience working for the Blue Springs School District as an elementary music teacher for 9 years. She was lucky enough to be at a school that housed a preschool program and fell in love with teaching music to the littlest age group. She continued her education receiving a masters in differentiated instruction and specialist degree in K-12 administrative leadership. When she had her son Merit this past April, she decided it was time to try something new and after meeting Amy knew InJoy Music was the right fit!

Hannah is so excited to continue sharing her love of music with little ones through the InJoy Music studio! Hannah and her husband Gage are excited for their son to be a Kindermusik kiddo this fall!

Miss Hannah can be reached by e-mailing hannah@injoymusic.com.

Jaime Tanner has had a life-long passion for music.  She was known as a baby to often reach up from the floor to play her piano at home.  She began taking piano lessons at age ten, and has played piano almost every day since. In the sixth grade, she saw the high school chamber choir sing, and immediately decided that teaching music was what she wanted to do as her career.  

Jaime earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Miami, Florida, and a Master’s in Music from Kansas State University.  Jaime has sung in professional, church, and community choirs throughout Kansas City, and performed in numerous theatrical productions including lead roles in South Pacific, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and The Wizard of Oz.  

For 11 years, Jaime taught middle school choir and directed musical productions in the Shawnee Mission School District.  When she had her first child, she took him to a Summer Kindermusik Adventure with Miss Amy.  Jaime was completely enamored with the program, so she resigned from SMSD in 2018 to teach Kindermusik!  Jaime lives in Shawnee with her husband Andy and sons Henry, Eli, and Cole.  In her spare time, she loves cooking, reading, and playing ninjas and superheroes with her boys.  

Miss Jaime can be reached by e-mailing jaime@injoymusic.com.

Kate Blythe has always had a love of music, and after spending 10 years working in the computer software industry, she decided to stay home to raise small children, and was ecstatic to find InJoy Music to help instill that same love in her children as they grew.

Kate graduated with a degree in English from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, and has worked as a technical writer and editor, a regulatory compliance specialist, a software designer, and a marketing and graphic design contractor. She is pleased to be a part of the InJoy Music team as Operations Manager, where she helps to keep the behind-the-scenes part of the studio running smoothly.

Kate and her husband Aaron have three girls: Izzy, Annie, and Lyla. All three of her children attended Kindermusik classes, and now play piano, cello, violin, and percussion between them! Kate plays the violin and ukulele, loves musical soundtracks and young adult literature, and prefers pie to cake.

Kate can be reached by emailing kate@injoymusic.com.

Music has always been the ebb and flow that has made up Laura Beckman’s life. She has been singing her whole life and continues to use her singing in areas such as church choirs and the praise ministry band in her congregation. She sang her first solo in church at the tender age of 3 and began piano lessons at age 6 and playing flute at age 10. Laura graduated from Graceland College in Lamoni, IA with a B.A. in Music Education (voice emphasis) and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Teaching from St. Mary College. She taught elementary music for several years in Grain Valley, MO and Olathe, KS, and has given piano, ukulele, flute, and voice lessons for over 20 years.

Laura became interested in becoming a Kindermusik educator when she began to realize the value of developing the whole child, and being “process oriented” instead of “performance oriented.” She loves watching the joy children get from simply trying something new in class and feeling that sense of accomplishment.

As a parent of three former Kindermusik boys who now play trombone, piano, and euphonium respectively, Laura believes wholeheartedly in Kindermusik and loves getting to share the wonderful experience each week with other families.

Miss Laura can be reached by emailing laura@injoymusic.com.

Lindsey Lauterwasser has been a life-long musician. She took her first Kindermusik class when she was six months old, and the rest was history! She continued with Kindermusik throughout early childhood and waited for the day when she turned 5 years old so she could start taking piano lessons with Miss Amy at InJoy Music, which she did for 12 years.

Lindsey was in her first theatrical production when she was 7, and quickly found her place on the stage, performing in various school, community, and professional productions around Kansas City for nearly a decade. She began taking voice lessons at age 9 and joined her first choir when she was in 6th grade. It was then that she found her true passion in sharing music with those around her. She continued to love musical theater, singing at her church, and in her school choirs throughout middle and high school. She knew then that she wanted to teach so she would not go a day without music and began the pursuit of being a music educator.

Lindsey earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, where she spent four years singing in the Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, playing in the Band, studying private voice and piano, and led the A Cappella Group. She graduated in May 2021 and is the choir teacher at Lakewood Middle School in the Blue Valley School District. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, going for walks and bike rides, shopping, and spending time with her family and friends. She is THRILLED to be back to her musical roots and owes much of her musical drive to Miss Amy, and her foundation in Kindermusik!

Miss Lindsey Lauterwasser can be reached by emailing lindseylauter@injoymusic.com.

Lindsey Lock is a passionate early childhood music educator with well over a decade of teaching experience. A graduate of Avila University with a degree in Vocal Performance and a focus in Education, she has dedicated her career to helping children discover a lifelong love of music.

With a father who taught music for more than 25 years, Lindsey grew up surrounded by music education and quickly found her calling in the classroom. She has taught in schools across the Kansas City area, where she directed and created innovative music programs, integrating Kodály- and Orff-based instruction to support every child’s learning style. Lindsey has also designed inclusive lessons for children of all abilities, incorporating music to strengthen academic, social, and emotional development. She has been recognized for her ability to create safe, joyful learning environments where children can thrive.

A licensed Kindermusik educator since 2011—and a graduate of the program herself—Lindsey knows the power of a Kindermusik education firsthand. She believes deeply in the program and passionately in the power of music to nurture the whole child—building confidence, enhancing language and cognitive skills, and strengthening the bond between parent and child.

Proud parents themselves, Lindsey and her husband Adam have seen firsthand the joy and developmental benefits Kindermusik brings to their own children. She is honored to walk alongside families in their musical journey, guiding little ones as they grow through music, movement, and meaningful connection.

Miss Lindsey Lock can be reached by emailing lindsey@injoymusic.com.

For as long as she can remember, Miranda Grummon’s heart has been captivated by music. She sang her first solo at church at four years of age, and as she grew, she learned how to play the piano, violin, and flute. In college, she played violin in the Kansas State Orchestra. She also loved playing with her string quartet at KSU. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Music back in 1999.  In 2023, she returned to K-State and is currently working towards a Masters in Music Education.

When Miranda’s firstborn was six months old, she took her baby to a Kindermusik class and fell in love with the program. She had the opportunity to begin teaching Kindermusik a few months later, and has not looked back. Since beginning teaching in 2009, Miss Miranda has loved connecting with families and sharing her love of music with parents and children. She believes that Kindermusik is the perfect combination of music, movement, discovery, play and love.

Miranda and her husband David have been married since 2005 and are the parents of two, both Kindermusik alumni.

Miss Miranda can be reached by emailing miranda@injoymusic.com.

Vicki Ludwig is the Manager of Studio Experiences for InJoy Music, providing support to our educators and ensuring a positive and memorable experience for each of our families. Vicki has been on staff at InJoy Music since summer 2008 when her daughter, Miss Amy, had her son. Vicki’s impeccable organization skills and extensive background in customer service made her a perfect fit.

Before she started her role at InJoy Music, Vicki retired from Garmin International. She enjoys reading, gardening, crafting, and spending time with her husband Bob, her three daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Vicki can be reached by emailing admin@injoymusic.com.