The Fourforty (440) with Eric Branner

Making a Resilient Living with Jason Sifford

Jason Sifford is a piano teacher, composer, and performer based in Iowa City. He runs an independent studio, writes pedagogical music published by Willis/Hal Leonard and FJH Music, composes original musical theater for a children's theater program that now reaches hundreds of kids across Iowa, and recently joined the MTNA Board of Trustees as West-Central Division Director. He also just launched Piano Blocks, a newsletter for piano teachers on Substack. In this conversation, Eric and Jason talk about building a career rooted in community and curiousity, make the case for 45-minute lessons, and share the origin story of Jason's highly successful theater project.  We also discuss his unique strategy for his latest Substack project. This episode is perfect for any music teacher contemplating the arc of their career. Topics covered: * The 45-minute lesson format and why it works * Leaving academia to go freelance and what that decision made possible * The Aspen moment: finding your place in the club * How a COVID-era theater project became a six-show, 17-employee operation * Composing for students: writing only what doesn’t already exist * A/B testing your music with real students * “Passive income” and why the crank never stops * Piano Blocks: writing for yourself first, audience second * The income quilt, building a resilient career * Work-life balance by the year, not the week Learn more about Jason's work here... * Website: jasonsifford.com * Piano Blocks on Substack: jasonsifford.substack.com * YouTube: youtube.com/@jsifford * Instagram: @jasonsifford * Sheet music: search “Jason Sifford” at halleonard.com 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @getfons [https://www.instagram.com/getfons] * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!) * TikTok: @getfons [https://www.tiktok.com/@getfons]

The Opposite of Anxiety is Creativity with Leila Viss

Leila Viss has spent her career helping musicians find and trust their own creative voice. In this conversation, she shares the philosophy behind Space to Create, what her son’s accident taught her about music and grief, and why the opposite of anxiety is creativity. This episode is a must-listen for creatives, educators, and humans... Here's the blog post [https://www.leilaviss.com/blog/piano-recital-with-live-band] about her recent recital! Learn more about Leila's work here. * Website: https://www.leilaviss.com * Space to Create: https://www.leilaviss.com/space-to-create * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/88pianokeys * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilaviss/ 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @getfons [https://www.instagram.com/getfons] * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!) * TikTok: @getfons [https://www.tiktok.com/@getfons]

Roberto Hermosillo on Building a Modern Music Career

What does a contemporary, thriving music career actually look like? Roberto Hermosillo has built it. He's a GRAMMY-nominated guitarist, studio musician, songwriter, TV actor, and the owner of Roberto's Music Studio, a boutique lessons agency in Santa Monica. In this conversation, Roberto and Eric talk honestly about the multi-hyphenate life: balancing artistry with entrepreneurship, ditching the old music school playbook, and building something that makes you genuinely happy. In This Episode * How Roberto went from independent teacher to running a multi-teacher lessons agency... nine iterations in * The intentional geographic move to Santa Monica and why location strategy matters for music educators * What he learned writing curriculum for a major guitar brand and why he calls it "a free degree in music education" * The GRAMMY-nominated Solid Rock Revival project with Alice Cooper, Slash, and Rob Halford * The difference between followers and fans, and what a real music career looks like today * Why the old music school playbook feels dated in today's world * Turning down an arena tour with one of the biggest Spanish-language artists in the world, and why he has no regrets * The no-physical-location agency model and paying teachers well as a competitive advantage * J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as the original multi-hyphenates * Building a career you actually want... health insurance, a retirement plan, families who love you Learn more about Roberto's work here. www.robertosmusicstudio.com Instagram, FB @soyrobertohermosillo 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @getfons [https://www.instagram.com/getfons] * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!) * TikTok: @getfons [https://www.tiktok.com/@getfons]

Jaclyn Mrozek of the Scrappy Piano Teacher

Jaci Mrozek just took the entire month of May off, and she's still getting paid. In this conversation, she walks us through exactly how she built a system to support her "radical sabbatical." Jaci is a piano teacher, presenter, and host of The Scrappy Piano Teacher Podcast. She's been teaching for 28 years and has spent the last several helping independent music teachers build studios. We talked about year-round billing, the summer schedule that keeps retention up, how she handles parents who count lessons, the "Policy Triangle" she uses in her cohorts, asynchronous lessons for snow days, and the idea that building a great studio experience is the best business move you can make. This one's full of practical ideas you can borrow. And Jaci delivers them with the kind of energy that will inspire you to reorganize your studio.  Topics covered: - The radical sabbatical: how to take a month off and still get paid - Year-round flat-rate billing and how to communicate it to families - Summer scheduling that increases retention (and respects everyone's chaos) - Setting goals in April for the fall, before the year even ends - The "Piano Gymnastics" evaluation program students actually love - Recitals as your biggest marketing moment - The Policy Triangle: philosophy, time, and money - Asynchronous lessons and the "what now?" weeks - Running cohorts that create lasting community - Why raising your rates attracts better families Connect with Jaci: Website: scrappypianoteacher.com Instagram: @jaclynmrozek_piano YouTube: @ScrappyPianoTeacher Facebook: ScrappyPianoTeacher 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @getfons [https://www.instagram.com/getfons] * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!) * TikTok: @getfons [https://www.tiktok.com/@getfons]

Level It Up! Narciso Solero's Framework for Teaching Piano Repertoire

Narciso Solero spent 30 years developing a framework in his head before he finally put it on paper. The result is Level It Up!, a series that organizes composers' piano repertoire from easiest to most advanced. Level It Up! has attracted teachers from across the country. In this episode, Narciso shares how the series came to be, what it means for teachers navigating the vast piano canon, and why versatility might be the most underrated skill for any independent music educator building a long-term career. Leare more about Level It Up! at narcisosolero.com. The videos are also available on Narciso's YouTube channel @narcisosolero8163 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @getfons [https://www.instagram.com/getfons] * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!) * TikTok: @getfons [https://www.tiktok.com/@getfons]