Some good questions: 

🎻 When auditioning or interviewing for a role, are we representing that role accurately with our process, and our choice of excerpts and interview questions? This is our first chance to set people up to succeed, by choosing the person who is best for this actual role. Also, clear expectations are vital for psychosocial safety.

🎓 Educators, are we providing opportunities for young musicians that represent the reality of a modern music career? Are we doing education concerts, playing with click tracks, learning to play live with a film? Sometimes we don't even have to teach it – but we do need to talk about the things that make a career in music sustainable.

👥 What is it for, and who is it for? Our training model sets us up to expect a certain set of motivations, but the reality is that our work is mostly for the audience. We need to be united as an organisation around a clear shared purpose.

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

🫵 Avoid binary, 'blameism' language that reduces complexity and generalises experience  - us and them, right or wrong, always or never.

🌺 A blame-free environment is an environment that allows people to take risks for constant improvement, and allows everyone to focus on the big picture of success.

🏔️ Remember that we are on the top of Mt Stupid, and that's ok. Assume competence, assume good will - and be aware of what other assumptions we might be making.

LINKS

Mentioned this week: 

Brene Brown (Feelings) 

Feelings Wheel tool

Adam Grant (Mt Stupid)

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

🔑 Key Takeaways: 

🔎 Everyone's job has its own complexity - we need to be able to broaden our lens to see what is going on for those around us.

🧩 Everyone starts with just their piece of the puzzle - as leaders, our job is to show the lid of the puzzle box to let everyone know what we're doing, and trust that everyone is playing their puzzle piece to their full potential.

🔧 It is vitally important to recognise the expertise and preparation of offstage staff, in the same way as we recognise the expertise and preparation of instrumentalists.

LINKS

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

🔑 Key takeaways:

🕵️ It's important to be aware of ourselves and our situation, and how that may impact how feedback is received.

🏃 Feedback is actionable – never just a list of mistakes. It's easy to get this tangled!

📨 The way we give feedback matters for everyone in every situation, from the podium to the office to the boardroom.

LINKS

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

LINKS

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

The main takeaways? 

🤔 Think deeply about the words we use

🎻 Be aware of when our words might be excluding those around us by speaking incorrectly about their experience 

👷 Make sure we have systems in our organisations to back up our catchphrases

LINKS

Find Ingrid at Ingrid Martin and Conducting Artistry

Find Susan at Notable Values

PODCAST TEAM

Production support and audio engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme music composed by QiQi

Theme music performed by QiQi and Darby Lee

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This podcast was recorded on Waawiiyaataanong Country and produced on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous communities.

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and I recognise their enduring connection to land, waters, and culture. Sovereignty was never ceded—this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

ABOUT PETER

Peter Kilpatrick, Director of Audience and Experience at Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra since April 2023, has a rich background in arts administration and marketing, with roles at Tourism Tasmania, Opera Australia, and Australian Youth Orchestra. He holds qualifications in music, marketing, and public policy, and has served on various arts organisation boards.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Can you imagine transforming burnout into a vibrant career reinvention? Join us as we unravel the inspiring journey of Peter Kilpatrick, Director of Audience and Experience at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. From his early days as a classical musician to his roles with Opera Australia and the Australian Youth Orchestra, Peter's story is one of resilience and adaptability. After facing the challenges of burnout, Peter made the intriguing move into remedial massage therapy, only to find his way back into the arts via communications and marketing, ultimately shaping the brand identity of Tasmania. His experience offers a masterclass in turning life's detours into meaningful opportunities.

Peter's journey isn't just about career pivots; it's also a deep dive into personal growth and leadership. Discover how a transformative leadership program inspired by Brené Brown reshaped his understanding of vulnerability, communication, and self-awareness. We delve into the importance of equipping young musicians with the skills necessary to navigate the competitive music industry, nurturing their potential for sustainable success. Peter shares insights into the power of reflective practice and the role of self-responsibility in fostering professional and personal growth.

Explore the cultural impact of music beyond the stage, as Peter discusses his transition from massage therapy to marketing, and his contributions to Brand Tasmania. Learn how the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra connects with diverse audiences and enriches community life, moving beyond traditional performances. Peter's passion for music and his enduring involvement with the Glenorchy City Concert Brass band highlight the profound impact music has had on his life's journey, celebrating his 35-year friendship and connections within the music sector. Tune in for an enlightening discussion that intertwines personal transformation with the vibrant cultural tapestry of Tasmania.

LINKS

Find Peter on LinkedIN

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 10 January 2025

This episode was recorded in Tāmaki Makaurau. I acknowledge the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and all iwi of this region. I honour the Indigenous people, their land, waters, and traditions. I also acknowledge their ancestors, the guardians of the past, and their present leaders.

ABOUT DAVID

David is Principal Trumpet with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Tasmanian, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. He studied trumpet at the Queensland and Elder Conservatories, and also privately with Yoram Levy in Tasmania and Hannes Laeubin in Munich. Before earning a full-time position in the ASO, David enjoyed a12-year career in Orchestral Management and Production. David is married to ASO violinist, Janet Anderson, with whom he has two children, Ella and Billy.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

David’s story takes a different path from many of our previous guests—rather than stepping away from performing, his journey is one of rising through the ranks within the orchestral world. We dive into his experiences with auditions and trials, exploring how years of working with the orchestra in various roles prepared him for this career-defining moment. David reflects on what it means to join an orchestra where he already felt at home, balancing the comfort of familiarity with the intense pressure of auditions.

Our conversation unpacks the emotional weight of auditions and the value of honest, constructive feedback. We explore how musicians navigate intense scrutiny, learning to address critiques while holding onto their strengths. David shares the mix of relief and elation that came with finally securing his position after multiple attempts, underscoring the role of self-belief and internal readiness in meeting artistic expectations.

Beyond performance, we also explore the less conventional career pathways in music—how stepping into operational roles within an orchestra can provide a fresh perspective. With experience on both sides, David challenges traditional boundaries between musicianship and administration, offering insights into the reality of balancing personal and professional life, particularly when both partners are musicians. Finally, we highlight the often unseen contributions of orchestra administrators, reinforcing the importance of collaboration, gratitude, and community in sustaining a thriving musical career. David’s story is a testament to resilience, passion, and the many ways musicians shape the orchestral world.

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 06 December 2024 

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and I recognise their enduring connection to land, waters, and culture. Sovereignty was never ceded—this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

ABOUT JESSICA

"I am an oboist turned software developer. When I was a musician, I founded and ran JDW Sheet Music and performed all throughout Southern California. As a developer, I create well maintained solutions that address business challenges. My hobbies include reading, and practicing oboe for fun."

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Jessica Wilkins, a musician turned tech enthusiast, joins us to share her fascinating journey from concert halls to coding. With a rich background from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, Jessica’s career in music was as vibrant as it was entrepreneurial. She ran a successful publishing company in Los Angeles, blending creativity, ambition, and adaptability in ways you wouldn’t expect.

But then, something shifted. Her drive to advocate for Black artists in classical and jazz music sparked an unexpected pivot to tech. After building the Black Excellence Music Project website, Jessica discovered a passion for coding that led her to dive deep into online learning platforms. Faced with the choice between a high-profile gig at Disney or plunging into the tech world, she chose the latter—and hasn’t looked back.

In this episode, Jessica reveals how her self-taught coding journey opened doors in software development. She shares why building real-world projects is key to showcasing your skills and how her transition from freelance musician to full-time tech role taught her the value of navigating team dynamics and setting healthy workplace boundaries. Stepping away from music also gave her space to cultivate personal growth and compassion, which has enriched both her professional life and her creative collaborations.

