Tacet No More

Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, Joe and Yumi reflect on the second season of the podcast and highlight themes that have emerged, including embracing our personal responsibility in making change, and continuing to make space for having tough conversations.

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, Joe and Yumi are joined by three of Joe’s former students whose musical journeys have taken them into artistic, administration, and education leadership roles:

• Na’Zir McFadden is the Assistant Conductor and Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. 
• Claire Casanova is a clarinetist, teacher at Settlement Music School, and co-founder of Generation Music, a Philadelphia non-profit dedicated to providing music education to underrepresented students.
• Marquise Lindsey-Bradley is a musician and arts administrator who serves as the Marketing & Engagement Director at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Creative Program Coordinator with Olney Culture Lab.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing up around music and finding kindred spirits who were as dedicated to music as they were
• The importance of representation and being able to see yourself in leaders in the field
• Embracing persistence, opportunity, and fortuitous timing
• Finding innovative ways to reach the next generation with classical music
• “What it is like to be a professional musician who is also tasked with surviving capitalism”

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, Joe and Yumi are joined by guest Rev. Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The role of music, sermon, and architecture in the Sunday worship experience in Black churches
• The rejuvenating sense of connection music fosters for both parishioners and pastors
• Opportunities for collaboration between the Black church community and orchestras
• The balance of cherishing past traditions while also building the future

• Mother Bethel AME Church
• “And Are We Yet Alive!” hymn
• History of “Lining Out”

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, Joe and Yumi are joined by return guest is Vijay Gupta as they record live from the Suzuki and American String Teachers Association conferences in Louisville, KY in March of 2024.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Responding to trauma and healing towards a new story, and finding our own path instead of just the stories other people put upon us.
• Seeking solutions and utilizing positions of privilege to invite change.
• Opening up doors to the human right of access to music.
• Celebrating and honoring teachers that helped shape our future.
• Finding clarity in our decisions and our “no’s.”
• Staying committed to finding your purpose.

• Learn more about the Suzuki and ASTA conferences
• Street Symphony in LA
• Arthur Frank’s The Wounded Storyteller
• About Dr. Suzuki
• Suzuki Alumni Project

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, our guest is Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the director of the Greater Good Science Center.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How awe can grow over time (even in cases where we are playing the same music over and over!) when you reflect on it and build a conceptual framework for it – helping us become “more athletic towards awe”
• Embracing mystery in awe, and enjoying our own “transcendental journey in discovery” as artists
• How the collective experience of making and hearing music builds awe in community
• Staying connected to a sense of purpose that we can find in awe-filled experiences
• Breaking down boundaries to accessing awe as institutions
• Cultural differences in experiencing awe, and distinct emotions present in experiencing music across cultures

• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
• Daniel Kahneman’s research on happiness among friends
• Awe walk study
• Rachel Carson Council’s “Help Your Child to Wonder”
• About John Adams’ Scheherazade.2
• Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, third movement
• “What music makes us feel” study

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, our guests are:

• Michael O’Bryan, a practitioner and researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human well-being. Michael is the founder of management consulting firm humanature, and a Distinguished Resident Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation.
• Frank Machos is Executive Director, Office of The Arts & Creative Learning at the School District of Philadelphia. He has a PhD in Creativity from the University of the Arts, served as a music educator before his administrative roles, and is an active saxophonist in the Philadelphia music community.

In the episode, we discuss:

• How to advocate with a united voice for access to arts education in schools.
• The problematic history of public schools that has decentered humanity and prioritized inequitable outcomes.
• Reenvisioning school systems that utilize creativity to support all types of learners and future life paths beyond school.
• How education can see possibility in and partner with AI.
• What opportunities for change in education systems there might be in this moment of volatility.
• How to approach audience development in a way that doesn’t just prioritize building future paying customers.
• Real talk about the problem with allowing some arts organizations to fail while others are bailed out.

• Drexel University’s The Wealth + Work Futures Lab
• Humanature
• Philadelphia School District’s Office of Arts and Creative Learning
• Origins of school testing - “The Vexing Legacy of Lewis Terman”
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Landmark Pa. school funding case decided: The state’s system is unconstitutional”
• Preview of Khalil Munir’s 1 Pound 4 Ounces
• Resilience Theory

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What the stats tell us about the lack of change in Black musicians represented in American orchestras over the past few decades
• Jennifer and Shea’s paths to their careers in the orchestral field as Black musicians
• BON’s creation and goals to advocate and create community
• The importance of making more visible the stories of Black musicians
• Jennifer and Shea’s transitions from performance to administrative roles to better effect change
• How advocacy for Black musicians also benefits building spaces where all musicians can bring their best selves to work
• Questioning how to make tenure processes more transparent
• The need for systems to better connect musicians to envision the future of the sector they want to be a part of

• Black Orchestral Network
• Black Music Seen
• League of American Orchestras: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field in 2023
• About Hope Theory
• Book: Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education by Christopher Jenkins

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

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Joe and Yumi on Speaking Up and Taking Action

Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this first episode of the second season, we discuss:

• How to harness positive thinking as fuel for changemaking
• The orchestra sector’s reckoning with sexual assault in light of the news about Cara Kizer and the New York Philharmonic
• The importance of showing up and being a vocal advocate
• When speaking out isn’t enough, and how to move toward action
• What it means to practice citizenship from positions of privilege within an orchestra
• How to prioritize being informed and preparing to be a changemaker, even if you're early in your career

What’s your one good thing?

