I’m joined by Trumpet Mafia members Branden Lewis, Ashlin Parker, John Michael Bradford, Emily Mikesell, Aurélien Barnes, Amina Scott, Michelle Welchons, and Jonathan Bauer. We talk about the power of social learning, becoming a leader, lineage, liminal spaces, cultivating community, and what happens behind Wendy’s.
Drew Tucker – vibraphone maven, social entrepreneur, and educator – and I talk about marching band education, taking the untraditional route, questions we should be asking our students, the elements of “good technique”, weighing aesthetics vs musicality, booking your own gigs, learning to be yourself, and vibraphone players probs.
Katie Ernst – bassist, vocalist, composer, and educator – and I talk about fancy crayons, her social media detox, when to stop saying yes, growing your orbit, making room for what you want, how everyone can sing, and accessing deeper musical conversation.
Sean Jones – trumpet icon, education trailblazer, bandleader, and composer – joins me to talk practice routines, your local weather channel, getting stranded on a cruise ship, insecurity, creations of time, the ancestral pipeline, the importance of resistance, and E pluribus unum.
Melanie Shore – pianist, composer, MD, and podcaster – functions in two worlds. She’s the happiest person in the room and the poster child for trauma and grief. She shares not only how to function with trauma and grief, but how to best support people living in that reality.
Abby Lannan, aka the Goofy Euph, and I talk through healthy listening habits and what it means to play “serious music”. Abby is a classically-trained euphonium player with a masters degree, and she plays video game music. Why are musicians so hung up on what art counts as “serious”? How do university programs contribute to …
Sarah Thawer – drum sensation and creative tidal wave – joins me to talk about cultivating a healthy, authentic relationship with social media. We also laugh about living with our parents, the connection between happiness and growth, and Sarah shares the secret to losing 500 followers in a day.
Iconic drummer and community treasure Matt Wilson joins me to talk about sharing human moments, finding joy, lessons he’s learned from his heroes, and being present for the music.
Percussionist Josh Jones shares how a mindful approach to technique empowers you to embody your emotions while playing. The principal percussionist of the Kansas City Symphony turns the tedious practice of technique into an endless process of learning how your body works.
Pianist Luke Gillespie and I chat about baseball, haiku poetry, ping pong, talking to trees, and finding moments of beauty in our lives. Luke is living proof you can be deeply analytical and profoundly human at the same time.