Crushing Classical

Recently I've started sharing little short stories and advices and ideas on social media each week. I think they might be enjoyable, and I hope they might be helpful!  This week: What does it mean to be a leader in the orchestra? What does it mean in life? Curious about The Invincible Oboist ?  Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!  You can join my...

Improvisation can feel frightening to classical musicians, but my guest, Laura Nerenberg, is working to normalize it as a pedagogical tool.  She uses it with her own Suzuki violin students, and also teaches teachers how to incorporate it in their own studios. She's brilliant and I know you will love hearing her speak about this! You can find Laura at her website or follow her on Facebook Buil...

David Krauss is the prodigious host of Speaking Soundly, Co-Founder of ANM (Artful Narratives Media), and Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a soloist, he has performed with the All-Star Orchestra on their Emmy Award-winning PBS broadcast and was praised by the American Record Guide for his "singing tone, which is luxurious and inviting." He has performed as guest...

"Sometimes, the cheapest way to pay is with money."  I did not originate this quote, and a quick google does not illuminate it- but I USE this quote all the time, and talk about it in my business mastermind group and in my life FREQUENTLY. I wonder if it might be useful to you today, too!  Recently I've started sharing little short stories and advices and ideas on social media each...

My conversation with Eunbi Kim was absolutely fascinating. We talked about mentorship and motherhood and artistry, all of which things feel so closely related. There’s a myth out there about the self-centeredness of artists, about a certain kind of creator who reserves all of their best energy for their MUSIC, letting personal relationships fall by the wayside. I look at a work like Sunday in the...

Recently I’ve started sharing little short stories and advices and ideas on social media each week. I think they might be enjoyable, and I hope they might be helpful!  This week: What do gloves, oboe reeds, and your own pet peeves have in common?  Answer: The more clearly you identify the problem, the easier it is to solve!  Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nic...

Happy Thanksgiving 2022 to my listeners in the US! I am grateful for you. On today’s episode you’ll hear my interview with my brother, singer songwriter James Hearne, who recently sold his house and left his job and moved across the country to go all in on his music career as an adult. This interview is full of gems for the working musician.  how do you START trying to get work in a new place? how...

  Award winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, curator, producer and app developer.   Her album Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, featuring exclusively AAPI/BIPOC artists, aims to promote understanding and tolerance and combat racism, with all proceeds donated to an organization that supports the AAPI community and fights against ra...

Recently I've started sharing little short stories and advices and ideas on social media each week. I think they might be enjoyable, and I hope they might be helpful!  This week: What do running, the oboe, and online business have in common?  Answer: They're all easier if you allow them to be!  Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!  You can jo...

Bill Lueth is a San Francisco Radio Hall of Fame inductee and currently the president of KDFC and vice president of USC Radio Group. During his 30 year career in both public and commercial radio, Bill has left a meaningful impact on the classical music community.  We talk about  - How his passion for classical music led to three decades in the radio industry - What the future of classical radio lo...

em2CONNECT is Emily Martin and Elizabeth McDonald. As ideators and performers, the two have sung and taught all over the world as solo opera singers and as members of the performing trio, Women on the Verge (WOV) — an international group of women dedicated to advocating for women- centered stories. em2CONNECT is also a small creative facilitation practice made up of the high- energy and ideas-driv...

Today you’ll hear my interview with Deb Stevenson: Oboist, teacher, musician contractor, and founding member of Rendezvous Arts.  The organization she created hosts events that offer  something for EVERYONE and is a triumph of win win for musicians, visual artists, and audiences alike.  Deb has had a career in music for 35 years. She has  seen all sides of the music profession - from orchestra to...

Daisy Press was raised on the buses, planes, hotels, and stages of a large-scale international rock ’n’ roll tour, on which both her parents performed for over 40 years. Since then, she has become a ferocious and ardent interpreter and creator of experimental classical (and non-classical) music in the United States and Europe.  In the modern classical genre, Daisy regularly performs as a soloist w...

Reach out to me to schedule a quick deep dive conversation  so I can keep this podcast relevant!  Ellen is a Professional Certified Coach, who has coached everyone from CEOs of multimillion dollar companies, to world renowned singers, to healthcare workers, to aspiring business owners — but what unites them all is their thought leadership and creative entrepreneurship. She works with people who se...

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...