Sara Caswell - collaboration and giving yourself the opportunity to explore and grow

In this episode, Monica sits down with jazz violinist, Sara Caswell during the Jazz Education Network Conference in New Orleans last month. They talk about her early experiences with different styles of music and how she made the decision to focus more on jazz and what drew her to it. Sara shares how she reached the conclusion that she wanted to move to NYC and they explore the feelings around that decision, and the challenges of figuring out if something is working for you. They talk candidly about different emotions that come up in life, how we emote through music, and how to deal with those emotions, especially professionally.  Sara shares how she grows from a variety of musical situations and gives her recommendations on starting your own group. Monica and Sara confess the nerves they both get around showing bandmates new music and the need for constructive feedback, learning and growing from the musicians around us. Sara gives a little behind the scenes into how the making of her new album was a transformation, and how she channeled her inner courage and confidence, including how vital and important it is to collaborate and surround yourself with a supportive team of people.  Sara Caswell is a musician, educator, bandleader, arranger and composer who has worked with artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Linda Oh, and Brad Mehldau. She teaches at Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music. _____________ To support our mission, please join our Patreon page - Patreon.com/BraveMusician. _____________ See the show notes at BraveMusician.com/podcast.