For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Our very special guest for today is Alexandria “Alex” Sharpe. She is one of the original members of Celtic Woman, a group that has become a worldwide sensation, enchanting millions with their unique blend of music.

As a vocalist, Alex Sharpe has a voice that is both powerful and ethereal, with a range that can soar to the heavens or whisper a lullaby. 

Sharpe has a background in musical theater. She began her career by playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in Dublin. She was asked to play Eponine in Les Misérables for the Cameron Mackintosh Company in England and Ireland and in the Concert Tour. She created the role of Bernadette in The Beautiful Game by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Alex shares how she got her first professional job at 19. She also narrates why she stepped away from performing full time and the big decision why she left Celtic Woman. She shares her emotional strain as a mother and the goal of providing his son with the healthiest and most stable childhood.

She also has tons of value bombs for us that would surely inspire all of us.

Things We Discussed

Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble that was formed in 2004. The group combines traditional Celtic music with contemporary pop, classical, and folk influences, creating a unique sound that has captivated audiences around the world. Celtic Woman's performances are known for their stunning vocal harmonies, intricate arrangements, and captivating stage presence.

The group has released numerous albums and DVDs, which have sold millions of copies worldwide. They have also embarked on several successful concert tours, performing in some of the world's most prestigious venues and collaborating with renowned musicians and orchestras.

Connect with Alex Sharpe

Website

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Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website 

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For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Michael is the Willy Wonka of songwriting coaches, a skilled host, and a motivator who helped hundreds of artists along their path through his workshops and mentoring. He is committed to deepening that journey with Write Songs You Love.

He has literally walked over 4,000 miles of Canada over an 8-year tour called “I’d Rather Walk,” sharing songs and encouraging others to share their stories on his way. Michael specializes in boutique songwriting for special occasions, group workshops for artists or businesses, and community building.

What You’ll Learn

In this special episode, Michael tells us how he is providing a space where it could be safe for people to explore music and to try screwing up and making mistakes and that perfection is not the goal.

He also shared how music has bailed him out of a lot of situations and his idea of success.

Things We Discussed

Snow King Festival - a music and culture festival in Yellowknife, Canada  that literally is held in a giant ice castle

Connect with Michael Averill

Website

Podcast

Instagram

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Our special guest for today is Christopher Sutton, owner and director of UK-based Easy Ear Training Ltd. a London-based music education technology company. Their leading product is Musical U, a membership site providing comprehensive and fully-supported training for the “inner skills” of musicianship.

Originally trained as a computer scientist, he specialized in developing music-related software for desktop and mobile with the goal of creating cutting-edge training tools to help musicians develop their ears for music.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Christopher Sutton emphasized that anything we associate with talent, including music, is learnable. He also talked about the traps musicians sometimes fall into and how imposter syndrome can kick in really strong and quite quickly make people shy away from what could be an incredibly successful path for them.

Things We Discussed

Ear training for recognizing frequency bands

How music education system leave musicians so lopsided

Musical U, a new and innovative online musical training system

Relative Pitch, a best-selling iOS app featured as “New and Noteworthy” by Apple and downloaded over 300,000 times

Musicalitynow.com - a mix of short-teaching episodes podcast

Connect with Christopher Sutton

Website (Musical U)

Facebook (Musical U)

Twitter (Musical U)

LinkedIn

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Kaytee Long Becker is the owner and founder of DIY PR, INC. in Los Angeles. She is a public relations and communications strategist. In addition to full-service PR and coaching, she has worked with many major recording artists and award shows such as the Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, and the American Music Awards. She is the creator of the DIY Music PR Academy.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Kaytee tells us her story of how she found this parallel love of media and PR and how she woke up one day and wanted to establish a PR firm in music. She also shares some big PRO tips on how to create a captivating PR pitch and shares with us literally exactly how the major labels are doing PR for their artists.

Things We Discussed

How PR is a marathon and not a sprint.

What makes a captivating PR pitch.

Misconceptions around PR.

Connect with Kaytee Long Becker

Instagram (Personal)

Instagram (DIY Public Relations, Inc.)