LINKS

Find Jessica on LinkedIN

blackexcellencemusicproject.com

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 13 January 2025

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and I recognise their enduring connection to land, waters, and culture. Sovereignty was never ceded—this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

ABOUT MARIELLE

Marielle is an experienced strategist, having consulted for more than five years across the private and public sectors in a range of domains from transport to energy. Marielle began her consulting career at Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co) and now works as a commercial advisor at boutique outfit Coughlin Advisory.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Marielle shares her fascinating journey from the musical stages of the Queensland Conservatorium to navigating complex deals that promote renewable energy in New South Wales. We explore how the collaborative and structured environment of music parallels her current role, where teamwork, strategic planning, and a supportive culture are crucial. Her story offers a unique perspective on balancing macro and micro views in business and music, making for a compelling narrative on the value of diverse experiences.

Listen in as we discuss the emotional and psychological challenges faced by musicians and how these translate into the corporate world. We examine the rigid nature of classical music training and its impact on risk tolerance and emotional skills. Marielle shares insights into the valuable skills musicians bring to the table, like receiving feedback dispassionately, while also highlighting the need for emotional intelligence in professional environments. This conversation underscores the importance of holistic development, blending technical proficiency with emotional resilience for effective collaboration.

Finally, we explore the courage required to transition between careers, likening the process to mastering a musical instrument. Marielle shares her experiences of embracing the unknown and finding freedom in exploring new career paths. We reflect on the intersection of leadership and creativity, emphasizing the importance of technical skills and self-assurance. Through Marielle's story, we learn about the power of self-determination and fulfillment, and the lessons learned during the pandemic about focusing on actionable steps.

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 13 January 2025
 

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and I recognise their enduring connection to land, waters, and culture. Sovereignty was never ceded—this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

ABOUT KATHARINE

Until 2020, Kate was an international opera singer, and during her travels was exposed to varieties of vegetables that were brand-new to her. She became passionate about wanting to bring not only variety to the Australian table but also the quality and nutrient density that becomes possible with a shift towards local production and regenerative agricultural practices. Covid made Kate realise the importance of food security has never been more evident and she decided that she wanted to contribute to Australia’s ability to achieve it.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

What happens when an opera singer trades the spotlight for soil, building a life centered around sustainability and self-sufficiency? Katharine Tier, a talented musician and business owner, shares her compelling journey from a high-profile opera career in Europe back to her roots in Tasmania, Australia. Faced with the challenges of establishing a regenerative farm during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband Florian navigated the unpredictable world of sustainable farming and business ownership. From initial ventures into veggie boxes to thriving with their seed company, Seed Freaks, Katharine opens up about adapting to new environments and finding resilience through community support and personal growth.

But the journey wasn't without its hurdles. Katharine reveals the intricacies of maintaining seed purity amidst an ecosystem of possums, wallabies, and coastal winds. Her candid insights into these experiences offer a glimpse into the relentless yet rewarding path of sustainable farming. Beyond agriculture, Katharine reflects on overcoming personal struggles, including an eating disorder, and emphasizes the importance of vulnerability as a source of strength. This episode delves into her evolution from performer to farmer, highlighting transferable skills and the significance of collaboration in building a more sustainable, ethical lifestyle.

Katharine's passion for music and education remains a vibrant part of her story, as she recounts memorable musical projects like performing Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in Tasmania. Balancing her artistic pursuits with postgraduate studies in counseling, she shares her dedication to ethical artistry and the importance of addressing societal challenges, such as mental health and generational issues. Through her experiences, Katharine demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration, respect, and a commitment to future-proofing emotional well-being as cornerstones of a healthier society. Join us for an inspiring narrative that underscores the interconnectedness of art, agriculture, and personal development.

IMAGE CREDIT

Andrew Finden 

LINKS

Katharine on Facebook

Seed Freaks on Facebook

Quintessence on Facebook

@katharinetier on Instagram

@seedfreaks on Instagram

@quintessence_voices on Instagram

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 15 January 2025

This episode was recorded in Tāmaki Makaurau. I acknowledge the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and all iwi of this region. I honour the Indigenous people, their land, waters, and traditions. I also acknowledge their ancestors, the guardians of the past, and their present leaders.

ABOUT SEB

Following a childhood dominated by music, Seb left Bristol to study singing at the Royal College of Music, London. After struggling to make it as an opera singer, he joined the police in 2011. He now combines music and policing with his charity, the Blue Light Symphony Orchestra. 

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Join me on an inspiring journey as I sit down with Seb Valentine, a police officer in the UK who shares his unique career path from a professional musician to a member of the Surrey Police. Seb offers a fascinating look into his current role as a staff officer for the chief constable, where he gains rare insights into leadership and organizational management. With a background as a detective sergeant specializing in domestic abuse cases, Seb has worn many hats in the policing world. But that's not all—his life is also steeped in music, having studied singing at the Royal College of Music and working as a freelance opera singer before embarking on his law enforcement career. Listen in as we explore how Seb manages to balance these dual passions, drawing leadership lessons from both conducting and policing.

Explore Seb's transformative journey from music to law enforcement, sparked by a change of heart during his university years. Originally set to pursue physics, Seb embraced his musical passion, which eventually led him to the Royal College of Music. While the life of a baritone was rewarding, the unpredictable nature of freelance work pushed Seb toward volunteering as a police officer. This role satisfied his childhood fascination with emergency services and allowed him to make a meaningful impact in his community. In our conversation, Seb reflects on how these experiences have shaped his approach to both music and policing, finding fulfillment in bridging these two worlds.

Finally, discover how Seb's musical talents have found a new purpose in the emergency services. Seb recounts his journey from organizing local choirs to founding an orchestra for police personnel, designed to accommodate their demanding schedules. Through this unique ensemble, Seb has been able to foster a community that combines the structured interaction of music with the high-stakes environment of emergency services. The parallels between conducting and police leadership are explored, emphasizing the strategic direction and attention management required in both fields. Seb also shares the therapeutic potential of music, spotlighting a charity initiative that leverages music as a healing tool for those in emergency services. Don't miss this episode filled with inspiring stories and valuable insights into the power of music and leadership.

LINKS

Find Seb on LinkedIN

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 29 November 2024

This episode was recorded in Tāmaki Makaurau. I acknowledge the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and all iwi of this region. I honour the Indigenous people, their land, waters, and traditions. I also acknowledge their ancestors, the guardians of the past, and their present leaders.

ABOUT JONAS

Jonas spent a decade supporting orchestras, ballet, and theatre in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand as a stage and production manager. He is now a peer worker for autistic youth, occasionally consults on disability access, and is completing a Masters of Speech Pathology.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Jonas Anderson as we explore his remarkable career transition from arts administration to pursuing a Master's in Speech Pathology. Jonas shares the motivations behind his mid-career shift, reflecting on his passion for helping others with speech, communication, and swallowing issues. With a background as a stage and production manager, Jonas draws connections between his past experiences with orchestras and opera companies and his current studies, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy and quality of life in his new field.

Listen in as Jonas recounts the pivotal moments that influenced his career path, including his work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and his decision to pursue a graduate diploma in human resource management during the COVID-19 pandemic. This journey highlighted the challenges and limitations within arts administration, leading Jonas to recognize the misalignments within the sector and inspiring him to create inclusive opportunities that celebrate all voices. His experiences promoting First Nations artists and supporting self-advocacy have been instrumental in shaping his new focus.

Susan joins the discussion to highlight the importance of balancing work, trauma, and personal life. Together, they explore how creativity intersects with healthcare, underscoring the role of empathy and understanding in both fields. The episode concludes with a reflection on the power of positive work culture, emphasizing gratitude and the impact of bringing out the best in colleagues. This engaging dialogue offers valuable insights into career transitions, creativity, and the pursuit of a fulfilling professional life.

LINKS

Find Jonas on LinkedIN

IMAGE CREDIT

(c) Latitude Creative, 2021

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 11 November 2024

This episode was recorded in Tāmaki Makaurau. I acknowledge the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and all iwi of this region. I honour the Indigenous people, their land, waters, and traditions. I also acknowledge their ancestors, the guardians of the past, and their present leaders.

