Orchestrating Your Career

Weijun received his undergraduate degree in Composition from the Eastman School of Music and his doctorate from the University at Buffalo. Now working as a freelance composer of film and concert music in Los Angeles, his works have been performed by renowned orchestras and chamber ensembles across the United States and China. In this episode, Weijun shares his incredible musical journey from growing up in Shanghai, China, starting composition at the very young age of 13, and moving to the US to study music and pursue a musical career. He also shares about the fascinating world of composing music for video games.

WEIJUN’S EPISODE RESOURCES

Fav Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Fav Piece of Classical Music: Mahler 6, the slow movement

Fav Movie/Game Soundtrack: Final Fantasy 7 and Jurassic Park

Book Recommendation: Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk

Admired Musician: Jacob Collier

Most Useful App on Phone: WeChat

Final Resource to check out: The real world

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

CONNECT WITH WEIJUN

Website: https://www.weijunchen.com

Listen to Weijun’s Music: https://www.weijunchen.com/music

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Podcast Intro

01:25 Episode Intro

02:02 Start of Interview

02:36 Weijun’s Musical Background

14:26 Applying for Music Schools

18:13 Composition Application Process

21:33 Experience at ESM

25:13 Plans for Post-ESM

25:41 The Traditional Composer Career Pathway

27:05 Going straight into a PhD

30:54 Aspen

34:05 Post PhD Studies

36:04 Visa Process After Graduating

37:33 One Way Ticket to LA

43:36 Learning from the Real World

44:10 Orchestrating Film Music

47:14 Composer Equipment

49:04 Transitioning into Career

50:29 Composing for Video Games

58:07 Getting a Brief

1:07:52 Current Career + Looking Ahead

1:13:25 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:22:02 Connect with Weijun

1:22:29 Episode Outro

1:23:54 Weijun’s Musical Score

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠

PHOTO CREDIT

ESM

University at Buffalo

Nobou Uematsu

Jacob Collier

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Jessica Wilkins got her undergraduate degree in Oboe Performance from the Eastman School of Music and her Masters from the University of Michigan. In the midst of her studies she started a sheet music business, and after graduating built up a freelance career in the Los Angeles area. After discovering how much she enjoyed coding, Jessica then shifted to a new career and now works full time as a software developer. Throughout our interview you’ll hear about how Jessica pivoted a number of times during her journey, and how she has been able to incorporate her passions into her life and career.

JESSICA'S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Fav Composer: Debussy

Fav Piece of Classical Music: Saint-Saens Organ Symphony, met 2; Shostakovich 5; Strauss Oboe Concerto; Gordan Jacob

Movie Soundtrack: Hook

Book: Richard Brandon autobiography - is it this one? Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way; Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike; Bad Blood

Admired Musician: Ella Fitzgerald

Final Resource to check out: Evan Carmichael’s Top 10 Series

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf 

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:

Twitter: @codesgirl1991

JDW Sheet Music

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Start of Episode

00:46 Podcast Intro

01:21 Episode Intro

2:10 Start of Interview

2:45 Jessica’s Musical Background

5:54 Auditioning for ESM Regionally (not in person)

7:07 Applying to Undergrad Schools

8:12 Deciding to Go To Eastman

10:42 Arriving at ESM

14:11 Studying at ESM

15:57 Next Steps After Graduating

18:57 Career Thoughts During Masters

20:59 Starting Sheet music business

26:29 Masters experience and starting to freelance

30:35 Transitioning from Masters: moving to LA and starting a freelance career

34:58 Building up a freelance career in LA

39:37 Building up sheet music business

45:42 Breaking down the pieces of LA freelance career

48:26 Pivoting to Software Engineering

55:36 Parallels between music and software engineering

57:54 How music fits into life now

1:03:13 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:07:30 Getting started in Coding

1:11:01 Connect with Jessica

1:12:08 Final Piece of Advice

1:12:47 Episode Outro

1:14:01 “A Little Bit of April Fool” (Solo English Horn)

