This week's guest is Dr. Katy Carnaggio. From recording studios to live television, concert hall stages to a canopy of trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Katy Carnaggio has enjoyed performing professionally for audiences across the United States. Katy is Creative and Managing Director of Fearless Performance, coaching performers of all specialties to share the best versions of themselves in performance and to make their best better.  A cognitive science researcher, Katy has done work on the psychological, developmental, and neurolinguistic underpinnings of music performance. Her cutting-edge, research-grounded methods in practice, preparation, and execution were awarded by the Presser Foundation in 2020. Katy has worked with Jeff Nelsen over the past four years to create tools to fill the gaps in musicians' training, including online courses, a performance training podcast called Performing Beyond Doubt, and most recently, an innovative online performance academy and lab called Elevate.

Our guest this week is has to be my favorite Canadian, pig-farm-raised magician horn players in the world: Jeff Nelsen is the current horn player with the world famous Canadian Brass and has spent a total of over 10 years touring and recording with them, Jeff has also performed concerti and chamber music on six continents, and in the horn sections of dozens of orchestras including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and the Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Montreal, and St. Louis Symphonies. He is professor of horn at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and is founder of Fearless Performance LLC, a company that focuses on training musicians and more to consistently perform their best. 

Jeff knows how important one’s mental approach is to high-level performing, and in this interview we discuss his Fearless performance training system and online learning community, as well as Jeff’s experiences with the mental and emotional challenges present in performing, and how he has trained himself to overcome these challenges. I have spent a lot of time in my life listening to Jeff and working with him, but there is something new or excited that I discover every time we talk, and I am sure you will feel the same way after this conversation.

My guest this week is composer, arranger, guitarist, and producer, Graham Campbell. Based in Toronto, Canada, Graham’s colorful and melodic chamber music grounded in jazz, folk, and cinematic styles has been heard at many major festivals across Canada and Europe, including the Ottawa Chamber Fest, The Festival of the Sound, and the Tiberius International Chamber Festival. He collaborates often with his father, world renowned clarinetist James Campbell, including on the full-length album As You Near Me, which features Graham as a composer, arranger, guitarist, and producer. His film scoring credits include the post-apocalyptic sci-fi "My Girl, Skelly", which was an official selection at the Markham International Film Festival and a finalist at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival, and the animated short "Predestination" for which his orchestral score won Best Original Score at the Anatolia Film Festival in Istanbul.

​Graham also has extensive experience as an educator spending over 10 years working with Strings Across the Sky, a program that teaches traditional fiddling to indigenous children.

Graham’s experience as a meditator plays a roll in his life as a performer, educator, and composer. In this interview we discuss his background in mindfulness meditation and Alexander technique, including what his daily practice looks like now, and how meditation directly influenced several of his pieces on his new album, “Palms Upward.” We also discuss how mindfulness has helped him with performance anxiety as a professional guitarist. 

Jessica Escobar is a longtime violinist with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and other ensembles all around Nevada and beyond. By day, she works across the street from the Pioneer concert hall as a full-time certified court interpreter for the Second Judicial District Court of Nevada. In her job as interpreter, she helps people oflimited English proficiency gain access to justice by bridging the language gap in court proceedings. 

In addition to her current career as an interpreter, Jessica used her double major in French and Anthropology to teach English and French classes first in France for two years, then here in Reno at the University of Nevada and Truckee Meadows Community College. She has translated and interpreted for regional police departments, hospitals, mental health facilities, courts, and even the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair as a freelancer for ten years before obtaining her current position.

After learning more about the role of interpreters, its easy to see why a 2001 study placed interpreters in thecategory of "high-stress professions," which included

So in July 2017, Jessica decided to take up Transcendental Meditation, or TM for short, in hopes of improving her quality of life and preventing future health problems

In our conversation we talk about how Jessica first was introduced to Transcendental Meditation and what drew her to that practice specifically, how she views her musical life and meditation, and some recommendations for how to get started if you are interested in TM.

