Crushing Classical

Reach out to me to schedule a quick deep dive conversation so I can keep this podcast relevant!    Dr. Heidi Kay Begay is a self-employed flutist, educator, podcaster, and non-profit organizer. Heidi is the creator and host of the Flute 360 podcast, which delivers educational content (to the modern-day flutist) through various platforms. Since 2018, the podcast has produced over 210 episodes, and...

Asher began classical violin training at the tender age of 2 and had already performed with the Buffalo philharmonic by age 13.    Asher’s expertise in improvisation across multiple genres has led him to a career as a soloist in demand, performing at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Hall, Lincoln Center, the Carnegie Hall and across four continents.  Asher has also been featured o...

Ashley Ertz is an oboist and arts administrator in the Chicago metropolitan area. Ertz is the Artistic Director and Founder of 5th Wave Collective and the Program Manager with the International Music Foundation. She also recently won the position of English Horn with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and is on the Board of Directors for the Musicians Club of Women in addition to a healthy freelance ca...

Lisa Canning owns Lisa’s Clarinet Shop- a 41-year-old professional clarinet shop. Her company also teaches woodwind repair to educators, private lesson teachers and to those seeking an additional source of income. She also has a business called Sales Maven which helps small businesses align their digital assets to cohesively sell and market themselves and their businesses.   Carolyn Nussbaum owns...

In today’s podcast you’ll hear my interview with James Daly: Pianist, Composer, Teacher, Business Owner.  He’s created the San Ramon Academy of Music and the Powerful  Piano brand.  James is so charming and passionate, and you can just feel his love for the music he makes and the students he teaches.  He’s overcome a lot of obstacles to get where he is now, owning a successful teaching business an...

On today’s podcast, you’ll hear my interview with Leslie Tagorda: Brand Astrologer, Designer, Podcast Host, Professional Clarinetist. The story of how she created and evolved her business is so inspiring to me, and I know it will be to you as well. I hope you enjoy the episode!    Leslie Tagorda helps spiritual entrepreneurs become the luminary leaders they were born to be. As a multiracial brand...

This week on the podcast, you’ll hear Kirin McElwain, cellist, performer, and coordination enthusiast.  You'll hear the story of a musician who has the courage to try new things, over and over, and the courage to STOP the things that aren’t working for her.  Kirin McElwain is a performer-composer on cello and voice and—more recently— laptop and modular synthesizer. Equally at home in concert...

I'm speaking directly to you today, reading a chapter from my book, The Happiest Musician .  I talk about my reed business, the one I started as a side thing back in 1998 and grew to six figures.  I also offer a free resource on why YOU should start up a reed business of your own - if you are an oboist, bassoonist, or single reed player, and if you are looking for more income stability but ha...

This week on the podcast, you’ll hear Katherine Emeneth: Flutist and music educator, entrepreneur, founder of KE Creative and Georgia Flute Academy. She’s an inspiration to young flutists and portfolio career musicians alike!  Katherine Emeneth is a music educator, entrepreneur, flutist, and human-helper from Sugar Hill, Georgia. After spending YEARS applying to professor positions around the coun...

 An internationally-acclaimed American soprano and lifetime multi-passionate entrepreneur, Elizabeth Frey Gentner thrives as a performer and arts financial consultant. Offstage, Elizabeth has established herself as a powerful voice for Artist empowerment in the arts and a Business savvy coach for creatives. In her first years out of music school, a love of numbers led her to work for several well-...

Jenny Clift is a classically-trained violinist, and an EFT Tapping Coach, based in Madrid, Spain.  She is passionate about working with musicians, stage artists and creatives from all over the world, to help them achieve success, wealth, career fulfillment and inner peace. Her secret weapon is EFT which stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as  Tapping.  What I love about Jenny is he...

My guest today, Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier, is a violinist and high performance coach and life coach for musicians.  She's built a career for herself around her passion for mindful practice, and she's an inspiration to all!  Find Renée at www.mindoverfinger.com, follow her on Instagram or Facebook.   Thinking of trying FONS to streamline scheduling and payment for your music studio? Click...

