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Earbuds Engaged

Earbuds Engaged

By Ears Engaged

Co-hosts Casey & Alaina speak about life after graduating music school and finding their niche in the classical music world. Born as a side project from their woodwind quartet, Ears Engaged, this podcast includes commentary on their chamber group’s gig experiences in Pittsburgh & interviews with music school graduates who range from full time orchestra members to those pursuing alternate jobs yet still prioritize music making. Follow as they dive into the world of the citizen artist & music teaching artistry in this digital age, all in an attempt to create meaningful music careers.
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Covid Income Effects | Tax Season | Staying Inspired

Earbuds EngagedMar 30, 2020

00:00
20:17
Music Therapy with Kennedy Jason
Jan 21, 202159:18
This time, right now, with you is our time.

This time, right now, with you is our time.

In this episode Casey and Alaina have their first opportunity to re-interview a previous guest! Rewinding back to the third episode, guest Edna Jeon mentioned the idea of being in a woodwind quintet that would practice independently, and meet a few times a year in person to perform. After a year of meticulous planning and dedication,  'Our Time Wind Quintet' was formed.  While the 'perform in person' part of the dream has not yet been realized, OTWQ has managed to produce multiple high quality videos, concerts, and artist collaborations. The members of the group (in score order...of course) are: Edna Jeon on Flute, Jordan Pyle on Oboe, Dan Mills on Clarinet, Taryn Lee on Horn, and Keegan Hockett on Bassoon. 

"Our Time Wind Quintet specializes in performances that hold space for authentic connection and conversation. Members of the quintet are highly accomplished performers who integrate their collective passions and varied interests to create new ways to hold dialogue through chamber music. Through intentional and purposeful programming, Our Time offers a moment for attendees to reconnect with their simple but profound capacity to listen. The group aspires to share their joyous spirit through performance, educational engagement, and community partnerships. Our Time Wind Quintet holds space to weave together a more supportive humanity." To learn more about OTWQ visit their website 

When Alaina and I had everyone on a zoom call it was finally time to answer some very important logistical questions; What sort of mic set up is everyone working with? What is your recording process? What sort of 'hidden' roles do people have? What does OTWQ's future look like? We hope you enjoy listening to the answers of these questions and more! 


Show Links:

Dan Mills Gratitude Instagram Account: @dan.mills.art

Literary Music Library Concert:  28. Collaboration in Isolation 

Our Time Wind Quintet: Youtube Page, Facebook Page, Instagram Page, Website


Jan 07, 202101:07:37
Beginning a Music Career in 2020 with Jamie Sanidad
Dec 10, 202059:25
A Digital Residency; Innovating or Impeding?
Dec 03, 202047:49
Resilience and Risk: the Iris Music Project with Lauren Latessa
Nov 25, 202001:00:58
Updates and Resources
Nov 12, 202001:00:29
Conversations: Peppy Women are Instrument Repair Techs Too with Allison Fong
May 25, 202001:07:31
Conversations: "The Texas Thing" with Meridith Wright
May 18, 202001:04:11
Instrument Demonstrations

Instrument Demonstrations

One evening Casey was asked to introduce her bassoon to kids online for a class that was the following afternoon! Have you been in this situation? Do you know what you would play? What would you say to someone who has never seen your instrument before? How would you keep the attention of twenty toddlers?

It's common to be asked to demonstrate your instrument for a class or whenever you're playing in public, often with little notice or planning time! It seems simple to talk about something that is such a big part of our lives! However, when you've been shredding in the practice room it can be hard to know how to take advantage of an engaging and personal teaching moment with your audience. You'll want to be prepared to engage any and all ages! Casey and Alaina discuss their silly experiences with giving instrument intros, the importance of being ready to do them, and the importance of making them interactive. You are more than a human Google, you're there to provide an experience beyond reciting facts. Be a good ambassador for classical music and for your instrument. Show them how relatable classical musicians are and invite the audience into your world. Try not to forget how cool it is that we get to play these things! Share with the audience, and let them know who you are as a person. All of that will help connect them further into what you do and the music you chose to play for them.

In preparation for this episode, we read two chapters from Eric Booth's "The Music Teaching Artist's Bible." Both chapters were from Part IV: The Fundamentals of Working in Education Settings-

Chapter 15, "Truth and Dare in Education Programs"

Chapter 16, "How to Succeed in School Environments"


We'd love for you to join our challenge and record a video of you introducing your instrument! Tag us in your video or send it in a message on Instagram @earsengaged or email us at earsengaged@gmail.com.


