Redefining the Musician

Take a listen to Serayah's story where she details how she used her music education degree in an untraditional way. She details her story of keeping doors open and getting a variety of opportunities that have built her career to what it is today. Google Form to be on the show: https://forms.gle/zjs85wmMuRgpLk276Serayah's Bio: Serayah Peters is a crossover artist, voice teacher, and arts leader based in Abilene, Texas. A summa cum laude graduate of Hardin-Simmons University in choral music education, she has built a dynamic career spanning performance, nonprofit leadership, and teaching. She previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Abilene Philharmonic and now serves as Director of Annual Giving at McMurry University. Serayah is also a music director with Chorus Abilene, where she founded two ensembles. Most recently, she was selected to present at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, one of the largest music education conferences in the country. She continues to pursue a well-rounded career in the arts while encouraging others to explore paths that align with their own passions and purpose.  Serayah's Social Media:Website - serayahpeterssoprano.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/serayahpeters_sopranoFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/serayahp.musicYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/@serayahpeters_sopranoEmail - [email protected]

Have you wondered what it would be like to switch to another career? What qualifications you would need, what the job is like, if you might be a good fit for that job?This episode is for you! This is Part 1 in a series of interviews detailing all of these things about specific career paths. Each episode will feature 10-20 minute interviews compiled together of different careers. This episode features:Music Retail (Guest: Kody Hartman) - 1:19Arts Administration: Development (Guest Jordan Parks) - 18:39Environmental Politics: Schooling (Guest Lydia Rose) - 43:15Environmental Politics: Workforce (Guest Keith Curl-Dove)- 53:17Law School (Guest James Bargar) - 1:05:40Insurance Claims (Guest Adam Hollenbeck) - 1:21:37

Throughout this episode, Tyler takes us through his mental health struggles as a student and performer. We hear his story not only of his struggles, but also how he was able to overcome them, and become a successful band director. He has some fantastic takes on how we can improve mental health for ourselves and our students, and you won't want to miss this one!If you're interested in sharing your story on the show, you can fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/AAWCePqFBVHwaetp7Tyler Lee's BioTyler is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tyler earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Trombone Performance from Kansas State University (2019), his Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance as well as a Graduate Certificate in Wind Band Conducting from the University of Central Arkansas (2021,2022).While at K-State, Tyler participated in the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Pride of Wildcat Land, Cat Band, CJE, KSU Symphony Orchestra, Brass Ensemble and Trombone Choir, as well as the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.During his time at the University of Central Arkansas, he served as a graduate assistant with the band area. He assisted with the day-to-day operation of the UCA band program and was on staff for the Bear Marching and the Purple Rage Basketball Band. He was also heavily involved in the trombone studio at UCA, performing with the Natural Slides trombone choir, the top trombone ensemble at UCA.Tyler was part of featured performances with the Natural Slides trombone choir that have been with world-renowned trombonists at the International Trombone Festival in Columbus, Georgia in 2021 as well as being a staff member/performer at the International Trombone Festival that was hosted at UCA in 2022.Tyler’s professional associations include the Arkansas Music Educators Association, Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Kansas Music Educators Association, College Band Director’s National Association, International Trombone Association, the Conductor’s Guild, and Kappa Kappa Psi – National Honorary Band Fraternity.Tyler is currently an assistant band director at USD 443 Dodge City High School.

