113 Elizabeth Rowe: Shaping the Future

Dec 10, 2021

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I had a fantastic conversation with Elizabeth Rowe that I can’t wait to share with you today!

Elizabeth is the principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She’s a professional coach, teacher, social justice advocate, and public speaker. She has been hailed by The Boston Globe as a Bostonian of the Year following the lawsuit she won in 2018, demanding equal pay from her employer. Since then, she has continued to start conversations and advocate for equity and inclusion across all facets of today’s orchestras.

She also runs a successful coaching practice, supporting creative people of all types as they work to achieve their biggest vision for their personal and professional lives while remaining true to themselves. Her latest program, Your Tenure Team, supports and equips musicians to prepare for and successfully navigate the orchestral tenure process.

In our discussion, Elizabeth shared incredible insight on a plethora of topics, including:

How Elizabeth’s musical journey has unfolded (2:50)
Elizabeth’s vision for the future of the tenure process, and her own “Turning the Tables On Tenure” (4:21)
Addressing questions around how we respond to critical feedback, perform as professional musicians, and give ourselves space to think as artists (8:55)
How to show up as better colleagues and more positive influences in the workplace as professional musicians (10:30)
The development of Elizabeth’s career as the principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and what it looks like for her today (13:42)
Advice for young musicians who are struggling with finding a mindful balance between work and rest (18:14)
Elizabeth’s advocacy work, specifically pay equity, a realistic looks at what the classical world looks like now, and fostering conversations to transform today’s orchestras into a more inclusive, equitable, and welcome place for all (22:08)
Oppositions and alternatives to a scarcity mindset when it comes to considering pay equity (and other changes) within modern orchestras (25:56)
How learning to use recording in her practice sessions early contributed to her success (28:44)
The importance of communication skills and developing a balanced life (31:50)
And finally, Elizabeth gives two actionable tips: one for the practice room and one for your overall well-being as an artist (35:15)

LINKS:

Elizabeth’s guide, Turning the Tables on Tenure: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/613f44067accb4c021020826
Your Tenure Team, Elizabeth’s new small-group program beginning January 2022: https://www.yourtenureteam.com/
Website: IAmElizabethRowe.com
Instagram: @IAmElizabethRowe
Facebook: IamElizabeth Rowe

PRACTICING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE:

I’m excited to tell you that Practicing for Peak Performance, my transformative workshop, is now available for download! Go to MindOverFinger.com for access to all the tools that will help you transform your practice, gain confidence in your process, and start performing at your best.

With the purchase of PPP, you gain:

Access to all recorded content - over 7 hours of instruction
Guidance in effective high-performance systems
Detailed handouts
For a limited time only, a free 30-minute consultation with me.

MIND OVER FINGER:

As we head into this new season, I encourage you to visit MindOverFinger.com for a plethora of resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.

THANK YOU:

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who works really hard to make this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you.

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme. Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

Thank you to pianist-singer-song-writer Louise Kelly for the introduction! You can find out more about Kelly and her creative work by visiting louisekelly.com.