ABOUT HOLLY

Holly Mathieson enjoyed an award-winning career as a conductor, regularly working with opera houses, ballet companies and orchestras in Europe, Australasia and North America, and recording for BBC, CBC and Decca. She recently retrained as a Software Engineer and Web Developer, and now runs Scordatura, a digital company building tools for music, musicians and audiences.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Tech entrepreneur and music director Holly Mathieson reveals how she’s orchestrating a new harmony between classical music leadership and digital innovation. Holly offers an insider's look at her journey from the traditional world of conducting to the dynamic realm of tech, where she’s building platforms to empower classical music enthusiasts. Her innovative approach during the pandemic and her experiences in Canada and the UK illustrate the exciting evolution of music leadership, as she champions shared leadership within orchestras and reimagines the conductor's role.

Listeners will gain a unique perspective on the parallels between music and coding as Holly reflects on her transition from ballet to tech. She shares her contemplative journey through the challenges of leaving behind familiar artistic environments and connections, and her curiosity about the vibrant personalities she'll encounter in the tech industry. Holly’s insights offer a compelling look at the personal and professional impacts of anxiety, the relief the pandemic inadvertently provided, and the clarity it brought to her life as she navigated significant transitions with grace and courage.

The conversation takes an inspiring turn as Holly discusses the creation of safe spaces for musical expression and leadership development. Her transformative work with the Nevis Ensemble and orchestras in Canada showcases the power of fostering supportive environments and challenging traditional hierarchies. Through candid reflections on vulnerability and reimagining possibilities, Holly not only offers a refreshing perspective on leadership but also highlights the profound personal and collective growth that can emerge within the creative community.

LINKS

www.instagram.com/scordatura_digital/ www.facebook.com/ScordaturaDigital www.linkedin.com/in/hollymathieson/ www.hollymathieson.com

www.scordatura.io

IMAGE CREDIT

Martin Stewart

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 22 November 2024

Mateusz was born and raised at the dawn of the internet and digital revolution. A camera is not only an instrument in his hands – it’s also his weapon of choice in destroying people’s insecurities. He simply refuses to take photos without a deeper, more organic, and authentic connection. 

QUOTES

On how rigid expectations limit individuality

Mat explains how the traditional music education system discourages individual expression and creativity, pushing musicians to conform to specific interpretations. He reflects on the inherent conflict this created, saying, "I always play other people's music… it’s not my music. And then, even if I have my own personal interpretation… I cannot play like that because… I’m never going to win a job." 

On freedom and self expression 

Mat’s move into photography brought with it a renewed passion that he didn’t experience in his musical training. He states, "Studying philosophy… connected to it, and then the same became about music… I got just interested… and started craving more of it."
 

On embracing connection over ego 

Mat speaks to a transformation in his approach to art and work, shifting from a self-centered focus to one centered on connection and service to others. He says, "To me, art in general is about building bridges and not walls."

On listening and presence to build trust 

For Mat, the art of listening has become central in his work, especially in building trust with clients in boudoir photography, which requires sensitivity. He explains,  "The thing I'm most grateful for from music is listening...the more I do [photography], the more I realize that it's much more about listening than looking."

LINKS

Find Mateusz on his website and  Facebook

IMAGE CREDIT

Konrad Rudowicz

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 08 November 2024

Lisa Tamagini is a New York City based Vocal Technique instructor. After a nearly 30 year singing career, the global pandemic’s impact on the industry as a time to delve into her passion for inspiring midlife women to embrace this chapter with vitality, style and a zest for reinvention.

She expresses this branch of her teaching through her social platforms @lisatandthecity and @theproageproject which is a collaboration with 5 other influencers in the Midlife Space.

QUOTES

On Embracing a Non-Linear Journey
Lisa emphasizes that success in the arts is rarely a straight path and often involves exploring various roles and experiences. She reflects on her own journey, stating:
“I realized that singing was never my passion, communication was.”

The Transformative Power of Teaching
Through her experiences, Lisa discovered that teaching can be as fulfilling as performing. She found joy in enabling others to find their voices, which mirrors her own artistic journey.
“I realised that I loved teaching more than singing, and that I was at least as talented at that as I ever was at singing.”

Boredom as a Guide in Creative Endeavors
Lisa highlights the importance of personal engagement in both her content creation and her students' performances. She uses boredom as a signal that she’s not in the right space, indicating that if she feels bored, it’s time to reevaluate her direction. She notes:
“If I'm flipping through a bunch of content creators that seem to be having this amazing success... I just know. Well, that’s not the conversation that needs me. I'm not contributing there because it just isn't necessary.”
 

LINK

• Find Lisa on Instagram and TikTok
• Find Lisa’s Voice Studio on her website

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

RECORDED

Recorded on 04 November 2024

QUOTES

On balancing accessibility with depth in communication Kaz discusses the skill of simplifying complex ideas to make them accessible to different audiences but also highlights the challenge of feeling that, in doing so, one might dilute the depth of the content. This insight reflects the tension educators and communicators face between clarity and substance. 

“You’re sort of making the information so digestible and so relatable that it almost appears like you’re not delivering anything at all.”

On navigating career choices and fulfillment

 Kaz shares a personal experience of realizing that certain career paths might not be fulfilling in the long term, even after significant training and effort. His insight underlines the importance of reassessing one’s happiness and alignment with the chosen work, especially when it may become repetitive or limiting. 

“As much as I absolutely hated it, because I really wanted to have a career that I could continue on with, I decided that [Alexander Technique] wasn’t going to be my career.” 

On the impact of personal setbacks on professional choices

Kaz reveals how an ending personal relationship led him  to reconsider his professional path. This insight illustrates the profound effect personal life events can have on career decisions, reminding us that professional journeys are often deeply intertwined with personal experiences. 

“It was the end of a relationship… and I think it had become clear to me that Alexander Technique was not going to be something that was going to work for me.” 

LINKS

Find Kaz on his website, Instagram or Facebook

IMAGE CREDIT

Alexander Sartor 
 

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

Recorded on 01 November 2024

Sonia began playing violin at the age of 9 and knew it would be a part of her life forever. After 15 years, however, she made the shift to nursing. She now has the best of both worlds - a job she loves, and a hobby that she is passionate about. And a renewed love of music.

QUOTES

“I've learned to become very courageous because it turns out what I want is not necessarily what the world has planned for me.”

On financial insecurity 

“I realised that probably the last year or so had turned into picking up gigs just because they would pay my rent, not because they were musically satisfying.”

On realising care could be a career

 “I said, I'll never be a nurse because I'm a germaphobe. Long story short, I became really unwell. My nervous system was chronically activated and I was hospitalised a couple of times. I thought maybe I'll become a doctor. Maybe I'll study medicine.”

On finding a love of science

“I wanted to be a cardiac nurse. I really liked it because the patients were generally quite physically well. I understand how the heart works, you know it's a pump, and it's electrics. It makes sense to me. But when things go wrong they go wrong big. And as a performer, I like a bit of drama and really getting into the nitty gritty of learning new things. So I went back to uni and realised science is amazing!”

On playing with Corpus Medicorum

“So I didn't know at the time I was only playing professionally that I was just in the middle of all of this nervous system hyperactivation. I didn't know until I picked up my violin again in this group and played again that I'd lost the joy, and now I have it back.”

LINKS

William (Bill) Hennessy

Corpus Medicorum

Find Sonia on LinkedIN or Instagram
 

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

Recorded on 21 October 2024

Lisa's life through high school was dedicated to becoming a violinist. But her time at New England Conservatory uncovered her love for "making things happen", leading her through multiple career changes. In every role, Lisa's musical training has always played a part in making her "dream impact": designing systems that empower collaboration.

QUOTES

On the pressure of fulfilling others' dreams.

“It took me a while... to not feel like a failure. Having gone to a music school, and then, not having come out as an active performer. ”
 

On the importance of seeking dream impact, not a dream job.

