hanging out with audiophiles HOWA EP 141 - PASCAL LE BOEUF
Jul 17, 2025
Pascal Le Boeuf, a Grammy-winning jazz pianist and composer currently teaching at MIT, shares his inspiring journey with music and collaboration. They discuss the emotional depth of creating the upcoming album 'Places of Unknowing' and reflect on the importance of mentorship in music education. Pascal's orchestral arrangements come to life through touching anecdotes of early performances and community support. The conversation navigates the intersection of jazz and classical styles, and the challenges of composing in today's digital world.
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Show Music, Don't Just Explain It
- Teach by playing and showing, not only by lecturing, to build real musical intuition.
- Use demonstrations and shared playing to let students internalize ideas faster than abstract explanations.
Beginner's Mind As An Extension Tool
- Build on knowledge to find new frontiers rather than trying to stay naively 'beginner'.
- Treat beginner's mind as a trick you can invoke while extending the branches of what you already know.
Elephant Seal Dinner-Table Lessons
- Pascal grew up in Santa Cruz with biologist parents and a twin sax-playing brother, which shaped social observation.
- Family talks about animal behavior turned into an empathetic lens for ensemble playing and social dynamics.