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Dr. Julia Baumanis is Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Bands at Rutgers University and is the first female instrumental conductor at Rutgers University in its 257 year history. Her duties include serving as the Conductor of the Rutgers Symphony Band, the Associate Director of the Marching Scarlet Knights, Director of Pep Bands, and teaching courses in instrumental conducting and music education. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Baumanis served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Central Missouri. Dr. Baumanis has also served within the music education community on the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) repertoire committee, on Music For All’s Educational Advisory Team in 2023, and is the co-Author of GO ON, Tell Your Story! Voices of Women Band Directors, a book that features the shared experiences of over 100 women band directors, published by GIA Publications in 2023. In January 2023, she was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, a professional orchestra serving the New Brunswick, NJ area for the past 62 years.

A graduate of The Florida State University College of Music, Dr. Baumanis received her bachelor’s in Instrumental Music Education, her master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting, and her PhD in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting. Prior to graduate school, she taught public school in south Florida as the Associate Director of Bands and Orchestras at J.P. Taravella High School and the Director of Orchestras at Ramblewood Middle School.

An active performer, educator and researcher, Dr. Baumanis has presented her research internationally, including at the NAfME Research Symposium, the CBDNA National Conference and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Most recently, her research has focused on developing a conductor’s baton that records data collected from a conductor’s expressive gestures. She hopes to implement this technology in the conducting classroom as a technological tool to assist beginning conductors in developing their craft.

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Peter Randsman, founder of Randsman Artists, represents more than 60 international singers, instrumentalists, conductors, and composers - after a long and storied performance career of his own! Peter drops in for a chat with Marty and Jackie about all things artist representation! 

Learn more about Peter at www.randsman.com

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Attennnnnn-HUT! 

Staff Sargeant Chelsea Friedlander of the US Army Chorus, "Pershing's Own", rings in our second season with her story of surviving boot camp to earn a spot in this prestigious musical ensemble, and all the joys and quirks of one of the most unique music jobs out there! 

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Episode 6!
Marty & Jackie ring in 2025 with a fantastic conversation with celebrated pianist and accompanist Stevie Ryan -  in 2001 Steven Ryan took first place in the Concours des Grand Amateurs de Piano international competition, after which he was immediately engaged to return to the Sorbonne in Paris to perform Tchaikovsky's Concerto in B-Flat Minor, which was filmed by the national television station France 2. As well as winning the French competition, Mr. Ryan took second prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs held in 2000.
Since then, he has carved a niche for himself as one of the region's premiere accompanists - for choirs, soloists, orchestra, and everything in between. He is currently the staff accompanist at Montclair State University and at the acclaimed Dessoff Choirs in NYC. 
We talk about the joys and woes of practicing, the art of collaborative piano and working with conductors, and as he puts it himself - 'just making music beautiful'. 

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Dr. Chris Shepard, conductor extraordinaire, shares his wisdom of all things choral conducting!  We talk about inspiring teachers, conducting choirs in all forums from schools to community choirs to pro groups, conducting orchestras with choirs, and how the career paths have changed over the years. A MUST WATCH for anyone interested in this awesome field! 

Podcast is available on all major streamers! Enjoy! 

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Talented, generous, hilarious....teddy bear?! Award-winning composer Tarik O'Regan shares his experiences with the British vs American school systems, finding his roots in his music, writing for different genres, composing for King Charles' Coronation, and managing the business side of things, too.  Gosh, what to say. He's just the best. We dare you to listen and disagree!

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Fabulous career soprano and now opera director Karen Driscoll drops in us to share her wisdom about all things opera and coming up as a modern singer - from managing auditions, young artist programs, early roles, and transitioning into academia and opera directing, this episode has got it all for anyone interested in the incredible world of opera. 

Podcast is available on all major streamers! Enjoy! 

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Alex Dezen is a platinum-selling songwriter, producer, mixing engineer, solo artist, and the lead singer and songwriter for the American rock and roll band The Damnwells, who just released their sixth full album “Bad at Beautiful” and will be performing an album release show on Nov 14 in NYC. The band was the subject of the 2007 documentary Golden Days which followed the band’s signing to Epic Records and recording of their debut album, and some of the business issues surrounding its release and its delays. 

He has written and released songs for artists such as Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke, JoJo, and The Veronicas, and also written for and worked with a number of additional artist such as The Dixie Chicks, Dave Grohl, Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri, Simple Plan. 

Alex also co-owns a boutique record label where he works with other artists producing songs and operates an in-house recording studio. 

The trio bonds over being from Jerzey, talks about the Damnwell's formation in Brooklyn, branching out into a solo career, his lyric process, and some of the ins-and-outs of industry collaboration. 

It's a thoughtful and fun chat that anyone interested in the field of songwriting should listen to! 

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Welcome to the very first episode of our new podcast, "There Are No Jobs in Music?" with your hosts Marty Sedek and Jackie Burkat! 

In each episode, we interview a professional musician making their living somewhere in the field of music - they'll offer perspectives on what their lives and jobs are like, how they got there, what keeps them there, and offer their advice for people thinking about a career in music. 

In our first episode, Marty's college buddy, film composer Fred Emory Smith stops by - the trio chat about their Berklee days, moving to LA and starting a life as a film/tv composer, the importance of orchestration, techonology, and the interpersonal relationships with directors and music team members. 

Podcast is available on all major streamers! Enjoy! 

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*Wow, Marty's audio sucked on this one. We'll figure that out :)

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