“When I'm looking for a new job, I want to make sure it’s a place where experimentation and exploration is encouraged and embraced, so I can make mistakes, and come out stronger on the other end.”
 

On the importance of finding personal fulfillment in her career.

“I was pleasantly surprised to discover that people were actually intrigued by my music background. They found that actually helped me stand out from the candidates.”

LINKS

Find Lisa on LinkedIN

New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department, founded by Angela Beeching and formerly led by Rachel Roberts

New England Conservatory Community Engagement and Professional Studies Department, led by Tanya Maggi

IMAGE CREDIT

Nicolas Zurcher

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

Recorded on 04 October 2024

Victoria Hart is the Founder and Director of A Gathering of Minds, an innovative, online program for people with early stage memory loss. A Gathering of Minds meetings provide fun and intellectually stimulating programs that engage, intrigue, enliven, and reconnect people with their authentic selves.

QUOTES

On the connection to voice and self

“Losing one's voice is much more than losing the ability to sing.You lose your orientation to yourself. And I had not been informed that this was going to happen.So it was quite a deep dive into feeling desperate. I could have left singing, I could have gone into musicology, but I wanted my voice. I wanted my voice back, and I was willing to fight for it."

On voice health and wellbeing

“I'm not interested in the prettiest sound you could make. I'm interested in the healthiest sound you can make. And if that's uglier today, I don't care, because the potential for the healthy voice is limitless. But if you are 17 years old and stuck on making the prettiest sound you can make as a 17-year-old, you're not gonna grow.”

On working with people with dementia

"As a musician, as a singer, as a teacher, the deepest listening that you can do, listening for something that I can grab onto and pull forward in these people, and it's like buried treasure. I mean, the stuff that comes out of people is, and sometimes a witty, witty comment.” 

LINKS

Find Vicky at A Gathering of Minds or on LinkedIN

Alive Inside documentary

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering from Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

Recorded on 30 August 2024

Nick Hall (otherwise known as Anita Wigl’it) is arguably one of New Zealand’s most popular Drag Queens. With a career that spans both the screen and stage Wigl’it is constantly travelling New Zealand and further afield delighting audiences with her special brand of comedy and outrageous personality.

QUOTES

On being a childish adult

And I feel like when we're growing up, our parents often say ‘Oh, you've got to behave! Don't act so stupid. Grow up’. And drag is the opportunity to be like, no, actually, I'm gonna be really stupid. I'm going to act like a child, and I'm going to bring my audience with me.”

On being your own manager

“I'm all by myself, and doing everything by myself. But then I realised, actually, I think it's the most wonderful thing because I’m in control of my future. And I can do everything that I want to. The reason I self manage myself is because there's no one in the world that has my best interests at heart other than myself.”

On giving it all

“Sometimes we’ll have a night and the audience don’t seem very enthused, then afterwards they say ‘This was the best night we’ve ever had.’”

LINKS

Find Nick on Anita Wiglet or Instagram

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

Recorded on 14 October 2024

• Nick Hall Trumpet to Drag Artist
• Vicki Hart Vocal Teacher to Therapist and Dementia Care Practitioner
• Lisa Bauer Violinist to Operations Optimization Expert
• Tim Ball French Horn to Yacht Captain
• Sonia Baldock Violinist to ICU Nurse
• Kaz Krasovskis Cellist to Landscape Designer
• Lisa Tamagini Vocal Teacher and IG Influencer
• Mateusz Jagiełło French Horn to Boudoir Photographer

IMAGE CREDIT

Lulu & Lime
 

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support and Audio Engineering by Thomas Grayden

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly 

Recorded on 08 November 2024

QUOTES

“Singing in close harmony with my family and church community was a way of life. It was something you just did every Sunday.”

“After I finished a business degree, the only thing I could do to have gainful employment based on the training was to be a bookkeeper. But I’d already done that for 3 years as a part time job. It wasn’t interesting to me. So instead I studied for a Master of Music.”

“There was no job lined up for you coming out of music school, but I adamantly chose not to be a music teacher.”

“I got the job (in a bank) and thought it would solve everything. But it didn’t. It was really difficult to come to terms with making the wholesale change. In my heart of hearts I was still a performer and the reality of the situation had not caught up with me. I just didn’t believe it. I perhaps thought I would go back.”

“I have all of these things to pull experience from. People don’t necessarily want advice from people who haven’t felt that themselves”

“It’s liberating when you  find yourself, and let go of who you think you should be.”

LINKS

• Find Paul on LinkedIN

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 21 October 2021

QUOTES

“I was halfway through a Bachelor of Music degree when I took a year off to study linguistics and live in Thailand.”

“I didn’t know what I was doing, I was petrified all the time and I was burned out.”

“Looking back, emotionally, I think the fact that I was advanced as a player quite early on and I got thrown into a lot of stuff which was great for my playing but emotionally I wasn't ready.”

“Because I had solely focussed on being an Oboist, I didn’t know anything else.”

“I had various attempts at retraining, but a sense of purpose came much later in my emotional journey.”

“As a freelancer, you never know why you don’t get booked.”

“The context in which we learn perpetuates “there’s something wrong with me” and the same toxic productivity runs through the law school as in music school.” 

“Assumptions are being made about your work ethic, motivation and ability to use your time. I had been told by various teachers that I was lazy when I couldn't practice more because instead I had to work to earn a living.”

“The only tool the teachers have is “well just practice more”.

“The work was more stressful than enjoyable, the balance had totally shifted and I was just exhausted.”

“The cost benefit analysis of being an oboist doesn’t make sense, but I didn’t know how to make that assessment when I was studying.”

LINKS

• Find Sadan on LinkedIN

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 24 October 2021

QUOTES

“I was playing with orchestras that were “the end goal” if you’re searching for a career as an orchestral musician, but I wasn’t finding the connection and focus on the audience and that focus on the audience. That’s what I care about.”

“I never heard or rarely heard musicians talk about the experience of the audience. And I felt like the people I was playing with didn’t care that much.”

“I don’t think you can expect something that someone does full time, that it can't be a job just some of the time.”

“You have this great opportunity and people are congratulating you, your peers are congratulating because you’ve achieved their dream. You feel like you should be on top of the world and you’re not. This is what I was hoping for and it’s really not all that”

"It was just a job for a lot of them."

LINKS

• Find Daniel on LinkedIN
• Unsupervised Ensemble
• Aubrey Bergauer
• Ruth Hartt
• St Olaf College

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 08 October 2021

Sarah’s pathway back to comfort on stage was learning the art of public speaking. She now helps others globally through her Speakers Confluence® confidence and influence coaching and training programs.

QUOTES

On performing and imposter syndrome “I found it so stressful, and that’s still in my body.”

On being seen “I’ve had to learn how to overcome being looked at.”

On self-healing and finding your voice “I was determined to move forwards, I needed safety so much.”

On helping clients “When you’re speaking with fluency, you’re not fighting yourself.”

On your journey “I miss what I used to do but I don’t regret a moment of it. What I’m doing now is what I’m meant to be doing.”

LINKS

• Find Sarah on her website
• Burnout by Amelia and Emily Nagoski
• Trauma specialist Bessel Van Der Kolk

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 16 September 2021

QUOTES

“At the end of first semester, I was looking around thinking about the professionals I had worked with from all different ages and backgrounds. I thought that if I wanted to add something, what might that be? I was interested in arts admin and thought if I understand what managers want then I could craft myself to navigate that sphere.”

“ What was eye opening was that backstage at Carnegie Hall looks the same as backstage as anywhere else. Eye opening to see the reality of a thing I had held sacred in my mind.”

“Living in Manhatten on $26K meant I was tired of choosing between rent or groceries. So I went to a headhunter and went to a hedge fund. They doubled my salary overnight. I thought “what is this world”.”

“What I thought was a means to an end, turned out to be life changing.”

