Crushing Classical

On this episode I had Peter Askim, bass player, composer, and conductor. I had him on the show to hear all about the festival for string players that he created, which he calls The “anti-festival”. On the show he explains all about what makes his festival unique.

We talked about his mission and reason for creating the festival, and we talked about money. What it’s like to make money as a musician who composes, performs, and conducts, and his approach with musicians and the fees associated with attending this festival.

The Next Festival is definitely a festival that considers musicians in that time when they're JUST finishing school and heading out into the real world... that time when you just need time to process the stuff you've learned in school and have some time to figure out what you'll do next. I really think that this festival is so supportive for that time in a musicians' life.

To find out more about the festival to attend or donate, go to:

http://next-fest.org/

Thank you to Crushing Classical's sponsor Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show! If you're looking for a great selection of quality sheet music at affordable prices, check out https://www.ficksmusic.com/

For 10% off use the code CRUSH

This week’s Fireside Chat is about LIMITS - where they come from and why they exist. You'll be amazed by how and where they show up - and they put a ceiling on what is possible for you in your life and music career.

Here's what's in store for you on this episode:

- How the path to what you truly want has historically been limited (and why)

- How the simple act of choosing a career in classical music opens up a can of worms (hint: unsolicited advice from people around you can make or break your choice!)

- The traps you're falling into right now (unknowingly in most cases) and how it slows your momentum and keeps you stuck

- How this exact topic personally prevented me from seeing alternatives in my own education (and how it prevents YOU from standing up for yourself when it comes to your education)

- A shocking idea for orchestras that will boggle your mind (and will likely be rejected by most of you)

This was a great chat! I can't wait for you to hear it.

A big thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show! Use the code CRUSH to receive 10% off your order:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/

On today's episode I had Katie Wyatt, Executive Director and founder of a very successful program called Kidznotes, a youth orchestra program based on the famous El Sistema program of Venezuela. On the chat I got to hear all about her career path and how she ended up going from the audition path to running her own nonprofit. Some things we talked about on the show:

On today's Fireside Chat we had Sheree Allison, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters/Boys & Girls Club in Miramichi, an eastern Canadian community of 32,000 people. Sheree has done amazing work within her own nonprofit to take it from nearly shutting its doors and closing shop to a thriving nonprofit, doubling its annual budget in just over 2 years.

Why does this matter to classical musicians? Well for one, when you work for a nonprofit (which is nearly every orchestra), how they're doing financially directly affects your income. So it matters a lot. Here are some key points from the chat:

A big thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show! Use the code CRUSH to receive 10% off your order:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/

HOW can you take care of yourself FIRST AND FOREMOST when navigating things like CAREER MOVES or when you run into inevitable money problems? What are some common beliefs or RULES that people follow that they COULD BE BREAKING to make things better for them? Tune in and hear this conversation on exploring what it was like for us when we either did or did not break the rules. 

A big thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show! Use the code CRUSH to receive 10% off your order:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/

On today's episode I interviewed Jessie Montgomery, violinist of the Catalyst Quartet and composer. We talked about her unique career as a composer, member of a string quartet, and all that she has done to design her unique career as a chamber musician and composer in New York City. It was fascinating to hear about her early influences- a child of artists, she was bound to have a career that was outside the box. It is interesting to hear about her influences and the teaching she was exposed to throughout her education that helped mold and shape the career she has created now. From studying with a teacher who developed a way to teach children how to improvise, to working in program called Community Music Works where she played and taught and had to work on all the administrative things, she created a unique skill set that enabled her to run her own string quartet. 

To learn more about Jessie and her work:

http://catalystquartet.com/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZmVRWjpNxw

http://communitymusicworks.org/ 

Thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/ 

The funny thing about JUST STARTING is nothing is in place for you... YET. It's up to you to do it all. You can't just show up and start working like you would at any job. This is a big challenge in creating your own career, and we talked about it on today's episode. We also talked about *conversation*- the importance of TALKING to people in the age of emails, texts and social media.

Thank you to Ficks Music for providing the hosting for the show:

https://www.ficksmusic.com/

Did you read that title right? Yes, you did. Did you think the only musicians who made six-figures were top tier orchestra players? Think again... Ken Preuss, former trombone player, middle school chorus director and musical theater aficionado who I went to Indiana with went on to create a six-figure business out of grad school. When I heard this, I HAD to have him on the show. Listen now to hear WHAT he did and HOW he created it! 

Horn player Andrew Sehmann came back on the show to tell us the direction he wants to take his career. Andrew had been grappling with whether or not he wanted to go in the direction of teaching at the university level and freelancing, auditioning for jobs in an orchestra, or soloing. Right now he's doing a little bit of everything and on the last Hot Seat realized that doing a little of everything wasn't going to get him exactly what he wanted. Check out today's episode where he reveals what he truly wants- I was really surprised by this chat, it was very enlightening!

On today's Fireside Chat we discussed inner workings of the orchestra. After a discussion with Eileen about how I really didn't know much about how an orchestra business is run (yeah, it's still a business!) and admitting that what I know NOW is vastly more than I knew going into this business, we discussed what it means to take responsibility for what it is and what it isn't, and what musicians can DO if there are things they see that they don't like in the day to day orchestra business doings. I'd say from a musician perspective, the overarching attitude is *shrug* "there's not a lot I can do!"... a sort of "I just work here" attitude. Which can feel frustrating for musicians at times. So what CAN musicians do? This is what we talked about today.