As with Dudik, the desire to start a family led Reynolds back to the area. She became pregnant with twins in 2009. With her busy career, she knew she would need help caring for them, so she and her husband decided to return to Pittsburgh. They settled in North Huntingdon.“ Growing up in this area, I knew it was a family-friendly city. There’ s also a lot of theater here, and it’ s within driving distance of New York,” says Reynolds.“ It’ s a wonderful place to raise a family.”
About a year later, Dudik and Reynolds discovered that they had been living within a stone’ s throw of each other. Not surprisingly, they became fast friends.
“ It was so great to have a fellow performer here to talk to,” says Dudik, who now has an 11-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.
She began attending the Music Together music classes with her children, and instantly fell in love with the program, which is based on research that shows the positive long-term effects of exposing children to music from birth.
“ I could tell that it was a well-researched, quality program,” says Dudik.“ I thought,‘ I think I want to teach this.’”
She approached the program director, Lauren Whittaker, and asked if teachers were needed. Shortly after, Reynolds, who had been attending the classes with her twins, also decided to become a Music Together instructor. They became registered instructors in 2012. [ Whittaker has since relocated to
Boston to be closer to family, and Reynolds’ husband, Paul, is now helping to manage operations.]
Dudik and Reynolds’ shared love of music also led the friends to create a separate new business, Musical Melody Makers, a birthday and holiday party business in which they lead children through a variety of dancing, singing and instrumental activities.
Despite the dual demands of parenthood and entrepreneurship, both still find time to stay active in their professional careers: Dudik recently worked as a stand-in for actress Jennifer Connelly on the set of the movie“ American Pastoral” and has done several commercials. Reynolds, a recipient of Distinguished Alumni Awards from the PA Governor’ s School of the Arts and Point Park University, recently directed“ The Drowsy Chaperone” at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and directs the annual Bradley Awards at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C. The two also serve as judges for Showstopper dance competitions.
Even with their celebrated careers, Dudik and Reynolds consider the work they do with Music Together families to be invaluable.
“ It’ s just so great to have a job where you can truly make a difference,” says Reynolds.
Music Together classes are held at the I Am Music Academy at 222 Pennsylvania Avenue in Irwin. Classes also are available in Murrysville. For more information, visit thewhittakermusicstudio. com. n
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