Where were you at in your music career when you had your first child? Was there much discussion about how that life choice would affect your career within the music/entertainment industry?

I was a freelancing consultant and musician without a plan. I am an incorrigible optimist, but single parenthood tested that a lot. I burned through my own savings taking maternity leave and paying for my own insurance for perinatal care. I stubbornly insisted on taking gigs as a cellist in the early months of my infant's life, mostly to prove to myself that I could still do it, but eventually, the feeling of pushing a boulder uphill wore me down. The perks of freelancing became gradually less important to me than the stability of a salaried job, and before long I made the leap.

As a working parent in the music industry, what are some of the biggest challenges you are facing?

Oh childcare, childcare. Wherefore art thou childcare? The state of affordable, quality childcare in Nova Scotia is atrocious. I am one of these Millenials who chose to move away from home for no particular reason other than because I could. Being a working parent without family members around is like running a race with both hands and one leg tied.

What is one change (big or small) within the industry that could make a positive impact for working parents?

The EI benefits for self-employed people in Canada are a joke. Fewer than 1% of self-employed people choose to pay into them, and even those who do cannot benefit from the unemployment aspect of EI. Per my research, it isn't worth participating in the self-employed EI program unless you plan to have 3 or more kids. So having some mechanism for parents who freelance in the music industry to be able to take paternal leave would go a long way.

How do you find support and community with other working parents in or out of the music industry?

I actually love this aspect of being a working parent. I have had informal playdate meetings with colleagues and have felt a real camaraderie and a natural breakdown of barriers by getting to see some of that personal vulnerability in each other. It is so valuable to me to see parents of toddlers like me in key leadership roles across the music industry in Halifax, especially in recent years. It normalizes things and forges a brave path forward for others.
What’s one specific example of an organization/venue/company doing something great to help support working parents?

I am a huge fan of the family-friendly vibe at The Marquee during Rankin's Winter Warmers. It is a great event that happens on Saturday afternoons at The Marquee from January to March. We don't have enough events like that where kids just mesh with everyone else. It's a very European approach. I want less segregation and dumbing down of kids, and more ways to safely include people of all ages in great music events.

What could a music event (festival, conference, etc.), do or provide to make it easier for you to participate?

I look to Folk Music Ontario's childcare approach - that would be a game-changer for me to be able to attend things. At ECMA, our conference hasn't historically had the resources to offer childcare, but that doesn't mean we can't locate and provide signage for changing tables, designate a space for nursing, and provide a kid zone for people to be able to hang out with their kids outside their hotel room. These are no-cost baseline measures that should be standard at every conference. I also make a point to ask for what I need; when I am invited to speak on a panel I ask if there are any childcare measures and if not, I find out if they can cover the childcare expenses because I really want to be able to participate fully. I recently had a really interesting suggestion from ECMA members about providing a paid childcare option, which opened my eyes to the fact that it doesn't have to be all or nothing (all-expenses paid childcare vs. no childcare solution at all). I can relate to the fact that even a paid childcare option at a conference would be really nice - something like that could even be included in an attendee's budget or grant application to attend.

Can you shout out another music mama doing great things?

Oh, so many. My dear friend, violinist Rachel Bruch (Blue Lobelia) making it work as a musician, my esteemed colleagues Tenille Goodspeed (Halifax Jazz Fest) and Allegra Swanson (Music Nova Scotia). And women like Sarah Frank of The Bombadils and Jenn Grant, who attended ECMA week with their kids in tow this year. They have truly made it easier to envision merging my professional and personal life with grace.