Phoenix-based saxophonist/composer/educator Mary Petrich stops by the VJC Q&T podcast for a spirited conversation with host Russell Schmidt. A founding member of the Nash Composers Coalition, Mary is deeply admired by her peers for her uniquely creative voice, both as a performer and composer. Join us today as we share questions and tangents on such matters as how practice habits can morph into compositions, the connection between vibration in one’s horn and vibration in the body, and even consider how the creative process might be analogous to excavation.

NOTE: This episode was recorded in late February 2020. It is the final VJC Q&T episode to be recorded prior to the massive upheaval resulting from the global pandemic. While thought was given to shelving this episode–as the current state of affairs goes blissfully unmentioned throughout–the decision was made to release it nonetheless, in large part because it frequently focuses on beauty in the creative process.

Noted classical artist/teacher Nancy Buck (Arizona State University Associate Professor of Viola; Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy) returns to the VJC Q&T podcast, joining host Russell Schmidt for more questions and tangents. Nancy and Russ have shared a journey together in music education since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation, and have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage for more than 20 years. In this second of their podcasts together, they discuss why playing with others must be an “ears-over-eyes” experience, what it means to contribute texture to music, and even how varieties of chocolate might relate to a performing artist’s concept of sound.

VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with classical artist/teacher Nancy Buck (Arizona State University Associate Professor of Viola; Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy). They have shared a journey together in music education since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation, and have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage for more than 20 years. In this first of two podcasts together, they discuss the pervasive impact a great mentor teacher can have, the factors that shifted her path from violinist to violist, and even the unexpected benefits that may fall to the first student of the day to get a lesson.

The tables have turned. In this episode, VJC Q&T producer Caleb Kilian interviews the usual podcast host, Russell Schmidt. Together, they share questions and tangents on a number of subjects, including the intersection of objectivity and subjectivity in education, how a mentor teacher continues to impact his life thirty years after his passing, and even why musicians “playing in parallel” might not be as good a thing as it sounds.

VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with Emmy-winning recording engineer/composer Clarke Rigsby (Founder/Owner of Tempest Recording in Tempe, AZ). In various studio recordings and/or live performances, Clarke has collaborated with such artists as Joey DeFrancesco, Bo Diddley, Paul McCartney, Blake Shelton, Stevie Wonder, Trisha Yearwood, Tower of Power, and many, many other greats. Join Russ and Clarke in a spirited discussion as they explore the sense of occasion that can happen for musicians entering a recording studio, why system upgrades aren’t always evidence of progress, and even what is or isn’t lurking inside a tube amp. (Spoiler alert: Those aren’t light bulbs back there.)

VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and educator Pam Morita (The Nash Futures Workshop, Paradise Valley Community College). In this episode, they discuss Pam’s transition from a classical piano student to a working jazz musician, why she is particularly motivated to work with music students who are at the beginning of their jazz journeys, and even how a more optimistic worldview allows her to find beauty in some interesting places.

In this episode, host Russell Schmidt takes the VJC Q&T podcast in a surprising direction. As part of a goal to explore creativity in different fields, and not merely within the realm of jazz musicians, he shares questions and tangents with comedian Genevieve Rice (https://genevieverice.com/). Among the topics considered: how a one-time, open mic opportunity grew into a stand-up career, whether or not the writing of a particular joke is ever truly finished, and even the impact motherhood has had on her comedy.

In this special Jazz Educators Panel episode, VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with artist-teachers Tito Carrillo (Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Paul Ferguson (Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University). Together, they discuss preferred pedagogical approaches and examine trends and tendencies found with their current students. Among the topics considered: the differences between a practice mindset and a performance mindset, the educational benefits of free improvisation, and even the value of a more tactile learning experience.

VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt continues to share questions and tangents with jazz pianist, organist, composer, educator Michael Kocour (Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University). In this second of two podcasts together, they discuss the sometimes-random nature in discovering one’s passions and influences, the deeper truths revealed on vinyl records, and even the lengthy path to be travelled just to join a school’s “stage band”.

VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz pianist, organist, composer, educator Michael Kocour (Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University). In the first of two podcasts, Mike and Russ discuss the potential dangers a sabbatical can bring, talk about an unlikely mentor for the study of Brazilian music, and even find a point at which Oscar Peterson and Johnny Costa intersect.