Jessica has seemingly boundless energy and kindness and brings such a wonderful presence with here to every situation. It was a pleasure to talk with her and I am sure you will all get a lot out of this conversation. 

I am very excited to announce this week’s guest and Reno local, Gary Mayne. 

Gary has performed, recorded, taught, presented clinics and provided masterclasses at Universities, public schools, conferences, and festivals around the world.  He regularly presents on topics of mental health at universities such as the Eastman School of Music, Arizona State University, University of North Texas, University of Iowa, and the University of Nevada Reno. Gary served as the trombone teacher at the LeBam Music Camp in Beirut, Lebanon as well as an ensemble director at the Cyprus Jazz Workshop in Nicosia, Cyprus.  

As a big band performer he has performed and recorded regularly with groups such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Ben Markley Big Band, The Arturo Sandoval Mambo Big Band the David Caffey Jazz Orchestra, and many more. 

As a symphonic musician, Gary has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Reno Philharmonic, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Opera Colorado, the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wyoming Symphony and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and has toured as a member of the SPARK Brass Quintet. Gary also spent 10 years as the trombonist with Big Head Todd and the Monsters and has performed and recorded with them in Colorado, Florida, and the Caribbean as well as performing at numerous festivals with multiple headlining shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater.

In addition to his impressive musical credits, Gary is a licensed therapist in Reno and owns Sound Minds Mental Health PLLC. Gary specializes in treating trauma and working with couples, but also works with general needs like anxiety, depression, grief, and other human experiences.  Gary attended the University of Northern Colorado and Trinity Washington University in Washington, DC.Gary has a truly unique and special combination of experiences that provides deep understanding into the mental health challenges that musicians face. He valuable suggestions in this interview are applicable to just about everyone, musician or not, but can easily be applied to the specific challenges that musicians face.

My guest this week is Brad Cole, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor working out of Denver, CO. Brad is also a Case Manager and a member of the Clinical Team for Backline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources. 

Brad has worked with Backline for over 2 years now, and directly supports the Clinical Director and Director of Case Management. Brad works directly with Backline clients coming through Backline’s Case Management service, runs support groups for Backline, and provides consultation for all new Case Managers. One of Brad's main projects at Backline is the free grief support group, Waves: Mindful Grieving for the Music Industry. Outside of Backline, Brad works as a therapist under supervision in the State of Colorado and has recently achieved with LPCC licensure. He has a passion for the industry, loves live music, and is very passionate about supporting a community that has brought so much peace, joy, and excitement into his life. 

In this episode we discuss some of the mental health challenges of the music industry that Brad helps his clients to face, how to keep an eye out for the ever-threatening burnout, and some helpful tips on how to encourage better mental and emotional wellbeing in the challenging, but highly rewarding professions we find in the music industry. You can tell from the way he talks that Brad is very passionate about his work in this crucial area, so I know you will get a lot out of this conversation. 

• Homepage for Backline: backline.care/
• Brad's Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindfulmusicallife

This week's episode features Jarrett McCourt. Jarrett has been named one of Canada’s “hottest 30 classical musicians under 30”, and currently serves on faculty at Vanderbilt University, and performs as Principal Tuba with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and has appeared with some of the world's top ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Canadian Brass.

Passionate about mental health and suicide prevention, Jarrett has been a guest on popular music-themed podcasts including The Brass Junkie, That’s Not Spit It’s Condensation and Sound Mind Musician, speaking largely about ways to stabilize and improve one’s mental health as a musician in the 21st century. In his spare time, Jarrett works as a supervisor with the Crisis Text Line, a global not-for-profit organization providing free crisis intervention and suicide prevention via SMS message. 

Jarrett has also visited several colleges, universities and summer festivals to speak, including Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, DePaul University, the New World Symphony, and the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar. Moreover, Jarrett is a certified yoga instructor, and is a firm believer in the positive effects of mindfulness on one's happiness.

In this interview we discuss the importance of mental health for all musicians at every level, how Jarrett keeps himself calm through the demanding work of audition preparation, and some suggestions about how to monitor your own mental health and offer support to others as well. Not only is Jarret a performer at the highest level, but his experience with helping others with mental health makes his advise truly special.

