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Holly Norman is a drummer, percussionist, songwriter and composer primarily based in Perth, Western Australia. An alumnus of the College of Miami and WA Academy of Performing Arts, Holly is a serial collaborator, mixing her classical and jazz backgrounds to platform storytelling and narrative in her enjoying and writing. As a wellbeing practitioner she has designed and introduced therapeutic applications for Arts Wellbeing Collective (Arts Centre Melbourne), Assist Act and Orchestra Victoria. Holly has appeared as a visitor artist with The Cat Empire, the Australian String Quartet, and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. She is a contributing writer for ArtsHub and Dingo Jazz and has appeared as a visitor lecturer at Monash College and the WA Academy of Performing Arts. She lives in Perth, Australia along with her three year-old daughter.
London Jazz Information: What’s the greatest recommendation you acquired about balancing/juggling motherhood and profession?
Holly Norman: The most effective recommendation I’ve acquired was from Australian-based saxophone participant Gemma Farrell and it was really by means of this very interview collection! Gemma mentioned “don’t examine your self to musicians who don’t have youngsters. Do what you’ll be able to, when you’ll be able to. And revel in your youngsters.” I can’t consider a greater, extra succinct and extra compassionate piece of recommendation than that.
LJN: What info or recommendation do you want you’d acquired however didn’t (and needed to be taught by means of trial and error or on the go)?
HN: I want I’d identified how a lot my relationship with music and with my major instrument would change within the early years of mothering. My skill to focus and apply is clearly fully totally different to what it was pre-child. It’s undoubtedly required trial and error for me to redefine my relationship with music. I’d think about myself a a lot better and extra concerned listener now and I lean extra into writing and composition. I feel this has occurred out of necessity as I simply have much less time obtainable to spend on my instrument. It’s been a very fascinating evolution.
LJN: Your prime tip(s) for different moms in jazz:
HN: The one different individuals on this planet who will really perceive your psychological load are different artistic moms. So, construct your self a powerful neighborhood of different like-minded ladies/gnb of us who’re creatively motivated, as a result of these are the individuals who will raise you up whenever you’re having a nightmare week with a sick little one, you’re behind in your workload/have a thousand gigs and really feel such as you’re not at your ‘greatest’.
LJN: Child/little one gear ideas for journey/touring/gigging:
HN: I’m a covid mum so by no means toured or travelled with a younger child! However I’ve performed exhibits with my daughter within the viewers and the most effective device in my toolkit has been the power to dam out her complaints about mum being on stage and never giving her consideration!
LJN: Greatest common journey/gigging/tour-with-child recommendation:
HN: Contain your little one as a lot as doable, inside purpose after all. They wish to be part of your life. Share music with them – it is going to lighten your individual coronary heart and your workload.
LJN: What has shocked you about changing into a mum or dad and remaining engaged together with your skilled actions and ambitions?
HN: The best possible factor about changing into a mum or dad for me has been sharing music with my daughter. We’ve got dance events that verge on raves while listening to each form of music underneath the solar. So I suppose it’s actually opened my eyes and ears to the attraction of various sorts of music from a special and extra playful perspective.
LJN: What boundaries have you ever set for your self as a mom in jazz (might be associated to journey/touring, riders, private parameters, little one care selections, and so on.)?
HN: I don’t get again to individuals right away if I’m with my little one. I additionally don’t use my telephone for work texts/calls/correspondence whereas my daughter is round. I additionally don’t love to do too many back-to-backs on the weekends e.g. a late evening Friday and Saturday. It means I flip down extra alternatives however I’m aware of rationing my power.
Holly’s new EP “Matilda” was launched on 10 March 2023. The discharge is a musical coming-of-age for Holly, by which she explores the artistic constraint of the duo medium working with a special musical collaborator on every of the EP’s six songs. “Matilda Bay tells the story of her longing to return to Western Australia after changing into a mom in the course of the Melbourne lockdowns, and her eventual homecoming. The six compositions are stylistically numerous, starting from folk-pop ballads to instrumental jazz, up to date tone poems, and electro-pop.
(*) Moms in Jazz was began by vocalist Nicky Schrire. The initiative goals to create a web-based useful resource for working jazz musicians with kids, these considering parenthood, and jazz business figures who work with and rent musicians who’re mother and father. The perception of the musicians interviewed for this collection supplies useful emotional, philosophical and logistical info and help that’s simply accessible to all. “Moms In Jazz” shines a lightweight on the very particular function of being each a mom and a performing jazz musician.
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LINKS: Artist web site
The entire archive of Nicky Schrire’s Moms in Jazz collection
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