Faking Notes Podcast

Ep. 122 - How many chamber ensembles do you know that has two violinists and a double bassist? Oh, and did we mention that they can all sing as well? Time for Three (Charles Yang, Raanan Meyer and Nick Kendall) are truly making their mark as a “one of a kind” string trio, finding fresh and creative ways to intersect classical music with genres such as Americana and Modern Pop. Achieving what no one else has done within the classical music realm, their dazzling virtuosity and infectious joy has led to international acclaim and performances with top orchestras such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, and the creation of their new album "Letters for the Future", released by Deutsche Grammophon. We talk about their experience working on “Letters for the Future”, trusting the process of building a brand, and why singing improves your musicianship.

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We're working on the next season but would love your feedback! We'll be releasing some 'classic' episodes along the way.
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Ep. 121 - We end Season 3 with an extensive overview of Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People. We dive deep into the framework of being likable, being a good leader, and winning people to your way of thinking while including real world examples, personal experiences, and important correlations to why this skill is important for a musician.

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Ep. 120 - Percussionist Wesley Sumpter is on a mission to become more than a successful musician in the 21st Century. A member of The Los Angeles Philharmonic Resident Fellow Program, Lineage Percussion Trio, and Misnomer, Wesley is a prime example of The Faking Notes Motto; work hard, be creative, be open-minded, practice entrepreneurship, and dream big. We dive deep into his upbringing in Atlanta and the adjustment of moving to Los Angeles, while sharing stories from the recent Juneteenth Concert for Global Freedom and from his time on the set of Drumline 2: A New Beat.

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Ep. 119 - Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, David Kim joins us in part 2 of our Mainly Mozart mini-series. With numerous accolades such as prizewinner at the Tchaikovsky Competition, faculty positions at schools such as The McDuffie Center of Strings, and many years performing with orchestras such The TPO and Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra, David has seen and done it all. We delve into many topics, including essential skills that musicians need in the 21st century, the importance of work-life balance, and dealing with performance pressure.

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Ep. 118 - Conductor for the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, and Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Michael Francis is constantly finding solutions and methods to make classical music more accessible and relatable in the 21st Century. We chat about finding that connection with classical music, the importance of the arts in society, and what would Mozart be doing in the 21st century?

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Ep. 117 - Are you about to graduate? If yes, Congratulations! After many years of school writing papers, waking up for your 8 am classes, and performing juries... what's next? We highlight 10 steps, inspired by our experiences as recent graduates that will help with your transition from College Student to Working Musician.

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Ep. 116 - Do you know anyone who has played in two performances at the same Oscars? We talk to violist Karoline Menezes, an established freelancer who recently performed with Billie Eilish and Beyonce at the 2022 Academy Awards. We learn about her upbringing in Northeast Brazil, her struggles when first moving to the United States, and how her grit and determination led to a successful music career in Los Angeles.

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Ep. 115 - Stage Fright: every musician in the world has experienced it in some way or form. It is something we all must encounter as performing musicians, but how do you overcome it? In this Episode we reminisce about our experiences with stage fright, what we learned from these experiences, and tactics that will help you control performance anxiety.

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Ep. 114 – We answer questions from our Discord FakingFam, offering perspective on centering yourself on stage, the importance of exposing yourself to multiple genres of music, and preparing for recording sessions (Prescreening and Studio Work). If you would like a question to be answered by Drew and Trevor in a future episode, join our Discord server!

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Ep. 113 – What is machine learning and why does it matter for musicians? We talk to Pedram Pejman, an AI/machine learning specialist at Google and musician/producer about all things machine learning; how it is being incorporated in the music industry, how it can be put to good use, and the future of this developing technology.

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Ep. 112 – How do you find clients who are interested in your services, but who will also call you back for future work/opportunities? We talk about our experiences and lessons learned from working with clients while referring to important components of successful client relationships such as trust, clarity, establishing boundaries, and being informative.