“I had a lightbulb moment in a donor meeting, talking about their giving to the institution. I thought if everybody had access to this level of planning, this team of experts behind them then we could literally create a whole new generation of philanthropists and everybody could achieve their goals. What would I need to do that?.”

“So much of what I do is healing relationships with couples or individuals and their interactions with money.”

LINKS

• Find Tiffany on LinkedIN or at Virtuoso Advising, Virtuoso Asset Management, FB,  Instagram
• Colbert Artists Management
• “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 11 October 2021

QUOTES

“After music school when I turned up in NY, I stared at the phone. It took about 7 years to establish myself and I was doing the work I always wanted with Steve Reich, John Zorn and Peter Sekin. But I wasn’t making much.

“I always had ‘double majoring’ in life, it started as a temp and then worked in advertising.”

“I was driving on the New Jersey turnpike at midnight, having an existential conversation. I just played Beethoven for the millionth time, I hadn’t seen my kid in 3 days because I also have a day job with night gigs. Would I rather play Beethoven and fulfil that destiny for the rest of  my life or would I rather watch my kid grow up.” (2005)

“Now I’m able to feel fulfilled as a musician and have a second job”

“I landed in a great spot by dumb luck”

“The critical thinking part is not about being a clarinet player (singer, pianist, composer) it’s about being a musical contributor. If you're not contributing, you're taking. And if you're not empathetic, you don't know how to give. And if you don't do that, then you're not part of the solution that's pushing music forward.”

“if you’re successful at more than one thing, there’s precedent for that. Not to compare myself, but there are a lot of people in history who’ve been good at more than one thing.”

LINKS

• Find Mike on the Earspasm website or on Youtube 
• “How to deal with not doing music full time?” on Earspasm

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 03 September 2021

As part of her practice, Angel develops and manages patent portfolios for new and existing clients. Additionally, Angel analyzes existing patent families to determine the value and strength of pending and acquired claim sets. Angel's methods expedite prosecution and minimize prosecution history.

QUOTES

“I had a parent who was concerned about how music would translate into income but I never seemed to have that worry.”

“My choice to go to law school had a lot to do with experiences I had. As a graduate composer from Eastman, I was writing music for a new Jim Henson production. Jim passed away and it was a struggle to get the scores back. I thought “Wow that’s pretty powerful. I can help others with this.”

“My interest in law, honesty, fairness, truth and integrity came from my grandmother. She believed in me.”

“In engineering school, the majority are introverted types who don’t particularly care for change. Also my dad had a PhD in math, anytime something changed it threw him off and made him go sideways. A lot of the people I work with are the same way but in engineering school I found myself convincing others that the world will not fall apart if they make changes because the change makes sense.”

“Music has given me the courage to do things that others might not be comfortable with but I've always known worked. Also kindness, I always try to help others. Music has made me like that.

“I love making my clients look good, I love getting them tonnes of patents. They go to their board of directors and look amazing, it’s like I wrote you the perfect piece for you to perform and get applause.”

LINKS

• Find Angel on LinkedIN
• Inn of Court “IP Was” parody

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 03 September 2021

QUOTES

“Church choir was an amazing opportunity that connected with me. To be able to create on my own, bond with others, sing in a group and share the emotion.”

“I have memories of my choir master having to settle me down because the church choir went to stand, they're all very stoic and grim faced as they sing perfectly constructed vowels and I wanted to dance. I wanted to move around and express that emotion that was inside me.”

“I started to have some self doubt, maybe there’s more work that I need to do that I didn’t understand I needed to do.”

“Going into university, my perspective was that I was very good. That changed quickly when I became part of a cohort of people that, in my mind, singing came easier to.”

“No matter how hard I worked, how much I did, I couldn’t seem to overcome some of these hurdles.”

“People really identified that one of my skills was that I could jump into unknown territory and be really crystal clear on the outcome that I wanted to achieve.”

“It’s probably only in the last three or four years, I've been able to recognize and accept just how much my creative self influences the work that I do, and is valuable to the organization and that it's not something that should be kept separate.”

“I realised if I was going to make a living from performing, I knew how much work that would be. But what did “making it” look like? It means taking gigs that you don’t want because you need to pay the bills and you don’t get to choose what performance opportunities come up. That wasn’t for me. The idea of this thing that I loved  so much becoming a chore was terrifying.”

“The pandemic has really brought to the fore my performing background. I’ve identified that I thrive in a crisis, because I'm so used to not knowing what's around the corner, not knowing what might happen on stage.”

“The saddest thing that I have seen, with some incredibly talented, passionate musicians and performers, is that they leave it too late and lose the love of it. Eventually they're forced into a career transition and they cannot bring themselves to engage with their creative self anymore and that is an awful thing.”

LINKS

• Find Jackson on LinkedIN
• “Think Again” by Adam Grant
• Opera Scholars Australia

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 27 August 2021

QUOTES

“I'd get very bored very easily I was doing the same thing all the time. And it was the same thing with music, I needed to do other things.”

“Writing a blog changed my life. And I had this bit of an identity crisis, because I wasn't sure “was I a musician or was I something else?” I wasn't really quite sure.”

“I felt really guilty because I didn't really want to go into opera. I felt like I was somehow a second class singer, because I didn't want to do that. “

“I  had a real issue with my self-esteem and with depression which I know a lot of people do. I had to go through a massive mindset shift, which has taken a long time.”

“In my experience of those of top name music schools, they are not an emotionally safe place to be if you're already at risk. If you are different or you're trying to figure it out, it’s just not safe to be there.

“As musicians, our job is to translate and transfer emotion to the audience. But we're never taught how to have those emotions safely and what to do with them if they're overwhelming to you.“

“I've realized suddenly that all of that training that I did as a musician wasn't a waste, and it was all coming together. And it was just a wonderful moment. And so it was at that point where I realized that actually Yes, live video is what I want to do. I want to teach people to do that.”

“My identity as a musician doesn't have to be connected to a job.”

“There are so many musicians in the creative world. When I went to Social Media Marketing World, 30 40% of the people there are musicians.”

LINKS

• Find Ian on his website, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN or his Podcast Confident Live Marketing 
• Burnout by Amelia & Emily Nagowski
• Junior RNCM
• Halle Children’s Choir
• Rabbi Daniel Lapin “Thou Shall Prosper”
• Stephen Pressfield “The War Of Art”
• Gay Hendricks “The Big Leap”
• Social Media Marketing World

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 16 August 2021

QUOTES

“I  had this idea in mind of finding a backup career, but it needed to be something I was passionate about.”

“The more auditions I took, the more I kept failing them. I enjoying it less and less… I was so locked into this mindset of if I didn’t achieve this goal (orchestral job) I was failing everybody.”

“I started noticing the performances I liked were the ones where I was making decisions about the process.”

“I came across a thing called UX design. It involves empathy for users, practicality of the product and usability of design. That really fit my mentality.”

“Everyone I talked to from a non-music background was fascinated by trained musicians. It’s a really good talking point in job interviews.”

“I’ve come to realise that creativity is everywhere. Just because there’s not a performance doesn’t mean there’s not creativity”

“The outcome (of a job application) is not telling me how good I am at what I do.”

“When I do pick up my cello, it’s because I want to play it, not because I have to practice.”

“The more I removed money from music, the more I enjoyed it.”