Website

Facebook

YouTube

LinkedIn

TikTok

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Tobias Rauscher is a “Modern Percussive Fingerstyle” guitar player from Germany and part of the modern acoustic guitar movement that is led by players like Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, and Tommy Emmanuel.

In 2015 Tobias created his own Guitar Academy to teach other aspiring guitarists how to play Modern Percussive Fingerstyle.

In October 2017 he published his first guitar book “Fingerstyle Guitar Secrets”.

Tobias has been playing shows around the world, from China to Singapore and Taiwan to the USA.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Tobias talks about the biggest mistakes musicians make, turning your passion into something that is helpful to other people, and the importance of getting a coach.

He also shares some biggest dreams and business killers.

Things We Discussed

Online Fingerstyle Guitar Academy -  an academy Tobias designed for guitarists of all skill levels from advanced beginners to professional players teaching them fingerstyle techniques, music composition, audio & video recording, and much more.

Fingerstyle Guitar Secrets - an ultimate blueprint for becoming a great modern fingerstyle guitarist

Connect with Tobias Rauscher

Personal Website

Website (Fingerstyle Secrets)

Website (Guitar Academy)

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

For the entire transcript of the interview, please click here.

Our special guest, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, is a GRAMMY®-Nominated New Age Composer and Recording Artist. She and her music have been featured in People, Bazaar, ABCFamily, GrammyAwards, Forbes, Keyboard, Newage and many more.

Her creation “The Passenger” has been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album.

Cheryl is also a trauma-informed master coach and uses that skill set to mentor other independent musicians in her mastermind called AMPLIFY.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Cheryl fills us in the blanks about how she ended up in a music career when she went to Cornell and studied marine law.

She also shares her knowledge of her concept of unconscious self-sabotage.

Cheryl also emphasizes collaboration and partnering with people that she really respects in creating something that really allows for self-expression.

Things We Discussed

GRAMMYs - The Grammys is another name for the Grammy Awards, an award ceremony to honor excellence in the music and recording industry. The statuette awarded to winners is called a Grammy. The plural form Grammys is usually used.

Ambient album - Ambient music is described on Wikipedia as “a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm.”

Connect with Cheryl B. Engelhardt

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

TikTok

YouTube

Spotify

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

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Pandora

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Our special guest today is Chris SD. He is an award-winning music producer who’s helped hundreds of musicians and artists get their music placed in top shows on networks such as Netflix, Hulu, ABC, Fox, NBC, FX, HBO, CBS, and more. Chris shares his industry knowledge on his website, syncsongwriter.com, and offers a program called “the Art of the Song Pitch” to help musicians get their music licensed.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Chris shares how he figured out a way of making music, satisfying his soul, and helping musicians make records by starting an online studio.

He also shares some relevant tips on getting sync placements, keeping labels and publishers come knocking, and riding on the coattails of all the publicity that the show or movie offers.

Chris also emphasized connecting with the top people by cutting out the middle person if you can, production level, and targeting.

Things We Discussed

The Art Of The Song Pitch is a proven step-by-step process that shows you exactly how to license your music to TV & film successfully in precise detail. It shows you exactly what to do every step of the way, right down to which song to send, and what to say in each email. We actually talk a bit about my experience going through his course on the interview.

Music libraries are essentially these big collections, catalogs of songs that people can upload their music to, and then music supervisors or anybody else who wants to use music can come there and select the music to be used in their show, movie, or ad.

Sync agents - a company that puts your music in front of directors, producers, game designers, and more.

Music supervisor - A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music-related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games, and other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required.” (Wikipedia)

Connect with Chris SD

Personal Website 

Website (Sync Songwriter)

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Youtube

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

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Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

Michael Elsner is a guitarist/songwriter/producer with over 2500 TV and Film placements to his name.

His songs have been placed in over 180 individual television series, accounting for over 850 individual episodes. Some of these include American Idol, The Voice, Good Morning America, Impractical Jokers, EXTRA, The Sing-Off, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Tracks he’s written have been used in international commercials for Audi, Mazda, Skechers and Verizon, as well as trailers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Maleficent 2, Disney’s Cinderella, Ocean's 8, Susperia, Narcos, Sneaky Pete, as well as a Super Bowl Ad for Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Michael shared his secret on how independent musicians worldwide can connect with the taste-makers in the sync licensing industry, and generate sync placements on a consistent basis with a hefty sync fee.