Tune in with us to listen to the amazing career of Dr. Natalie Mannix. Dr. Mannix has had a career that has traveled from being a performer in the United States Navy Band, to being a college professor, and now to retiring to spend more time with her family. Even in her retirement, Dr. Mannix is an avid performer, teacher, activist, and mother, who's words are inspiring for all. Her work in promoting women in music has been prolific, and you won't want to miss hearing it all!If you would like to share your story on the podcast, you can fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/FhzQPGZQVRYpxUhN7Natalie's Bio:Natalie Mannix is an accomplished trombone soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and educator. She is currently trombonist with the Stiletto Brass Quintet and Lantana Trio. Previously, she was Professor of Trombone at the University of North Texas, Principal Trombone in the Delaware Symphony for 14 years, and a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC for over nine years where she performed with the brass quintet, concert and ceremonial bands. Dr. Mannix has appeared as guest artist and clinician at colleges and conferences throughout North America, including the 2023, 2022, 2018, 2016 and 2013 International Trombone Festival, the International Women’s Brass Conference, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the American Trombone Workshop. She has performed with the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera, Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony, the Washington National Opera and Kennedy Center Orchestras, the Washington Trombone Ensemble, the Monarch Brass, and several regional orchestras and brass ensembles. A new music advocate, she has commissioned several works for trombone, maintains an online database of trombone music written by women composers, and continues to perform and promote music by emerging composers.Her recordings include a solo album, Breaking Ground: A Celebration of Women Composers, and chamber music CDs: Crossing Barriers with Lantana Trio, Scarpe! with the Stiletto Brass Quintet, And If All Were Dark with Dave Taylor and the Washington Trombone Ensemble, Mozart’s Requiem with the Dallas Chamber Choir and Orchestra, and Shadowcatcher: Music for Winds, Brass and Percussion. An avid brass pedagogue, Natalie has adjudicated international solo and ensemble competitions, serves on the Executive Board and as chair of the Advisory Council for Diversity for the International Trombone Association and on the Executive Board as Treasurer for the International Women’s Brass Conference. Natalie received her degrees from the University of Michigan, The Juilliard School, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Catholic University, and an MBA in Strategic Management from University of North Texas. She is a performing artist for Greg Black mouthpieces.

Take a listen to this fascinating episode where Suzanne talks about her experiences of being a freelance musician, venturing into the world of holistic wellness for musicians, and preparing for her retirement from her freelance career. If you would like to share your story on the podcast, you can fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/P8gfpELhKqGa1Um8ASuzanne's Bio: Suzanne Chasalow has been 3rd horn with the Santa Rosa, CA Symphony since the 1997-98 season, was a former member of the Bay Area Women’s Philharmonic, plays chamber music and has played with many of the orchestras in the San Francisco Bay Area and in New England. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory with an MM from the Cincinnati Conservatory, Suzanne freelanced in Boston for 11 years, including being a founding member of Boston Brass from 1984-94.In addition to performing and teaching, Suzanne has certifications in holistic nutrition, NIA, and Music Together, and is currently getting accreditation as a leadership coach as well. She created and leads a transformational workshop entitled “It’s Time to Step Into the Limelight” to help women musicians reignite unbridled passion, joy and freedom in their playing and their lives.In her free time she finds joy in dancing, practicing yoga, being in nature, cooking, and spending time with her 23 year old twins.

In this episode, Allison tells us the story of how she began her college career in accounting, and found her path to become a college professor and freelance performer. Her approach to her students is a refreshing view, and a big step in helping solve the toxicity in the music world. If you would like to share your story on the show, fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/tLp7LB43mxKK87M56Allison's BioAllison McSwain is an active performer and educator in the upstate of South Carolina, where she serves as Applied Lecturer of Trumpet at Clemson University and Trumpet Instructor for Spartanburg School District 5. She is principal solo cornet with the Foothills Brass Band and 2nd trumpet with the South Carolina Ballet Orchestra; she also regularly substitutes with area orchestras. After earning degrees in accounting, Allison went on to earn her MM and DMA degrees. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, she built a 12-year career in higher education recruitment, admissions, advising, and learning support. Allison's favorite activities (besides playing trumpet) are trying new restaurants, reading, visiting friends, and hanging out with her spouse and three rowdy dogs.

Mary Pat has some amazing takes on how we can live our lives for our own happiness. Listen as she takes us through her experience of being a burnt out music educator, and finding her place in the corporate travel world. If you would like to be on the show, you can fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/PaYozmDK2sbC5s3P8Mary Pat's Bio: Mary Pat Robey is a corporate travel and events specialist based in the Chicago area. Before transitioning into a corporate job, she taught middle school general music and guitar. Mary Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Illinois State University, where she studied voice and horn. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, reading, and hanging out with her cats. 

