LBMC staffers take up fiddling to curb busy season stress

As tax season wraps up and many professionals look to offset the stress caused by the busiest time of the year, two Nashville staff members from Top 100 firm LBMC have found solace in an unlikely outlet: fiddle lessons.

Abby Parsons, a senior in the firm's middle-market manufacturing audit division, and Hannah Horton, an audit staff member in health care, found they both had an interest in learning to play music and a desire to do something proactive during busy season this year. Starting lessons just after the new year, they found a new outlet to remedy work-related stress during the 45-minute sessions.

"I have no prior musical talent but have always thought fiddler players and bluegrass music were interesting, so I bought a fiddle a while back," said Horton. "After talking with Abby, we found out we had a mutual interest, so we decided to dedicate time to it and try out a new hobby. It’s easy to get sucked into work during busy season, and we wanted to make sure to devote time to something new and challenge ourselves in a new way."

"I grew up playing the piano but always wanted to play the fiddle," said Parsons. "My mom couldn’t find anyone to give me lessons since we lived in a small town. I was telling Hannah about this one day when she told me she also had always had a love for the fiddle and had just bought one. So we decided to start a new hobby, and it is something fun to look forward to Saturday afternoons after working during busy season."

Lessons are every other Saturday via Leandria Lott at the Nashville Music Academy.

"We’ve only had a handful of lessons so far, and it’s proving to be a challenging instrument to learn, but it’s also super fun and rewarding," added Parsons. "We have Twinkle Twinkle nailed so far."

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Tax season Workplace culture Health and wellness Work-life balance
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