We want to hear from you! If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating or review! Our goal is to get 5 reviews by June. Everyone who leaves a review gets a shout out! 


WindSync website: www.windsync.org

Peter and the Wolf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCqj-Fd2dw

Links to Live Video Demos on WindSync's Facebook Page: 

WindSync Intro Video and Clarinet Demo

WindSync Flute and Oboe Demo

WindSync Horn and Bassoon Demo

Kid Demos and Rhythms: https://www.facebook.com/WindSync/videos/223515622317728/


Theme music by: The Maplewaves  https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IeIcNBQdNt6YwWMBHIGRw

May 11, 202001:13:13
Conversations: Staying Positive Through the Audition Process with Natalie Beckenbaugh
May 04, 202001:09:00
Conversations: Taylor Reutman on Falling Back in Love with Music

Conversations: Taylor Reutman on Falling Back in Love with Music

Casey and Alaina talk with another Indiana University alum and friend, Taylor Reutman! Taylor double majored in oboe performance and German while at IU, but after graduating he took a much needed break from music to explore his second major. Taylor's been traveling the world as a flight attendant with United for the past four years. It wasn't until recently that he was able to enjoy playing the oboe again. We discuss life with a varying schedule as a flight attendant, school experiences and studying abroad, falling out of and back in love with music, and the excited new chapter of Taylor's journey with music making! 


Listen to Taylor's podcast 'Under the Horror Dome' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/under-the-horror-dome-podcast/id1466152624 


Theme Music: "The Cactus Song" by The Maplewaves https://themaplewaves.bandcamp.com/ We are not including this link just because we have to for copyright purposes, we are including this link so you can go listen to the entire song because it's a good song! Casey's husband wrote and played it with his band. His band has a bunch of original music that you can check out. We think that's pretty cool.

Apr 27, 202001:16:40
Conversations: Life as a Cruise Ship Musician with Khelsey Zarraga

Conversations: Life as a Cruise Ship Musician with Khelsey Zarraga

When graduation is approaching, most music students feel anxious about how they are going to get paid to perform classical music. Today we offer a unique alternative to symphonic auditions; playing chamber music for a cruise line! This program was created out of a collaboration between New York City’s Lincoln Center and Holland America Line. *Spoiler* a program our guest loved so much she plans on going back for another 4 months! In this episode we talk with violinist, Khelsey Zarraga (Alaina's 4-year-roommate while at Indiana University!) about all the nitty gritty details of life as a Lincoln Center Stage Artist in their resident ensemble onboard. These realities include traveling the world, maintaining artistic integrity, programing, and the different sort of audience engagement skills that are needed. By the end we learn about the sacrifices it takes, but also what sort of life changing rewards it has to offer. 


Theme Music: "The Cactus Song" by The Maplewaves https://themaplewaves.bandcamp.com/ We are not including this link because we have to in order to not get sued, we are including this link so you can go listen to the entire song because it's a good song! Casey's husband wrote and played it with his band. His band has a bunch of original music that you can check out. We think that's pretty cool. 

Apr 20, 202001:00:47
Pondering the Purpose of Musicians

Pondering the Purpose of Musicians

Woah! Purpose is such a big topic, what did we get ourselves into!? Casey and Alaina discuss the idea of an essential job and how musicians relate to that. They share their individual paths that lead them to choosing a career in music and what helped them stay on that path. They also discuss how being out of school has allowed them to fall back in love with music and find their purpose as musicians. At the end, we describe how the definition of art can be expanded into an action and how to encourage everyday people to use it as a way to confirm their individuality. 

Apr 13, 202001:08:56
Conversations: It’s Ok to Change Your Mind with Morgan Deal

Conversations: It’s Ok to Change Your Mind with Morgan Deal

After graduating with a Bachelors of Music, a Masters of Arts and Teaching, and a license to teach choral music to k-12 our guest, Morgan Deal, found herself not wanting to pursue a career as a music teacher after all. As a childhood friend of cohost Casey, Morgan was invited to share the impact music has made in her life (including her love for 20th century music), her future aspirations, and the balancing act between music as a career and music as a hobby.
Apr 06, 202001:16:06
Covid Income Effects | Tax Season | Staying Inspired

Covid Income Effects | Tax Season | Staying Inspired

Alaina and Casey test their virtual recording skills and discuss various ways Ears Engaged has been effected by the Corona virus restrictions. 

