Careers in Crescendo: Lessons for Musicians

Special Guest host Dalanie Harris from the Classically Black Podcast talks with Garrett McQueen about all of the recent diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives started by many conservatories and classical music organizations following the murder of George Floyd - Eastman included. Did it not matter for the past 99 years of our history as a conservatory? And what does this really mean for thos...

In February of 2018, two students who had been attending Eastman for almost 2 years – Dalanie Harris and Katie Brown – met for the first time in the Detroit airport. Just nine months later, they’d launched the Classically Black podcast. Now, with over 100 episodes under their belts and a devoted following, Classically Black is growing and still going strong. We learn more about the hosts, what ins...

We have a conversation with Ashley Danyew about what goes into having a church job and discuss her pivot from music director to musicpreneur (that's a musical entrepreneur). Listen to how Ashley discovered both a fulfilling career and her passion at the intersection of church music and music education to develop a successful blog and website.

DMA percussion student Emma Gierszal is back! Join her for an interview with ESM alumnus Colleen Bernstein about her Project “Strength and Sensitivity,” and find out how this one-time concert became an adaptable, multi-media project that’s seen an increasing number of performances across the country. Emma also asks Colleen about her time studying at the Eastman School of Music, her collaboration w...

A conversation with Georgia Mills and Grant O’Brien, both grad students in the orchestral conducting program. When they found out that their professor would be teaching remotely and that their ensemble, Musica Nova, was suspended for the fall due to COVID, Georgia and Grant took a long walk together and plotted their next steps. The result: MO Ensemble – a 13-player string ensemble that the two co...

DMA student Emma Gierszal interviews Laura Lentz, professional flutist and artistic director of the modern chamber quintet fivebyfive, about their upcoming project - For the Future: The Susan B. Anthony Historic District (Music, Art, and Action). The two discuss the genesis of the event, what went into planning for such an event - especially during COVID - and ultimately focus on why it’s importan...

IML student staff member Frances Inzenhofer interviews her own double-bass professor James VanDemark, who shares his thoughts about topics such as career paths, the "fundamental truths" of a musician, the importance of being kind in professional settings, and the role of the artist in society.

A conversation with Rachel Roberts, the Associate Professor of Music Leadership and the Graduate Degree Program Director for the Institute for Music Leadership at the Eastman School of Music, about salary negotiation and the gender wage gap. It’s all interconnected. Rachel talks about her personal experiences navigating the workplace, her work in educating women about these inequalities, and goes...