About Us

❊ Our Approach

We believe that play is humanity’s superpower.

Engaging with our creativity and making things with our hands doesn’t simply bring us joy - it brings us together. At Let's Play! Studio, we’re harnessing this essential “maker-mindset” to support families and build an interconnected, intergenerational community in Traverse City.

Just as it truly takes a village to raise a child, it takes connection for a community to thrive. We need places where we feel safe showing up; where our whole selves and day-to-day lives can be expressed and embraced.

Let’s Play! is a space for the young and young at heart to gather, connect, and explore our innate ability to create together. So, come on. Let’s Play!

Explore Classes ▸

Our Team

Laura Adams

Co-Founder & Art Teacher

Laura Adams is an experienced elementary art teacher with a Bachelors of Fine Arts and PK-12 teaching certification. In 2016, she moved to Traverse City with her husband, two young boys and a baby on the way. As transplants with no family or friends to lean on, Laura found her way to Ms. Miriam’s music class and discovered a village of like-minded caregivers who she remains close to ten years later. She also found professional inspiration from the community-focused classes, and recalls thinking, “I want to do what Ms Miriam does, but with art!”

Let’s Play Studio has been growing inside Laura and Miriam’s hearts for years and they are thrilled for it to take roots with your family.

Co-Founder & Music Teacher

Miriam Pico

Miriam Pico Younce is a singer, songwriter, educator, and the creator of Traverse City’s popular Mindful & Musical music classes. In 2015, Miriam had a vision of creating uplifting musical opportunities for all ages - classes she wished had been around when her own children were small - and Mindful & Musical was born.

Through music, movement, puppets, story time and mindfulness, her family-friendly classes shine a spotlight on the topics she’s most passionate about: Love, Kindness, Social/Emotional Learning, Self-Love, Peace and the Interconnectedness of ALL beings.

❊ FAQs

You’ve got questions,
we’ve got answers.

  • We will offer small group process art and exploratory music classes. Most of the time art and music will be different classes, but sometimes we’ll put them together for combination classes to create something even more special for children.

  • We think the sweet spot will cap at about 15 children plus their grownups for music. Art may open to 18-20. Our space is brand new to us and we want to make sure kids have space to explore and move about comfortably and happily. We will adjust class sizes for the best fit.

  • Our calendar is almost ready! You’ll be able to go to our website, select the class, date and time you’d like to take a come play and register right then and there. We encourage preregistration as classes will likely fill in our intimate space.

  • That’s the plan! We’re working on what this will look like.

  • Process art focuses on what’s happening during the making process and not on the end result. At Let’s Play! Studio, art making materials will be offered for children to explore how they wish rather than setting up projects where children follow steps to create a specific work of art.

  • SO much!! Children are learning to follow directions all day long at home and in traditional classrooms. Process art removes the directions and lets children become their own teachers. Children learn to trust their own instincts as they make decisions about what colors to use, how to attach materials together, and to wonder what will happen when they try to use materials in different ways. Process art looks a lot like play. Play is essential to the creative life.