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ 

Jessica Wilkins “A Little Bit of April Fool” (Solo English Horn): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21XddmdthrQ 

PHOTO CREDIT

ESM

University of Michigan

Debussy

Ella Fitzgerald

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

ELLEN’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Current Fav Composer: John Williams and Maria Schneider

Current Fav Piece of Classical Music: Verdi’s La forza del destino

Fav Movie Soundtrack: Jurassic Park

Book Rec: The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten

Musician You Admire: Wynton Marsalis

Most Useful App on Phone: TonalEnergy tuner and metronome app

Social Media Accounts to Check Out: Kayla Solomon @tpt_solo and Alana Yee @alanabedootin

Resource Rec: Finding mentors

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

CONNECT WITH ELLEN:

Website: https://www.ellenshinogle.com

Instagram: @thetrumpetgal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellen.shinogle

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Podcast Intro

01:29 Episode Intro

02:20 Start of Interview

03:03 Ellen’s musical background 

03:42 Music as a career

04:22 Applying to music schools

05:24 Experience at ESM

07:50 Balancing education and performance degrees at ESM

10:10 Discovering Film Music and Moving to LA

11:06 Applying to Masters

11:45 Masters at USC

13:01 Career Shifts during Masters

14:43 Piecing Together a Freelance Career While Studying

15:37 Doctorate at UCLA

17:06 UCLA TAship

17:47 Disneyland Band - Auditioning

20:37 Disneyland Band - Playing and Performing

27:32 Other Pieces of Freelance Career

30:36 Ellen’s Doctorate

32:02 Transitioning from Doctorate to Career

33:33 Multiplying Pieces of a Freelance Career

36:27 A Typical Week of Work in Ellen’s Life

36:55 How to Prevent Burnout

39:59 Starting on Social Media 

46:56 Looking to the Future 

48:27 Movie Music

51:17 Every Freelance Career Looks Different

53:37 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:02:44 Episode Outro

1:03:57 James Burke’s The Magic Trumpet

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ 

PHOTO CREDIT

ESM

USC

UCLA

Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra

West Side Chamber Orchestra

Wynton Marsalis

Maria Schneider

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Shawn got his Bachelor’s degree in Popular Music/Keyboards at the University of Southern California, and now works as a Producer and a Music Director. Stacey got her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with piano as her primary instrument from the Eastman School of Music, and then went on to get her Master’s and her Graduate Performance Diploma from the Longy School of Music in flute performance. She is an active performer on both piano and flute nationally and internationally.

I loved learning about what a degree in popular music can look like from Shawn, and Stacey’s experience serving with the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast on flute and piccolo. It also was just so fascinating to see their different experiences in the worlds of classical and popular music, and how these two worlds intersect.

STACEY AND SHAWN’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Current Fav Composer: Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Chopin

Current Fav Piece of Classical Music (Stacey): Chopin’s Nocturnes (⁠Stacey's performance⁠)

Current Favorite Popular Music Artists: ⁠Sleeping at Last⁠ (Stacey) and ⁠Switchfoot⁠ (Shawn)

Book Rec: ⁠Harry Potter⁠ and ⁠Jim Dale audiobooks⁠ (Stacey); ⁠The Beatles: The Biography⁠ by Bob Spitz (Shawn)

Musician You Admire: ⁠Jon Foreman from Switchfoot⁠ (Shawn); musical colleagues (Stacey)

Most Useful App on Phone: YouTube and Dissect Podcast (Shawn); Messages (Stacey)

Resource Rec: ⁠Eric Booth’s The Music Teacher’s Bible⁠ (Stacey)

The Hymnal: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/album/1xOloIXXhimZeg6PNOVsv8?si=NuWdFp69TdGJYkBgN1BYRQ⁠ 

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf⁠ 

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr⁠

CONNECT WITH STACEY AND SHAWN:

⁠Stacey’s YouTube Channel⁠

Stacey’s Instagram: ⁠@littlestace714⁠

⁠Stacey’s Website⁠

⁠Stacey’s Spotify⁠

⁠Shawn’s YouTube Channel⁠

Shawn’s Instagram: ⁠@shawnshalim⁠, and/or check out ⁠@alabasterco⁠

Shawn’s Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hX5qtLjLrMxgbnI6PpSJW?si=IQPaApNyQCirFZnxWE85bw⁠ 

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:22 Episode Intro

2:09 Start of Interview

3:23 Stacey’s Musical Beginnings

9:26 Shawn’s Musical Beginnings

16:50 How Shawn got into Popular Music

24:25 Shawn’s USC Popular Music Degree

36:22 Stacey’s ESM Music Ed/Piano Experience

41:19 Stacey’s Masters Experience at Longy

51:23 Shawn’s Popular Music Career Thoughts in Undergrad

54:14 Shawn’s Transition into Career

1:01:00 Shawn’s Start in Popular Music Career

1:06:06 Stacey’s Freelance Career

1:21:40 Shawn’s Current Career

1:26:37 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:40:51 Final pieces of advice and how to connect with Shawn and Stacey

1:45:38 Episode Outro

1:47:02 Shawn and Stacey Performing with the Urbana Worship Team

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

⁠Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree⁠

PHOTO CREDIT

⁠USC⁠

⁠ESM⁠

⁠Longy School of Music⁠

⁠Patrice Russian⁠

⁠Vincent Lenti⁠

⁠Marco Granados⁠

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Annie Trimber is a social media manager, content creator, photographer and food stylist. She studied at Northwestern University, where she got a double major in flute performance and business and marketing. Annie began playing the flute at the age of 5, and had high career goals of a performance career in music. But that came to a screeching halt when she diagnosed with debilitating tendonitis in her third year at Northwestern. She had to take the fall semester of her final year off, and figure out how to pivot to a new career pathway after spending 15 years of her life dedicated to music. It’s amazing to hear how she pulled on her love for food and sustainability to forge a new pathway filled with unique and rich experiences in the food blogging, content creation space.

Dylan Price is a composer and pianist in Los Angeles who works as a freelance writer for Bleeding Fingers Music, a collective, co-founded by Hans Zimmer, of composers creating scores for film and television. Dylan has written music for shows including MasterChef on Fox and Foodtastic on Disney+, and regularly contributes to Sony Music Publishing’s Extreme Music library. He also serves as Piano Accompanist and Vocal Coach at the performing arts college AMDA.

Dylan got his Bachelor’s degrees in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music, but was always interested in the world of film and media. In our interview, Dylan breaks down numerous different aspects of composing music for tv, film and music libraries, and what his current role looks like as a remote writer for Bleeding Fingers.

DYLAN’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Fav Composer: Hans Zimmer

Fav Piece of Classical Music: Chopin Piano Etudes, with pianist Andrei Gavrilov

Fav Movie Soundtrack: Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King

Book Recs: 1989 by George Orwell; Sapiens and Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari

Admired Musicians: Hans Zimmer, Jacob Collier and Jeff Beal

Recommended Resource: YouTube Premium

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf⁠

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr⁠

CONNECT WITH DYLAN:

Dylan’s Website: ⁠https://www.dylanpricemusic.com⁠

Dylan’s Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dprice112/⁠

Extreme Music Library (Dylan's Music): ⁠https://www.extrememusic.com/search?isLyricsSearch=false&query=Dylan%20Price⁠

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training.

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Start of Episode

00:38 Intro to Podcast

01:12 Intro to Episode

2:35 Start of Episode

3:13 Dylan’s Musical Background

6:23 Starting to Write Music

9:33 Majoring in Music Theory at ESM

12:37 Applying for Composition and Music Theory

14:05 Experience at ESM

14:55 Writing a Musical Tune

16:57 Career Aspirations at ESM

19:08 Shifting to Composition

22:58 Why Film Music?

