024 - The Cellist as Speech Pathologist

12/02/20 • 41 min

Today I am talking to cellist Alana Chown. She has supplemented her career as professional cellist and music teacher by training as a speech pathologist. In our chat we talk about the similarities between the need for paying attention to detail both in music and speech pathology. Alana speaks enthusiastically about the joy of connecting with the world through music and speech, also highlights the importance to create a livelihood that would sustain you in the emergencies that life can bring across your path.
Alana Chown (cello): B.M (Ithaca College) and M.M (University of Michigan). Alana was previously a faculty member of the String Academy of Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At the String Academy, she provided high-quality individual and group cello instruction, acted as a guest lecturer in cello pedagogy, directed the summer chamber music festival, and coordinated the Urban Students in the Arts Outreach Cello Program. As a freelance performer and teacher, Alana was the principal cellist of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, an Artist-in-Residence at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Milwaukee, taught for multiple summers at Ithaca College's Summer Music Academy and maintained a thriving private teaching studio. Currently, Alana is performing as a substitute with Symphony New Hampshire and is a faculty member at the Concord Community Music School. In collaboration with pianist Elena Abend, Alana recorded and released her solo debut album Paper Moon in 2015 which can be found on Spotify and iTunes.

In conjunction with cello playing, Alana graduated from Marquette University in 2016 with a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. She currently works with preschool aged children in the Windham School District serving a diverse group of students in both individual and group settings.

Hear Alana play the cello here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmXWTjYz2r8

Hear Alana play the cello here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmXWTjYz2r8

Previous Episode

023 - The Skill of Storytelling

Today I am talking to mezzo-soprano Kathryn Hannah who first studied fine arts and then went on to having a multi-faceted career as a singer, a fragrance expert and is now a leading merchant in oriental rugs. In our chat Kathryn draws on her professional experiences as she highlights various transferable skills that her work has taught her. For Kathryn, perhaps the most important skill she has learned is the ability to connect with people through storytelling.
Kathryn originally has an art background with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art before working in music. She is here to talk about her career journey and how she entered into the fascinating world of oriental rugs after becoming an accredited Fragrance Expert for a global company over two years ago. In her work heritage and storytelling abound while her technical knowledge keeps aflame, and link, her artistic interests across the board in many fields.
Equally passionate about excellent customer experiences, Kathryn has a strong affinity with retail and worked part time for several years in a sheet music department and piano shop whilst studying singing privately. In her career as a freelance mezzo-soprano she worked with many regional and national companies as chorister, soloist as well as covering roles. Kathryn relishes the varied groups of people in the music world she met and the varied situations and places she has performed and rehearsed! She exercises appreciation in expanding skills and abilities into other fields (as well as learning new ones) either concurrently or linearly in order to allow her to develop by transitioning to exciting new career pathways. Whatever career journey happens in life, she believes in humility and that respect and empathy towards others in every workplace is vital.

Next Episode

025 - Researching Social Media

Today I am talking to musicologist and podcaster Annablle Lee. Annabelle’s research focuses on the way social media has influenced the classical music scene and our talk today explores how recent developments in technology has influence the various facets of the classical music industry.
Dr. Annabelle Lee graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with a PhD in Musicology, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her thesis investigated the effects of social media marketing on the music business, with a focus on the classical music sector. Prior to her doctoral studies, she graduated from Durham University with a first class honours degree in Music, and completed the MSt Music (Musicology) from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.

For over two years, she worked as a marketing coordinator and manager in London and Gloucester, specialising in social media strategy. She also worked as a freelance flautist and Visiting Tutor in Music at Royal Holloway University.

Annabelle has published a number of articles based on her PhD research in publications such as Early Music Performer, Musicology Research, Classical Music Magazine and Burstimo, one of the country’s most exciting pop music marketing agencies. Currently, she creates and hosts Talking Classical, a new classical music podcast focused on interviews with leading industry professionals, performers and musicologists (soundcloud.com/talkingclassicalpodcast). With over 10,000 hits across streaming platforms, the podcast reaches listeners in 50 countries and has featured collaborations with the Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall and WildKat PR.

SoundCloud: @talkingclassicalpodcast

Facebook: @talkingclassicalpodcast

Twitter: @tc_podcasts
To read more about Annabelle's research, follow this link: http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/representingclassicalmusic/2019/08/12/are-social-networks-developing-new-audiences-for-classical-music-or-reinforcing-elitism