The Music of Motherhood

May 10th, 2026

As Mother’s Day approaches this year, I’ve been reflecting on how motherhood has changed my life. My two boys are 5 and 3 now. We’re finishing preschool with our older son and getting ready for kindergarten and prepping for preschool to begin with our younger son. In some ways it feels like I’m finally catching my breath, as they’re both old enough to be a little more independent; we’ve moved away from bottles, binkies, and diapers, donating baby toys and clothes, and gearing up for the next phase of childhood.

Having kids instantly rearranged my priorities, in good ways, but if you’d asked me about what I thought my life would look like at this point, I doubt I’d have come close to the richness and the joy.

I grew up music-obsessed, played three instruments, sang in choirs, and it was a no-brainer that I was going to study music in college. I ended up getting three degrees in clarinet performance, all the way through a doctorate, and I followed the expected performing-teaching-freelancing career path that most music majors trace in some fashion. But between the pandemic and having our first child, the needs and priorities for my family and me shifted, and I was able to transition into working for KVNO as music director. I spend my days sharing the music I love on the airwaves, and I still perform and teach, but I am also able to be truly present in my kids’ lives.

I spent a long time believing I needed to do big, important, significant things in order to make a difference in the world. Parenthood has shown me that the smallest things often have the biggest impact: teaching my kids about flowers. Being the one they run to with a skinned knee for a band-aid and a hug. Absorbing more about construction trucks, fire trucks, and police cars than I ever knew I needed to know. Teaching them lullabies and nursery rhymes and songs I learned as a Girl Scout. Laughing and loving and growing every day.

Pursuing a music career requires intense focus, discipline, and an attitude of always learning more (music, technique, leadership, forging relationships, communication skills…). In becoming a parent, I get to use all those same skills in different applications (and boy, do I know less than I ever thought!). I get to share the things that I love with my kids and encourage them as they discover their own passions. My life looks different than I had envisioned, but it’s perfect the way it is.