Wendy Nutini is thrilled to be Owner and Director of Tuneful Journey (formerly Early Childhood Music of Ames)! She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Iowa State University and has fourteen years of experience teaching middle school instrumental music in public schools. Her passion for teaching early childhood music became evident through her years of being a “Kindermusik mom” to her own children. Wendy loves being a part of the Ames community and genuinely believes in the importance of the Kindermusik curriculum, which supports whole-child development through song and play.
She resides in Ames with her husband, Dan, and two children, Miles and Grant. She has played clarinet with the Central Iowa Symphony for close to 20 years, has performed with the Ames Municipal Band, and frequently plays piano for services at her local church.
Meet the owner, Ms. Wendy
We are so excited to have Liz Jeffries as part of our team at Tuneful Journey! Liz attended Northwest Missouri State University on a vocal music scholarship and received her Bachelors in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood. She is a former fifth grade teacher for the Ames Community School District and has had 6 years experience teaching for public education. Throughout her lifetime, Liz has participated in private voice lessons, choir, band and church bell choir. Her love of music is shared by her husband, Joel, and her one year old son, Atom, who attends Kindermusik classes too!
Meet Ms. Liz
Meet Ms. Brooke
Ms. Brooke is excited to start her Kindermusik career this coming semester! She is eager to provide your child with musical experiences that activate multiple senses, and to facilitate relationship building and family connections between all involved.
From a young age, she has loved music and singing. She can remember belting songs from Disney movies to an imaginary crowd in her living room when she was a little girl. She took piano lessons, was a member of the marching band’s color guard, and was in choir and many musicals during her middle school and high school years. She holds a dual degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Iowa State University, and has been teaching early childhood in Nevada for the last 10 years. Music had to take a backseat for a while, so it will feel wonderful to access that part of her heart again!
Ms. Brooke resides in Nevada with her husband Benjamin and 4 children Kyden, Konrad, Kobie and Brynleigh (who has been LOVING her Kindermusik experience for the past 2 years). She hopes to not only see you in one of her classes, but to also be another supportive person for you in this crazy journey we call parenthood!
Angi Nespor is our group piano teacher! She has a passion and love for music and a strong desire to help teach children to love it as well. She has a degree in music education from UNI and taught vocal music at Ames Middle School for a number of years. More recently, she had a position at St. Cecilia's leading the weekly children's mass. She continues to share her love of music at St. Cecilia's by participating in and leading adult music groups.
Outside of teaching, Angi loves spending time with her husband, Jim, and grown children, Quinton and Monique.
Meet Ms. angi
Judy Keeling is the founder and previous owner and director of Early Childhood Music of Ames. Having begun in 1996, she was proud to offer Kindermusik classes and piano until her retirement in May 2017. Judy saw her Kindermusik program touch the lives of thousands of children and their families from around mid-Iowa, and she was thrilled to have had the opportunity of bringing music into the lives of young children and their families each week for 21 years.
Meet the Founder