Jenny takes us through her story of switching to the data science field. Through an entry level position, a new degree, and certifications, she has found her way at Microsoft. But, this has not stopped her from gaining professional musical experiences as well. Take a listen as she shows us how she balances her job at Microsoft, her gigs, and being a mom. Google Form: https://forms.gle/PhnJsHCBpLDigsfM8About JennyJenny Ney is a data specialist and former professional French horn player whose career spans Broadway orchestras, Carnegie Hall, and the world of cloud data platforms. As a musician, she was praised for her “heroic” and “graceful” playing and performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. She has appeared with ensembles such as the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York City Ballet, the Harrisburg Symphony, the Stamford Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the American Classical Orchestra, the West Point Band, and the Radio City Orchestra, and has performed in numerous Broadway and television productions.Jenny trained in both performance and arts outreach as a fellow of Ensemble Connect, the highly selective program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. She earned a Bachelor’s degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.After years as a performing musician, Jenny transitioned into technology and now works as a Solution Engineer at Microsoft, helping organizations modernize their data platforms and adopt cloud technologies. With expertise in data engineering, governance, and DevOps automation, she has led large-scale cloud modernization efforts and built enterprise lakehouse environments that enable secure analytics and AI workloads. Jenny holds certifications as an Azure Data Engineer, Data Scientist, and Databricks Data Engineer Associate, and earned a Master of Applied Data Science from the University of Michigan.She now lives in Connecticut with her two children, a dog, and an ever-growing collection of fish.

Podcast host of "The Rogue Academic" Lexie Signor takes us through an exciting conversation. She does not shy away from saying the quiet part out loud, and through her story, we discuss many of the issues in higher ed, as well as how she's fought against the system. Google Form: https://forms.gle/VdJCqPDVwGqQu7AM9Lexie's website: https://lexiethetrumpeter.com/Lexie's Bio: Dr. Lexie Signor is one of the most in-demand, versatile, and technically dazzling trumpet players in the Midwest; between her work as a classical soloist, a brilliantly dynamic lead player, or spinning gorgeous nostalgic melodies from days gone by she is undeniably one of the most formidable players performing for audiences across the country today. When she's not touring with acts such as Adele, Keith Urban, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, or Wayne Newton, she keeps a full docket as a one-woman-wrecking crew of studio know-how laying down tracks for up and coming artists such as the Grammy Nominated New York Chillharmonic, Latin-Jazz Grammy Nominated La Orquestra Sinfonietta, Gospel singer Joy Westbrook, Nashville guitarist Sadie Johnson, and Grammy Nominee Pepe Rivero.

Listen to Erin's story as she talks about how she's constantly redefining what balance looks like, working in software, playing on Broadway, playing in Calliope Brass, and she has also hosted her own podcast called Doublers!Google Form: https://forms.gle/5DMPJGXXfiJCJzhp8IG: https://www.instagram.com/erinplayshornLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinozolins/Calliope Brass IG: https://www.instagram.com/calliopebrass/?hl=enCalliope TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calliopebrassWebsites: Erin's Horn Website | Calliope Brass | Doublers Podcast

Laura has always been heavily involved in music, both on the performance side and the education side. Until, one day in 2019, Laura decided to prioritize her happiness, her family, and her mental health. That has led to a series of decisions that have formed the life she lives now. Take a listen to this inspiring story of how Laura found a world she can live in that ticks all of the boxes. Google Form: https://forms.gle/MEhhHYQARCqpmhYcALaura's Bio: Laura Young is an educator and performer based in Lake Tapps, Washington. In her musical life, she has played trumpet with a wide range of ensembles locally and abroad, most notably Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Emerald Ballet Theater Orchestra, Orquesta Cambalache, and both as a player and director with Sound Wave, the official band of the Seattle Sounders FC. Laura spent ten years teaching general music in the White River school district, where she cultivated a music community that prided itself in inclusivity, creativity, and growth through visionary teamwork. Her unique approach to elementary music and program building earned her recognition as Washington Music Educators Association’s Elementary Music Teacher of the Year in 2014. She presented workshops on improvisation, music literacy, and program development, and her groups performed at conferences and sporting events throughout the South Puget Sound. In 2019, Laura chose to leave music education to pursue a new path: outdoor education. She left the music classroom for one without walls, taking children out into the grass and forest to learn instead. Since then, she has developed a school garden and curricula that leverage community connections and Indigenous teachings to create a unique blend of science and social/emotional learning. In 2024, she was awarded the Pierce Conservation District’s Educator of the Year award in recognition of these efforts. She currently performs with the Rainier Symphony Orchestra and maintains a small private trumpet studio while also tending several gardens and doing all the sports with her kids.

