Mom Crush Monday, Alison Porter from Lovenotes School of Music and Dirty Dishes. Helping Little Ones Develop a Love of Music.

I have always found it really easy to find moms to crush on and feature in our blog. Toronto is full of fabulous women that are doing what they love, doing good things and doing it well – all while balancing the pressures of motherhood. The fun part of this mom crush experiment though is that it has taken off and now people are contacting us wanting to be featured. What does this mean for us? We get to expand our network of crush-worthy moms AND meet even MORE amazing people. Best job ever, right? Alison has reached out and when I e-met her, I could not help but crush on her. Our little one is a huge fan of music, and I cannot think of a career that would bring you more joy than hers. Have your dancing shoes on? Good. Meet Alison!

Your Name: Alison Porter
Kids Names: Hazel
Company Name: Lovenotes School of Music and Dirty Dishes

What is the Story behind your business?

Lovenotes School of Music is a Leslieville based music school for 0-5 year olds. I run group music classes that prepare children to either play an instrument, sing in a choir, start a band or…(insert your choice of musical expression here!) I just celebrated 5 years in business last fall.

Dirty Dishes is a Toronto based band that I have played with for over 10 years – we are an all female country/bluegrass trio.

How did the idea for the business come about?

Lovenotes School of Music came about when I was training to be a Suzuki violin teacher. I heard through my instructor that there was a early childhood Suzuki group music class that I could train to teach as well. I had been teaching that age range with another company already so I jumped on the opportunity and took the training immediately. I absolutely adore the Suzuki pedagogy which believes that all children are born musical and that through thoughtful and compassionate education all kids can fully develop their musical voice. Once I took my training I was so excited to share it with the families in my hood that I had 6 classes up and running within a few months.

Dirty Dishes was started by my bandmate Lisa Olafson who had dreamed of being in a country band since she was a little girl. At the time Lisa invited me into the band, I was playing in quite a number of male-led projects. Within the year I decided to focus all my musical energy on Dirty Dishes. Being in a band with two other passionate and ambitious women was nothing like any project I had encountered before. Over the last 10 years it has become a real joint effort as we all pull together to make the “Dirty Dishes Machine” tick.

What is the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur / working mom?

Time management. Just a sec, my kiddo is crawling all over me. What was I saying. Oh yah, time management is a bee-atch! I work a lot at night because the world is so quiet, but I pay for it in hours of sleep. There is no easy answer. I want to spend time with my daughter and I want to stay present in my business and art and there often isn’t enough time to do it all. I was holding on for dear life that first year after my daughter was born.

What is the next step for you and this business / project?

This year, Lovenotes school is adding an offering of summer camps for 4-6 year olds. I am so excited about this! The camp will have music, art and outdoor play aspects as well as daily mini-concerts by professional musicians in various genres of music. I was a music camp junkie as a kid so I’m excited to find a tribe of little people who feel the same way!

Dirty Dishes has just received funding from the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils to create a new album of material. We’ll be writing songs for the next few months and recording our 4th album next winter.

What would you tell your “starting-out” self?

Accept help sooner and find a tribe as fast as you can. Teamwork and support are crucial to success because nobody can do it alone no matter how fierce and talented you think you are. Except maybe Prince. But was Prince raising children while he was producing and recording and playing every damn instrument on all his albums. No. No he was not.

What is your super power?

Patience. I am the tortoise %100 – slow and steady.

What is something that you think people should know about you?

One thing that kills me is when people say “I’m not musical”, or “I’m tone deaf”. It may be true that a person has left their musical muscle dormant for a long period, but I believe that we are all born with the capacity to be musical. Music has been an integral part of the human experience since the dawn of time. As humans, we use music to express joy, to mourn, to commune with the spiritual world, and more. It is so sad to me that some people feel cut off from that part of themselves.

Who is your supporting cast of characters? (who needs a shout out)

My partner Adam was a huge support in the early days of my music school and band. I had passion and tenacity but very little business savvy. He would stay up all night without me knowing and put together miles of spreadsheets. When I painstakingly DIYed my first two websites he was there to troubleshoot every night after putting the baby to bed. He showed me and my bandmates how to make a business plan and dared us to set big goals. Yup, he was there in those trenches all the way.