25:09 Balancing Film Music during Classical Studies

26:52 Starting Empire Film Music Ensemble

33:51 Copyright and Performing Movie Scores

37:17 Internships

40:43 Behind the scenes of scoring a movie

45:54 Working for Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control

47:51 Transitioning Into Career

55:45 Working as Christian’s Assistant

1:04:23 Dylan’s Current Career

1:06:12 Remote Writing for Bleeding Fingers

1:11:19 Looking to the Future

1:14:25 “Bleeding Fingers” Vibe Check

1:19:44 My Rapid Fire Q&A

1:27:12 Final Piece of Advice

1:28:22 Connect with Dylan

1:29:19 Episode Outro

1:30:48 Clips of Dylan's Compositions

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ ⁠

Compositions from Dylan Price (check out more on his website)

PHOTO CREDIT

⁠Masterchef⁠

⁠Foodtastic⁠

⁠ADMA⁠

⁠ESM⁠

⁠Hans Zimmer⁠

⁠Jeff Beal⁠

⁠Tom Salta⁠

⁠Mark Snow⁠

⁠Mike Patterson⁠

⁠John Williams⁠

⁠Henry Jackman⁠

⁠Jacob Collier⁠

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Dean Jamal Rossi was the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music from 2014-2024. He earned his Bachelor’s degrees in saxophone performance and music education from Ithaca College, his Master’s of Music from the University of Michigan, and Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music.

Dean Rossi was faced with his biggest professional decision when he decided to move away from the pathway of becoming a saxophone professor, to a career in music administration, serving as Dean of the School of Music at the University of South Carolina, and Assistant and Associate Dean of the Ithaca College School of Music before coming to Eastman.

It’s fascinating to learn more about Dean Rossi’s musical journey. He shares his advice on making important decisions, especially when facing challenging crossroads in life, what the job of Dean looks like, including the responsibilities that come with such a leadership role, and how he has taken concrete steps to balance and prioritize his family throughout his career.

DEAN ROSSI’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Current Fav Composer: Brahms, Stravinsky, Gershwin, Porter, anything by Paul McCartney

Current Fav Piece of Classical Music: Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess

Fav Movie Soundtrack: Out of Africa by John Berry

Book Rec: Good to Great by Jim Collins

Musician You Admire: Diana Krall

Most Useful App on Phone: Windy App

Resource Rec: Finding mentors in life

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

CONNECT WITH DEAN ROSSI:

ESM Bio: https://www.esm.rochester.edu/directory/rossi-jamal/

Email: [email protected]

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Podcast Intro

1:25 Episode Intro

2:59 Start of Interview

5:53 Dean Rossi Musical Beginnings

10:53 Pursuing music professionally

12:40 Undergrad at Ithaca - Doing a Double Major

17:07 Doing a Doctorate

19:01 After Graduating from Michigan + Teaching

23:01 After Doctorate Degree + 1st job

25:37 Moving to South Dakota

27:07 Moving to Music Administration at South Dakota

29:29 Assistant Dean at Ithaca

32:27 The Transition into Music Admin 

34:29 Turning Down ESM + Navigating Difficult Decisions

41:08 Prioritizing Family and Finding Balance

44:31 Dean at ESM - What’s the Job?

49:04 Hiring Faculty

53:26 Highlights of the Job

57:40 Challenges of the Job

1:02:57 AI and the future of music

1:05:35 Looking Forward to Retirement

1:07:48 Advice for Going into Music Admin

1:09:20 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:13:20 Final piece of advice and connecting with Dean Rossi

1:15:11 Episode Outro

1:16:16 Dean’s Rossi Performance

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ 

PHOTO CREDIT

Ithaca College

University of Michigan

ESM

University of South Carolina

Ithaca College

ESM

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

At the time of our interview, Fabian was Senior Manager of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, also known as YOLA, the LA Philharmonic’s music education program. He now serves as YOLA’s Gift Planning Officer. He studied clarinet performance, getting his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his masters at The University of Texas at Austin, and then went to Philadelphia to study with Ricardo Morales at Temple University. He held jobs in music administration working for The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival, and Oberlin College before moving to Los Angeles to work with YOLA.

