Growing up as “the woman” in my school band, I did not feel encouraged to pursue music as a career. It was the female figures of jazz that inspired me to keep going. Today, we have more amazing female role models and inspirations in jazz, such as Dr. Molly Miller.

This week, we had the pleasure of talking to Molly on Playin’ Around With Playbook, an IGTV series where Sammy and I interview educators, performers, and artists on their life experiences and knowledge.

Since Dr. Molly Miller picked up a guitar at age seven, she’s been captivating audiences with her sophisticated and raw style. She’s one of Los Angeles’s most sought-after musicians, recording and touring with artists such as Jason Mraz, Black Eyed Peas, Donna Missal, and Morgxn, at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, Coachella, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. In her feature in the renowned magazine, Guitar, Michael James Adam notes, “she slings the guitar like a wordsmith, wry and sarcastic with a playful slant and flows from hushed whisper to bursts of elation with aplomb”. She is in the house-band on The Bachelor’s newest ABC primetime show, Listen To Your Heart. Soon after earning her Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Southern California in 2016, she became the chair of the Guitar Department at Los Angeles College of Music, a position she still holds. When Miller’s not on tour, running a guitar department, or in the studio, she heads her own trio, Molly Miller Trio, showcased on NPR’s Fresh Air.

We are so thankful to have Molly as a mentor here at Playbook! Get started learning from Molly today with a free trial.

Enjoy!

Trista Ford.

At the peak of the pandemic and virtual school, many educators lost their drive. One educator stayed as inspired and inspiring as ever. Our friend and mentor, artist and educator Tony White. When it comes to his approach he says, “the most important thing in teaching is engaging the human experience and engaging human beings.” This can never be replaced and is at the forefront of the Playbook approach.

This week on Playin’ Around With Playbook, Sammy and I sat down to talk with Tony about his experience teaching and fostering the human connection in his band room. Tony White has been honored with the prestigious Bravo Award Finalist and Fulfillment Fund for his work in music education. He has also received a UC Riverside Chancellor Award, a Humanitarian Award from the Omni Youth Music Awards and Outstanding Soloist Awards from The National Association of Jazz Educators. As director of the LAUSD All Marching Band, he has spent over 30 years uplifting generations of students.

We are so glad to have Tony as a friend and source of wisdom here at Playbook!

Enjoy!

Trista Ford.

I was 16 years old when I first heard Grace Kelly play the saxophone. I was attending a concert for The Grammy High School Band at The Vic in Los Angeles. I was there to see my friend, classmate, and singer extraordinaire, Lauren Desberg.

I was a junior at LOS ANGELES COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS so I had heard skilled young musicians before. What I hadn’t heard was a musician my age play with such sophistication and soul. I was floored by Grace. She showed me that we might be young, but we didn’t need to play like kids. Grace was a seasoned veteran, lifting up the entire band. Her passion for music was genuine and infectious.

Since then she’s been tearing up the music world. From performances at The Newport Jazz Festival to the Hollywood Bowl, being part of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and being a featured soloist with the Boston Pops.

She is a blast to be around and one of the great educators of our generation. I’m blessed to call her a collaborator and a dear friend.

Grace joined our Playbook Ambassador, Trista Ford on our weekly IGTV show, Playbook Interviews full interview here).

Enjoy!

Sammy Miller

As a music educator, my guiding principle is: if you believe in students, they will believe in themselves. You must arm them with the self-confidence and inner drive to reach their full potential on their own volition. This isn’t always an easy task.

When I learned of Mickey Smith Jr. and his mindset, I was uplifted. As a source of inspiration for the music education community, Mickey encourages us all to “keep on going!” Educators must push for purpose in their lessons and approach the classroom with “mindfulness, resilience, and significance.”

As a motivational speaker, musician, and the 2020 Grammy® Music Award Winning Educator of the Year, Mickey’s knowledge, and passion for music is endless. After his tenure at Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur, LA, he is now the music director at the Greene School in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he continues to inspire us all. This week on Playin’ Around With Playbook, Sammy and I were able to sit down and speak with Mickey.

We are so glad to have Mickey as a friend here at Playbook!

Enjoy!

Trista Ford.

Throughout my journey as a musician and educator, I’ve had many sources of inspiration. I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of them. However, there have always been moments where I wished I could find out more; find out what kept them going, and why they did what they did.

For this reason, Sammy and I decided to create the Playin’ Around With Playbook IGTV Series, in which we interview educators, performers, and artists on their life experiences and knowledge. Sammy and I decided to connect the Playbook community to their mentors.

To start us off, we decided to interview the man himself, CEO and Founder of Playbook: Sammy Miller. A native of Los Angeles, Juilliard trained-Grammy® nominated drummer Sammy Miller has been hailed as “the perfect player scholar” (The Wall Street Journal). He has spent the last decade touring with his joyful-jazz band, The Congregation, working with over 60,000 students in 350 schools. Miller has developed and consulted to build music curriculum for institutions including Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Whitney Museum, Los Angeles Unified School District, JazzED (Seattle), FirstWorks (Rhode Island), and The Juilliard School.

After a decade of innovative work, Miller founded PLAYBOOK to bring conservatory music education into K-12 schools. He currently lives in New York City, where PLAYBOOK is headquartered.

Trista Ford