Feature Friday - The Music Playhouse of Chicago
After an unplanned summer hiatus, we are proud to bring back our “Feature Friday.” This blog series allows us to meet a mom, and this week we’re highlighting fellow mom and owner of The Music Playhouse of Chicago, Erin. Come find out more about Erin and her amazing small business!
Tell us a bit about yourself before you became a mom, and also how you changed when you had kids.
Before I became a Mom, I was extremely active, constantly working and taking on new projects, saying yes to everything, and never taking time for myself. Having a child forced me to reevaluate my priorities and to focus on my needs and learn how to set boundaries. Now that my son is a little older, he's 4 now, I am able to involve him more, and that brings me so much joy!
How would you describe what you do and what inspired you?
I teach early childhood music education classes to kids ages 0-5 with their parents or caregivers. We sing, dance, play instruments, play music games, and learn about all eras and genres of music! It's so much fun, and I enjoy every minute of it! I started working part-time for The Music Playhouse in 2014. I had been teaching after school music classes and private voice and piano lessons for years, but I hadn't worked in early childhood before, so I was excited to explore a new age group. I completely fell in love with the curriculum and the energy and the smiles that came with every class, so when the owner offered to sell me the business, I didn't hesitate to say yes! I would have to say that the kids inspired me. Music brings them so much joy, and they bring so much joy to music. There's no judgement or criticism, I can throw perfectionism out the window and just enjoy the music and enjoy the kids. Every day is filled with smiles and laughter. I can't think of anything more inspiring than that! In fact, I recently went back to school: I am currently getting my certification in music therapy so that I can learn how to use music to help heal and empower children and families even more!
What has been a highlight of your business/project? What’s been a highlight of being a mom?
The highlight of my business is watching the kids grow and building lasting relationships with the families. There are a few kids who started in music class as babies, graduated to my advanced music class, and now take private piano lessons with me. Watching them grow as people and as musicians, fall in love with music, learn new skills, and build confidence is endlessly rewarding. The highlight of being a mom is going through that same process with my son! He LOVES music and sings out loud all day. We have "family music" almost every day at home where we just bang on instruments for several minutes. We also do "dance party" as the start of bedtime routine, usually to the Encanto soundtrack. Seeing how music excites him, calms him, teaches him new skills, and brings us together as a family is just so amazing. When he comes to music class with me he's like my little assistant. I love it.
How do you take time to focus on yourself while balancing parenting?
Honestly, this is something that I'm still figuring out, haha, aren't we all? I think it's a matter of day-to-day prioritizing. One day, I prioritize work. The next day, I prioritize quality time with my family. The next day, I prioritize my music therapy studies. My priorities might even change hour-to-hour, but I am very fortunate in that I find my work and my studies to be fulfilling and empowering, and also something that I can do with my family, so there is a lot of overlap in that balancing. Also finding ways to work smarter, not harder; that's my mantra this summer!
What tips would you give to other moms to feel successful or empowered?
Find something that you love, that lights the fire in your eyes, that you can't stop learning about or talking about, and find others that share your passion. Don't worry about whether or not you're good at it, and certainly don't try to be perfect, just to do it is enough. Indulging in your interests and sharing it with others is incredibly empowering, and you might even find some new skills!
How can people learn more about you & what you do?
If you have little ones, come to music class! All of our teachers are great, but I teach on Fridays at Harmony Learning Center in Lincoln Park. You can also check out our website at www.themusicplayhouseofchicago.com and our Instagram page @themusicplayhouseofchicago. I hope to see you soon in music class!