• Website: www.jarrettmccourt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jarrettmccourt
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jarrett.mccourt

My guest this week is cellist, Gloria Lum. Gloria has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1985, and in her 30 plus years with the orchestra has performed all over the world, and for many of the world’s best conductors.  A frequent participant in the LA Phil’s Chamber Music series, she has appeared with André Previn, Emanuel Ax, Lars Vogt, and Joshua Bell. Gloria also currently teaches cello and chamber music at Occidental College.

In addition to her impressive performance career and reputation, Gloria is the founder of Audition Confidential, a program that helps cellists train more efficiently for auditions through detailed techniques and strategies, both musical and mental. 

In this interview we discuss the inspiration for Gloria’s program, what she has seen in her many years serving on audition committees for the LA Phil, and how she helps students strengthen their mental approach to performance. 

Gloria is a kind, passionate educator and mentor, and offers a lot of valuable advice for musicians at all stages of performance preparation. 

My guest this week is Emily Rodriguez Quirós. Emily is a tenured professor of violin at the National University of San Agustín in Arequipa, Peru, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate violin students. Also, Emily is a certified instructor in Mindfulness Based Wellness and Pedagogy, and incorporates mindfulness into her violin studio teaching. 

She has participated in several international music festivals in Puerto Rico, United States and Europe, and has played with different symphony orchestras and chamber music in the Caribbean, United States, South America and all over Europe. Moved by the talent of the children and young musicians of Peru she created the VerArte International Music Festival in 2015, with the intention of offering students the best quality lessons and musical exchanges with internationally recognized teachers. 

 In our conversation, Emily discusses how she merges mindfulness with her violin pedagogy, the common areas of hesitancy she sees in students when first learning mindfulness skills, and how mindfulness has really helped her as an educator and performer at the highest levels. Emily has a beautiful philosophy regarding music education and her insights into how to incorporate mindfulness elements into teaching are not to be missed.

• Emily's professor page: www.unsa.edu.pe/experiencias-pedagogicas/emily-delphy-rodriguez-quiros/
• Email: [email protected]

Last week the University of Nevada Reno was lucky enough to host two incredible musicians for master classes and performances, Priya Darshini and Max ZT. Despite a very full schedule, they were gracious enough to squeeze in an hour for the wonderful conversation you are about to hear!

Priya has collaborated with a wide range of artists from Pearl Jam; GRAMMY® Award winners Roy “Futureman” Wooten; Jeff Coffin, Philip Lassiter, Silk Road Ensemble’s Shane Shanahan; virtuoso ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, Dave Eggar, Karsh Kale, House of Waters, and many more. In 2020, Priya released her sophomore solo album – Periphery –and was nominated for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Award for Best New Age Album. Based out of Brooklyn, New York Priya has sung for over a hundred television and radio commercials, as well as recorded for several award-winning and chart-topping  movie sound tracks.

Lauded as the “Jimi Hendrix of dulcimer” by NPR, Max ZT has performed with the likes of Ravi Shakar, Jimmy Cliff, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, and so many more. His band House Of Waters — who release music on Snarky Puppy’s GroundUP Music — have been deemed “truly mesmerizing” (All About Jazz) and “a sight to behold” (Timeout NY). House Of Waters have toured throughout the world including Europe and India, and their latest release is their 2019 album Rising, produced by GRAMMY-winner Guy Eckstine (Herbie Hancock).

Max and Priya both ascribe to a mindful approach to their musical creativity and performance. We discus their musical training and how important one’s point of view can be to success, and how to handle challenging surges of emotion or thoughts during a performance, and much more!. Their insights into the philosophy of a musical life are refreshing and inspiring, and I am sure you will enjoy this conversation very much! 

• Website: www.maxzt.com
  • Albums available here and on all streaming sources
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/maxzt

• Website: www.priyadarshini.com
  • Albums available here and on all streaming sources
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/priyism