About this podcast
Welcome to Intentional Musicianship, hosted by Jeff Price.
Jeff is a lifelong performer and listener who believes great performances are built with intention. Intentional Musicianship is a podcast for musicians who want more from their time on stage and more connection with the people listening.
This is not a typical "play better" show. We move beyond technique to explore stage presence, musical storytelling, audience communication, and the often unspoken norms that shape live performance. Each episode is designed to help you think differently about what happens at center stage and how your preparation behind the scenes impacts the experience you create.
Whether you are an amateur, a seasoned professional, or a music educator, the goal is simple: to help you create performances that resonate. That might mean deeper audience engagement, stronger community support, or a more sustainable return on your performance efforts through loyalty, attendance, or merchandise sales.
The show uses an adult learning model.
We assume you already have performance experience. Instead of starting from scratch, we focus on refining, rethinking, and expanding what you already do well. There are no rigid rules here, only new possibilities.
At its core, Intentional Musicianship is about creating unforgettable musical experiences that go beyond notes and technique and invite the audience into something meaningful.
What you'll hear:
- How to break the fourth wall and engage audiences authentically
- Strategies for shaping musical narratives and programming with purpose
- Tools for managing performance anxiety, perfectionism, and self doubt
- Genre aware insights for different ensembles, venues, and settings
- Ways to increase the return on your performance investment and build loyal supporters
We are here to help you remove barriers, think creatively, and strengthen the connection between performer and audience.
Connect with us:
Visit intentionalmusicianship.com to join the conversation, explore resources, and become part of a growing community of intentional musicians. Your experiences matter, and we look forward to connecting with you on the next episode of Intentional Musicianship.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 56 episodes
- Perfection Doesn't Equal Connection · 5 min · Season 1 Episode 54Have you ever attended a music competition, heard the winners announced, and thought, "Really? That's not what I experienced!" Maybe there's a reason for that. In this episode of…
- Your 30-Mile Arts Ecosystem: Discover the Opportunities Around You · 11 min · Season 1 Episode 53How well do you know what's happening within 30 miles of where you live? You might be surprised by the musicians, organizations, businesses, and opportunities right in your own…
- Do You Have a Roadmap for Your Performance? · 8 min · Season 1 Episode 52Have you ever followed your GPS perfectly, only to discover you've ended up in the wrong place? Preparing a musical performance isn't all that different from planning a road…
- Music in the Marketplace: Where Do You Find Your Fit? · 10 min · Season 1 Episode 51What happens when an outstanding musical organization struggles to attract audiences while another performer has people spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a…
- What Makes a Great National Anthem Performance? · 11 min · Season 1 Episode 50What Makes a Great National Anthem Performance? What makes a great national anthem performance? Is it the voice, the arrangement, the interpretation, or understanding the role…
- What Are We Really Getting From the Opening Tuning Note? · 6 min · Season 1 Episode 49What are musicians really getting from that familiar tuning note before a concert? It may be a slightly controversial question because the answer might not be tuning. In this…
- Are You Fixing the Problem or the Symptom · 11 min · Season 1 Episode 48Why does the sound at a live performance sometimes seem off? Some musicians disappear, others suddenly jump out, and our attention immediately goes to the sound technician. But…
- Choose Your Own Musical Adventure · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 47This may be before your time but when I was a kid I read Choose Your Own Adventure books. You made a decision, turned to a different page, and discovered where that choice took…
- Small Changes, Better Performances: Piloting the 1% · 9 min · Season 1 Episode 46What happens when you already have a good performance, but you think one small change could make it even better? In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price explores…
- Further Your Story to Tell Your Story · 8 min · Season 1 Episode 45Sometimes we know where we want to go, but we don't have a perfect map to get there. That doesn't mean we're lost. In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price…
- Why Live Performances Can Feel Flat and How to Fix It · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 44In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price explores why strong musicianship does not always translate into a compelling live performance. Today's audiences are…
- Why Good Musicians and Educators Protect Their Ears · 9 min · Season 1 Episode 43As musicians and educators, we spend our lives surrounded by sound, but we do not always stop to think about how that sound affects us over time. In this episode of Intentional…
- Money, Fundraising, and Finishing the Experience · 8 min · Season 1 Episode 42Money is part of the musical ecosystem, whether we like it or not. But how and when musicians ask for support matters more than we often realize. In this episode of Intentional…
- Enjoy the Journey: Gratitude for the Moment You're In · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 41In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price steps back from techniques, tools, and optimization to focus on something deeper: gratitude for the moment you are in…
- What wins Auditions? Raising your Average · 5 min · Season 1 Episode 40Why do so many talented musicians walk into auditions hoping for a perfect day instead of relying on consistent preparation? In this episode of Intentional Musicianship,, Jeff…
- Should You Take This Audition? · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 39In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff steps back from audition preparation and looks instead at the decision to audition in the first place. Rather than focusing on…
- What is This Music Degree For? · 12 min · Season 1 Episode 38In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price takes a thoughtful, personal look at school and graduate school as investments, not just financially, but in terms of…
- Reframing the Thoughts That Steal Joy · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 37In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price Jeff Price explores what happens after a performance, when the music has ended, the applause has faded, and the internal…
- Updated Trailer: Intentional Musicianship · 2 minIn this updated trailer of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price describes the thinking behind the podcast. Live performances don't just happen. They're built through hundreds of…
- Collaboration is Not a Gimmick · 14 min · Season 1 Episode 36In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price reflects on a series of live performance experiences — from a surprisingly effective Halloween concert to holiday…
