Brave Musician

In this episode, Monica sits down with Shreyas Iyer, a tabla player originally from India, who performs, teaches and studies tabla in Phoenix, AZ. Insightful and inspirational, they discuss how the process of learning new things never stops, how feedback and signs can help you know where you are supposed to go, trusting your gut as a musician, uncomfort vs discomfort, looking at boundaries and how to expand them, and living on the edge of curiosity. They talk about the meaning of brave, curious, and fears, how important it is to put positive things out into the world, and how failing helps us learn. Shreyas shares his willingness to grow and gives an honest reflection of his process and some of the lessons he learned while forging his unique path, including the lesson that music provides us the time and space to just be.

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To support our mission, please join our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

Disclaimer: in this episode, you will hear Eris introduced by the name and pronouns they were working under at the time. They are now listed professionally as Eris DeJarnett on all platforms.

In this episode, Monica sits down with interdisciplinary narrative artist, Eris DeJarnett. Whether it's music, dance, writing, or anything else they can imagine, Eris's work is always centered around a story. Monica and Eris have a thoughtful and raw conversation about building trust and comfort with other musicians, the importance of having tough conversations and working towards solving problems, making space for people - emotionally and physically, and different kinds of "uncomfortable".

Ey shares their use of composition to work through their own trauma, gives us a behind-the-scenes of the process of creation, both the craft and the message, recording, rehearsals and how the different arts inform each other. We deep dive into conversations about being resources for people, their blog, compassion fatigue, the goal of being able to communicate with words, feeling like a disappointment to mentors and big life decisions. (CW: sexual assault)

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast

In this episode, Monica chats with musician, actor, director, writer, songwriter, and UBU Project founder, David Simmons. David openly shares his path, including the struggles and tragedies, and shares how he arrived at a place of hope, resilience, and self-compassion, which he utilizes in everything he does. We discuss influences, songwriting process, teaching and arts integration, and visual art. This episode is full of love, laughter, and even some singing! (CW: suicide attempt, substance abuse, bullying)

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

In this Season 3 opening episode, Monica and Marina talk the season 3 theme of Bravely Forging a Path. We believe that the process of forging your own path path is a living, breathing thing. It involves creating and reacting to a series of moments that make up your cumulative journey, which we sometimes only notice when we look back. We share our own stories and give you a preview into the elements we will explore in season 3.

In the episode, we mention our upcoming workshop in Phoenix, AZ on January 18, 2020. See more and register today!

Monica and Marina talk about their milestones, lessons learned, and powerful moments of 2019.

In the wrap up episode of Season 2, Monica and Marina discuss the insights and lessons from this season. Some of the common themes across the episodes included moving forward with faith, building expertise through curiosity, and setting intentions through energy.

As always, we are so thankful for our guests, listeners, and everyone who has supported this season. We are always happy to hear feedback at [email protected].

See you soon for Season 3!

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

In this episode, Monica explores how to "Keep Going" and dives into some of the ideas you can utilize when you feel like giving up, revisits some of the advice given by the guests this season, and shares some personal experiences.

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

In today's episode, Monica sits down with the incredible musician and jazz trumpeter, Alex Sipiagin. He shares tons of Brave stories including how he started playing trumpet by accident, what it was like learning jazz in Russia, and the first time he came to Washington DC after being a finalist in a competition without speaking any English, how he returned to the US and decided to stay and began to explore jazz clubs, sit in on jam sessions, and meet other musicians. Alex talks about his willingness to always grow, what inspires him, and shares an example of gaining strength and learning how to be Brave from others.

Alex has performed with jazz greats such as Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, the Mingus Big Band, and so many more and has recorded 18 (soon to be 19) albums as a leader.

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

Today, Marina talks with Sharon Burch, an educator and author who advocates for beginning music at any age. We discuss why music is so crucial to brain development and how we can break down the core elements to make it easy to learn. Sharon also advocates for intentionally infusing music into our daily lives, just like we need daily nutrition and exercise.

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.

In this episode, Monica sits down with saxophonist, composer, and educator Tia Fuller. They discuss the inspiration for her latest album, Diamond Cut, and the story behind the development of both the album and the tour. Tia also talks about how she got started in music, her first gig experiences after moving to NYC, how she grew while playing with Beyonce', and her current job teaching at Berklee. They dig deep into what it means to be a female musician and band leader, and explore Brave topics such as faith vs fear, process, documenting, vulnerability, and transparency while playing music.

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To support our mission, please consider joining our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician.

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See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.