Aria Podcast

Hi everyone! I'm back! This is my very first solo episode and I'll be talking about the new Batman movie's soundtrack and how Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Bruce Wayne was actually inspired by Kurt Cobain. The first half of the episode explains how motifs from the soundtrack are used to further the plot and the second half features readings from Kurt Cobain's actual journal entries, showing parallels between the new Bruce Wayne and Kurt Cobain in the years leading to his death in 1994. Sources: Kurt Cobain Journals (Gardner’s Books, New Ed Edition)

Season 2 Ep. 2 features guitarist and music teacher Joe Allie (@jimmyjoejazzsweeps on Instagram) who resides in Phoenix, AZ. Joe plays with the bands Marked;Life and Brother Theresa (look em up) and we talk about not only his current music ventures, but possible future ones as well! We dig into how promoting our art can sometimes take away from the enjoyment of making it, and about finding that mindset balance between allowing the music to become part of who we are, and just letting go- allowing the music to take over. 

The premiere of Season 2 comes in with a bang- a collab with podcast @classicalqueeros - A podcast all about discussing queer composers in classical music and beyond. Alice Park and Shahid Osuna both sit down with me and we discuss our queerness, and how it has not only shaped and affected us but how it has shaped our music as well. We dive into a lot of great topics in this one, and what is better than learning about other cool podcasts to follow? You can find Classical Queeros on instagram @classicalqueeros as well as on Anchor and Spotify! Episode art by Wen Wu/ @wenartcraft on Instagram, Original Photo taken by Theresa Morgan/ @theresa.m.photo on Instagram (Support local artists and creators!)

This episode features my friend Alex Price, who is a composer and instrumentalist as well as an educator. We talk about how Alex got into composing, particularly film scoring, and how story telling and music can connect- along with so many other challenges like composing and practicing in a healthy way. We both talk about some of our inspirations and favorite composers and of course we hear clips from his work including “Life Story”, Alex’s thesis project from college, which is both a story and an album! Alex's song "Across Time and Space" is featured in the episode opening, with a clip from his tune, "Journey" at the end of the episode. You can find Alex on Spotify, Bandcamp, and anywhere else you can download music!

Richie Brennan is a trombonist, music educator and composer who is currently finishing up his music education degree at ASU. We get into some great topics in this episode, like the fascinating world of big band music, being faced with long-term injuries as a musician, and Richie's process of finding his own voice as a performer and an educator. Richie has original music available for purchase on Bandcamp, and you'll hear a clip of one of those songs during the episode! If you ever played in a jazz band, this might be a fun episode for you. You can find Richie on instagram @richeeb41

Kacey Fassett is an incredible saxophonist/singer-songwriter based in LA (and also one of my closest friends). We sit down and talk about Kacey's life in NYC studying jazz at NYU, finding her musical voice through college and beyond, her move to LA, and some of our experiences as women in the music industry. We take on topics of sexism, feeling like we are stuck in a "genre box", dropping our saxophones on public transportation, and much much more. She talks about her newest single, "Arizona", and we even give you a sneak peak at the end of the episode. You can find Kacey on Spotify @kaceyfassett & instagram @kaceyfassett 

This week’s episode features bassist and singer/songwriter Erika Sharpe who lives in Phoenix, AZ. We discuss her musical background and her time studying at the New School in NYC, and we dive deep into songwriting and how we both approach different styles and ideas. We discuss how taking a break from music can affect your songwriting and practice. Erika plans to release new music in the spring, and you get a sneak peak into her process during this episode.

Autumn Dominguez is a fabulous saxophonist and teacher residing in Tucson, AZ. We discuss her musical ventures throughout the pandemic and our shared/differing experiences as women in the jazz community.

Tonight’s episode features Matt Storto, an amazing drummer and musician from Phoenix, AZ. We talk about some upcoming music ventures of his, the art of practicing/practice guilt, the intent behind the music we make and more! This was such a fun episode to record, so take a listen! Find his band @harrisonfjordmusic on Spotify & Instagram!

In today’s episode I talk with musician and composer Kristian Rodriguez. As a queer, non-binary Latinx individual, their work is focused in liberation of the self and of marginalized communities from all axes of oppression. As music educators, we also talk about our experiences with music in public and community education, and how we have used current research on emotion and cognition psychology in shaping our instruction methodologies to young students.