Things Musicians Don't Talk About

By Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal

Hattie Butterworth and Rebecca Toal host a podcast of insight and change in the classical music and arts professions. Delving into the often stigmatised worlds of mental health, injury, discrimination... more

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FAQs about Things Musicians Don't Talk About:

How many episodes does Things Musicians Don't Talk About have?

The podcast currently has 119 episodes available.

Things Musicians Don't Talk About episodes:

June 04, 2025 96. Back again, but different
Entering our YouTube era...! And we're talking about returning to things we didn't expect to: Hattie to America and Becca to the harp.

We also have a good ol' think about child prodigies, faith and praying, and Becca obsesses further about JULY.

We've got some absolutely stellar interviews lined up for release, so stay tuned.

Thank you to forScore for advertising with us and to the Royal Society of Musicians for their ongoing support 🙏

forScore: https://forscore.co

Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast
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Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal
Editor: Rebecca Toal
Music: Katy Ehrlich
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
35min
May 25, 2025 95. Meditation for musicians: calming the inner critic
After a performance we term as 'bad', it can be difficult to return to a sense of confidence in our playing. In this fourth mediation, Ruth Philips leads a meditation to disarm the inner critic and restore a sense of peace and acceptance in our performing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
17min
May 18, 2025 94. Meditation for musicians: connecting with your audience
Our aim as musicians is to communicate generously and freely to our audience but we rarely turn towards ourselves with the same degree of care. In this meditation, Ruth Philips leads a loving kindness practice, exploring how it might be to extend that kindness outwards towards our audience
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
18min
May 10, 2025 93. Meditation for musicians: reconnecting with your instrument
This meditation aims to bring you closer to your instrument and aid in healing any sense of disconnect you may be feeling

Discover Ruth Philips

*Ruth Philips and Lucy Russell are running a course 'Mindfulness for Musicians' at Benslow Music from 13-15 June. More information here*
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Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
23min
May 02, 2025 92. Meditation for musicians: pre-performance anxiety
A meditation for musicians lead by cellist and mindfulness meditation teacher Ruth Philips for use to calm the mind around stage fright and performance anxiety.

Discover Ruth Philips

-------------------------------------------------------------
Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
20min
April 23, 2025 91. I wasn’t as good at the cello as I thought I was
'On returning from America, I listened back to lots of my old recordings and discovered a paradox: I had no confidence but also thought I deserved more – thought I was better than I really was'. Hattie sits down to share reflections from her trip to America from health anxiety and Curtis, to self-love and deleting dating apps
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
23min
April 15, 2025 90. Lucy Humphris: embracing otherness
This week we interview trumpet player Lucy Humphris about her journey through music college and the contemporary music scene. We speak about the institutional barriers Lucy and others face as a female brass player with a non-traditional career trajectory, sharing her experiences of feeling "othered" and misunderstood.

From battling expectations of orchestral conformity to navigating the complex landscape of contemporary music, Lucy reveals the personal and professional struggles of forging her own path. She explores themes of identity, resilience, and the often unspoken challenges musicians face when their artistic vision doesn't align with traditional institutional norms. Lucy inspires us with her story, her dedication to artistic integrity, and the way she's found her place in the contemporary music world.

Thank you Lucy!

Check her out further:
Website
Youtube
Instagram

Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal
Editor: Rebecca Toal
Music: Katy Ehrlich

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
49min
March 26, 2025 89. Rigid control, guilt and returning to exercise
Eating disorders and intense practice obsession have a lot in common. How do we move from an 'all or nothing' mindset to something structured and regular? Becca shares the start to her return to exercise following healing from an eating disorder and Hattie shares the parallels to the toxic relationship she has to the cello and hours of practice
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
32min
March 08, 2025 88. Beyond the 'woman' conversation: Gillian Moore and CN Lester Live at RSM
There are statements made time and time again when you approach the topic of women in music: 'but historically music by men is just better', 'I'm sick of this wokeism in classical music' and 'people won't buy tickets to concerts of just women's music'. CN Lester and Gillian Moore join us live at the Royal Society of Musicians to unpack these statements and uncover the truth to performance, programming and pessimism around classical women composers.

Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal
Editor: Katy Ehrlich
Music: Katy Ehrlich
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
1h 4min
February 21, 2025 87. Emily White on grief, teaching and the joy of letting go
10 years ago trombonist Emily White lost her husband after a prolonged period of illness. She was thrown into the worlds of death admin and loneliness, but out of it discovered a perspective on what was important as a musician. She shares with Hattie and Becca an insight into her grief journey, as well as her infectious joy of teaching and hatred of the word 'should'. Emily also takes them through her interest in research about practice and performance optimisation and how much joy is able to impact us positively as musicians.

Learn more about Emily here!

Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support TMDTA
Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta
Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-about
Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal
Editor: Oscar Gormley
Music: Katy Ehrlich
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
1h 10min

FAQs about Things Musicians Don't Talk About:

How many episodes does Things Musicians Don't Talk About have?

The podcast currently has 119 episodes available.

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