Redefining the Musician

Jenny takes us through her story of switching to the data science field. Through an entry level position, a new degree, and certifications, she has found her way at Microsoft. But, this has not stopped her from gaining professional musical experiences as well. Take a listen as she shows us how she balances her job at Microsoft, her gigs, and being a mom.

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About Jenny

Jenny Ney is a data specialist and former professional French horn player whose career spans Broadway orchestras, Carnegie Hall, and the world of cloud data platforms. As a musician, she was praised for her “heroic” and “graceful” playing and performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. She has appeared with ensembles such as the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York City Ballet, the Harrisburg Symphony, the Stamford Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the American Classical Orchestra, the West Point Band, and the Radio City Orchestra, and has performed in numerous Broadway and television productions.

Jenny trained in both performance and arts outreach as a fellow of Ensemble Connect, the highly selective program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. She earned a Bachelor’s degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.

After years as a performing musician, Jenny transitioned into technology and now works as a Solution Engineer at Microsoft, helping organizations modernize their data platforms and adopt cloud technologies. With expertise in data engineering, governance, and DevOps automation, she has led large-scale cloud modernization efforts and built enterprise lakehouse environments that enable secure analytics and AI workloads. Jenny holds certifications as an Azure Data Engineer, Data Scientist, and Databricks Data Engineer Associate, and earned a Master of Applied Data Science from the University of Michigan.

She now lives in Connecticut with her two children, a dog, and an ever-growing collection of fish.

Podcast host of "The Rogue Academic" Lexie Signor takes us through an exciting conversation. She does not shy away from saying the quiet part out loud, and through her story, we discuss many of the issues in higher ed, as well as how she's fought against the system.

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Lexie's website: https://lexiethetrumpeter.com/

Lexie's Bio: Dr. Lexie Signor is one of the most in-demand, versatile, and technically dazzling trumpet players in the Midwest; between her work as a classical soloist, a brilliantly dynamic lead player, or spinning gorgeous nostalgic melodies from days gone by she is undeniably one of the most formidable players performing for audiences across the country today. When she's not touring with acts such as Adele, Keith Urban, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, or Wayne Newton, she keeps a full docket as a one-woman-wrecking crew of studio know-how laying down tracks for up and coming artists such as the Grammy Nominated New York Chillharmonic, Latin-Jazz Grammy Nominated La Orquestra Sinfonietta, Gospel singer Joy Westbrook, Nashville guitarist Sadie Johnson, and Grammy Nominee Pepe Rivero.

Listen to Erin's story as she talks about how she's constantly redefining what balance looks like, working in software, playing on Broadway, playing in Calliope Brass, and she has also hosted her own podcast called Doublers!

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IG: https://www.instagram.com/erinplayshorn

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinozolins/

Calliope Brass IG: https://www.instagram.com/calliopebrass/?hl=en

Calliope TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calliopebrass

Websites: Erin's Horn Website | Calliope Brass | Doublers Podcast

Laura has always been heavily involved in music, both on the performance side and the education side. Until, one day in 2019, Laura decided to prioritize her happiness, her family, and her mental health. That has led to a series of decisions that have formed the life she lives now. Take a listen to this inspiring story of how Laura found a world she can live in that ticks all of the boxes.

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Laura's Bio:

Laura Young is an educator and performer based in Lake Tapps, Washington. In her musical life, she has played trumpet with a wide range of ensembles locally and abroad, most notably Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Emerald Ballet Theater Orchestra, Orquesta Cambalache, and both as a player and director with Sound Wave, the official band of the Seattle Sounders FC. Laura spent ten years teaching general music in the White River school district, where she cultivated a music community that prided itself in inclusivity, creativity, and growth through visionary teamwork. Her unique approach to elementary music and program building earned her recognition as Washington Music Educators Association’s Elementary Music Teacher of the Year in 2014. She presented workshops on improvisation, music literacy, and program development, and her groups performed at conferences and sporting events throughout the South Puget Sound. 

In 2019, Laura chose to leave music education to pursue a new path: outdoor education. She left the music classroom for one without walls, taking children out into the grass and forest to learn instead. Since then, she has developed a school garden and curricula that leverage community connections and Indigenous teachings to create a unique blend of science and social/emotional learning. In 2024, she was awarded the Pierce Conservation District’s Educator of the Year award in recognition of these efforts. She currently performs with the Rainier Symphony Orchestra and maintains a small private trumpet studio while also tending several gardens and doing all the sports with her kids.

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Episode 8:

Take a listen this week to Mirella's incredibly inspiring story! She takes us through getting her degrees, establishing a very wonderful freelancing career, and deciding to move to the music ed world.

Mirella's Bio:A former musical road warrior of the southern midwest, Mirella Gable embraced her musical education roots in 2024 and now works full time as a beginning band director in southern coastal Delaware. In the summer, Mirella enjoys performing with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta in the glorious Adirondack paradise with her husband, hornist James Rester. She holds degrees from Wichita State University (M.M. in Horn Performance), and the Eastman School of Music (B.M. in Applied Horn and Music Education), where she earned a Performer’s Certificate

Check out this episode with Lindsay, where she talks about her experience of finding her place in music. From music education, to grad school, to almost not taking the audition where she won her job, her story is packed full of relatable experiences.

Read her full bio below

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Bio: Lindsay Ring is proud to play euphonium in the United States Army Field Band, the army's premier touring ensemble. The band has already taken her from coast to coast and internationally to Switzerland and Finland. Lindsay has competed and placed in many solo and chamber competitions including the Leonard Falcone International Tuba Euphonium Competition, the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition, and the Music International Grand Prix competition, and was a featured soloist at last MWRTEC.

Burnout is a recurring issue than many musicians deal with at least once in their career. In this Episode, Ben and I talk about why burnout is so common, how burnout is built into the systems of music school and music careers, and some ways we can fight against that.

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Listen to Rachel's story as she learned that despite her love for music and teaching, the public school music ed world was not something that made her happy. She is now in the process of redefining her path and she shares that experience with all of us!

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Follow along as Serena details her story of being forced to resign from her military band position, due to the new laws against transgender military members. In this episode, you can hear not only about Serena's hardships, but also about her resilience, and the beginning of her path towards a new career.

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Tune in to this episode to hear Paden’s journey with Musician’s Dystonia. Hear all about the causes, as well as the ways he has worked on healing. Additionally, bring an open ear to hear some of the things he has to say regarding how we can change brass and wind teaching to prevent injury.

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