LINKS

• Find Joshua on his website, Youtube channel or JUO Facebook page
• Zoe Knighton and Flinders Quartet
• Making Music Work research

IMAGE CREDIT

Jacinta Keefe

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 23 August 2021

QUOTES

• I have an overview of a lot of different aspects of the business which is what I find really interesting. I see that big picture, where the problems are and join dots. 
• I worked at a concert hall in Manchester, it was really interesting to see what audiences were really interested in, what they were passionate about going to.
• It was always really exciting to have my pieces performed. But the only people that were really in the room were the friends that I dragged along and other composers. 
• So when you study classical music, there is this sense that there is high art, there's proper music. And then you have the less good music and I started to question that a bit.
• After working in ticketing, I geeked out about the technology and ended up at a tech company called Spectrix that build ticketing platform for the art sector. And I really loved it there. 
• When I got to university it was a very different environment, there was a lot of pressure. Having grown up in North Wales, there were loads of orchestras. I took part in the small local orchestra, then the regional orchestra and then the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. And I played the double bass and sometimes in those situations, people are just happy for you to turn up because there aren't many double Bassists so they were just happy that I had an instrument and could turn up and play some of the notes.  But at university, there was a different level of pressure that was on me. 
• I've never loved practicing on my own. When I was at university, that's one of the things that made me realize I'm probably never going to be cut out to be an actual full time professional musician, because spending many hours sat in a room on my own all day is not my idea of fun. I really like being around people. 
• The thing I loved about composing was that you could come up with an idea for something and you could create it from scratch yourself. And I still like doing that, and that relates to the bigger picture problem solving.  You have an idea of what you want to convey and what is the best way to do that. 
• I definitely built up my tech savviness whilst I was at uni, doing electro acoustic and recording. That definitely helped because I was using computers and complex programs at the time. 
• I don't think anybody who is learning music when they're young, and goes to study a music degree says “actually what I want is to work in ticketing”. But it's a fascinating sector.
• In my current role, probably the most exciting bit is when you meet an organization for the first time and you stop and think about what their new website is going to be. 
• Creating a website is like composing, it’s like when you have that really awkward rehearsal with the musicians where they tell you all the things you've written that aren't possible on their instrument because you read it's possible somewhere. They’re not superhumans.
• I think one of the biggest things is listening. I think that I noticed this when I was doing improvisation. Really good improvisers know that they don't have to make sound all the time, it's okay just to listen. 
• I think those improvisation skills have just been incredibly valuable going forward, especially when dealing with other people in workshop situations and discovery situations, or meetings in general. With people being able to realize that it's okay to just listen, and not always having to contribute something. 
• There's lots of other things as well, things like being able to see patterns and see what's going on in a bigger picture. I was thinking recently about how when you're learning a piece for the first time, you're constantly shifting between the kind of very small micro moments and the bigger picture of the piece that you're learning.
• I might spend an hour of my morning testing one tiny little feature on a website. Understanding how that feature applies to the larger customer journey, how it will improve the end customer and the client in terms of how they communicate with their customers, makes that one hour worthwhile. Even if I'm just frustratingly changing a button for one hour.
• Being able to do things like public speaking, being able to walk into a room full of strangers, being able to go to a conference and walk up to somebody and have a chat. That is incredibly hard for a lot of people. Whereas I was sent off to orchestra rehearsals, and it was a whole different social network.
• Community music is a great place to learn it's, a great place to experiment, to learn in a way that you might not have the freedom to do in an organization where there's a little bit more scrutiny on what you post on Twitter and things like that.

LINKS

• Find Kate on LinkedIN and Twitter
• Spektrix
• Bridgewater Hall
• Supercool Design
• The Noise Upstairs

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 15 August 2021

QUOTES

“I learned how to draw on the New York subway. It was a strange kind of art school.”

“I was curious about people. Who is this person? And that was an experience I liked.”

“I had a realisation “what if there was no more work or gigs?” I realised that being successful meant travelling a lot and there’s a toll on your mental health. I didn’t know if that was my future.”

“The more successful I was in opera, the high wire got thinner and taller and I thought I don’t know if this (opera) is more important than everything else in life.”

“I was always interested in advertising, in the words, pictures and storytelling. I realised I do that as a performer.”

“What are the things in myself I would like to get paid for?”

“Today I am “playing” the role of competent office worker.”

“Your creativity and music is always a part of you, you just need to find a way to let it out.”

“Drawing in stolen moments was my oasis.”

“I started sharing my work online, to tell a story and to help people have a beautiful experience.”

LINKS

• Find Sarah on her website, Instagram, LinkedIN and Facebook
• Sarah's new book "Drawn On The Way" available now

IMAGE CREDIT

Eian Kantor

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 16 August 2021

QUOTES

“Being an empathetic person is what makes a successful doctor and what also makes a successful conductor.”

“ I realised that actually I’ve done this before, and I have a lot of skills in this area already which only happened because I’d done medicine. If I’d studied music, I wouldn’t have had to make all those opportunities.”
“Whatever you do when you finish school, in fact whatever you do at all doesn’t actually define you.”

LINKS

• Find Ingrid on her website, LinkedIN, or her conductor development platform Conducting Artistry

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

11 January 2017

QUOTES

“There was one track for me, that was finishing Year 12, heading off to the Conservatorium and sailing off into the sunset to become an orchestral musician. That was really what I thought life was going to be like.”

“Music needs to speak something of today or needs to connect with someone about something of today. Great music does that and music that doesn’t, perhaps shouldn’t be played.”

“There is life beyond music, there is life beyond study and there is life beyond Mozart.”

LINKS

• Find Joel on his website or LinkedIN, 

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

05 January 2017

QUOTES

“I started out in New York where everyone is really good. There’s 3 or 4 top music schools in the city and you do have to compete for work or create your own work.”

“I didn’t want to let myself down. I felt there was a lot of expectation to keep succeeding, keep playing music and to somehow manage to progress my career beyond where it was.”

As musicians we like to think we can work anywhere, it is odd to think sometimes you’re prevented from doing that.”

LINKS

• Find Jennika on LinkedIN

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

27 December 2016

QUOTES

“My main and first degree was a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry. I’d resisted the temptation to study music from about the age of 15. When I was about 20 I just had to bow to it.”

“I’ve been fortunate to work with virtually every major performing arts company, certainly that's been through Melbourne and across Australiawhich is an amazing opportunity.”

“My music degree, and my science degree, but particularly my music degree has been such an amazing foundation in being willing to try new things.”

LINKS

• Find Katherine on LinkedIN
• Consort of Melbourne

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

20 December 2016

QUOTES

“So many of the skills you learn in music are so useful in business.” 

“In sales, you can sell a big job or something important and this feeds 4 or 5 or 30 people for the next year. I find meaning in that. It’s not just about me playing the trumpet.”

“Now I work in IT and fundamentally, running a band isn’t that dissimilar from running an IT shop.”

“As much as you love Puccini, once you’ve played it 400 times it becomes a bit tedious.”

LINKS

• Find Dave on LinkedIN
• Idea Science
• “A software testing symphony” article

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

16 December 2016

QUOTES

“By the end of it I was just sold on music and that was really my awakening I guess at just how fantastic it could be.”

“I just remember we had some conversations, my parents and I. I said I would like to be a musician, they said it’s a hard life there’s no guarantees.” 

“The idea of the arc of a musical phrase is very similar to the idea of the construction of the face, or the balance of the face.”

LINKS

• Find Tony on LinkedIN, Instagram, 
• Corpus Medicorum

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

06 December 2016

QUOTES

This relates back to music as well, you have to do anything you can to keep you going so you can focus on the one thing and that’s developing jobs and employment opportunities in remote communities.”

“I’ve got a degree in improvisation. I’ve got a degree in making things up. In the end, that’s basically life in business. You just make stuff up all the time so you can get enough revenue to keep going.”

“It was just an impossible mission, but I took it on and went non-stop sleeping in my car along the way and travelling at night and really early mornings just to get it done.”

LINKS

• Find Tony on LinkedIN
• Bapa Gajah Record Label

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

30 November 2016

QUOTES

“It teaches you successful compromise, in which everyone gets most of what they want. The whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts. But everyone probably hasn’t got everything they wanted.” 

“It’s certainly training for leadership and certainly for policy and politics.”

“Obviously it’s something I listen to all the time, it’s not just everyday but it’s most of the time. When you’ve spent that much of your life playing and listening to music it’s never not there.”