He also wrapped up his idea of success with personal freedom, creative freedom, and financial freedom.

He also had this philosophy of “starting at the top” which was definitely one of the reasons why he had many opportunities in a very short amount of time.

Things We Discussed

“The 4 Step Plan to Licensing Success” - free ebook 

Metadata - basically the descriptive words that have to be added to the audio file so that someone can search through catalogs of hundreds of thousands of songs for the ideal fit. Now, ideally, you want your metadata to be thorough so that you end up in the final ten or twelve songs in that search, and then of course, your song is going to be auditioned. If it's a good fit, then it goes to the next step where it actually has to get licensed.

Connect with Michael Elsner

Personal Website 

Website Master Music Licensing

Youtube Music

Apple Music

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Spotify

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

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Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music

Our special guest for today is Ion Zanca, a violist and the principal founder of the Dallas String Quartet.

In October 2022, Zanca charted at #2 on the Classical Album and Classical Crossover Album Billboard Charts with DSQ's latest album, "Love Always." Under Zanca’s tutelage, The group has played for multiple sitting U.S. presidents, the NFL, the NBA, performed at the wedding of music legends Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, released a collaboration with The Piano Guys, charted on Billboard, and acquired over 50 million streams on Spotify.

As of November 2021, the group has more than 600 million streams on Pandora, 6.2 Million views on YouTube, and over 5.8 million listeners on Spotify.

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Ion shared why he chose to go to the US rather than stay in Romania. He also explained why he used to hate the phrase “starving artist”.

Ion also has this concept of improvisation in music and the stacking of talents that we need to hear.

Another important takeaway is what Ion believes. He doesn't even care how good you are. If you come unprepared and you're on time, that’s a big X.

Things We Discussed

23ANDME DNA test -  a DNA test with the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown, personalized health insights, and more.

Fake book - a collection of lead sheets. These sheets will have the chord symbols, the basic melody, and notated chords/harmony, generally no more than one or two sheets of music per tune. A fake book could contain hundreds of such sheets, making it a very economical way to learn tunes or bring music to a gig.

Connect with Ion Zanca

Website (Dallas String Quartet)

Youtube ( Dallas String Quartet

Instagram

Spotify

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

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Instagram

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Pandora

Amazon Music

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Tiamo De Vettori is the Founder of the Musicpreneur Academy. He is an acoustic-pop singer/songwriter and was recently named as "Singer/Songwriter of the Year" by LA Music Awards.

Tiamo has been featured on FOX, CBS, NBC and MSNBC. He performed live for over 100,000 people, and recently performed on stage at the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

He is also a motivational speaker who combines his on-stage charisma with his inspiring personal stories, original songs, and acoustic guitar to provide "Keynote Concerts".

What You’ll Learn

In this episode, we learn from Tiamo about how to be passionate in your music career and at the same time being open-minded to possibilities that there is a whole other way that they could be doing their music to avoid settling, compromising, and feeling that “that's just how it is”.

He also shares how he ventured into “keynote concerts” and the progression of how he’s telling the story in his concerts.

Things We Discussed

mindset coaching - It means specifically for musicians to move from or transcend being a struggling artist to being an entrepreneur, what I call a musicpreneur, to go from struggling artist mindset to you are a business owner that's making profit, that can scale, that can grow. And the more you scale and grow and profit, the more you can touch and inspire all these people you've been wanting to reach, like, the more freedom that you have to do it because you're no longer struggling, but maybe you're thriving.

Keynote concert - a concert with the combination of inspiring personal stories, original songs, and acoustic guitar

Connect with Tiamo De Vettori

Website (Musicpreneur Academy)

Website (Keynote Concerts)

Personal Website 

Twitter

Youtube

Facebook

Spotify

Connect with Jason Tonioli

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

Spotify

Pandora

Amazon Music

Apple Music