I haven't shared much personal information on this blog however; today I am going to change that!
Being a working musician is a challenging and fulfilling life. I am fortunate to have people in my life who are completely supportive, encouraging and willing to step in to help at any given moment to help. That support network is imperative and I include my husband, my parents, my siblings and their families and my close friends. There are days that are easy...and then there are days like today where real life wakes one up from the dream of being a musician.
Right now there are a cacophony of sounds and happenings in my house (where I work most days) including:
- a piano being tuned
- my youngest child throwing up in the toilet
- my husband discussing our finances
- fabric waiting to be turned into Halloween costumes for the school party TONIGHT
- my husband's many office projects that I still manage
...and then the normal house stuff including laundry, dishes, groceries, dusting, cleaning, gardening, and bills to be paid.
This is real life and the person that chooses family and singing is one that must build their support network, learn prioritizing skills and ultimately be as in-love with their family as they are with their singing.
Classical Singer Magazine did a great job of looking at being a parent and working singer in their
March 2008 issue. There are also a number of great websites including
OperaMom which is the definitive source of information and support for singing professionals with children.
How do you manage your career and family? Is it different for men than women (and there is a whole NEW can of worms :-) If you are just starting out, what choices have you made and where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Sorry to all who have been waiting with baited breath for my final reviews of Canadian undergraduate programs. Its been a week of....stuff. Needless to say, being a parent can be a challenge as I discussed in a previous post! Will get back on the horse and finish my reviews and move on to other topics!