LINKS

• Find John on LinkedIN
• Grattan Insitute

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

22 November 2016

QUOTES

“I used to suffer so intensely with nerves that I was advised to actually give up the Horn. I couldn’t stand in front of anybody and play without completely falling apart.”

“It was basically like starting an instrument from scratch again. So that learning and all the tools I’ve got have given me the persistence to go through all those times where you wake up at 3.30am in the morning worrying about how I’ll feed the family.”

“Some of this (business) is far more creative than what I was able to do as a musician, because I never walked over that line of improvising.”

LINKS

• Find Geoff on LinkedIN
• Aeyons

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

15 November 2016

QUOTES

“People think of music as being a creative pursuit, and it is. But it also has, I think, a very big logic and problem solving component. And that’s what law ultimately is about.”

“It never ceases to amaze me the number of lawyers I meet who have high level music performance skills.”

“One of the key ideas behind it (Bottled Snail) is to improve mental wellbeing in the legal profession. As many people know, the creative arts are a great way of doing that.”

LINKS

• Find Kylie on LinkedIN and Greens List
• Bottled Snail Productions

PODCAST TEAM

Production Penny Manwaring

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Composed by Natasha Pearson

Theme Music Performed by Alison McIntosh-Deszcz (soprano), Natasha Lin (piano), and Susan Eldridge (horn). 

Theme Music Recorded Lady Marigold Southey Performance Studio, 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne in October 2016. With thanks to recording engineer Cheryl Scott.

FIRST BROADCAST

08 November 2016

QUOTES

“I wanted to leave the stage on my own terms.”

“Add as much value as possible onstage and offstage.”

“All large institutions should serve a public function.”

“Never stop looking for people to help you.”

“At the Rochester Philharmonic I felt very useful because I could add more than just playing the right notes at the right time.”

“We confuse our capacity to learn as progress.”

“I got lucky there was a person wanting to take me under their wing.”

“The message I absorbed at music school was “if you can’t win it, then don’t try it.’”

“I am predisposed to get along with people, I’m interested in people.”

“I never felt as much interest in having a performing artist on the team as I did at Harvard Kennedy School.”

“If you’re not doing it already, and have the means to, go volunteer.”

LINKS

• Robert Simonds
• Harvard Kennedy School of Government
• Rochester Philharmonic
• Teddy Abrams
• Louisville Orchestra
• Alex Laing
• Phoenix Symphony
• Donna Parkes

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 02 August 2021

QUOTES

“After the pandemic, things changed overnight. The pandemic wasn’t the catalyst but it was a nudge.”

“Amongst musicians, many had their heads in the sand and were reluctant to take advantage of it (the pandemic).”

“I was performing for a lot of people, and searching for a sense of purpose and relevance. In a lot of cases, musicians were not considering how to monetise their skills.”

“There were reactions to what was going on but few that seemed constructive.”

“Writing code was making me feel more creative than anything I had done in years.”

“In tech, there’s a willingness to take people on based on what you think they’re capable of.”

“When I had a son, it was a moment in life that I started thinking beyond what the next gig would be. I wondered how I could run both careers in parallel.”

LINKS

• Patrick Tapio Johnson
• Musical Orbit

IMAGE CREDIT

Kaupo Kikkas

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 26 July 2021

QUOTES

“I could see orchestras filing for bankruptcy, and it was terrifying. I was under the impression that  if you make it, you make it. But if the Philadelphia Orchestra is filing for bankruptcy then no one is safe.”

“This is the thing I want to do (orchestra concerts), but if I’m asleep at concerts then what are we doing?”

“I was barely living above the poverty line in NYC.”

“I had no idea what the real world was like.”

“If I got an MBA, that would give me two years to figure it all out.”

“I don’t know if I’ve gotten over that my identity is what I do.”

“My biggest fear was winning a job, the orchestra was bankrupt, I would have to move or there were no other jobs.”

“In the real world you need to be a whole person.”

“One big thing I took from music is storytelling.”

LINKS

• Andrew Schwartz
• International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA)
• James Clear ‘Atomic Habits’

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 05 July 2021

QUOTES

“My brother and I had no option, it (music) was a life skill as far as we were concerned. We had music from 5am to 2am constantly, that’s all we knew and did.”

“I realised they (orchestras) were starting to go bankrupt, I was talking to other musicians and asked ‘what are you going to do’ and they said ‘what else CAN I do I can’t do anything else' and I never felt that way.”

“Going to law school was very difficult, it wasn’t an easy transition. I was lucky that I was open minded.”

“How am I going to make the facts sing in the most persuasive way.”

“How I hear is very different to most people, I’m a very literal person. I hear things very specifically, as a result I probably articulate things very specifically as well.”

"Music teachers are very direct and blunt, that is now necessarily how people communicate with each other. I had to learn better about how people communicate outside the music world."

“Chamber music is an intense working environment, the same as working with a trial team for a jury. We perfect the work to a point where people could understand where we could go with it.”

LINKS

• Lisa Kobialka

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 16 July 2021

QUOTES

“Probably more people have been to space than have seen me dance. Isn’t that strange because my job as a conductor is to embody the music.” 

“I realised that many musicians are not connected to the way that emotions live within their body. Maybe the reason I  feel safe conducting but not dancing, is because I can hide behind technique and a set of codified moments. But that’s not really about expression.”

“Being serious is seen as being professional, but where is the embodiment of lots of other emotions like silliness.”

“How can we embrace a much wider idea of what professional musicians are. As soon as you said the word “serious” I thought about all the things I’ve thought of doing in my life that I have told myself not to do because that would not look good or serious as a conductor.”

“Coming from a community music background, playing free concerts in a park to anybody that wanted to come meant there was no “cathedral of privilege” of the concert hall. None of the signalling of how to behave existed, people would just clap and shout out if they were having a good time. All of the conventions about how audiences “should’ behave weren’t there in the music I made growing up.”

LINKS

• Ingrid Martin
• Conducting Artistry
• Netflix Amazing Interiors “Hidden Cottage, Technicolor House, Backyard Coaster”
• SOUND CONNECTIONS episode with Anna Schaum
• BURNOUT: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle
• Dr Anna Bull “Class, Control and Classical Music”
• Coregulation from Wikipedia

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 14 September, 2021.

Image Credit Cheyenne Parr

QUOTES

“I got advice on what kinds of adjacent interests to music might be a good way to send my career path down.”

“I had spent 15 years thinking I was going to be a musician, so I had a bit of an identity crisis.”

“I knew some musicians who were working at an Apple store, they encouraged me to apply. It was great to work with people who had done the thing that I wanted to do next.”

“A challenge I had to overcome, as a musician transitioning out of music is that I had this idea that as long as I worked really hard and became best at what I do that I would become successful. That had nothing to do with appreciating the unique talents and skills that others brought into the work that they did.”

“In that inside sales role, I cared a lot about understanding more deeply the problems customers faced and the kinds of solutions we offered to them.”

“Problem evaluation and translating those needs into technical requirements relates to my musical experience, to score analysis and being able to extract what musical interpretive decisions should be made.”

“Dealing with failure. On a small scale, like not winning an audition or something like the fact that I didn’t pursue a career as a clarinetist, failure is an important thing to experience. Failure allows us to understand what went wrong, why it went wrong and take those lessons and apply them to future experiences.  It’s how we deal with failures that shape us in the journeys that we take in our lives.”

“For musicians who have determined what direction they want to take, it’s never been easier to skill up in different areas on Udemy or LinkedIN.”

“For people who have lived the practice room lifestyle, there’s incredible value in all the diverse skills and experiences that others bring to the table. It’s so important to appreciate that as early as possible.”

LINKS

• John Culver
• Udemy
• LinkedIn Learning

IMAGE CREDIT

Cheyenne Parr

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 10 May 2021

QUOTES

“I have always been a performer, it’s always come back to performance.”

