The Perfect Mindset for Getting the Most Out of Graduate School

In this clip from Episode 181 of The Brass Junkies, the incredible Kevin Newton of Imani Winds shares what his mindset was before heading into graduate school.

I will play this clip for every single student I have who is entering graduate school.

It is remarkable when someone as young as he was is this intentional about their life.

For so many students, graduate school is what comes after undergrad and that’s as far as the soul searching goes for exactly why they want to get a graduate degree.

But Kevin saw graduate school as having a specific role in the development of his career and he crushed it.

We can all learn from this kind of awareness while heading into any new chapter of our lives!

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Principal Horn of the Cleveland Orchestra Nathaniel Silberschlag on Being Your Best

The last sentence here from Nathaniel Silberschlag, Principal Horn of the Cleveland Orchestra, from Episode 171 of The Brass Junkies really floored me:

"I honestly just was not that nervous about (his Kennedy Center Opera audition) because I didn't have any high expectations for myself. And I think because of that it lent itself to… taking no prisoners.

And I was like, I'm just going to give this my best shot. I can only be the best me on a given day."

The last 11 words from that quote had a profound impact on me.

I can only be the best me on a given day.

I love it when something so obvious is said so eloquently in a way that I need to hear. All I can do is try to be the best version of me at any given time.

While this point is obvious, the way he puts it is brilliant. His job isn’t to be great. His job is only to be the best he can be today.

None of us is promised linear progress in anything. Not even one of the best horn players in the world like Nathaniel!

There will be plenty of times when something isn’t as good on Thursday as it was on Wednesday, or even a week ago. Rather than getting held up on where we should be (in our minds, of course!), Nathaniel is encouraging us to focus simply on being our best possible version today. And that has nothing to do with last week!

Thanks for the reminder, Nathaniel. This is something I need to be reminded of from time to time!

(The above GIF is from the part of the interview when Nathaniel told us about how he had to tell the Kennedy Center Opera section that he couldn’t go out for a drink after winning the audition because he was 19 and because his father was waiting for him in the car. We were dying.)

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You can watch our entire interview with Nathaniel Silberschlag on YouTube below or find links to all the other places you can find it here.

Roger Bobo on Having the Courage to Be Creative

Some serious wisdom here from Roger Bobo in Episode 174 of The Brass Junkies:

"And I think that I would also advise people to allow themselves to be unique. Allow yourself to be different. Take the chance and do something different and it may go for you...

It's so important I think to have the courage to be unique. Because if you're following somebody else's MO, then you're going to be a shadow of somebody else."

YES!

We are taught to blend in from a very early age.

No one gets sent to the principal's office for blending in.

It doesn’t take courage to wear the same clothing as everyone else.

It doesn’t take courage to play a senior recital that looks and sounds exactly like every other senior recital.

It does take courage to be unique. And that is what gets traction in the world today.

Do whatever it takes to muster the courage to be unique. Because blending in is a sucker's bet.

Thanks for the reminder, Maestro Bobo.

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You can watch our entire interview with Roger Bobo on YouTube below or listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Brass Junkies 110: Listener's Choice - How to Start a Brass Group, Part 2

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The Brass Junkies 110: Listener's Choice - How to Start a Brass Group, Part 2

In this episode, Lance and I pick up where we left off in TBJ97 and do a deep dive on starting a brass group. We talk a lot about the successes and failures that we had while touring the world with Boston Brass.

My son is a big fan of this episode’s graphic which is courtesy (as they all are) of Will Houchin!

You can check out the complete show notes including all links mentioned during TBJ110 over at Pedal Note Media.

The Brass Junkies 109: Richard White

TBJ109: Richard A. White, RAW Tuba on his life, his gig and his upcoming documentary

For episode 109 of The Brass Junkies we had a truly inspiring conversation with tuba player Richard White. Richard is the subject of a brand new documentary and his story will leave you on the verge of tears. His journey from homeless four-year-old in Baltimore to the first African-American with a doctorate in tuba is almost too much to believe.

He is an incredible musician, teacher and human and we were honored to have him join us.

This one will leave a mark!

You can check out the complete show notes including all links mentioned during TBJ109 over at Pedal Note Media.

The Brass Junkies 102: Joe Jackson

For episode 102 of The Brass Junkies we were joined by the former leader of the Airmen of Note, Joe Jackson. In addition to being one of the best trombone players in the world, Joe is also a prolific arranger.

He talked with us about leaving the University of North Texas in order to tour the world with the Maynard Ferguson Band, playing in the Airmen of Note for 20 years and producing the award-winning Jazz Heritage Series that was heard on 112 radio stations around the world. The dude has done everything!

