Parenting Panel with Bruce Rosenblum

Bruce Rosenblum’s journey through music has taken many forms: from early days in the folk scene to a return to songwriting decades later. But one constant has been the role of family in shaping his creative life.

Now in what he describes as the “grandparenting stage,” Rosenblum finds new inspiration not only in reflection, but in collaboration, curiosity and the perspectives of a younger generation.

As he continues to write, record, and share music, those experiences are finding their way into both his songs and his process.

In this exclusive interview, he speaks about creativity across generations, the emotional depth of parenthood and the unexpected joy of co-writing songs with his grandson.

How many children do you have? And what are their names and ages? (only if you are comfortable with naming names) 

I have three children: sons James and Andrew, and daughter Diana. But they are adults and moved out of the house long ago. I’m in the “grandparenting stage” now, with three grandsons,  ages 4 to 10.

 In what ways has parenthood and grandparenthood helped your creativity, if any? 

Becoming involved in the lives of others is generally helpful in expanding the horizons of one’s creative processes. In the case of children, there is a deep well of emotions involved in the  relationship with one’s child—not always positive emotions, but always acutely felt—that can enhance the emotional content of one’s writing. It also opens up one’s perspective to be able to  see the world through the eyes of children, to understand how they perceive things, to  reconnect with the joys of discovery they instinctively feel but that adults risk losing over time. 

While it has been a long time since my own children were young, I get to experience this again with my grandchildren. It always expands my thinking to see what perspectives or questions  they have and it is inspiring to watch my grandchildren develop a love of music.  

What has parenthood and grandparenthood taught you about yourself, your music, or your creative process? I find it interesting to learn what sort of music resonates with my  grandchildren. Music with a pulse that they can bang a drum to, for sure, but the oldest (since  about the age of 8) has gravitated toward songs with edgier, more unusual harmonies—which I  think he perceives as more “grown up”. It has helped change my ideas about what makes a  good “children’s song”. 

Have you ever written a song for or about your kids or grandkids? If so please share a description and a link.

I have not only written songs for my grandchildren, I have collaborated on writing songs with my oldest grandson, Edward, for the last five years. 

The nature of that collaboration has changed over time. When Edward was five or six, he would  come up with a title or an idea, we’d brainstorm about it, then I’d write the music and most of  lyrics (he’d add bits and pieces). Now that he’s pushing eleven, he will come to me with a tune or hook already worked out (often played for me on the melodica), take a much more active role  in putting the lyrics together, and then produce and edit the music video! 

About five years ago, when I was visiting his home, Edward came to breakfast and told me we  were going to write a song that day called “Stop It Now I’m Brushing My Teeth” - not a title or a  concept I ever would have come up with on my own. We indeed wrote the song, and on his subsequent visit to my house we recorded it and made a video.

A year later the song won the  Gold Award in the Children’s category of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, and the video became one of the most frequently watched on my YouTube channel: 

What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before you became a parent? Any advice for others?

Having now had decades of experience as a parent,  one of the things I’ve learned is that “parenting” never ends - it’s a lifelong gig. I used to think that when my kids turned 18, the job was done, they’d go off on their own and maybe take care of me in my dotage. And of course there’s some truth to that. But the fact is that the  parent/child relationship doesn’t go away, it just evolves, and the parental perspective and  instinct is always there.

Which, in the end, is a good thing.

Connect with Bruce Rosenblum:

Website / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music

Listen to his new album “Never Too Late” here: