Resource Spotlight: Sacramento Music Podcasts

I am a podcast fanatic. FA.NA.TIC. I think it’s the most amazing way to take in information and I listen to them constantly to make mundane chores like doing the dishes or commuting more interesting. Since I love to learn but am no longer in school it’s a great way for me to keep growing as a person and as a musician. Today I’d like to highlight two different podcasts that are both produced in my city, Sacramento, CA.

The first is Music Untapped produced by Heather Waid and Chris Langton. Some of you may remember Heather from the blog post “5 Things your Accompanist wants you to Know” blog post. In each episode Heather and Chris kick back with a drink and do a deep dive into the obscure corners of music by exploring questions like “What are the hardest songs ever written?” and “Why do we learn on recorders in school?” It’s like taking a very bizarre, niche music history class but without papers or final exams! Bonus, if it’s happy hour time you can pour a drink and pretend you are with them like I sometimes do.

The second podcast I’d like to highlight is Dis/Sect which is produced by Cole Cuchna. By his own description it is a serialized music podcast that aims to counter our current shift towards a hurried scrolling/swipe culture. Each season of Dis/sect does a musical analysis of one album. This podcast is like a masterclass on musical composition, history and context. I first listened to his examination of one of my all time favorite albums “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and I learned SO MUCH. My classical musical training focused a lot on music from the 1600s to -1950ish but I have never spent the same kind of time and energy learning about music made during my lifetime. I grew up listening to Hip-hop/rap which is Dis/sect’s specialty but have never studied and it was great to add in-depth context to my own personal memories of those songs. Cole has done the research, all you have to do is hit play and listen.

Do you have a favorite local podcast about music? If so drop me a line and share it!

5 Music-Related New Years Resolutions

Forget about the flossing (okay but not really cause it’s good for you) and make music-related resolutions for 2020. It’s a good way to work on your perseverance :) Here’s some suggestions…

1. Sing or play piano (or both) somewhere publicly. Whether its office karaoke or just singing a lullaby to your little one, challenge yourself to step out and perform.

2. Join a choir!!!! (Like Empire Pop Choir)

3. Subscribe to a music podcast. My favorites are Switched on Pop and The Intelligent Vocalist.

4. Learn a new song every day (sight-sing or sight read if you know how!)

5. Talk to yourself kindly when it comes to music. Our brains are so good at learning music and our bodies are so good at helping us produce it, let’s talk to them like we would to a good friend.

What about you? Love resolutions? Hate them? Indifferent? If you have one share it!

5 Things Your Accompanist wants you to Know

If you are a singer at some point you’ll be working with a pianist and if you’re lucky you’ll be working with a really skilled pianist like today’s interviewee Heather Waid. Heather has a double Masters Degree in Collaborative piano and Vocal Performance and is phenomenally skilled as an accompanist. She has played for thousands of singers from Sacramento to San Jose and today we’re lucky enough to get to pick her brain on all the things she wishes all singers knew about working with a pianist.

Here are 5 things your accompanist wants you to know:

1. “You are in charge of the ship.” The accompanist is there to support you and they will follow you if you go faster or slower, you decide when to start the song, how long to hold notes etc. The pianist will follow you, that is what they train to do so if you want to sing faster or slower just go for it, they will be right there with you.

2. Keep it clean. Provide clean copies of your music. Says Heather “I’m working really hard to support you, do not make my job harder by giving me music with blurry or cut off notes so that I have to guess what the music says!”. Not sure what a clean copy is? You are in luck because Heather shared a download that she wrote with all her guidelines. Sign up for our e-mail list at the bottom of the page and you’ll receive a copy!

3. NO SNAPPING EVER Snapping at your accompanist to show tempo is extremely rude and also a mistake that singers constantly make. The best way to show your accompanist how fast you want to do the song is to sing the first line or two at the tempo you’d like to go. If you want extra credit with your accompanist you can sing the tempo while conducting which is helpful if the rhythm is tricky. Only attempt this if you know how to conduct.

4. Eyes forward! Be a pro and don’t look at your accompanist to communicate when you want to start your song or if you mess up. Good accompanists are totally focused on singers and even if they are looking at the music (which is what they should be doing!) they consistently have their peripheral eyes on you. So when you change your posture and open your mouth to sing they will be there at the ready. Likewise if you make a mistake do not glance over at the accompanist to check if they are still with you. No matter your intent if you glance at your accompanist while singing it always gives the impression that you are blaming them for your mistakes. Even if you drop a whole measure your accompanist will find you seamlessly, they don’t need eye contact.

5. Manners go a long way! After you are done singing make sure to acknowledge your accompanist. After you take your bow don’t wander offstage without also taking the time to acknowledge your accompanist. They just worked really hard to make you look good, make sure you say thank you publicly!

Thanks for sharing your wisdom Heather! To learn more about Heather you can check out her weekly podcast Music Untapped where she explores the weird, wild world of music with co-host Chris Langton and check out the Empire Pop Choir where she serves as conductor and artistic director.

Perseverance

A few years ago I went to the memorial service for my favorite swim coach Ross Yancher. Ross was a character. He liked to make up fun events for our morning adults swim like “eggnog relays” during the holidays where we would unwisely take eggnog shots in the pool between laps. In my mid 30s he taught me to swim butterfly, dive off a block and swim way faster than I ever thought possible. I clearly remember saying to him one day “It’s 5am Ross. I am swimming just for exercise. I don’t want to dive off this block” and him laughing in retort “It’s weird how you think you have a choice in the matter”. Spoiler alert: I got on the block and did the sprint. Why? Because Ross had the chops to back up his bossiness. Every single week he gave me at least one constructive way to work on improving my stroke. He also had his own way of being generous and supportive, he would come to my sketch comedy shows and talk them up to everybody in the pool “Do you know what Emily is up to this weekend. It’s WEIRD! You gotta go see it.”

Simply put Ross was an unforgettable person but despite all his quirks what I was most struck by at his memorial was his legacy of perseverance. Ross taught me (and hundreds of others!) how to show up and improve little by little. He himself did this little by little over the course of his life, coaching an hour or two every day at different places. I was a beginning swimmer when I started practicing at Ross’ pool, but after two years I could swim a mile straight without stopping, butterfly ( a previously impossible dream) and dive off a block like a pro. He never spoke to me unkindly but consistently heckled me into always going a little farther than I thought I could. He did this for hundreds or maybe thousands of people over the years. His memorial was filled with swimmers recalling everything he taught them. In music and creativity I think we often overestimate the importance of “talent” and underestimate the importance of perseverance and small improvements over time. Ross made swimming fun even when it was hard by keeping things lighthearted and likewise we can enjoy the process of exploring our voices and growing our musical skills. Be like Ross: Make it a game, do a little every day to improve your skills and you can go so much farther than you dreamed possible.