We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diana Davidson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Diana , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
My business, Songbirds Music, was named by my oldest niece, Emma. Before I became a mom and business owner, I use to take my Emma, who wasn’t even two, to her weekly music class. This was the highlight of my week! I don’t know who was more excited to sing, dance, and play our shakers but for 45 minutes, Emma and I had the best time together. Aside from music class, we listened to lots of music in the car and at home, had dance parties in her living room, and sang lullabies before nap time. Emma and I were deeply connected through the music we shared!
Around the time Emma turned five I was making a career change from bilingual classroom teacher to early-childhood music specialist and business owner. I had a notebook full of business name ideas but nothing sounded just right. One afternoon, my one-year old daughter was sitting on my lap and Emma and I were coloring and of course, singing together. She drew a picture of a songbird with music notes floating in the air. When I asked Emma to tell me about her drawing she sweetly answered, “This is Songbirds Music, your new work”.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello and hola, I’m Diana, a former bilingual elementary school teacher turned early childhood music specialist! I have an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia in Curriculum and Instructional Design, a BA from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, a BLCAD teaching credential, and I am currently getting my certification as a parent coach through the Jai Institute. My journey into the world of music and movement began after more than 20 years working with children and their families. Music and movement have always been an important part of my life. The one common thread between all my various work environments is I love teaching and working with children and I always brought music to wherever I worked. I saw how music brought people together, regardless of age, background, and abilities.
After having my first child, I decided to leave the full-time teaching pace so I could spend time with my daughter. I needed more flexibility in my new role as mama bird and I knew I needed to continue working with children and it had to involve music and creative movement. So, in February of 2008, Songbirds Music was born.
Songbirds Music offers early-childhood music class for children ages birth to age five and their loving grownups. I offer family-style classes in English and Spanish. Families attend weekly classes which include 45 minutes of singing, dancing, rhythmic, tonal, and instrument play as well as the opportunity to connect with other families in the community. Each session, families receive a beautiful songbook and music to take home along with tips and tricks of how to use music at home throughout the week.
What sets me apart is not only my rich educational background and my passion and genuine commitment to creating a nurturing judgment-free environment where families can connect and thrive through the joy of music and play. Our classes are not entertainment, they have deep educational value and the memories that families make in our program last a lifetime! I’m most proud of the transformative experiences I’ve shared with countless families, witnessing the positive impact of music on their lives.
I’m not your typical music specialist; I bring a blend of warmth, patience, and nurturing to all my classes. Despite being an introvert, I am serious about being silly and I am not only in tune with music but with what my families need during this precious time in their children’s lives. I believe that music and play is a life skill. My mission is to demonstrate how incorporating musical elements into daily life can foster social, emotional, and cognitive growth in children and connections with the people we love and the world around us.
When I am not running Songbirds Music I spend lots of time trying new foods and enjoying live music with my two girls and my husband and going for long walks with my dog, Fozzie. I’m fanatical about Flamenco, an avid traveler, and find joy in stand-up comedy and the music from the 50s and 60s. I believe that most life lessons can be learned on Sesame Street, and that philosophy is woven into my approach to teaching and connecting with families.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media platforms and algorithms are a lot like toddlers, they change all the time and just when you think you have them figured out, they change again!
Initially, I created a business page on Facebook where I shared bonus content, parenting tips, articles, and announcements for special events. I wanted my families to feel like following me on social media was an added value and not just a constant sales pitch or a random picture of my morning coffee. Every session, I would ask my families what social media platforms they were using and when families register for my classes, I always ask where they heard about Songbirds Music.
Word of mouth is still my number one way to grow; however, over the last three years, Instagram has been my most popular social media platform.
Since I am not the most tech-savvy person, I have collaborated with local mom bloggers and influencers and I have worked with some business coaches and social media experts so that I can better understand how to make the most of using social media but also have a strategy in place so that my brand is consistent, my messaging is on point, my pictures and videos showcase the incredible work we do every day. I also encourage families to tag us and post pictures and videos of their experience in music class. These collaborations have grown my following exponentially! Being able to tap into their audience base while sharing valuable content has really paid off.
My advice for those just starting to build their social media presence is first, make it easy for people to follow you. Share your social media handles everywhere! Second, bring added value to your content, give your audience a taste of what they can learn and gain from working with you. Third, if you feel stuck and social media is not your thing, ask for help! Investing in that support and having accountability built in around your social media strategy will be time and money well spent!
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Fostering brand loyalty is essential to my business. Because I am a high-touch business, meaning I see my clients every week, I am connected to their family’s lives, and our classes are small and intimate by design, staying in touch with my clients is at the core of my business. In addition to weekly classes, I send emails at least twice to my client list, I have a referral program and I send monthly birthday grams to every child who has been a part of my program until they are 8 years old. For my currently enrolled families, I offer them priority registration before any new session so they can have first choice in their next session’s class and they also get discounts on any pop-up classes, events, and workshops. If families miss classes, I check in with them and make sure they are ok – being a parent/caregiver is hard, overwhelming, and sometimes lonely and that little check-in goes a long way! I appreciate my families deeply and I never take the trust they have in me and my business for granted.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SongbirdsMusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SongbirdsMusic
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/SongbirdsMusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-davidson-06-songbirdsmusic/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/songbirds-music-san-diego
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Songbirds Music LLC