Episode 32: Matthew Jermiason

07/30/19 • 26 min

The Musician's Guide To Being Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

This week, we have Matthew Jermiason back on the podcast for the second time during his time at the CAS Performance and Musician Wellness Workshop in Nashville this summer. Matthew tells us about the struggles of “making it” as a musician in NYC, the joys of having and day job, and overcoming burnout.

Hello NYC!

Since arriving in NYC just eight short months ago, life has been a nonstop whirlwind for Matthew. From the culture shock and learning the mass transit system to acclimating to living with so many other people in such a small space, Matthew admits to needing a few months to get into the flow of such a change. After spending most of his life in North Dakota, Matthew studied music at Bowling Green University in Ohio before finally taking the plunge into the Big Apple. Like many aspiring musicians, Matthew was intrigued with the idea of “making it” and if that was something within his reach. He reflects on how he’s realized how much his idea of “making it” has changed over the years as he’s had different experiences as a musician. Back when he was getting his degree, the idea of playing in a major orchestra was “making it”. Now, as a working musician in NYC, he feels as though he has already “made it” just by living in such an incredible city and making it work while he follows his passions. He sees this new chapter and way of life as a third degree to go along with his Bachelors and his Masters.

Matthew attributes his success to the many other musicians in the city that helped him through this first year. Everyone is from somewhere else and they all had to go through something very similar when they first moved to NYC. It’s the teamwork and comradery amongst musicians that allows everyone to survive this crazy lifestyle.

Burning Out

Feeling burnt out can be a very true fact of life for anyone looking to truly develop their skills and make something of themselves. Musician’s are no exception. Matthew has personally experienced burn out several times in his life and is not afraid to talk about it. After completely both of his degrees, he felt tired, worn down, and simply had no desire to play trombone or make music anymore for the time being. For so long, he had to be 150% and was constantly being told what to do and how to do it on a daily basis. To overcome his burn out, Matthew says that he tried taking a break from music all together and dove into his other interests to allow his mind to focus on other things that made him happy. He felt that disassociating himself as a musician really helped him find himself outside of

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Hello NYC!

Burning Out

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Karen Cubides Agency: https://karencubidesagency.com
Karen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.cubides/
Jen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjames.co/

Previous Episode

Episode 30: The Cubides Sisters

Jennifer Cubides interviews our host Karen Cubides and gives us a unique perspective on their relationship and growing up together.

Listener Write in: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/about
Patreon- Come Hang out: https://patreon.com/user?u=66581011&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
The Musician's Guide to Social Media Courses: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/courses
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-musicians-guide-to-being-healthy-wealthy-and-wise/id1440699268
Karen Cubides Agency: https://karencubidesagency.com
Karen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.cubides/
Jen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjames.co/

Next Episode

Episode 31: ITF Recap

This week, Karen recounts her experience at the International Trombone Festival that took place in Muncie, IN a few weeks ago. She talks about the top three things that she learned and the importance of attending festivals, workshops, and conferences.
1. Showing up

It can’t be so easy for anyone to come up with a reason not to attend a workshop or music festival but showing up is the first step! Karen experienced such growth and change amongst ITF participants just from being surrounded by their peers and attending masterclasses led by their heroes. By putting yourself in these situations, you can easily find your people and continue your journey towards having a successful career.

2. Get Involved

The next step in making a change and moving forward in your career is to get involved! During ITF, Karen found herself as a member of a diversity panel amongst a number of incredible trombonists simply because she asked and showed interest! Despite not even being a trombonist herself, Karen knew that she could have a voice and make a difference in this situation and ended up having her voice heard. You don’t have to have a big title or have a place in a major orchestra to be making a difference. Taking a chance and simply asking can make all the difference in helping you find your place and how you can have an impact.

3. Playing Well With Others

Doesn’t matter who you are, how well you play, or what you’ve accomplished, you will not advance in your career if you can not play well with others. Being kind and flexible can open doors for you that you never even thought possible. At ITF, Karen’s husband and COO of CAS, Nick Laufer, was the yes man. He did everything he could to help as many people as possible and ensure that everyone was getting what they needed to have the best experience possible. Nick’s selflessness and willingness to go the extra mile for others resulted in him being asked to judge the trombone quartet competition that he and his quartet had won a decade earlier! It just goes to show that if people enjoy you and appreciate you as a person, you are more likely to be given more opportunities and ultimately lead to greater success.

So get out there and show up, get involved, and be a good person! If you are the smartest person in the room you are in the wrong room.