Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy & Molly Lara
Hi Andy & Molly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Big life events give fresh perspective and we were ready to make a change. It was December of 2020 and we just had our first baby at the height of the pandemic in the Bay Area. Everything was shut down. A month and a half later, we lost our Papá Teto to Covid. When we were finally able to lift our heads out of the newborn fog and monumental loss of a parent, we knew moving forward would never look the same. Family took on a new meaning for us and we longed to have more time together. After our second son was born, we left behind our life in Oakland, CA and moved in with family in the Temecula Valley to embark on a new adventure.
I (Teacher Molly) have a background in Early Childhood Development and my husband, Andrés is a multi-instrumentalist. I tried out every type of class with our children and deeply connected with the importance music plays in social, emotional, cognitive, physical & language development. Learning music truly supports all types of learning! I heavily researched play-based music classes in the area and was at a loss. We immediately felt called to combine our passions to start up our music school and build a musical community for families.
Fast forward a year and we just celebrated our school’s 1 year anniversary! We’ve been blessed by our reception into the community and have families that have been with us three or four semesters now. We continue to add new families every semester and feel honored to have the opportunity to see children grow in our classes, take their first steps, sing their first words, and bond with their siblings, parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents! We’ve also taken our involvement in the community a step further by becoming the newest publishers of MacKids Temecula-Murrieta-French Valley-Fallbrook and with Teacher Molly hosting TheMomWalkCo Temecula Valley.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Stepping outside of your comfort zone isn’t easy! Being a small business owner is incredibly rewarding and also requires a lot of sacrifices and grit. You have to have a lot of patience and comfortability with the unknown. One of our biggest challenges has been the investment it takes to grow our school while raising two little ones, ages 4yrs and 1.5yrs, at home. We have our hands full but we are so grateful we get to include our children in our music school! We believe our story has been a testimony of faith and trusting in God’s plan for our business and life.
As you know, we’re big fans of Olive Branch Music. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We started our music school because we were led to build a community where we can be silly, playful, and present with our children while sharing in our love for making music as a family! At Olive Branch Music, we teach the Music Together program for ages birth-5yrs and their families! Music Together is a worldwide program developed by musicians and child development specialists that emphasizes an experiential, play-based approach to learning deep musical concepts. Each semester is based on a fresh collection of 25 new songs, an illustrated songbook, and access to the recorded songs in the Music Together app to support ongoing learning.
Our classes are known as a time of true connection with your little olives and we welcome all family members to participate! We aim to build a musical community that extends beyond a weekly class gathering to support one another in raising and being present with our littles. What sets us apart from other classes is that you’ll be fully engaged with your little for the full 45 minutes. This is a class where you connect with your child instead of watching them from the sidelines. Our mixed-age classes allow siblings to stay together and we welcome the whole family! We’ve had the honor of having great grandparents join our classes representing 3 generations of music makers! Lastly, Teacher Andy is a multi-instrumentalist and multi-linguist and he incorporates songs in Spanish & Italian in every session.
Now for the details! We offer both indoor and outdoor classes and also teach on Saturdays! We accept homeschool charter funds and can be booked for events and birthdays. You can also schedule a free class with us at any time and we’d love for you to come experience a class to see what we’re all about 🙂
Pricing:
- $200 for 8-Week Session (materials included)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.olivebranchmusic.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivebranchmusictemecula
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivebranchmusictemecula
- Other: https://form.jotform.com/olivebranchmusic/free-parent-n-me-demo-class-sign-up
Image Credits
American Portra
