How To Support Your Kids In Music - A Conversation With My Parents

Having a child with passion can be such a blessing… and a challenge… You want to support your kids and give them the world, but you’re also an adult and you know that having a career in music, arts, or sports is just very unlikely. How do you support your child without creating unrealistic expectations and then seeing your kid fail and fall apart?

I was incredibly lucky to grow up in a super supportive environment. As a result my brother became a successful race car driver and I became a musician and entrepreneur. We are both living our dream lives thanks to the support of our parents. I sat down with them to talk about my childhood, what they did to support me and what advice they have for parents with kids in the arts or sports.

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When Things Didn’t Go As Planned

I had my heart set on a music school in Zurich, Switzerland (where I’m from originally). It was the only school in the whole country that had a contemporary music program - all other schools were jazz or classical. I didn’t even consider auditioning for another school, I was convinced that I would get in. Turns out - I didn’t get in.

At the time, it felt like a huge failure. It wasn’t the first time I experienced a set back or was told “no”, but because I didn’t audition for anything else, I now had no idea what I was going to do after graduation. Instead of getting mad at me for not having a plan, my parents comforted me. My dad and I spent almost every night after school looking at colleges all over the world - mostly in Germany, the UK and the USA. This got me excited again and I eventually decided to move to New York City to follow my dreams of being a performer there.

My parents never once told me that maybe music isn’t for me and that I should probably start looking at other options. They believed in me and supported me every step of the way. But they did insist that I get a Bachelor’s degree - even if it is in music. This was my mom’s version of a safety net, because with a degree I could always get a job as a teacher somewhere if need be (my mom is a teacher herself).

Finding My Place in Music

My entire life I thought that I would end up in Hollywood and be a performer - or at least that’s what I was always working towards. I started piano lessons in 3rd grade, voice lessons in 7th grade, did all different kinds of dance classes, joined bands and choirs… Music was always the only option for me. Because of this, I never expected to struggle with figuring out what I really wanted…

When I first moved to the USA after high school I studied Musical Theatre and Acting for Film & TV. I quickly realized that I didn’t want to do musicals, but that I wanted to do pop music. So after my 2 year program ended, I went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston to get my Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, songwriting and music business. As I was finishing up my degree I moved to Nashville, TN to start performing, releasing music, and living the artist life.

But after just a year of living this artist life I started wondering if that’s really what I wanted to do… I didn’t enjoy it nearly enough to make all the sacrifices that come with a career in music. I hated posting on social media and I didn’t even like performing that much anymore - the thing that I always loved so much! For more than a year I would still push through and do it anyways because that was the plan my entire life! And honestly, I was really scared that I would disappoint my parents because they were always so supportive of me and spent all this money for me to go to college in the US.

When COVID hit and I had to cancel the tour that I put together I finally had the courage to tell my parents that I wanted to go into coaching full time and not perform anymore. This was no surprise to me. They said that they could see how I lost my spark when performing a long time ago and that they could see that same spark every time I talked about vocal coaching.

Vocal coaching was never the goal or the dream, but it’s what made me the happiest and made me feel like I had a real purpose because I was helping others. For so long I was fighting it because I was worried about what other people would think and that I would disappoint my parents. But all they ever wanted was for me to be happy, no matter what that looked like. And of course, that I work hard for the things that I want 😉

The Reality Of “Not A Real Job”

One of the most honest and touching moments in the conversation with my parents came when I asked my dad if he ever doubted my path.

He said:

“Of course I doubted that you’d be Lady Gaga. The chances of becoming world-famous are so small. But I never doubted that you could have a real life in music. That’s different.”

This captured the exact kind of support that made such a difference in my life. My dad wasn’t unrealistic — he didn’t tell me I’d be a pop star overnight, in fact he told me that this dream would be very unlikely. But he also never told me not to try. He knew that even if that initial dream didn’t come true, that there were other paths in music that could be right for me. It’s not either it works out and you’re a pop star or you have to be an accountant. There are many other paths that are still in music too.

He believed in the path, not just the outcome. He trusted that even if fame wasn’t guaranteed, a meaningful, fulfilling life in music was possible — and worth pursuing. That kind of belief gives you room to figure it out. It doesn’t put pressure on success — it gives permission to grow.

Their Advice to Parents of Creative Kids

Through all of this — the rejections, the move across the Atlantic, the identity crisis and building VoxTape — my parents never pushed me to play it safe or to pursue a “real job”. They supported me, even when the path didn’t make sense on paper.

I asked them what they’d say to parents who are raising musical or artistic kids (or any kids showing interest in unconventional path, like sports). Their advice was simple — and powerful:

“Let them try. Let them explore. You don’t have to understand it — just support them.”

My mom also said to “just get out of the way”. Listen to your kids wants and needs, and support them in their explorations as best as you can. That kind of open support gave me the courage to take music seriously. And now, it’s what I try to give to every singer I work with at VoxTape.

My dad also said that support doesn’t have to cost money. If you don’t have the financial flexibility to send you kids to singing lessons, dance classes, and other things they want to do that’s ok! Still let them feel like their passions matter and help them find ways to pay for these things themselves. Find a job in high school that can pay for singing lessons or get a “normal” job and use those funds to invest back into their passions. Just make them feel like their passions matter and support them with encouragement, research and any other way you can think of - that’s all free 😇

I sat down with my parents on our podcast and talked through all of it — the Zurich school, NYFA, not wanting to go to Berklee initially, starting VoxTape, and what it’s been like growing a creative life.

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