What you'll hear: The TRUE meaning of “success” in the classical music industry… we dive into this important inquiry and zero in on what’s possible financially AND creatively How to adjust to change as your career evolves… and how to insure that you stay HAPPY The shocking truth about the level of job satisfaction in the coveted JOBS in the classical music industry and how to rectify that for...

What you’ll hear: The #1 thing you need to seriously consider if you’re heading toward college or in college now - this is important! The multi-millionaire musician that no one has heard of - what his example shows that is available to every musician The system Sam invented to solve a problem and how it led him to building the business he has now NFTs - what are they, how do they apply to musician...

What you'll hear... How to create TRUE FANS in your work and build a following so you can support yourself as an artist The TRUTH about the MONEY PATH when you’re forging your own path creatively as a performer - we get the real talk on this mystery most people have no clue about The most surprising way Barron shares his own composed sheet music - and how it has affected his career And so muc...

What you'll hear: Passion projects - where it comes from and how to bring them to the real world Self-started projects - how to start small, stick with them and grow over time Carrie's top tips for starting your own music festival or concert series Carrie's most poignant lessons she learned from raising money - must hear! So much *real talk* about self-presenting and starting your o...

  What you’ll hear: INCREDIBLE advice from Angie (a veteran copywriter) about how to write in YOUR bio/about page that conveys EXACTLY who you are Super valuable info for musicians moving into business right now and feeling like a newbie - this one will definitely shift your POV How to measure your success… it’s the antithesis to how we do it as classical musicians and how to break through that An...

What you'll hear: How connecting two passions as an entrepreneur turned into a business and income stream The KEY to moving on and healing after an injury - this also applies to re-creating in a new way in your career! What Lisa did after a devastating injury that made her a better pianist and a better musician Very inspiring advice on moving forward in any situation, whether that's an i...

What you'll hear: How it really IS possible to get that dream job even without an educational resume filled with fancy conservatories (or even a major in music!) How tapping into the network you've built through your career can really come in handy when creating new offers We chat about the online space and the value being online brings to students... and how it's going to transform...

On today's HOT SEAT you'll hear from Lynn Kuo, violinist and educator creating an incredible business online. It all started for Lynn at the start of the pandemic when she suddenly realized she needed to double down on her teaching while her performing job as Assistant Concertmaster in the National Ballet of Canada was on hiatus. Now she's crushing it online on Instagram and YouTube...

On the show today you'll hear the inspiring story of Sharon Ruchman, a composer who really got things going and created more in her 60s than most people have in a lifetime. Not only did she really get going in her later years, the really unique part of her story is about a family member whose story kept popping up for her until she decided to investigate. His name was Rudy, an up-and-coming v...

What you’ll hear How to think like an entrepreneur and still be community-centered The way to use networking and connections to build the career and business you want The illusive ingredient of self-awareness - how to get it and how to use it to create a life you want A unique way to add personality to recording projects (I’m surprised no one does this already!) And so much more! Join FONS and get...

This episode is going to KNOCK your socks off. This is REAL TALK about pricing and getting paid. Super valuable advice for every working musician, seriously a must-hear. Brian delivers massive value… I can’t wait for you to hear it! The #1 thing you should make sure happens when it comes to getting paid, whether it’s a gig or students How to simultaneously raise your prices AND make it a no-braine...

Combining trumpet with... electronics? This is exactly what today's guest is doing in her career, crushing it as a recording artist, performer, course creator and teacher. What you'll hear from Sarah Belle Reid on today's episode: - How saying YES and doing things out of your comfort zone can change the trajectory of your career - How she went from technology newbie to mastering a w...

What you'll hear: The choice you have: what you can do about waiting for things to go “back to normal” as an artist The difference between being an “interpreter” and a “content creator” in music The definition of Cultural Capital - how that works financially and through your impact on the world What if you’re not *yet* a creator? We discuss this important question How saying YES before your r...