I’ve gotten to play a number of gigs with Joe here in the DC area and he is just a treat to play with. Ears for days!

Get the full show notes and links to everywhere you can find this episode of The Brass Junkies here.

The Brass Junkies 63: Michael Martin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

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Michael Martin is infuriatingly good at way too many things. And on top of it all he is as humble as people come. It was a pleasure to get to interview him and talk about being in the Boston Symphony, touring with the Chicago Symphony and composing professionally.

From the show notes:

Boston Symphony trumpeter Michael Martin joins Andrew & Lance to talk his career as a player, and composer. Michael joined the BSO in 2010 and has had great success there, building on the training which began with his dad (Freddy Martin). We discuss his days at Interlochen and Northwestern, touring with his brother (Chris Martin) and the Chicago Symphony and how his composing career got off the ground at an early age. He also discusses his favorite conductors, what it takes to be a good section player, how to listen and how to learn new repertoire really quickly.

Oh, and he shares a hilarious rookie error story during a rehearsal of Mahler 2 under Michael Tilson Thomas. "20!"

The Brass Junkies 62: Andy Bove of Bove Audio

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Andy Bove is one of the most talented dudes I know. As you will hear in this episode, we go way back to 1991 when we were both students at the Empire Brass Seminar at Tanglewood.

Seriously, Andy is a phenomenal tuba player, one of the best recording engineers in the world and just an all-around incredible musicians. I have learned so much from him over the years. I had a whole lot of fun making this episode.

From the show notes:

Epic Low Brass game of Thrones mastermind Andrew Bove, joins Andrew & Lane to talk about his life as a tuba player and recording engineer. From his parallel life coming up with Andrew Hitz (the met as tuba-longs at Tanglewood and went on to study together with both Rex Martin and Sam Pilafian) to his opportunity to record the brass section of The Met, Bove also talks about recovering from a broken collar bone and the problem with peacocks. Lots of funny stories about his and Andrew’s “educational opportunities,” including a great story about Darth, I mean Professor Koch. 

Oh, and there are some other folks named Andrew Bove. Eclectic bunch. Check out the pics if you don’t believe me. 

The Brass Junkies Episode 54: Charles Lazarus of the Minnesota Orchestra

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Charles Lazarus is one of the most crazy talented musicians I've ever worked with. Classical, jazz, pop. The guy can do it all. And not just kind of do it. It's really impressive what he does.

This episode ranges from talking about the very painful lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra from just a couple of years ago to some fun Dallas Brass road stories.

Episode Description:

"Charles Lazarus, 4th/utility trumpet in the Minnesota Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance in an interview to discuss everything from producing concerts to Gestalt dream analysis. Charles has grown beyond the typical role of orchestra member to someone who produces concerts for the orchestra on a regular basis. We talk about the long and painful lockout experienced by the Minnesota Orchestra, the ideas of Michael Kiser, and (believe it or not) Esquivel. Charles also explains the importance of clarifying your goals, and the importance of tenacity, access and influence. 

Additionally, we hear some legendary stories from Charles’ time in Dallas Brass including a standoff with the cops and a story about 'The Nub.'"

Links:
Charles' website
Charles' Minnesota Orchestra bio page
New album! Lovejoy

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

We are proud to announce we have a new sponsor for the The Brass Junkies! The Brass Area of the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA is our new partner (and Lance has been teaching euphonium there since 2000). If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit the site HERE!

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!

Produced by Joey Santillo

The Brass Junkies: David Cutler & JD Shaw

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This one was a blast to record! Two of my best friends joined me and Lance to talk about a bunch of stuff. Can't wait to hit the recording studio with these bozos in May!

Episode Description:

"JD Shaw & David Cutler join Andrew & Lance in a slightly chaotic exploration of the group Cones and Tones. Both on faculty at the University of South Carolina, JD and David also make up (along with Andrew & Lance) a new group called Cones and Tones. The group has had a couple performances and is heading into the recording studio in late Spring of 2017 to record an album which will attempt to cover the multiple styles and diverse personalities these four knuckleheads bring to the table. JD (making his third appearance on TBJ) tells how the group got started and talks about programming a “musical variety show.” 

David (author of the great books The Savvy Musician and The Savvy Music Teacher) also takes some time to talk about The Savvy Arts Venture Challenge, the world's leading experiential entrepreneurship workshop for musicians, performing artists and educators (formerly known as The SAVVY Musician in Action).

Additionally, we spend more than a few minutes busting each other's chops."

Links:

Savvy Arts Venture Challenge
JD's arrangements
JD's USC faculty bio
David's website
David's USC faculty bio

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Joey Santillo