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It may be one of the best-kept secrets in Baton Rouge, but there’s nothing quiet about the Music Together classes led by Sonia Feres-Lloyd, a violist with the Baton Rouge Symphony.

On the contrary, the 45-minute sessions for parents and their toddlers are a lively, fun-filled way for little ones to get a leg up in learning music.

The idea behind Music Together is that all kids are inherently musical and can learn to sing in tune and keep a beat if they’re exposed to the basics early enough. The hope is that as they grow, music will become a meaningful part of their lives—not something they’ll necessarily pursue professionally, but something they’ll be able to enjoy with proficiency.

From the Jefferson Highway apartment complex where she teaches the class, Feres-Lloyd leads toddlers and parents in various songs and rhythms, which they tap out using hand-held percussive instruments. They dance to different beats, recite catchy rhymes and swing and twirl to rock ’n’ roll.

It’s a lot of fun for the little ones, who clearly enjoy leaping around the room and beating rhythm sticks with abandon. Whether musical education is seeping into their subconscious minds isn’t readily apparent, but parents can tell the seeds have been planted and are taking root.

“Her response to music in all forms is fantastic because of this program,” says Irene Kato about her 4-year-old daughter, Grace.

The Katos first took Music Together classes in New Jersey. Irene was “crushed” to have to give up the program when they relocated to Baton Rouge, but then she found Feres-Lloyd.

“I was thrilled,” she says.

So far, Feres-Lloyd offers the only classes locally. The program, which Princeton University researchers developed in 1987, is popular throughout the northeast, but Feres-Lloyd is the only certified instructor in Louisiana.

“It’s not so well-known here because it’s so new,” she explains. “But it’s starting to catch on.”

A native of Brazil, Feres-Lloyd never really envisioned herself as a music instructor. She always aspired to be a performer, which she has been since joining the symphony in the early 1990s. But after her daughter, Clara, was born three years ago, she started looking for a developmentally appropriate way to expose very young children to music. The more she learned about Music Together, the more impressed she became.

“I teach older students private music lessons, and I keep thinking that if they had been exposed to music at a young age like this, they would be so much better,” she says.

For now, Feres-Lloyd is hoping to expand and introduce more families to the program she’s pioneering locally.

Classes are offered on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and sessions last 10 weeks. Tuition is $150 for one child and $100 for each additional sibling. Siblings younger than eight months can attend free. Included in the price are books and CDs that parents are encouraged to use at home to reinforce the concepts covered in class.

For details call Feres-Lloyd at 201-1283, or visit childrensmusicstudiola.com.