Meet Suzi Shelton | Family Performer & YouTube Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Suzi Shelton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Suzi, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always loved working on my own projects and even though I love collaboration, I know that I work best as my own boss. Starting up SuziMusic, LLC over 15 years ago has allowed me to focus on the things that I do best – making music for families, teaching music enrichment classes, curating music events, and producing and becoming a livestream host for my original children’s show, while also allowing me to hire creative and talented people to help me in the areas that I need help! This list includes hiring professional musicians, engineers, producers, artists, puppeteers, script writers, graphic designers and web designers to name a few. I also feel pride in running a women-owned business and I try to hire fellow talented women in the industry as well. While running my own business takes a lot of time and effort, I feel that it also allows me the flexibility and freedom to work when I want to work, and to take time for myself and my family when I need to do that as well.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
After years of teaching and performing music for children I have found that I’m most proud of my ability to connect with others. I’ve always wanted to have my own show for kids (I grew up on Romper Room and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) and the pandemic allowed me to just “go ahead and do it.” My livestream show Sing with Suzi is now being viewed in over 70 countries around the world and my YouTube Channel is growing to over 21,000 followers. I’ve been recently called “The Mister Rogers of Kids Music,” and there couldn’t be a bigger compliment for me.

I believe that by being open to meeting new people and listening to their ideas helps me make sure that I don’t get stuck. This desire for connection allows me to write new songs, to work with amazing musicians and producers, animators, and artists, and to continue to grow and evolve as a person. My show has also allowed me to highlight other artists’ accomplishments and uniqueness. When you’re working with young children, there is no room for negativity or judgment. It’s important to model behavior that promotes acceptance and love and to focus on how our differences make us stronger.

I also believe that my way of connecting with children sets me apart. I enjoy hanging out with kids of all ages and feel comfortable talking with them and asking questions. Kids are so open and ready to have a good time, and are eager to learn and to laugh. When you ask them the right questions, you’ll be amazed with their answers! When we sing and dance together, it’s truly a shared experience for me and energizes me. This exchange of energy and joy is what inspires me and keeps me going. When I know that I’m making a difference in the lives of families, this makes it all worth it for me.

Professionally, it hasn’t always been easy. I’ve had many deals fall through over the years (including a couple of record deals), and many projects that never saw the light of day. I’ve been promised big things that didn’t happen, and have also been overlooked many times for opportunities. However, as I get older and wiser, I realize that all of these experiences were just stepping stones. They’ve helped me to grow and evolve into the person I am today. I am always looking for more opportunities to grow, but now I am more aware of aligning my core values with whomever I decide to work with. These core values include promoting kindness and diversity from all backgrounds and abilities, working together to solve problems, and making sure that everyone is included and feels welcome.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question because I live in New York City and there is so much to do and so much to experience here! When we have friends visit, we like to show them special places in our home borough of Brooklyn, like DUMBO and Prospect Park, and taking a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge is always a treat. Since it’s getting colder, there are so many wonderful places in Manhattan to go ice skating and one of my favorite spots is Bryant Park in the evening. The lights are beautiful and the holiday decorations make you feel warm and festive. After some ice skating and hot chocolate, it’s always nice to go down to Union Square and visit the Holiday Market where you can find so many unique gifts and treats for all of your loved ones. I also love just taking a stroll though Central Park any time of the year and ending up at The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) where my husband Dave works and see the Blue Whale and the brand new Gilder Center. It’s a perfect place to hang out for the day for our friends of all ages.

If we’re looking for entertainment, I of course would take them to Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Red Hook, Brooklyn for a musical concert or bluegrass jam, and we also have a movie theater a few blocks away from our home called Nighthawk where we can order food and drinks brought right to our seat!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a lot of people that deserve recognition in my success journey. First and foremost, I want to give credit to my husband Dave who for the past 20 years has always believed in me and my ability to connect with children and families. He is a very creative person, so he’s constantly giving me ideas on new songs to write, new material to explore and ideas for my YouTube show. He’s also my right-hand man when it comes to building sets or making music videos. Most recently, he has also become my puppeteer, giving life and personality to my side-kick Cinnamon Bear! Dave is supportive of the choices I make in my career, but if he doesn’t agree, he will give me good reasons to re-think things and allow me to see things from a trusted point of view. This honesty is very helpful and I know he isn’t just telling me what I want to hear.

Another person who deserves a shout out in my career is my good friend and colleague Ann Torralba (aka Little Miss Ann). She is an award-winning children’s musician and performer based in Chicago, and she is one of my closest friends. Ann is always pushing me to reach a little farther, dig a little deeper and to continue this upward journey of excellence that we both strive for. We both care deeply about the material that we put out into the world and about the messages that we share with our young audience. She is also a dear friend and we support each other emotionally too. Having a female friend that you know has your back no matter what, without competition, is a very special thing, and I don’t take it for granted.

Website: https://www.suzishelton.com

Instagram: instagram.com/suzimusic

Linkedin: suzi shelton

Twitter: suzi shelton

Facebook: facebook.com/suzisheltonmusic

Youtube: youtube.com/suzishelton

Image Credits
image credits – all professional pictures by Meredith Zinner Photography non-professional photos by Suzi Shelton