Mar 30, 202020:17
Experiences: Playing in an Airport

Experiences: Playing in an Airport

The team meets again to discuss the details of their latest gig on March 6th at the Pittsburgh International Airport. *Notice: As of March 13th, 2020 The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council & The Pittsburgh International Airport decided to pause this performance series in an attempt to prioritize the safety and security of both passengers & performers*

Mar 16, 202036:13
Our First Grant Application

Our First Grant Application

Casey and Alaina discuss applying for their first grant! This milestone lead to looking forward at more long term goals for Ears Engaged, especially when considering how expensive it is to be involved in classical music. They talk about being part of both a local and digital community and how those communities can benefit each other on a regular basis. This will hopefully help support the efforts of Ears Engaged to fulfill their mission of bringing classical music to everyday spaces and people. 

Mar 02, 202026:50
Experiences: Open Mic Night

Experiences: Open Mic Night

In this episode, the full Ears Engaged team gets together to share our experience performing at a local open mic night, something we've never done before - especially as classical musicians! We give you an insight into how we felt, how the audience felt, and why we think more classical musicians should try putting themselves and their music in this setting. Nearing the end of the episode, we get into a great discussion about what qualifies as a gig you should be paid for versus a gig you benefit from in other ways, the future of Ears Engaged, and dealing with the realities of how new graduates make money. 

Feb 17, 202049:04
Chapter Study: Engaging The Concert Audience (Ch.6)

Chapter Study: Engaging The Concert Audience (Ch.6)

Alaina & Casey talk through chapter 6 of David Wallace's book, "Engaging the Concert Audience: A Musician's Guide to Interactive Performance".  This chapter is about the 10 common pitfalls to avoid when executing an interactive performance. They share anecdotes about the pitfalls they have personally fallen into and discuss ways they could have been avoided. 
Feb 03, 202035:09
Conversations: CJ Corbett

Conversations: CJ Corbett

Meet fellow member of the Ears Engaged team, CJ Corbett! CJ shares memorable moments from his recently completed student teaching experience, talks about switching between performance and music education majors during college, what drew him to teaching artistry, and shares advice from past teachers.
Jan 20, 202023:59
2020 Goal Setting

2020 Goal Setting

In this episode Casey & Alaina invite you to be a fly on the wall during one of their business meetings. In this meeting, very clearly held at Casey’s house because of the bird chirping in the background (he wanted to be in the conversation so badly), they discuss various goals for Ears Engaged going into 2020.

Our Final Outline is as Follows:

1. Performing gigs: (a) 4 new scripts    (b) 4 new/different venues  (c) 12 performances (one a month as a goal but let it happen organically as well)   (d) Record 2 shows from previous year with a ‘studio audience’

2. Teaching: (a) Host a workshop, 'Woodwind Day'

3. Entrepreneurship Projects: (a) Create contracts for internal use and external use  (b) Podcast enhancement (Schedule interviews, map arch for chapter studies, figure out transcriptions)


Jan 06, 202032:36
Portfolio Careers

Portfolio Careers

Alaina and Casey discuss what it means to have a portfolio career, do a deep dive into projects that led to creating Ears Engaged, and share what's included in their portfolios as musicians.

Dec 23, 201931:44
Conversations: Edna Jeon

Conversations: Edna Jeon

In this episode Casey & Alaina sit down with former CMU colleague, Edna Jeon, who is currently playing 3rd flute/piccolo in the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. Edna shares stories about her life after graduation, adjusting to island life on aloha time, and goals she has set for the future (including performing interactive concerts!). 

Dec 09, 201932:25
Chapter Study: The Music Teaching Artist's Bible (Ch.1)

Chapter Study: The Music Teaching Artist's Bible (Ch.1)

In this episode Alaina and Casey talk through chapter 1 of Eric Booth's The Music Teaching Artist's Bible titled  "What is a Teaching Artist?". They discuss their key take aways including: Art vs. Entertainment, what you teach is who you are, and how teaching artistry goes against standard practices in music. At the end they read through some of their favorite definitions other teaching artists have created to define this practice.


Nov 25, 201926:01
Pilot: Searching for Success

Pilot: Searching for Success

In this podcast co-hosts Casey & Alaina speak about life after music school, finding your niche in the music world, and making ends meet. Follow them as they figure out how to find success and how others are doing the same.

This first episode features a conversation about their values as musicians, teaching artistry, and making your own opportunities.


Nov 11, 201924:44