If you would like to be on the show, fill out this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103514879413514765577Episode 8: Take a listen this week to Mirella's incredibly inspiring story! She takes us through getting her degrees, establishing a very wonderful freelancing career, and deciding to move to the music ed world. Mirella's Bio:A former musical road warrior of the southern midwest, Mirella Gable embraced her musical education roots in 2024 and now works full time as a beginning band director in southern coastal Delaware. In the summer, Mirella enjoys performing with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta in the glorious Adirondack paradise with her husband, hornist James Rester. She holds degrees from Wichita State University (M.M. in Horn Performance), and the Eastman School of Music (B.M. in Applied Horn and Music Education), where she earned a Performer’s Certificate

Check out this episode with Lindsay, where she talks about her experience of finding her place in music. From music education, to grad school, to almost not taking the audition where she won her job, her story is packed full of relatable experiences. Read her full bio belowIf you would like to be on the show, or would like to give suggestions, you can fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/hNoDsScYzPSHQeQc8Bio: Lindsay Ring is proud to play euphonium in the United States Army Field Band, the army's premier touring ensemble. The band has already taken her from coast to coast and internationally to Switzerland and Finland. Lindsay has competed and placed in many solo and chamber competitions including the Leonard Falcone International Tuba Euphonium Competition, the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition, and the Music International Grand Prix competition, and was a featured soloist at last MWRTEC.

Burnout is a recurring issue than many musicians deal with at least once in their career. In this Episode, Ben and I talk about why burnout is so common, how burnout is built into the systems of music school and music careers, and some ways we can fight against that. If you would like to be on the podcast or have things you'd like to hear on the podcast, fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/gMeLTZr6t5boXQvt8

Listen to Rachel's story as she learned that despite her love for music and teaching, the public school music ed world was not something that made her happy. She is now in the process of redefining her path and she shares that experience with all of us!Google Form:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=header

Follow along as Serena details her story of being forced to resign from her military band position, due to the new laws against transgender military members. In this episode, you can hear not only about Serena's hardships, but also about her resilience, and the beginning of her path towards a new career. If you'd like to share your story, you can fill out this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=header

Tune in to this episode to hear Paden’s journey with Musician’s Dystonia. Hear all about the causes, as well as the ways he has worked on healing. Additionally, bring an open ear to hear some of the things he has to say regarding how we can change brass and wind teaching to prevent injury. If you would like to be featured or have things you'd like to hear on the podcast, fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/52sMh6GiXMiKDMga7

The musician to finance pipeline is an interesting, yet strangely common path that is beginning to develop. Take a listen to Dominick's story as he tells you his path of leaving music to protect his mental health and secure his future through his new career. Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103514879413514765577

In this episode, Mykala takes us through her journey of being a music educator and transitioning to the corporate world. We discuss the realities of teaching in today's music classrooms, the emotions behind redirecting to a new path outside of music, and the transferable skills musicians have for other jobs. If you would like to be featured on a future episode, or you have suggestions for future episodes, feel free to fill out our Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103514879413514765577

In this episode, Kody discusses how he was on track to be a college professor, and how both his physical and mental health circumstances led him to a new path in music he'd never thought of. We talk about finding purpose outside of the classical music community, embracing new opportunities, and redefining what a musical path can look like. If you would like to be featured on a future epsiode, or you have suggestions, feel free to fill out this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPrU0pPHOcYAW2-juTDLi5f9C9-xq04E58INvM8cNz-zgMOg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103514879413514765577

Redefining the Musician seeks to share the stories of classical musicians who have left their career path, and redirected to something new. I thought it was only fitting to begin this podcast by sharing my own story. In this episode, you will hear about where I started with music, why I left, and where I'm at today. This episode also explores some of the key issues in the classical music industry that led to the beginning of this podcast. I hope you enjoy! If you would like to be featured, or have suggestions for topics you'd like to hear in the future, please feel free to fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/i38fiTxwsgUjKzCx5