Method to the Magic
A conversation with Magical Music Method founder and mother of four, Veronica
Welcome to the second installment of a three-part series celebrating motherhood and creativity. Last week, I chatted with Emily Cantafio, Chicago-based fiber maker and new mom to her son, Wes. If you haven’t seen her upcycled and thrifted wearable art yet, take a peek. It’s really so good.
These features offer a glimpse into what it looks like (and what it takes) to be a mother and a maker. Everything these women pour into their art is available for purchase.
Which brings me to something I feel strongly about.
When you buy from one of these women, you’re buying a story you can tell. Someone asks where you got that candle, that print, or that piece of jewelry, and instead of saying Amazon, you get to say: it’s from this mother, who is an artist, and she makes them herself. There’s a difference between an object that was manufactured in a warehouse by a faceless process and an object that was made with intention, and with love, and with hands that also tuck children in at night.
Objects can carry meaning. The ones made this way carry something you cannot add to a cart and get in two days. This is the hill I will die on!
In that same spirit, throughout the month of May, 10% of proceeds from new paid subscriptions will go to Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, a Phoenix-based organization supporting women — many of whom are mothers — in achieving and sustaining economic independence.
So, I invite you to get to know these women and their work, and if something moves you — buy it. Gift it. Support her <3
This week, I’m overjoyed to present Veronica, founder of Magical Music Method and a mother of four!
Last year, I purchased her course for my son, Theodore. As both a music fan and a musician myself, watching his love for music take shape has been a very sweet part of parenthood, and Veronica’s work has played a big role in that. There’s a depth and intentionality to her philosophy that stands out, particularly the way she approaches children’s capacity to understand and appreciate beauty.
Veronica has spent her life immersed in music: as a student, a performer, a teacher, and now, as a mother. What began as a deeply personal vision for how she wanted to raise her own children with music has grown into a method, a movement, and a community.
What strikes me most about Veronica’s work is that it came from love. She was trying to give her children something beautiful. And when she realized she’d landed on something that other parents were hungry for, she started sharing it.
So, without further ado, meet Veronica!
Tell me a little bit about how Magical Music Method came to be.
I had grown up playing music my whole life and my first job was teaching piano to little children, which was something I learned I really loved doing. I started out traveling to people’s homes and soon had a thriving music studio and full-time course load at college. It was at college that I learned about so many different music methodologies and philosophies and again fell in love with the Kodály method. I wondered why every child was not taught music in this intuitive and holistic approach?! I immediately began incorporating this philosophy into my teaching and knew when I had my own children I would teach them this way.
Fast forward many years later when I became pregnant with my first child, I was already delving into holistic parenting/living and discovered Waldorf education, which I resonated with in many ways. This was where Magical Music Method was born. It was initially just my own approach on how I wanted to “teach music” to my own child. I wanted it to be magical, and fun, and not a separate activity but rather a way of living life. It was this intersection of seeing music and holistic parenting intrinsically wrapped together.
It was not until my third child when I decided to formalize this approach more and make it available to other parents. I felt like I had landed on a way of making music doable and approachable so that every parent could follow this model and bring music into everyday life, in much the same way that speaking and talking is “taught” by the parent to the child. And with having to cut back on a lot of teaching and gigging, it seemed like a really exciting avenue to explore and see if other parents felt the same way and wanted to bring music into everyday life with their own children.
How has becoming a mother shaped or changed your work as a creator/entrepreneur? Has it influenced what you make, how you work, or why you create?
Oh, this question could have me writing for hours. Because truly I think that becoming a mom was a catalyst for me in so many ways. It opened a whole new way for me on what I view as important, what is of value and true purpose. Much of my younger years were spent chasing different ambitions and not really creating, if that makes sense.
