Rachel Brotman Shows Kids How To Make Music All Their Own

Rachel was living the dream — sharing the stage with groups like Vampire Weekend, and running a recording studio — but she wanted to give back. Through a friend who started the company Timbalooloo (a foundation to further the Timbalooloo method of teaching music to young children), she was hired at Washington Market School. Now she introduces three-, four-, and five-year-olds to music: a world where imagination truly has no limits

What skill or habit do you think is vital for success?
“Constant self-reflection.”

Your technology of choice OR your working girl essentials:
“For me, a good backpack. I got a gorgeous leather backpack earlier this year and it changed my life.”

What’s your favorite thing to wear to work?
“I move around a lot and sit on the floor at school, so things that are long and flowy are great. Also, colorful pieces—the kids respond really well to me when I’m wearing eye-catching colors.”

What moments on the job do you find most rewarding?
“I really love hearing the thoughts and ideas the kids have, the different ways they want to experiment with playing the instruments or singing a song. I also love hearing the connections the kids make between their personal world and their world at school.”