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Crushing Classical

Crushing Classical is a series of interviews with classical musicians who are forging unique paths with their talent, creating their own artistic fulfillment and financial comfort, and finding ways to thrive. I celebrate these brave people who are taking routes outside of traditional orchestral or academic employment! As always, I invite you to listen for your own sparks and breadcrumbs, and use these interviews to find the possibilities that exist in your own life.
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Now displaying: 2018

The Happiest Musician: Creating A Career You Love With All The Things You Love Doing

Dec 20, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • Negotiating a job for yourself that may not be offered - the things Suzanne noticed that made it a “win-win” for everyone
  • How her job gave her a *new* way of performing in addition to playing flute
  • Unusual performing opportunities through radio stations that you may not have thought of yourself
  • The enthusiasm that inherently exists in the public radio audience - and ways she contributes to them in live events
  • A program that she has started to provide opportunities to Baroque musicians in communities
  • Suzanne’s great advice to any musician about the definition of the word “musician”

http://sundaybaroque.org/

Contact Suzanne through the website with your questions or collaboration ideas

Follow Sunday Baroque on social media:

Instagram and Twitter: @sunday_baroque

Facebook: @sundaybaroque

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than Ficks!  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH

Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

Dec 6, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • Real talk on how difficult AND JOYFUL it can be to start your own ensemble
  • The classical musician dilemma: JOB SECURITY and how Patrick redefines it
  • The importance in finding prestige and status through partnering with an established, well-known organization
  • The importance of MATH (and the trade-offs) in figuring out when to say YES to gigs
  • The key to developing an audience… a new way of thinking about it
  • A great tip Patrick uses to bond and connect with someone in conversation when mingling and building your community
  • The unexpected venue they play in that brings a ton of value to their quartet
  • Ins and Outs of starting your own nonprofit - and how to make it work best for YOU

Find Axiom Quartet:

https://www.axiomquartet.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/axiomquartet  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/axiomquartet/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/axiomquartet 

 

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH

Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

Nov 15, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • A youth orchestra contributing to students’ music skills - and life skills. Hear how Kevin creates this learning opportunity
  • The difference between the audience for a normal youth orchestra and a rock orchestra - and what that does for the students’ confidence
  • The typical reaction from the classical community toward musicians who go into other genres - and how Kevin sees this point of view changing
  • Starting a nonprofit - what Kevin did to speed up the process of launching his idea
  • The hard truth about raising money
  • How Kevin views failure - a unique point of view that could help you deal with those moments

Check out MYRO at:

https://rockorchestras.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockorchestras/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockorchestras/

Podcast: Redefine Rock:https://apple.co/2PWR9Be 

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH

Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

Use the #crushingclassical on your most beautiful IG posts sharing about your tour, album, founded orchestra or chamber ensemble for a chance to be featured on my Instagram feed!

Nov 1, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • The importance of being proactive and speaking up for what you want in your career - no matter what your age.
  • The value of going for a career in your youth - and not believing or listening to that “you’re too young”
  • The value of *mentorship* and having a mentor you trust in the professional field you aim for guiding you in your next career move
  • The mindset about success that Mike thinks everyone should drop like a hot potato
  • There’s being in the right place - and PUTTING yourself in the right place - Mike goes into this distinction
  • The value of a mentor who *isn’t* another musician
  • Why it’s never too early to give back to people even if you’re just starting out
  • New music - the expectation you need to drop if you’re ever going to give new music a chance (I had to hear this one for myself!)
I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

Mentioned on the show:

The New York Youth Symphony:

https://www.nyys.org/ 

The Northern Neck Symphony Orchestra:

https://www.northernneckorchestra.org/

Michael's website:

www.mikerepper.com

Michael's mentor, Conductor Marin Alsop:

https://www.marinalsop.com/ 

 

Oct 18, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • How to use artist residencies to travel and explore the world while exploring your own creativity
  • How this duo created a remote lifestyle as a musical duo - saving money on rent, seeing the world and building a career all at once
  • The motivation behind Chris and Nicoletta’s choice to opt for a non-traditional career… and the key component in your mindset necessary to do it
  • What they do when they don’t have a residency on the calendar - this idea is so smart
  • How they actually *built in* within the way they live through these residencies ways to create more opportunities for themselves - they share their tips on this podcast!
  • A different point of view on handling student loans… and the truth about considering school in Europe - this one shocked me!
  • The key to knowing if a traditional career or an unconventional one is right for you
  • … and much more!
I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

Resources from the show:

https://www.transartists.org/activities/database

http://www.artistcommunities.org/

http://www.resartis.org/en/

 

For more about Passepartout Duo:

https://passepartoutduo.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/passepartoutpianopercussion/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/passepartoutduo/

 

