If you’ve given birth in Charlotte over the past decade, chances are you’ve enrolled in Music Together classes at some point in your mommyhood journey. When I was a new mom 12 years ago, I was thirsting for activities to do with my young toddlers – any class that was available, I’m pretty sure you saw “Plym” on the roster. That’s how I met Phyllis Fulton of Music Together of Charlotte. All of the moms in my playgroup decided to try this new class in Dilworth where moms and babies experienced music together. I immediately fell in love with Phyllis & Carrie and their passion for music, and of course the awesome Music Together cd’s that moms and babies equally enjoyed. These ladies oozed cool and creativity to me – I still have “learn to play the guitar” on my bucket list, thanks to Phyllis. The Plym fam enrolled in many Music Together sessions and I’m proud to say we are part of Music Together of Charlotte’s very first “pledge class.” We’ve spread the word over the years and Music Together is now offered in 8 locations across the Greater Charlotte area.
Smarties, I’m thrilled to introduce you to our Smarty mamapreneurs, Phyllis Fulton & Carrie Banwell. These talented ladies have been on the Charlotte musical scene for 12 years and are growing every day. We {heart} Music Together and know you will too!
Meet Phyllis & Carrie!
Phyllis Fulton’s Smarty Mom Stats:
Mom of: Derek (18, who I hear gives awesome guitar lessons – we’re first in line this fall!) and Josie (13)
Years married: 20
Years in Charlotte: All of them except college. I’m a native Charlottean, and I’m not telling my age!
Hood: Dilworth
Occupation: Early childhood music teacher, Music Together of Charlotte
Carrie Banwell’s Smarty Mom Stats:
Mom of: Allie (19), Turner (17) and Clement (13/almost 14)
Years married: 23
Years in Charlotte: 13
Hood: Myers Park
Hometown: Greenville, NC
Occupation: Co-Director of Music Together of Charlotte
Tell us how Music Together of Charlotte was born.
(C) We lived in NYC for 12 years before moving to Charlotte. I did Music Together in Manhattan with my older children, so when I moved to Charlotte I feverishly looked for a Music Together class for my newborn. When there was none here, I tried “other” music programs – but they just weren’t the same! I called Music Together’s headquarters in Princeton and implored them to bring Music Together to Charlotte. The woman on the phone was someone I had known from my NYC days and responded with, “Carrie, why don’t you do it??” In a new city, with a newborn and two other kids trying to acclimate to a new city, I didn’t think it was possible! But, for the sake of my newborn, I knew it had to be done. So, in early 2000, I was trained and Music Together of Charlotte was born out of my gym at home with 15 loyal neighbors/friends. It expanded to Spirit Square in partnership with the Community School of the Arts and the JCC, and in 2002 happily joined forces with Phyllis in Dilworth. Becoming partners with Phyllis was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, and has enriched my life more than I could ever dream possible.
(P) My mother met a young mom, new to Charlotte, who was asking everyone, “Do you know anyone who’s musical and who has early childhood experience?” She had attended MT classes in another city and couldn’t find MT in Charlotte. Before starting my own family, I taught Monetssori primary, so my mom called to tell me about her interesting conversation. I visited a class in Chapel Hill, fell in love with it, and went for the training. I invited a group of moms from La Leche league to my house for a ‘demo’ class and info session, and they all registered! That was 13 years ago. Carrie and I became business partners the following year.
How can we find out about classes near us and register for the fall session?
The website: www.musictogetherofcharlotte.com, 704-449-6761. Locations, class times, and registration process is all online.
What age would you recommend starting private music lessons? Where would you recommend in Charlotte?
(C) I always tell folks to play and play and play and play musically before you start formal music lessons. Make up songs in the car, dance in the kitchen before dinner, make your own instruments and play along to your favorite tunes, if you have a piano – let them try to figure out songs or tunes they know. When they are DYING to play AND when they can read well – THEN try formal music lessons. If your child is DYING to learn before these things can happen, try Suzuki violin or piano. This is more of an ear-based program, and your child won’t be required to read music until they are reading independently. Suzuki programs start as young as 3 or 4.
(P) It depends on the instrument, but generally not before age 8. Younger kids learn through play – a process. Formal instruction is about a product – through practice. Until children can make the connection between practice and improvement, they just think that if they can’t do it right immediately, they must not be able to do it at all. Wait until they can sit for 15 minutes unattended to practice-without your monitoring, glass of wine in one hand and M&Ms (for bribery!) in the other.
Tell us how music has changed your family.
