Press

Rockin' Moms
Push aside their hectic lives for a couple hours of jamming each week
by Katie Nowak
"The heck with The Rolling Stones,” Paula Messner says defiantly.
“Our stories are better".

Joy Zimmerman, 45, of Overland Park, Kansas, began playing music because of her son. Her older son, Ryan, started guitar lessons a few years ago. "I sat outside the room listening to him and said, ‘That sounds like fun!’” Zimmerman recalls. She wished she had learned the instrument. “I caught myself in the craziness of that thinking and decided then and there to start taking lessons,” she says. “Even though I’m in my 40s, I can still play guitar.”

Zimmerman had previous experience making music, starting with the violin at age five, she played in orchestras throughout high school and college. After college, she occasionally played weddings and funerals, but never saw herself going beyond that. About a year ago she joined a music group at her church as a violinist, playing with two other members. The trio was so well-received on Sundays that they decided to declare themselves an official band, naming themselves On the Record.

Now, in addition to the violin and guitar, Zimmerman plays bass. “I’m having the time of my life,” she says. “My latest musical adventures have woven together threads of my musical past and opened up the future.”

Zimmerman sees motherhood and music as linked, since both are creative ventures with opportunity to improvise and develop your own style. “Like music, mothering requires patience, discipline, and sacrifice, and it brings intense joy,” she says.

On a more practical level, the double role of mom and musician works well for Zimmerman because, much like Messner and The Candy Band, she can plan gigs and lessons around her kids’ schedules. One of her bandmates is also a mother, which is ideal. “There’s an understanding there,” Zimmerman says. “The life experience of being a mom brings depth to your music.”

Family Ties
Music has become an intergenerational part of Zimmerman’s family. Her eight-year-old son Connor “seems bound for the drums,” able to discern the difference between beats on live and studio versions of her band’s recordings. Ryan, who is now 14, plays a variety of instruments. He’s helped her learn the bass, while Zimmerman has given him vocal coaching in preparation for the lead role in a musical.

Zimmerman strives to inspire her kids when making music. She hopes to pass on to her sons the idea that you can reinvent yourself, something she has done through her own musical endeavors.

"I love bringing music to my children, exposing them to it, sharing with them,” she says. “We’re lifelong learners, and life is a big adventure. You can create yourself late in life, and I’m proud to model that for them. You can find your passion, and they can, too.”

MakingMusicMag.com, July09