When I became a mom, I felt such an enormous responsibility and honor to do this right and to the best of my ability and it has unlocked so much drive in me to create, even in small ways such as knitting a blanket or making a birthday crown or singing a song. Every day is constant creation and through this work of creating rather than chasing, I have found so much joy and fulfillment. I don’t think I would be nearly as creative if I was not a mom. It just has set such a fire underneath me to make things, create beautiful moments and this desire to give my children the best childhood I can create. This drive would not exist for me without them being in my life.
What’s one lesson your mother—or a mother figure in your life—passed down to you that you hope to carry forward to your own children?
My mother is a woman of very few words. She is the most stubborn, and strong woman I know. And when she speaks, I listen so carefully because her words carry so much weight to me. I think I do a poor job of this but want to get better at it and pass down to my children that it’s often better to notice more and speak less, because then when we do speak, our words will truly have weight.
I think in a world that has become increasingly loud and noisy, and everyone wants to be heard, that there is so much wisdom in saying less and letting our actions do the real talking. Because talk is cheap; it’s what we do that matters. Thank you Mom for teaching me this without knowing it!
I think in a world that has become increasingly loud and noisy, and everyone wants to be heard, that there is so much wisdom in saying less and letting our actions do the real talking.
What does a typical day (or week) look like for you balancing motherhood and your work? What’s something people don’t see or often misunderstand about that balance?
Lately my balance of work and motherhood has been completely off kilter! I’m due any day with our fourth child, and truthfully, I have had to put work to the side. For me, balance always has looked like focusing on a certain set of tasks at hand, finishing that and starting on the next set. I’ve never been good at multitasking at all! I’m the type of person that when I start working on something I have to go all in and put all my effort into that task. So, in practice, a lot of that has looked like my husband taking the kids to the park on weekends and me staying up late usually working on projects in the quiet of night.
But because this pregnancy has taken all of my energy lately, I have found that I cannot stay up late and that the weekends I need to relax as much as possible. And though it has been challenging to not work on some things I’m really excited to work on, I understand that this is the best balance for me. Right now I need to focus on feeling good and then in a few weeks I’ll find a new rhythm again!
I have no magical solution, it truly is so difficult to balance it all, but I think figuring out what works best for yourself is key and knowing how your mind works best is essential. My way of balancing may look completely different than someone else’s and that is normal. I have found that when I parent, I want to be fully present, and I can’t be thinking about work or social media or anything like that and when I work, I do need quiet and solitude lol!
And it goes without saying that without a husband who is very hands on and helpful and a team player, it would not be possible at all for me. He has always been the type to cook dinner and play with the kids after coming home from work while I teach music lessons or gig and without him, I wouldn’t be able to balance a thing!
What would you say to other moms who want to pursue something creative or entrepreneurial but feel hesitant?
I know everyone’s answer would be say go for it and do it anyways, but my answer would be to actually delve into why you are hesitant. I’ve always found that if I’m hesitant about something, that’s worth exploring. Why are you hesitant? With most of the things I’ve wanted to do/create in life, I’ve never been hesitant. I know that sounds nutty and overly confident, but it’s truly how I feel.
I’m someone who relies on a lot of gut intuition and instinct and the times in my life when I thought I wanted to do something but felt hesitant I actually usually ended up listening to that hesitancy and backing away. And in hindsight I’m so so grateful for backing away from certain things and listening to that hesitancy. Now I’m not saying that everything I’ve ever done has ended up successful and wonderful, on the contrary, but I never regretted doing it if I was all in from day 1 and my intuition felt good about it.
All that to say, if you’re feeling hesitant, it could be jitters or it could be your intuition saying this isn’t the exact right thing….I will always 100% tell moms to delve into creativity, because we are creators, but that there is no need to put pressure or expectations on it unless you truly want that and are excited about that thought (creative pursuit/entrepreneurial idea). And to trust your intuition. If you feel hesitancy about something, trust yourself to look into that and that there is nothing wrong with feeling that. It could be the biggest blessing in disguise.
Find out more about Veronica and Magical Music Method by visiting her website and following her on Instagram.