On this episode of brace space, I chat with Aedan McEvoy, a musician, composer, and teacher based in New Jersey. We talk about her musical journey and what brought her to composing and the harp. Aedan's loved every instrument she's ever touched, and is drawn to them by what's pleasing to her ear. Now, with many years of making music under her belt, she feels that music is not about being singular (cue angsty Beethoven story) or how many hours you can practice in a day, but is something larger than that. From experience, she says that playing with others is an art in and of itself, and she's down to experiment musically and play with anyone and everyone who wants to try something new.

Since Aedan’s work and passion projects are all about music, I ask her how she keeps herself from burning out. She shares how important and therapeutic nature and spending time with animals are for her, and how she's learning not to say yes to every opportunity in order to stay on track with what her goals are. I ask Aedan about how she separates her personal life from her professional life online, and we talk about learning to say no to things and learning to be at peace with not always being at the top. Aedan talks a bit about incorporating these life lessons into her private teaching, and she lets her students know that it's okay to walk away from the piano and come back later. She says that she's always learning new things and instruments! Lately, she's been inspired by the spring weather (after a harsh winter) and is excited to record her first album this summer.

Our theme music is by Noon. You can find and support his music on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Spotify.

To find out more about this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com.