Sonata Music Adventures Brings
Music Education To Where You Are
Story by Alysia Therrien
Photography by Gene Schilling
The future of music education in Windsor-Essex remains bright thanks to educators who believe it should be accessible to every child. For Alyssa Layfield, what began as local teaching has evolved into a global outreach movement reaching families not only in our community, but across Canada and around the world.
Alyssa’s own music journey began at the piano. What started as a personal passion led her to study Music Education and Piano Pedagogy at Wilfrid Laurier University. While she initially returned home to teach locally, her vision was never confined to one room or one building. From the beginning, her focus has been on creating meaningful, hands-on music experiences that families can access anywhere.
That commitment to accessibility became especially clear during the pandemic. Alyssa had just secured a studio location in Tecumseh, Sonata Piano Studio, when in-person learning paused. She quickly transitioned to music classes online and even personally delivered instruments to doorsteps across Windsor-Essex, from Leamington to Amherstburg, so children could continue engaging in active music-making at home. “It was difficult because kids were already online for school all day,” admits Alyssa, “and then you would ask them to jump on another screen.” Through patience and perseverance, Sonata aimed to keep lessons fun and unique. Hosting virtual recitals, posting student features, making online music challenges, Alyssa explains, “we tried to stay online and present as much as possible.” That season reshaped her approach. It reinforced her belief that music education must be adaptable.
As in-person programming gradually resumed, the team at Sonata began reflecting on what they had learned during the virtual shift. While many families were eager to return to face-to-face lessons, it became clear that not everyone experienced the same level of access. For some, distance, scheduling, or financial considerations made in-person participation more difficult than online engagement had been. Rather than seeing this as a setback, it became an opportunity to rethink how music education could remain inclusive.
The team began a relationship with EarlyON Child and Family Centres, which offer free, high-quality programming for children and caregivers. Through these collaborations, the team expanded their reach and continued offering meaningful music experiences without financial barriers. It was within these community-centred environments that a pivotal idea began to take shape for Alyssa, one that would further extend their impact beyond traditional programming models.
Conversations within the EarlyON environment highlighted the growing need for early childhood music programming. Alyssa was a new mother herself at the time and she recalls playing music constantly for her precious baby boy. It astounded her how much he was absorbing at such a young age. Eager to grow their reach once again, the Sonata team embraced a new suggestion that led them to create a YouTube channel. Together, they brought the idea to life with the launch of Sonata Music Adventures.
The channel brings the fundamental elements of music education right into the homes of children here in Windsor, as well as across the globe. Designed for students as young as 3 months old, it is an immersive experience that encourages all ages to sing, dance and move. The team of Brianna DeSantis, Ruby Dauphinee, Sam Bourque and of course, Alyssa, bring back the joy of music, but in a way that is deliberately accessible. Their success has led to them receiving fan mail from the Philippines, India, United States and all over Canada. Currently sitting at over 460,000 subscribers, Sonata Music Adventures has made it their mission, “to help establish music education as a core pillar of learning in the earliest years of a child’s life.” To date, their videos have surpassed 505 million views.
Behind the scenes, the work has been entirely grassroots. Alyssa’s self-taught video editing, green screen production, animation and YouTube strategy was developed through online tutorials. She has learned how to navigate long-form content, shorts, seasonal shifts and algorithm changes.
The YouTube platform has also become a vehicle for community collaboration. Sonata Music Adventures has filmed and created music videos at local businesses including Slinky’s Ice Cream Parlour, What’s Poppin’ Popcorn Factory, Allsops Pumpkin Farm, Walkerville High School and Taloola Café in Windsor. These collaborations spotlight local businesses while integrating rhythm games and music concepts into familiar community spaces, which are all produced independently by Sonata Music.
Music education continues to face budget cuts and reduced programming, but Alyssa remains committed to keeping it visible and accessible for young children. By meeting families where they already gather, such as at local libraries, community festivals like Art in the Park, or public events such as Bluey’s visit to Devonshire Mall, she brings music education directly into the community, often without any expectation of compensation. During the Devonshire event, Alyssa and Miss Brianna used breaks to walk the long line of families, singing and engaging children in rhythm games. “The line was so long,” Alyssa recalls, “but we got to reach a lot of kids.”
If it wasn’t enough to offer quality music education and support the community, Sonata Music also has an emerging youth theatre program. Sonata on Stage is a musical theatre triple-threat company that offers classes as well as full junior musical theatre productions. After debuting with Frozen Junior, the team has already begun preparing for their second production, Shrek Junior, set to premiere this April. Alyssa shares her response to the first round of performances by saying, “The change in the kids when they get up and perform, it made me so emotional.” Right now, the theatre program’s age range is 6 to 16, but they are considering opening it up to children even younger. “Kids can start performing as early as they like!” exclaims Alyssa. “I feel that a three-year-old who wants to get on stage to sing, dance and perform should always be allowed to do that.”
Alyssa ultimately hopes that Sonata Music Adventure’s YouTube channel reaches enough children and their parents to highlight the value of introducing music education early on. She wants music education to remain authentic, with real, qualified educators and real instruments. After receiving a grant from the City of Windsor’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund to present a concert as their YouTube channel characters on May 30th, they are developing a plan to focus the experience on what they do best: music education. Every stage of the concert aims to explain a different music concept. It will reiterate everything they teach on their channel, but in one big concert at the Capitol Theatre.
Whether accessed through a screen, a community event, or a live performance, the heart of the work for Sonata Music remains the same: making music education joyful, intentional and accessible for every child.
Published in the Your Place Or Mine? 2026 Edition.
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