(C) Music is an integral part of our family life, and is so interwoven in our daily life that it’s hard to articulate how it has changed us. My husband is a cellist and a pianist, my daughter is a beautiful singer and violinist, and my sons sing and play the piano – so we are one of those hokey families that stands around the piano at Christmas to sing carols, practices dance moves in the kitchen when we’re cleaning up, and changes the words to songs to make them fit our odd senses of humor. Our son has taken music to an entirely new level with songwriting – that has added so much to the rhythm of our household, with his keyboards setting a new pace of opportunity in music for all of us.
(P) I don’t know that it has changed it- music has always been a part of my family. My husband plays jazz piano and I’ve been singing since I could memorize lyrics. We sang unconventional lullabies to our kids, I have vivid memories of walking/bouncing/dancing/singing to soothe my babies, we still make up goofy words to songs. It’s interwoven into the fabric of our lives.
Moving on to the mom stuff…how has your business rubbed off on your children?
(C) Both my husband and I have our own businesses – i.e., we don’t work for big corporations (although we both have over the years), so I would say that sense of making your living through your own business has had the biggest impact our kids. As women, we are always careful with our daughters – they watch us so closely – so I believe that having a business of my own about which I am passionate has been especially resonant for my daughter.
(P) I ‘snuck’ MT onto our son, who was 6 when I started-too old for MT classes, so I would bring him with me to be my assistant. My daughter and I attended for 3 years in the parent/child classes. Both kids are very musical, and there seems to be some kind of music going on in our house almost all the time.
What is your favorite thing to do with your family in the fall?
(C) It’s a toss up between watching the Panthers win at home and watching one of our horses win a big race at Keeneland in Lexington, KY.
(P) Go to the lake, sit around a bonfire when the weather starts to get cool. But with the kids being older, it seems like there is always a friend or two of theirs with us, so it’s not always just the four of us. The more the merrier!
You have high school-aged children – what tips do you have for Smarty Moms knocking on high school’s door?
(C) High school is such a challenging time for our kids – it’s so much more difficult than it was when we were their age. It’s difficult academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. So – I take advice from my former 10 year-old daughter who once advised us on the best way to cheer for her at soccer games – “JUST SAY YAY.”
(P) Who your child’s friends are matters a LOT, resist the urge to rescue them and let them make mistakes in middle school so they have worked out some of their own foibles before high school, support your child’s interests without being invested in them, pay attention to their tech usage.
What is the last meal you cooked?
(C) Grilled salmon, local fingerling potatoes and a salad of sliced local tomatoes, local red onions, and avocados all drizzled with Italian balsamic vinegar. YUMMY.
(P) Grilled eggplant and zucchini with homemade Bolognese (staying away from white flour/pasta) and salad, made completely with LOCALLY-produced food!
Behavioral trait you hope your kids don’t inherit from you.
(C) Passive aggressiveness
(P) Procrastination
The phrase you’ve said to your kids more than any other at home is…
(C) “Back in the day….”
(P) “Oh look! I found some trash! I wonder where I should put it??”, tied with, “I do not wear/use your shoes (socks, underwear, backpack…), therefore I do not know where it was left when removed from your body.”
What is something most people don’t know about you?
(C) I’m a counter. I count things.
(P) I lived in Guatemala for awhile after I graduated from college.
Favorite phone app?
(C) Toss up between NPR podcasts and the ESPN app.
(P) Akinator, an amped-up, amazing version of 20 questions. Great for long distance travel.
Household appliance you could not live without?
(C) I just spent a week without a dryer so I’d have to say I have a new appreciation for that appliance!
(P) Sadly, my coffeepot.
Funniest thing your kids have ever said to you?
(C) Our youngest son has SO many funny things he has said along the way. (I believe this is no different than the other two, we just have the older two to help us remember them!) One time we were talking to the entire clan about drinking and driving — how they should NEVER drink and drive when they get older but for now, they should NEVER get in a car with someone who has been drinking. [Of course, this was entirely inappropriate conversation for my five year old, but needed to be said to the older ones because of some things that were going on.] So – while our older two listened intently, nodded their heads in agreement and understanding, our youngest piped in, “yeah – you might spill!”
(P) When my daughter was very young and used “S” in place of “F”, which she couldn’t yet pronounce, everything came out funny, like “I can’t find my slip slops.” But THE funniest thing was her discovery of how to say the ‘F’ sound. Not repeatable, and not hard to figure out. A real quandary – do I say ‘Yea, honey! You can say your ‘F’s!’, or ‘Never say that again!’
Guilty pleasure?
(C) Besides dark chocolate covered almonds? Probably listening to stories around the table when all our kids are at home. I just sit back, take it all in, and smile.
(P) Just one? How about three- any kind of online trivia game/app, grocery store birthday cake frosting, and anything Harry Potter
