Parents and caregivers around the world use music in raising their children. Although previous research has focused on the characteristics of this musical interaction and its role in the care of young children, research exploring the experience of this condition from the perspective of parents/caregivers is limited (Papazachariou-Christoforou, 2024). It appears that the parents' or caregivers' previous musical background influences the level of musical interaction they adopt with their children (see, for example, Custodero & Johnson-Green, 2003). This situation, in addition to shaping their parental identity, may also feed into their musical identity.

Drawing from the theory of musical identities and the fluidity that characterizes them (Hargreaves et al., 2017), the aim of this research was to examine how a mother-musician perceives her musical identity within the new context of motherhood. Undoubtedly, parenthood is an extremely significant stage in an individual's life (Wulff et al., 2021), which may also reflect on their musical self, a subject that has been little studied (Rose et al., 2017).

This research was structured as a case study of a mother-musician with two children (a 13-month-old infant and a 4-year-old preschooler). The mother has advanced music studies and was working as a music teacher and conductor during the study. The mother's experiences were collected over a period of three months through interviews, journal, video recordings of daily musical interactions with her children, and the exchange of messages on a networking platform between the mother and the researcher. The thematic analysis of the data revealed that, through intense and frequent musical interaction with her children, the mother expressed herself more freely and creatively as a conductor, improved her singing skills, and became more creative and effective as a music educator. It became evident that using music in her daily life with her children helped the mother feel confident and optimistic in her new role, while also allowed her to manage stress and fears effectively. Finally, music emerged as an important ally for the mother in the positive parenting approach she had chosen for raising her children.

• Music psychology and identities

Maria Tympa graduated from the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens, specializing in Historical and Systematic Musicology. She completed the master’s program in "Music Education" at the European University of Cyprus. She has attended training courses related to music education for infants and preschool-aged children. In recent years, she has worked as an educator in both primary and secondary music education. At the same time, she teaches piano, music theory, and works as a music educator in early childhood music programs at a private music school. Since November 2024, she has been participating in the program "Music during Pregnancy and Infancy," coordinated by Mrs. Maria Papazachariou-Christoforou through the LifeLong Music Engagement Research Unit of the SosciEAtH center at the European University of Cyprus.