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Things Musicians Don't Talk About
61. Aaron Akugbo: BBC Proms, art and identity
Our amazing friend, trumpeter Aaron Akugbo, is about to make his BBC Proms debut with the Chineke! Orchestra - but there's more to his story. Determined to be unapologetic about his identity, Aaron takes us through the weird world of brass 'lad' culture, through to the rise of Black Lives Matter and navigating the brass world as someone facing direct and indirect discrimination for being both black and gay.
Discover Aaron on Instagram
His website is here
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Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now generously supported by the Royal Society of Musicians!
The Royal Society of Musicians is Britain’s oldest music charity and our aims remain as relevant today as they were in the earliest years – to provide vital financial assistance, advice and guidance to those professionally active in the world of music but who are unable to work due to accident, illness, stress or anxiety. Being a charity run by musicians for musicians, we are uniquely placed to fully understand the challenges faced within the profession.
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Editor: Katy Ehrich
Music: Katy Ehrlich
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86. Book Club: anti-psychiatry and doublings
01:09:31|Is capitalism to blame for the mental health crisis? Should we separate the art from the artist? Rebecca and Hattie have been reading non-fiction. And they are sharing two of the books with each other. Naomi Klein's Doppelganger won the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction in 2024 and has had a strong impact since it hit the bookshelves. The pressure for us to 'perform' online is overwhelming, and Becca brings a musician's perspective to Klein's reflections. Then to what appeared to be anti-psychiatry in James Davies's book Sedated. He blames much of our negative mental health experiences on toxic work culture and the flawed nature of CBT. Medication may not have as much of an impact long term as we might like. Hattie has thoughts...Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Emma WernerMusic: Katy Ehrlich85. Mark Brierley on being seen, classical music marketing and the origins of RSM
38:21|Mark Brierley came to the world of classical music via journalism and without any prior knowledge of the industry. Now, as Head of Membership and Communications at the Royal Society of Musicians, he spends every day hearing from musicians about the reality of their lives. He speaks with Hattie at the RSM headquarters about the origins of the 'Fund for Decay'd Musicians', his perspectives on the industry as an 'outsider' and how he's developed a love for it. They also discuss marketing and communications for musicians, how to be heard and the impact of membership at the RSM.Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie ButterworthEditor: Oscar GormleyMusic: Katy Ehrlich84. Musical theatre and emotional regulation
35:37|It's Becca's turn to sit down for a solo check in with the help of some listener questions. The grief journey continues, as does the freelancing, and Becca reflects on emotional regulation, balancing her various jobs, and processing the death of an abuser.Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Rebecca ToalEditors: Rebecca Toal and @mehrose786Music: Katy Ehrlich83. The ambition trap and entering into stagnation
32:17|Hattie sits down for a late night chat about everything on her mind this Christmas. New Year's resolutions, jealousy, musician guilt, ambition and the illusion of festivity are chaotically unpacked.82. Linton Stephens on living authentically with a public platform
01:09:01|We asked Linton Stephens to come and speak about authenticity for our first live show at the Royal Society of Musicians. A musician and broadcaster who has been naturally unapologetic about his identity in all corners of his career, living authentically is just part of Linton's everyday. But classical music's fragility means that this type of openness can be hard to find. We discuss Linton's early life, campaigning for women's music, the power of mentioning his boyfriend on the radio, the importance of representation and his views on tokenism. We also open questions up to the audience who come forward with some fantastic questions for Linton.Thank you to RSM for their ongoing support and stay tuned for details of our next live talk.Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor & music: Katy Ehrlich81. Jalayne Mitchell: Classical Wellness
01:09:46|Back in February we talked with the legend, Jalayne Mitchell. It was such a special episode that we had to keep it brewing for many, many months. Jalayne has since taken a break from Classical Wellness but her message is still so vital and timely.We talk about starting an instrument 'late' and playing catch up, starting a bold project outside the norm, the paralysis of performance anxiety and culture of silence at music college, amongst other things that just aren't cute at all.Thank you Jalayne, not just for the work you've done but also for setting an example of reevaluating priorities and taking time out. Big respect.Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Oscar GormleyMusic: Katy Ehrlich80. Grief, talent and ethical dilemmas
45:46|CW: death; brief mention of disordered eatingWhat happens when someone dies? How do you talk to someone who's lost a parent? What's wrong with the word 'talent'? Do you take on work that makes you uncomfortable? Why are we so scared of Freshers Week? We answer all these questions with absolute authority this week on Things Musicians Don't Talk About!Grab a cuppa, walk the dog/child, endure the commute, or simply rawdog this episode. We have a chinwag, a catchup and put the world to rights as per usual.Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Rebecca ToalMusic: Katy Ehrlich79. The unedit: my 2017 nervous breakdown
23:01|The start of an unedited series of podcasts.TW: mental illnessHattie shares the story of her 2017 nervous breakdown and reads a blog she wrote about it back in August. She also answers questions about breakdowns and whether she worries about them returning78. Matthew Barley on psychosis and healing through ayahuasca
52:17|When cellist Matthew Barley was 16 he tried to take his own life following a drug-induced psychotic episode. He then went on to channel everything into music until in 2019 the trauma of the event resurfaced.We speak to Matthew about his experience of psychosis, looking back on his experiences and the process of trauma therapy and the impact of ayahuasca. He takes us through writing music for his new album based on the events and discusses the way the classical music world views mental health conditionsmatthewbarley.com-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is now supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow them on Instagram, X and Facebook.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Katy EhrlichMusic: Katy Ehrlich