Meet Janet!

Recently, Janet Allen came on board here at Studio3Music to coordinate all of our makeups. With nearly 900 families, there are a LOT of missed classes to reschedule! Since your contact with her will mostly be via email, we thought you’d like to get to know her a little bit. Following is her bio, and a couple of pics as well.

I grew up in Sunnyvale, California amidst strawberry fields and orchards. My early years were filled with earthy play and singing or humming. I met my husband, David, in high school (although I noticed him on the playground in Junior High!). We began dating when I was 16. I went to San Jose State until we were married at 20.

Typical of the times; I quit school to work so he could complete his education. We had one baby girl, Elizabeth, at 22 and a second, Rachel, at 30. In between, my husband earned his PhD and I did what I could to help him by taking in typing, editing, seasonal cannery work, sewing, babysitting, cleaning houses, and selling Discovery Toys, all the while staying home with the little girls. Times were very different then.

In 1971 we moved from the San Francisco Bay area to Seattle for David to attend graduate school at the U.W.  He’d been accepted at several programs, but we decided to come here because we’d seen a TV program, Wide World of Sports, and there was a track meet at Husky Stadium. They did a panorama shot of sailboats on Lake Washington and the Cascades on a sunny day, so we said, “let’s go there”! We tended not to give a whole lot of thought to major decisions at that time! It was like “wouldn’t it be fun to have a baby?!”  when David was a junior in college and I was our sole support.  I regret nothing!!

I have had a varied work experience. My first job was at 10, cutting apricots for drying – 50 cents per 4’ x 6’ wooden tray. I thought I was really in the chips!

I’ve worked in human resources, secretarial, a day care center taking care of infants, was a CNA in a nursing home doing physical therapy with elderly folks, worked as a victim’s advocate for a domestic violence program, and set up a business office for a local psychotherapy organization and training program.

I worked for years for Family Services of King County as an office manager in their counseling branch. Then I was the Family Services project manager hired to develop the Listening Mothers program (a psycho-educational support program for mothers and babies).  My most recent project was to help develop a community psychotherapy clinic and training program through the Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study. Folks who could not afford therapy elsewhere, were able to access therapy very inexpensively, and newer therapists received fantastic training and supervision. I loved both programs like they were my babies.

During this time I became a “Nana” for the first time, and then the second and third. Rachel’s son, Jack, is now 6 ½, Elizabeth’s son Aidan is 6, and our youngest, Makenna (the Diva), is 2 ½. I’m so in love!! Kindermusik became a wonderful part of my life when Jack was 18 months old. I took care of him while my daughter worked, and he and I loved every second of Our Time with Miss Allison. This led to integrating Kindermusik into our schedule until he got too old. He‘ll probably participate in Drama Camp until he’s too old for that, too! I can go on and on about the gift this has been for me to have this joyful, intimate experience with a grandchild. I’m certain Jack will carry this in his heart forever, too. Aidan and his mom also have participated for several years.

 And now, I’m so happy to be a small part of the Studio 3 Music back office, with Analiisa and Jesikah.

 -posted by Janet, who will be glad to “meet” you all via our makeup form!