We’re kicking off every episode with an activity, One Good Thing. This activity will center us as we start our conversations to bring connections and openness while orienting us to the positive. 

It’s like shining a flashlight in a dark room so that we pay attention to our experience. 

“And so hearing from all of you with your own individual, one good thing. really helps expand the energy that Joe and I are here in the recording studio experiencing together. It helps magnify. It helps spread emotional sunshine. And we would love to do that with all of you.” - Yumi

So, we want to ask you, what is something meaningful? What is something you’re grateful for recently? We’d love for you to share your One Good Thing with us by sharing it on your Instagram Stories. Don’t forget to tag @TacetNoMore and hashtag #OneGoodThingTNM so we can see and share!

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Spreading the TNM Mission

Joe and Yumi talk about the impact working on the first season had on them and the community, and how exciting it is to be back and approaching the second season without hesitation. They talk about opportunities they’ve had recently to share about their musical craft and the message behind Tacet No More in new forums, including at the Association of Program Directors in Surgery convention. They talk about the superpower musicians have to share about their passion for their work as a way to inspire people in other fields.

Confronting the Status Quo

Joe and Yumi discuss the news about sexual assault in classical music organizations that has been prominent in the field lately, focusing on the story of Cara Kizer and the New York Philharmonic. They highlight that Katherine Needleman’s advocacy has brought to light many similar stories in other institutions.

Joe recently attended a protest in New York in support of Cara, and Joe and Yumi discuss the importance of showing up and making your presence known in support of those whose voices have been silenced. They highlight the various ways you can choose to speak out, and give an example of an open letter Joe wrote to the students of Project 440 in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.

They also acknowledge that sometimes speaking up isn’t enough, and that words must lead to action. They talk about the ways in which tenured orchestra musicians can work from their places of privilege to enact change.

“But the idea of leaning into that discomfort, trusting that the outcome will alleviate that weight and the heaviness of that discomfort because the outcome means a safe work environment. The outcome means a place where everyone is seen as an equal and has a voice and doesn't feel like they have to be silenced in any way. Which makes for a better culture. It makes for, to me, would then make for better music making. And a better organization or institution that can be outward facing as an example for the rest of the world. Not just via the notes we play, but how we actually handle our business.” - Joe

A North Star

Joe and Yumi encourage listeners to find inspiration in the beauty and majesty present in life as a musician, and that our goal as an industry should be for all people to be able to practice their excellence in safe spaces. They encourage musicians to think about how they practice citizenship in their institutions to help make these safe spaces possible. This includes educating yourself and accessing resources from places like League of American Orchestras and the American Federation of Musicians, even early in your career when you feel you may not yet be able to speak out as freely.

“And y'all, that's the best we can do. Because even in an overwhelming situation, the fact that we tried might be just enough in the long run to tip the scale. We may not see the scale ever tip, but in the long run…And hopefully that aids in some of this encouragement of getting folks to be active, to advocate, and to look for positive change so that we can lean into the thing that makes this art so beautiful.” - Joe

• Season 1 Episode 2 | Vijay Gupta
• Yumi and Joe at the Association of Program Directors in Surgery
• Vulture article: A Hidden Sexual-Assault Scandal at the New York Philharmonic
• The Philadelphia Inquirer article: Credible, ‘horrifying’ sexual-abuse accounts at Curtis Institute of Music, law firm finds
• White Fragility by Robin DeAngelo
• Katherine Needleman’s website
• A Letter from Joseph Conyers to Project 440 Students
• Quiet by Susan Cain

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

Follow the podcast:

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Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

We’re back for a second season, with eight new episodes coming every-other-week this summer. Episode 1 of Season 2 will be released on June 18!

Tacet No More is hosted and executive produced by Joseph Conyers and Yumi Kendall. The producers are Lindsay Sheridan and Andrew Mellor. Cover art photography by Pete Checchia. The podcast marketing strategist is Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

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Yumi and Joe reflect on the close of season one of Tacet No More and prepare us for season two to come. They look back on the beginning, acknowledging the anxiety that can come with building a space to make challenging conversations heard. They reflect on the powerful voices of the guests that joined, and expand on the importance of the themes of values and service that emerged throughout the season. What’s the final destination and where is this journey taking us? Tune in next season – coming fall 2023 – to keep being a part of this Tacet No More community!

Learn more at www.tacetnomore.com and follow us on Instagram @tacetnomore. Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, and Lindsay Sheridan. Cover art photography by Pete Checchia.