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Ep. 111 – What’s holding you back from taking that next step in your career? How do you overcome resistance, plan, and reach your goals? Angela Beeching is the top classical music career coach and author of the famed “musicians career bible,” Beyond Talent. She’s helped thousands of musicians clarify their purpose and build successful careers, one conquered fear at a time. Listen in as we talk through life and strategies to take that next step.

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Ep. 110 - Infectious Disease Specialist, beat maker, and longtime Faking Notes Podcast listener Antshay comes through! We talk about his musical journey; going for it, overcoming fear, and immersing himself in supportive communities all while balancing a life as a physician and a father.

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Ep. 109 - Spotify recently made headlines concerning its most popular podcaster Joe Rogan while reigniting the debate of music streaming payouts. We give our take on the Joe Rogan situation while also diving into Spotify; the pros, the cons and the importance of responsibility from a position of power.

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Ep. 108 – Every corner of the music industry united to dunk on HitPiece, an NFT scam site that was listing “all of music” for sale. Should you be worried? Is this all a scam? What’s an NFT again? We cover the whole debacle, while also looking at the positive sides of NFT’s and how they can shape the future – even preventing HitPiece-like scams to begin with.

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Ep. 107 –  Why is marketing important for musicians? In the finale of this three-part series we give a crash course on the fundamentals of marketing and how to build your music career by understanding the market.

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Ep. 106 – What are the 5 properties of Money? Yes, we know we need money - but what is it at the fundamental level? How do we improve our relationship with money? What can we learn from the principles of money that applies to your art?

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Ep. 105 – Connection, entertainment, emotion, and products = Value? What exactly is value and how do we determine our own value? In our first of a 3 part series “Why does it matter?” We have an open discussion about value, money, and marketing – opening up many questions (and a few answers) about what being an artist in the 21st-century means.

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Ep. 104 – From Harvard to Juilliard to Kanye for Orchestra to Coinbase - Yuga just gets it done. Innovating the concert experience and building in the crypto space, he is on a mission to bring people into the future. While we do dig into the weeds of blockchain, we also ideate on how it will directly impact your lives as musicians – what does the next 5 year look like?

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Ep. 103 – Double your audience size? Quadruple your donors? Legendary arts administrator Aubrey Bergauer is changing the narrative about classical music – using new data, tech, marketing techniques, and vision – to get people back in seats! After historic levels of growth as the Executive Director of the California Symphony, she has set out to help other organizations embrace the challenge that is the 21st century.

We talk about learning from other industries, the power of data, e-commerce, how to grow classical music, plus so many other topics – and we wrap up with an ideation game at the end!

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Links to more Aubrey Bergauer

Ep. 102 – With well over 1 million collective followers across a decade and multiple platforms, tune into this roundtable with our fan-favorite classical music social media kings Nathan Chan and Ken Kubota. A true faking fam reunion, we talk about learning the social media landscape over the years, tips and tricks, how to evolve, consistency, crypto, and what actually matter in life.

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Ep. 101 – Can you play nearly every genre of music? With a background in political science and music – Julia stays committed to curiosity and trying new things – performing music that spans centuries across the globe. We talk about co-founding the Sonora Collective which brings music and art collectives together as well has how to cultivate a global perspective as an artist.

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Ep. 100 – King Richard, Bridgerton, Greenbook, Space Jam 2 – composer Kris Bowers can do it all. We talk about his success in Jazz and his meteoric rise in Film Scoring, how to build a team, what Kobe told him about storytelling, and what it’s like to work with the best in the industry. Tracing his Grandfather’s story from Jim Crow to a premiere at Walt Disney Hall,  ‘A Concerto is a Conversation’ is a film of beauty, heart, and perseverance – all things found in Kris Bowers. Enjoy the concerto we have here.

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Ep. 99 – What does Basketball have to do with chamber music? How do you turn a small town festival into a town-transformative international music festival?The Body and the Mind receive so much focus from artists and athletes alike – both of which Cavani String Quartet member and Caroga Arts Collective founder, Kyle Price, excels at… Live the Dream, and Dream the Life!

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Ep. 98 – How do you balance a life of touring and teaching? What’s it like going between stages of 50,000 people and classrooms of 5 year olds? Melody has found a way to do it all – perform on the biggest stages and help cultivate the next generation. She has played with a ton of artists: Sara Bareilles, Stevie Wonder, Shawn Mendes, Eminem, 50 Cent, Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, as well as tons of New Music, with Orchestras, and on Broadway.

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Ep. 97 – Blockchain. Crypto. Why should musicians pay attention? The potential is huge and we need artists in the conversation. Sam Bodkin brings a historical prospective to this emerging tech – we talk about the pros/cons and how this has potential to change the game – improving the lives and inequities of the music community.

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Ep. 96 – Groupmuse is transformative, bringing classical music to your living room. What better way to create community than to open up access to music and experiences with your friends and to bring back chamber music to its roots? Sam Bodkin is a true visionary and is relentless in his pursuit to connect the lessons of the past to the community of the future. A must listen.

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Ep. 95 – What better birthday present than to win a job as Celine Dion’s cellist? Judy has played with SO many huge names:  Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, Sarah McLachlan, Florence and the Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, Andrea Bocelli, Earth Wind & Fire, Maluma, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes.

We talk through work life balance tips and a journey through self care.

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Links to more Judy Kang

Ep. 94 – Congrats! You made it through auditions. You’ve entered music school. You’ve got so much to learn in just a few years – what’s the best way to utilize your time there or college in general? We talk through strategies on where to best put your focus, how to find your tribe, practice tips, and even what to do during the summer.

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Ep. 93 – You are more that your student loans – though Filmmaker and writer Zack Morrison’s loans became a topic for everyone after a viral Wall Street Journal Article interview went live. What have we gained from college? Was is all worth it? Where does it apply now… Zack has worked on a number of late-night shows and his own (hilarious) film work continues to rack up recognition - including a student Emmy award. We talk about the film making process and how to keep pushing forward in ‘the grid’ while staying creative.

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Ep. 92 – Few can say they have made it to the American Idol’s final show – even fewer have done so by not making it through the earlier rounds. But only one – Tom McGovern – did it after singing about Katy Perry’s teeth and Luke Bryan’s Metamucil usage. Tom is one of the funniest jingle writers and performers in the biz. He’s crushing it on TikTok with his tiptop skits. We talk about going against the grain, taking risks through song, improve comedy life lessons, and how to stick with what makes you happy throughout the tough times.

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Ep. 91 – Networking gone wrong. What do you do when things turn south? Dale Carnegie strikes back…We talk through our experiences – good and bad – and how to ‘handle’ arguments and conversations with empathy and grace, including in the digital space.

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Ep. 90 – Networking? How to overcome the fears of talking to the big names, crowds, and non-musicians. What are some tactics and how to turn this ‘dreaded’ part of the business into a joy.

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Ep. 88 – Since her 2020 stand-up set on the Tonight Show brought down the house (and the global economy), Isabel comes back through the Pod. Capitalizing on the critical success of Isabel’s first episode, “Music and Comedy” – who doesn’t love a hastily rushed sequel? We talk about her own pod, ‘Good Timing’ and learn how it feels to actually have a funny podcast. How do you navigate successful career in both Comedy and Music? How do you perfect a joke? What are we even doing here? Will there be an Isabel Hagen trilogy?

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Ep. 87 – Sing and play the harp? At the same time? Dreamy pop band? We talk about how to do it all. We reminisce on NYC, the Juilliard days, and how to forge your own career.

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Links to more Margaret Davis

Ep. 86 – Sit tight and let Anna Murakawa take you on a journey across the globe. She can speak 7 languages, let alone her incredible playing! She lays the foundation for how to make things happen and will things into existence.

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Links to more Anna Murakawa

Socials: @annamurakawa.violin

Ep. 85 – What did we learn from the pandemic? How did we grow? What on earth are we up to? Just the duo today. We talk through the learnings of starting our own companies, self care, strategies to improve as artists and creators in the future, and how to et your projects off the ground.

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Ep. 84 – The future of voice: Martina DaSilva. You’ve heard her on Postmodern Jukebox and all corners of the internet. An incredible vocalist, she packs a punch with style, and even makes her own cloths too (they are amazing)! We talk about growing up in NYC, finding Jazz abroad, editing video, and how to embrace your own style as a total artist.

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Ep. 83 – Faking Fam Feature no. 3, pod listener Kayley Clark comes through! We talk about her experience moving to Sweden, teaching young kids grit and mastery through music, and the perks of Swedish fika time: a cultural tradition of sharing coffee and conversations with friends. Stick around for additional thoughts on Grad School at the end.

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Links to Kayley Clark

Insta: @kay_kiwi123

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Ep. 82 – SEASON 3 LAUNCH – Obama’s Inauguration. The Met. Principal Clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. Father. GQ’s latest sexiest man alive (well not yet, but we are calling it here). What do all of these have in common? These all pale in comparison Anthony McGill’s inner accompaniments. He is a self-proclaimed advocate of ‘self help’ and talks about meditation, his upbringing with incredible artistic parents and superstar siblings (shout outs to Demarre McGill), and how to use your platform for good. This is a must listen for everyone.

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Links to Anthony McGill’s projects

Ep. 81 – SEASON 2 FINALE – Netflix, NFL, and The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra? After seeing the world growing up in a military family, Worthsmith found home as the Musical Mayor of Baltimore. We talk about setting up yourself as a business, creating your own record label, music licensing for t.v., the global perspective, and life as an artistic partner with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

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Links to Worthsmith’s projects

Ep. 80 – YAS is here. She is a BEAST. From playing strings on some of your favorite tracks, to carving her own niche as a vocalist – she is a leading example in grit and drive. But, there is more to YAS than the grind. What actually matters? We talk about how to find meaning in the hustle, make real connection with an audience, and what it takes to forge your own path.

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Ep. 79 – What are you trying to accomplish in your life? Your career? What’s stopping you? We talk about embracing the darkness, knowing your enemy by respecting them, service as a mission, Ikigai, Naruto, Call of Duty, and “the stress of trying to be something, trying to create something…”

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Ep. 78 – From The Mandalorian to the DaKAH Hiphop orchestra, Tom Lea is a viola machine. He drops wisdom about physical and mental health, loving yourself, fatherhood’s impact on teaching, and how to become a first call musician in LA.

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Twitter: @BratcheBeats

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Ep. 77 – Hans Zimmer, Postmodern Jukebox, Yo Yo Ma, Elvis Costello, Bridgerton (Vitamin String Quartet), and pretty much everyone else... There is almost no genre Leah hasn't lived in. We talk about her amazing family and life, singing with feeling, service, becoming amphibious, finances, and how to live a life filled with music.

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Socials: @leahzeger

Ep. 76 – Nathan Chan contains multitudes. Joy, Hilarity, Seriousness, TikTok, Cello. We talk about his journey from a conducting debut at the age of 3 to millions of views across the web. The second coming of Yo Yo Ma (but actually, the first coming of Nathan Chan), this convo is not to be missed.

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Ep. 75 – What the heck is Bitcoin and blockchain, and how does that relate to music? Broadway? Brain Li shares his journey from skipping school -> Lion King -> Vegas -> Bitcoin -> _______. We talk about Japanese culture, supply and demand of the arts, avoiding a stale life, the challenge of fatherhood, devaluation of art, and how blockchain may be the future of music.

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Ep. 74 – A million monthly listeners on Spotify? Release over 300 tracks a year AND be a great person? Dillan Witherow comes in with wisdom and love of the craft. We talk about Folk Music, Log Truck Driving, Spotify Editorials, the switch from sideman to frontman, exploring new genres, and how to find meaning in music.

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Instagram: @dillanwitherow