Oct 4, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • “Branding” and “Marketing” and what that all MEANS ANYWAY
  • Why branding matters even to the Joe Schmoe Average Classical Musician.
  • Hear a *real life* example of a musician and the platform they built using social media
  • What building your online presence *actually* is - it’s pretty old school actually…
  • The unfortunate truth about orchestras’ budgets where social media marketing is concerned…
  • Groundbreaking ideas for marketing for arts organizations - and what it would take to implement
  • The big piece of advice on your own approach to social media that you have to hear → hint *you can’t get this answer on google*

 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jonathaneifert and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanEifertPublicRelations/ 

Other mentions in the show:

Pianist Stephen Hough:

https://www.facebook.com/houghhough/

Tenor Michael Fabiano: Instagram: @michaelfabiano

https://adaptistration.com/ - musician blog mentioned in the show: Drew McManus

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!
Sep 20, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • The experiment that led to more performing opportunities
  • What classical music audiences are ACTUALLY craving - *hint* - it’s not what people think
  • How growth can lead to hiring more help - and how help can help you grow: hear how Jacomo has been navigating a growing team and some great tips on accepting help
  • REAL talk on the hard work of running your own orchestra day to day
  • The unfortunate and REAL vibe classical music gives off… and his answer for the remedy
  • TRUTH talk that EVERY musician AND administrator of an orchestra should hear that no one ever talks about
  • And so much more!

https://www.nu-deco.org/ 

Follow the group and Jacomo on Instagram:

@jacomobairos

@nu_deco_ensemble

And Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/JacomoRafaelBairos/ 

https://www.facebook.com/NDEnsemble/ 

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!
 
Check out the new revolutionary tuner app DRONE TUNER on iOS. Available NOW for iPhone and iPad. Tune to REAL recorded instrument tones instead of machine-like sounds to work on intonation, sound concept and blend. The visual component of this tuner is also incredible, with a super-fast reaction time, it allows you to tune while playing a musical passage or using vibrato. It even allows you to tune chords!
Get yours today: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drone-tuner/id1326016622?ls=1&mt=8 
Sep 6, 2018

Welcome back to Season 3 of Crushing Classical!

I'm starting this season out with a highlights episode of some moments that really stood out in my mind in the last 2 years of Crushing Classical. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few - I chose excerpts from several episodes that stood out to me such as:

- Good solid career and LIFE advice

- Great money advice in a nutshell

- Clips from musician founders about their ensemble model and the secret to great fundraising

- The #1 trait or QUALITY that I've seen in musicians I've had on the show that is the REAL reason WHY they've been able to do what they do. Although there are many examples of this in the entire history of this show, I chose two especially "mic-dropping" moments to share on this episode

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!

 

 

Jul 12, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • The commonly given advice she DID NOT take - and why that was the best decision she ever made
  • What she learned from the start-up orchestras she worked with and how that shaped her vision for her own orchestra start-up
  • The most important thing she looks at when choosing personnel for her orchestra - it’s actually *not* based entirely on how you play
  • Her unique point of view on the MONEY conversation… asking for money and the role you have as a fundraiser in a founded group
  • How her mission has evolved - her revolutionary view on what is important and what matters in growing a classical music organization TODAY

To find out more about ROCO:

http://roco.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/rocohouston/

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!
 
Check out the new revolutionary tuner app DRONE TUNER on iOS. Available NOW for iPhone and iPad. Tune to REAL recorded instrument tones instead of machine-like sounds to work on intonation, sound concept and blend. The visual component of this tuner is also incredible, with a super-fast reaction time, it allows you to tune while playing a musical passage or using vibrato. It even allows you to tune chords!
Get yours today: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drone-tuner/id1326016622?ls=1&mt=8 
Jun 29, 2018

What you'll hear:

  • How Sarah reverse-engineered the method of figuring out her career possibilities while still in college
  • The notion that you’re selling out by doing covers or other genres? Sarah’s answer to that commonly held belief
  • The excuse she hears often that DOES NOT fly in her book regarding networking… hear what she has to say about that
  • Her career "funk" - even when she was "living the dream" - and what she did to get out of it
  • The secret to great fundraising… hint… it’s old-fashioned and fabulous

Sarah’s blog: http://www.sarahwhitney.com/theproductivemusician/

Sybarite 5: https://www.sybarite5.org/

Beyond The Notes: http://www.sarahwhitney.com/beyond-the-notes/

Also mentioned in the show:

https://www.hojoonkimimages.com/

Productivity tools: https://bestself.co/

I want to thank Ficks Music for sponsoring Crushing Classical. When you’re looking for high quality sheet music, look no further than  https://www.ficksmusic.com/discount/CRUSH
Use the link above to get 10% off your order!
 
Check out the new revolutionary tuner app DRONE TUNER on iOS. Available NOW for iPhone and iPad. Tune to REAL recorded instrument tones instead of machine-like sounds to work on intonation, sound concept and blend. The visual component of this tuner is also incredible, with a super-fast reaction time, it allows you to tune while playing a musical passage or using vibrato. It even allows you to tune chords!
Get yours today: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drone-tuner/id1326016622?ls=1&mt=8 

 

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