“The rigours of performing shuts down my appreciation of the music. I’m most alive with music when I’m not having to play it.”

“I had met the two ambitions (conductor and minister), so what could I do next?”

“I link the practice of music making to the study of managing and leading.”

LINKS

• Ralph Bathurst
• Jacques Loussier “The Best of Play Bach”  YouTube

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 15 June 2021

She is Director of Ecosocial Development for an international photography business, and the founder of The Center for Sound Relationships, a resiliency studio in Portland Oregon. 

QUOTES

“I think of myself as an instrument when I’m working with people.”

“Sometimes I’m like a tuning fork, other times I’m listening to the other voices in the room and helping them to coordinate.”

“I realised I needed to do more than play music, something had been broken up in my accident.”

“I started doing volunteer work, looking for how I could use the ability to listen and connect with people without the instrument.”

“We have an opportunity and responsibility to find ways to ease up on that individualism, work collectively and lift up voices that are precious.” “In order to do that, we need to get out of our ego’s path.”

“Egos are to support a creative mind, not run the show.”

“We can’t make change only in our heads, as musicians if we just sat and thought about the music there would be no sound. It has to come through the body.”

“The orchestra told me I would need to choose between my interest in psychology, and my interest in remaining employed (in so many words).”

“My body has always been part of it. My classical training, especially when it came to taking auditions and being evaluated for it, realising this is how I’m going to make a living and survive, that’s when I cut off from my body.”

“I’d never been somebody who enjoyed going to orchestra concerts, I’d rather be doing it.”

LINKS

• The Centre for Sound Relationships
• Celebrating Anna’s Teacher and Mentor, Manuel Diaz
• Tune UP!: A Psychodramatic Mindfulness-in-Action Practice from The Journal of Pyschodrama, Sociemetry and Group Psychotherapy
• What is Psychodrama
• Pat Ogden, Psychotherapist
• Resmaa Menakem ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’ from the On Being Podcast with Krista Tippett
• Okaidja

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 17 May 2021

QUOTES

“I had to go into every situation looking for, and wanting to find the gaps in my knowledge. And the things I'm bad at .The only way I'm going to get better is to find out what those are and work on those consistently over time. That’s a lesson I learned from opera.”

“It can often be a strength to be the odd one out.”

“I was loving the day to day work (of opera) but I started thinking more long term.”

I know there’s a logical, problem solving part of my brain I’m not using every day.”

“I wanted more than to be more than one piece in the machine.”

“Working a desk job is not nearly as fun but long term, I feel like I’m moving and that’s what’s important.”

“Imposter syndrome is something that tech and music have in common.”

LINKS

• Anna McDougall website, YouTube, Twitter
• TED Talk Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck
• Lean Startup

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 07 June 2021

Ingrid Martin transforms lives through music.  Her life-long mission: to make classical music relevant, interesting and engaging for everyone.  Insatiably curious, Ingrid constantly asks "Who is it for? Why are we doing this? How could it be better?" Her answer usually involves challenging norms and ditching long-held traditions to create meaningful experiences for audiences. 

QUOTES

“I’m seeking other people who’ve had a similar experience to me, they’ve left classical music because it wasn’t serving them well.”

"I felt so alone when I left classical music. I felt so ashamed. I grieved for a decade and a half, so I’m seeking to find colleagues who've had a similar experience to share what that was like."

"I felt like I was going to let other people down, and their (the musician’s) need was never in the conversation. It was all about the expectation and investment from others, not the dream of the musician for themselves."

"A damaging attitude of “you’re really talented, to not do something with that talent is wasteful.” That is really problematic as an expectation of other people."

"What I’ve come to learn about myself from doing this podcast is that I’m angry and hurt and furious at higher education. And that’s coming from my experience, but that’s not everywhere. So how do I grapple with that, I didn’t have a good time. But lots of other people do have a good time."

"The biggest challenge is that I don’t want to stay feeling shameful, feeling like I’ve failed and I have no value. That’s how I feel when I think about my learning experiences as a musician."

"Trying to be truthful. I’ve been trying to do that this year. The LinkedIN profile and the website all look professional, but it’s a completely different story to how I feel about myself and the story I tell myself about my worth. I’m trying to close that gap a little bit. "

LINKS

• Ingrid Martin
• Conducting Artistry
• Sir Ken Robinson Book “The Element” and TedTalk

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 25 August, 2021.

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QUOTES

“My wrestle with classical music was, I didn't have a sense that people wanted to do things in new ways.”

“The tech world was more open to change and trying new things.”

“The addiction to suffering, you saw that all the time.”

“Handicapping our own music making by learned helplessness.”

“I walked into the interview, I was able to use the core skills as a musician in that interview to convince them to hire me and that I would be a valuable asset even though I had no experience.”

“Understanding the human experience is really familiar.”

“Finding patterns amidst a complex system is the biggest skill I use as a designer and researcher”

LINKS

• Jon DeWaal, Liminal Space
• Dalcroze eurhythmics
• The End of Early Music: A Period Performer's History of Music for the Twenty-First Century

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 21 June, 2021.

QUOTES

“The definition of making it on Broadway is doing the same show for potentially years at a time. And that terrified me because I didn’t see another way.”

“I’m going to teach myself web design so I can build a site for my performance work, others saw it and started to pay me to do that for them.”

“I needed an exclamation point after my performance career, to show I had skills and that ended up being an MBA.”

“It dawned on me that what was truly unique about me was this background that was completely unconventional… they (MBA colleagues) saw value in that even if I didn't at the time.”

“The marriage of technical and creative is a gift that musicians have that they don’t realise they have. That is extraordinarily valuable in business or another context.”

“When people ask me what they should I do, I say “just do something, anything you’re passionate about” Just get started.”

“Being able to pay singers to make their art was very gratifying.”

“I wasn’t afraid to fail and I wasn’t afraid to look like an idiot. And that’s the key. You can’t be worried about appearances on this kind of journey.”

LINKS

• Erik Lautier
• Hamlet, an Epic Opera by Erik Lautier
• Seth Godin
• INSEAD: The Business School for the World
• Pivoting Into Business After an Artistic Career from INSEAD

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 05 April, 2021.

QUOTES

“Music school was challenging, I don’t think I was emotionally prepared for the things I was going to encounter there.” 

“At music school, the prospect of having to make money and win auditions changed things for me.”

“At grad school I started falling even more out of love with music.”

“If somebody left the (music) program, to pursue something else, there was a shame thing. I saw that and absorbed that for so long”

“The way (music) lets me see the world and the way that I appreciate connections between different fields.. gives me fresh eyes.”

“There was so much pain associated with music that I knew I needed a big break.”

“I was in bad shape, I thought I had nothing to offer. But that wasn’t true at all.”

Trust that you really do have valuable experience that can translate to other career paths, even if they're unconventional and you can’t see them.”

LINKS

• Caroline Juster Fitness Website, Instagram, Facebook
• Personal Training as a Second Career from The PTDC
• What Singing Opera Taught Me About Personal Training with Daniel Lopez from The PTDC
• Interview with Geoff Collinson about improvising in business

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by  Jasper Ly

RECORDED
26 April 2021. 

QUOTES

“No amount of practice gets you around yourself.”

“I was never a composer in music, but I feel that as a furniture designer that I’m a composer.”

“Having learned music, it seemed so much easier to learn something else.”

LINKS

• Jeff Miller Website
• Jeff Miller Instagram
• Interview with Jeff Miller from Lost Art Press
• Retirement Experiences of Elite Ballet Dancers: Impact of Self-Identity and Social Support by Victoria Willard and David Lavallee Feb 2016
• Broadening student musicians’ career horizons: The importance of being and becoming a learner in higher education  by Guadalupe López-Íñiguez  and Dawn Bennett  Jan 2021

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins
Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick
Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun
Theme Music Performed by  Jasper Ly

RECORDED
12 April 2021.