My Creative Life is a weekly interview with folks who are living authentically, creatively, and making a living out of their passions.
I'm honored to have Esther Winter share how she does it all. She is a gifted instructor and musician/singer. www.canalsidemt.com
1. What do you do? (career wise - whatever you want to share) I am the center director for Canalside Music Together Inc. Music Together is a research based, music educational program for children (ages 0-5) and their parents. We teach families Basic Music Competence, which is the ability to sing in tune, to keep a beat and have a great time doing it. I've been teaching MT for seven years and have been a center director for six.
2. How did you prepare for this career? (formal and informal education, books, workshops?) I've always felt that Music Together found me! I have a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University and my first love is professional theatre, which I did for about eleven years in NYC. I discovered Music Together as a mother with my then two year old daughter (now eight). I received my formal MT training in Princeton, NJ and have really enjoyed sharing this wonderful program with the Rochester community. I also take advantage of the many opportunities MT offers for continuing education about music and children.
3. Besides living according to the values of creativity and independence, what other values are you honoring by following this path? I feel I'm honoring my goal of doing something I love and loving what I'm doing with my life. Teaching a program like MT has allowed me to have fun at work everyday singing with children and their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It has also enabled me to keep my priorities straight and be home for my kids when they get off the bus after school. Life is all about balance. I feel it's extremely important for women to have something they can call their own, whatever that is. Having something that's just yours can help you be a complete human being. And a complete woman equals a happy mother, wife and friend.
4. What struggles or challenges do you face, if any? For me, it goes back to balance. There are times when there just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I have to do as a wife, mother and business owner. When you have four kids someone always needs something!!! Obviously there are days when one job overshadows the others, but I strive to take everyday as it comes and to remember to breathe through it. My husband is also a source of constant support for me. He is most definitely a huge factor in this equation! Maintaing a steady workout regiem does wonders to clear my head when it's foggy and to get my creative juices flowing.
5. Can you give some advice to folks who would like to do what you do? Find what makes you happy and then figure out a way to make money doing it. I truly feel it's that simple. I really enjoy my job, so it doesn't feel like "work" most days. The hard part is figuring out what truly makes you happy. If you can identify what that is, and it's really the right thing for you, opportunity will find you. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Look at Martha Stewart - like her or not, she's made a fourtune out of teaching everyone how to make the perfect pie crust! Now, if that's not incentive I don't know what is.
I'm honored to have Esther Winter share how she does it all. She is a gifted instructor and musician/singer. www.canalsidemt.com
1. What do you do? (career wise - whatever you want to share) I am the center director for Canalside Music Together Inc. Music Together is a research based, music educational program for children (ages 0-5) and their parents. We teach families Basic Music Competence, which is the ability to sing in tune, to keep a beat and have a great time doing it. I've been teaching MT for seven years and have been a center director for six.
2. How did you prepare for this career? (formal and informal education, books, workshops?) I've always felt that Music Together found me! I have a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University and my first love is professional theatre, which I did for about eleven years in NYC. I discovered Music Together as a mother with my then two year old daughter (now eight). I received my formal MT training in Princeton, NJ and have really enjoyed sharing this wonderful program with the Rochester community. I also take advantage of the many opportunities MT offers for continuing education about music and children.
3. Besides living according to the values of creativity and independence, what other values are you honoring by following this path? I feel I'm honoring my goal of doing something I love and loving what I'm doing with my life. Teaching a program like MT has allowed me to have fun at work everyday singing with children and their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It has also enabled me to keep my priorities straight and be home for my kids when they get off the bus after school. Life is all about balance. I feel it's extremely important for women to have something they can call their own, whatever that is. Having something that's just yours can help you be a complete human being. And a complete woman equals a happy mother, wife and friend.
4. What struggles or challenges do you face, if any? For me, it goes back to balance. There are times when there just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I have to do as a wife, mother and business owner. When you have four kids someone always needs something!!! Obviously there are days when one job overshadows the others, but I strive to take everyday as it comes and to remember to breathe through it. My husband is also a source of constant support for me. He is most definitely a huge factor in this equation! Maintaing a steady workout regiem does wonders to clear my head when it's foggy and to get my creative juices flowing.
5. Can you give some advice to folks who would like to do what you do? Find what makes you happy and then figure out a way to make money doing it. I truly feel it's that simple. I really enjoy my job, so it doesn't feel like "work" most days. The hard part is figuring out what truly makes you happy. If you can identify what that is, and it's really the right thing for you, opportunity will find you. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Look at Martha Stewart - like her or not, she's made a fourtune out of teaching everyone how to make the perfect pie crust! Now, if that's not incentive I don't know what is.