CONNECT WITH FABIAN AND YOLA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-fuertes-2552951b5

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabian.fuertes.7

Work email: [email protected]

YOLA's Website: https://www.laphil.com/learn/yola/youth-orchestra-los-angeles

FABIAN’S EPISODE RESOURCES

Current Fav Composer: Mozart

Current Fav Piece of Classical Music: Mozart's Gran Partita

Fav Movie Soundtrack: anything by John Williams

Go-to Resource for Music Educators: Dr. Robert Duke

Book Rec: The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey

Musician You Admire: Ricardo Morales

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Start of Video

0:57 Podcast Intro

01:40 Episode Intro

3:04 Start of Interview

3:36 Fabian’s Musical Background

7:51 Considering Music as a Career

11:57 Undergrad Experience at Florida State University

12:55 Music, Athletics, and Performance Anxiety

14:10 Career Aspirations in Undergrad

15:13 After Undergrad

16:14 Masters at University of Texas 

19:11 After Masters

20:15 Studying with Ricardo Morales

25:28 Career Change: Moving from Performance to Music Admin

28:46 Working for Philadelphia Orchestra

31:40 Working for Aspen Music Festival

36:02 Working for Oberlin

38:46 Interviewing and Working for YOLA

43:32 Working for YOLA/Parallels between music training and working in music admin

48:41 Investing in Self

51:10 Board of Directors for Arts for LA

52:36 Impact of Mentors

53:58 Advice for Young Musicians

1:00:13 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:03:31 Connect with Fabian

1:05:07 Episode Outro

1:06:23 “What is YOLA?”

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ 

What is YOLA? | An Overview of our Young Symphony of Change: https://youtu.be/0uPfSipoE9c?si=HxVDyQu7Mu9XIRhj

PHOTO CREDIT

FSU

UT Austin

Ricardo Morales

Philadelphia Orchestra

Aspen

Oberlin

Mozart

John Williams

Ricardo Morales

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Jamal Moore is an internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, and recording artist, known for his smooth, rich tone and his vocal versatility. He studied vocal performance at the Eastman School of Music, before building up a diverse career bridging the genres of classical and pop music. Throughout the interview Jamal shares his insights into some incredible experiences: how his vocal quintet came to open for the Backstreet Boys on their European tour; his audition process for performing with Beyonce at Coachella; singing on movie soundtracks like The Lion King, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, and The Color Purple; soloing with the LA Philharmonic; putting out his own music as a singer songwriter, and more.

CONNECT WITH JAMAL MOORE

Website: ⁠https://www.jamalmoore.com⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@SingJamalSing⁠

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

Facebook: ⁠http://facebook.com/singjamalsing⁠

Twitter/X: ⁠http://twitter.com/singjamalsing⁠

JAMAL’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Fav Composer: Hugo Wolf (especially Gebet)

Fav Piece of Classical Music: Barber’s Adagio For Strings and Biebl’s Ave Maria

Fav Pop Song: John Legend's All Of Me

Fav Movie Soundtrack: Black Panther Wakanda ForeverBook Rec: ⁠The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy ⁠

Musician You Admire: ⁠Jacob Collier⁠

Most Useful Phone App: Playscore

Social Media Account to Follow: @iamtabithabrown

Resource Recommendation: Social Media (when used well!)

