Is it Recess Yet? Confessions of a Former Child Prodigy
Is it Recess Yet? Confessions of a Former Child Prodigy is about concert violinist Tricia Park's years as a child prodigy and her quest to evolve beyond that identity. Get an insider’s look into the classical music world and listen to conversations with innovative artists who are forging new - and playful - paths into creativity.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 40 minutes
- Episodes
- 41
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2021
Five Ways to Unstuck Your Writing and Get Started Faster
Writing is hard because we have a lofty idea of what writing is. We imagine people--fancy people--with degrees and credentials and quills and thick notebooks into which they spill their flawless thou…
The One Question I Never Thought I’d Have to Answer (and Why it Frustrates the Heck Outta Me)
“So….do you still play the violin?”
Recently, people have been asking me this a lot, and I’ll be honest with you, it kind of pisses me off.
My reaction to that question is visceral: defensive, angry, d…
I won a Fulbright Award! On creative writing and how it could make you a happier musician.
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Since I received my Fulbright in the creative writing category, I thought it might be helpful for me to share some ideas about how creative writing has helped me and my …
Jennifer Fawcett. "Perfect isn't interesting." On Imposter Syndrome and why we should "keep going and do it anyway."
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Learn more about the stuff we talk about in this episode:
Jennifer teaches at Skidmore College and her first novel, The Octagon House, will be published b…
2020: "What would you tell your younger self?" An end of year review, with advice to help you on your creative journey in 2021.
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0:59 - Cellist Laura Usiskin on perfectionism and the ways we compare ourselves to others.
2:41 - Pianist and scholar, Mina Yang, gives some advice on being grateful and…
Miki-Sophia Cloud. "Why am I doing this?" On the importance of great mentors and choosing to find joy and purpose in music.
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Miki is a core member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble, A Far Cry
The Boston Globe profile on Miki's "Little Criers"concerts for families and children. Find "Little Crie…
Dr. Noa Kageyama. "Focus on growth." On growth mindset versus fixed mindset and what we can learn from making music.
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Noa Kageyama, Bulletproof Musician
Noa teaches at the Juilliard School
Noa got a double degree at Oberlin
Don Greene, Ph.d, Performance Mastery Trainer
Rev. D. Maurice Charles. "To resist absurdity is to live." On why "you don't have to feel what someone else feels to do the right thing" and creating a society that makes space for all of us.
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2:33 - Dean Charles talks about his growing up in the church and how his family migrated from the Jim Crow South. How his family's stories of sla…
Kenji Bunch: "The willingness to fail in public is so important." A chat with composer and musician Kenji Bunch, about taking creative risks, being a bi-racial Asian kid, and saying "yes" to everything.
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3:56 - How Kenji got started in music on violin and piano.
5:32 - How Kenji always had an "abstract notion" that he wanted to compose and how this led to his…
Karen Rile: "You can actually change your life very quickly." A chat with writer Karen Rile, about parenting, flexibility, and how deliberate practice yields huge results.
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2:05 - Karen's childhood growing up in an "arts friendly" family.
3:53 - Nathalie Hinderas, an African American pianist who faced career challenges due to raci…
Byron Au Yong, PART 2: "Shouting comes from having no choice." A chat with composer Byron Au Yong, about activism, representation, and why we can't avoid our painful experiences.
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3:13 - The genesis of "Activist Songbook." The murder of Vincent Chin as impetus for U.S. legislation against hate crimes.
5:12 - "'Activist Songbook' is th…
Byron Au Yong: "Counteract the hate." A chat with composer Byron Au Yong, about how Western Classical music is not the only music in the world and the "healing powers of music."
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2:50 - "If you hear a child sing, they're trying to comfort themselves." How music provided solace for Byron and a way to process the multiple Chinese lang…
Augusta Read Thomas: "Music is so much bigger." A chat with composer Augusta Read Thomas, about the importance of "breaking down every wall" and composing for beatboxer, Nicole Paris.
In my conversation with composer Augusta Read Thomas, she expresses her heartfelt support of Black Lives Matter; her empathy for the performer in her compositions; why the music profession should be …
Blair McMillen: "It's okay to be vulnerable." A chat with pianist Blair McMillen, about performance anxiety, perfectionism, and why process is more important than product.
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2:12 - Blair talks about how he got started, going to Interlochen, and then Oberlin.
4:59 - Blair's struggles with a "debilitating f…
Sean Wang: "My quietness was misunderstood as an act of defiance." A chat with violinist, conductor, and scholar, Sean Wang, about the burden of assimilation, microaggressions, and the "bamboo ceiling" in classical music.
Celia Hatton: “You have to speak up and take up space.” A chat with violist Celia Hatton about microaggressions, implicit bias, and institutional racism in classical music and beyond.
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2:32 - Celia talks about growing up in a musically and artistically eclectic family and how she got started on the viola.
9:18 - Celia talks about what motiv…
Tricia Park performs "Ferdinand the Bull," the children's storybook classic, for solo violin and speaker (story by Munro Leaf and music by Alan Ridout).
Dr. Nadine Kelly: "I am an eclectic, nerdy black woman who is a late bloomer." A chat with Dr. Nadine Kelly, retired pathologist and yoga instructor about leaving medicine to follow her happiness and why we need to be nicer to ourselves.
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1:44 - Growing up the daughter of Haitian immigrants, Nadine's journey to becoming a pathologist and how she decided to leave medicine after being diagn…
Shannon Wilkinson: "You are valuable because you exist." A chat with life coach, Shannon Wilkinson, about when perfectionism becomes toxic; why "taking a breath" improves our ability to problem-solve; and why cultivating your creative courage may be the best thing you can do for your career right now.
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1:41 – Shannon’s circuitous path to becoming a life coach before life coaching was “a thing.” How Shannon always knew she wanted to be her own boss.
5:3…