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Beyond Artless: Featuring Composer Jodie Blackshaw

In this episode of Beyond Artless, we are honored to welcome Jodie Blackshaw, internationally performed composer, educator, and creative voice whose music speaks with honesty, courage, and deep emotional resonance.

Jodie shares her journey into composition and the stories behind writing music that asks conductors and performers to truly create. From embracing vulnerability in the creative process to navigating the responsibilities of writing meaningful, inclusive repertoire, she reflects on what it means to compose with purpose in today’s musical world.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Jodie’s path to becoming a composer and educator
• How storytelling, emotion, and lived experience shape her music
• The balance between craft and courage in the compositional and performance process
• Writing with empathy, intention, and social awareness
• Advice for young composers and performers finding their artistic voice

This conversation is a powerful reminder that music is more than sound on a page—it is connection, reflection, and invitation. Jodie’s insight challenges us to listen more deeply, create more bravely, and engage more fully with the stories we tell through music.

 Tune in for a conversation that is thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply human—beyond artless.

Credits:

Percy Grainger's Colonial Song

Percy Grainger (1882–1961) Colonial Song, edited by Timothy Topolowski and Larry Clark

"The President's Own" United States Marine Band

Recorded on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va.

Capt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting

https://youtu.be/9LgwGfK-K7s?si=upWWiN6wt40pJoTl

Whirlwind 

Provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America

Whirlwind (Australia, Winner 1st Prize - Category 1) · University of North Texas Symphonic Band

The Winners & the Finalists: The 1st Frank Ticheli Composition Contest

℗ 2012 Mark Records

Released on: 2012-08-07

Conductor: Dennis Fisher

Ensemble: University of North Texas Symphonic Band

Composer: Jodie Blackshaw

https://youtu.be/RpXRdvNjZ_8?si=wNiS3FR_s9jEQG33

FREE MUSIC: 

Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project (Marie Douglas “Yellow Birds”)

https://dpi.wi.gov/fine-arts/wisconsin-arts-celebration-project-0

Beyond The Notes Music Festival (Erika Svanoe “Fanfare on Joy To The World”)

https://www.btnmusicfestival.com/

Midwest Step Up Contest
Big thanks to our sponsor, Silent Stage Podiums! If you're heading to the Midwest Clinic, swing by Booth #748 before Friday at noon and snap a creative pic on the Silent Stage podium. Follow + tag Beyond The Notes (FB) to enter.  Winners announced on the BTN FB page at NOON on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.

Prizes:
 • Best “Style” Photo: $20 Starbucks gift card + ArtLess shirt
 • Random Winner: 30 seconds of airtime on the Beyond Artless Podcast (PSA, story, advice, joke… or roast Peter)

See you at Midwest!

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