⁠Audible Free Trial⁠

⁠Music Free Trial⁠

TIMECODES

00:00 Intro to OYC

01:14 Intro to Episode

02:31 Start of Interview

03:53 Jamal’s Musical Background

05:50 Applying to music schools

07:26 ESM Vocal course8:52 Baritone Voice

09:37 Joining The Yellow Jackets Acapella Group

11:38 Exploring other genres

13:13 “Locking In”

14:18 The Sing-Off TV Show

17:55 Career Thinking

19:32 Singing Healthily

21:15 Transitioning Into Career

21:40 Starting a new group - the Exchange

23:05 “Figuring it out” - with the Exchange

27:30 Opening for the Backstreet Boys

33:30 Next Career Steps After Touring

38:00 Singing With Beyonce for Coachella

41:10 Applying Study To Career

42:25 After Coachella and Making YouTube Covers

45:30 Recording for TV and Film

55:30 A Day of Recording for TV and Film

58:32 Bringing Back Classical Music

59:32 Singing with the LA Phil

1:00:25 Balancing Classical and Pop Music in Career

1:01:32 Vocal Versatility

1:09:57 Rapid Fire Q&A

1:19:27 Future Plans

1:24:20 Final Piece of Advice

1:26:03 Connect with Jamal

1:27:20 Outro

1:28:51 Jamal’s Performances

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training.

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bitesbybekah⁠ Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Swiftie Newsletter: ⁠https://dearreadernewsletter.substack.com/?r=33wk9p&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist⁠

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

⁠Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree⁠⁠

⁠Jamal’s Performance of Deep River⁠

⁠Jamal’s Performance of This Is Why I Love You⁠

PHOTO CREDIT

⁠ESM⁠

⁠Backstreet Boys tour⁠

⁠Beyonce⁠

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!

Annie Ray is a the Orchestra Director and Performing Arts Department Manager at Annandale High School, and recipient of the 2024 Music Educator Award at this year’s Grammys. She studied at the University of North Texas, doing a double major with Harp Performance and Music Education and began teaching at Annandale High School in 2020. Throughout the interview she shares practical advice on how to approach teaching music, and her messages of authenticity, inclusivity and meeting every student where they are at is so inspiring. Of course we touch on her experience attending the Grammys and meeting some exciting celebrities as well!

CONNECT WITH ANNIE RAY:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annie.lehman1

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

Email: [email protected]

ANNIE’S EPISODE RESOURCES:

Fav Composer: Katie O’Hara LaBrie

Fav Piece of Classical Music: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”

Fav Movie Soundtrack: How To Train Your Dragon

Book Rec: How To Keep House When You’re Drowning by KC Davis

Musician You Admire: Irving Ray, Jacob Collier and Fulton Lee

Most Useful Phone App: Google Calendar

Resource Recommendation: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau

Audible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf

Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr

OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Annie’s TedX Talk

Giving Bach

United Sound

Downing Gives Bach

TIMECODES

00:00 Intro to OYC

01:14 Intro to Episode

02:26 Start of Interview

3:55 Annie’s Musical Background 

6:09 Majoring in Performance and Music Ed

8:49 Transition into Career

10:30 Starting at Annandale High School

12:52 Intro to New Programs

13:49 Parents Orchestra

18:56 Crescendo Orchestra

29:35 Applying for a Grammy

33:28 Grammy experience

36:08 Taylor Swift chat

38:26 Finding joy and passion in classical music 

43:26 Being authentically human at work and home

48:30 Advice for music educators

50:35 Rapid Fire Q&A

54:25 Final Piece of Advice

54:56 Connect on social media

55:49 Episode Outro

56:49 Next Episode Teaser

57:17 Annie and Irving’s Performance

ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER 

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ⁠

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

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

ABOUT THE HOST

Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. 

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH

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

Websites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠

Swiftie Newsletter: https://dearreadernewsletter.substack.com/?r=33wk9p&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ 

Annie and Irving’s Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etw78E1mGcw

PHOTO CREDIT

Annandale High School - https://annandalehs.fcps.edu/about/history

Photo of Annie and Class at Annandale - https://annandaletoday.com/annandale-teacher-annie-ray-wins-a-grammy/

Grammy for Educator - https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-music-educator-award-recipient-announced-annie-ray-2024-grammys

University of North Texas - https://www.unt.edu/locations/denton.html

Katie O’Hara Lebrie - https://www.katieoharalabrie.com

Jacob Collier - FilmMagic/FilmMagic for Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival

*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!