Life Between The Notes

Discover the path to a fulfilling life as a musician on the B-List. Join Kirstin Myers and Morgann Davis in this casual conversation as they discuss self-discovery and balance in the world of music. Gain insights on navigating the unique challenges of a musician's career including cultivating intentionality and finding fulfillment in your own musical journey.

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Heavily influenced by his musical father, Peter Brye has, in turn, influenced and brought joy to hundreds of other young musicians in Pennsylvania and the east coast. While he is now retired as conductor of the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra and as professor of music0 at Millersville University, at 72 he still continues to perform with the Reading Symphony Orchestra and teach cello students in his private studio. He has been a la...

The beautifully creative spirit along with the eclectic career of Maria Thompson Corley shines in our 19th episode of Life Between The Notes. The Jamaican-born pianist was raised in Canada until her acceptance to Juilliard which brought her to the States. Maria’s creative pursuits have blossomed in her freelance career as not only a pianist but also an author, composer, arranger, voice-over artist and the music director at St. Thom...

Born on the east coast and raised in the Midwest, Venona “Nonie” Detrick has been living a life filled with curiosity, love and of course…music. As a young child, she was hooked on her parents Reader’s Digest LP subscription while doing the chores she detested, but it was seeing a violinist on TV’s “Miss Frances’ Ding Dong School” that reeled her in. Ten years later, after her parents lobbied the school board to start a strings pro...

“I need to create an audience for classical music.”

Cellist Jan Dixon has carved an incredible career out for herself as not only a member of the Reading Symphony Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Reading Youth Symphony Orchestra and director of the Orchestra Zone program but also as an inspirational music educator in the Berks County area.

Luckily for the musical youth of Berks County, Jan was able to overcome an ill-fat...

Trumpet player, Philadelphia Eagles fan and former public school teacher Todd Fulginiti chats with us while in the middle of a long and diverse career. Always open to exploring many different avenues, Todd has transitioned from an elementary general music & chorus position in public school to eventually broadening his career as a freelance musician and writer.

In this episode, Todd (a former student of his trumpet teacher John He...

From a childhood that included moving seven times throughout the midwest, to eventually making her home in Lancaster County, the incredibly talented and thoughtful Elizabethtown College instructor Faith Shiffer shares her story of how she fell in love with the clarinet in 4th grade and never looked back.

The clarinet, which has remained a constant throughout her life, has taken her from the beginnings of playing on a metal instrume...

Musical visionary and Lancaster county professor/conductor, Dr. Brian Norcross, shares his musical life and experience in our first interview episode of 2023!

The Franklin and Marshall professor and Allegro Orchestra Lancaster artistic director tells us many tales of his musical journey which began with what it was like growing up with a musical mom who helped foster his passion for music from the start. Brian's destiny seemed to b...

On January 7th, 2023, Life Between the Notes was invited to be a part of the Susan Miller “Make Music!” Festival in downtown York, Pennsylvania.

This FREE event was hosted by many organizations in York County including: the York Music Teachers Association, Studio 117, the YCPrep, The York County Honors Choirs, Public Disco Porch, the York Youth and Junior Symphonies, and the Shine Foundation.

The entire day was filled with musica...

Episode #12 brings us our first co-host conversation since our premiere episode! Navigating the holidays can be difficult for anyone, but sometimes it seems even more-so for musicians who can find themselves to be overwhelmed with balancing their personal and professional life.

In the thick of the holiday season, we discuss the top 5 stressors that musicians face during the holidays and ways to strategize and cope with, what is oft...

Frances Drost has recorded 9 solo albums throughout her career, but her 10th, which is to be released on November 4, 2022, is one of collaboration. LBTN's co-host, Kirstin Myers, approached her last December after pondering the thought of recording a Christmas album with new arrangements for the oboe/English horn and piano. After this, the rest was history - but in our 11th podcast, Frances and Kirstin share their history of this p...

From her early beginnings that were peppered with encouragement from her mother to play the piano, Newville Pennsylvania’s own singer/songwriter, Frances Drost, has paved a fascinating path with her musical career.

During her childhood, Frances’s empathetic nature absorbed several tragedies in her family. Her intense feelings combined with her musical gifts have created a positive way of channeling her grief. In this episode, Fr...

Dr. Jon Moyer, originally from Butler, Pennsylvania, is a performer, teacher and professor who eventually navigated his way further east when he landed his job in the Central York School District. A former student of Harding "Corky" Whitacre while in high school and Mark Lusk during his time at Penn State University, Jon credits both of his applied music teachers as both great inspirations and excellent teachers who helped shape hi...

Dr. Willis Rapp, undoubtedly one of the finest educators and musical visionaries in our region, has enjoyed an illustrious career as a professor in higher education, an author of 500+ publications, principal timpanist of the Allentown Symphony, conductor of the Reading Pops Orchestra and guest conductor, recitalist and clinician. His musical journey has taken him from Pennsylvania to Louisiana to Iowa to Washington D.C. as well as ...

Raised in the heart of Lancaster County, saxophonist Ryan Kauffman of Millersville University's Tell School of Music, shares his musical journey with us in our sixth episode! A graduate of Lancaster Mennonite HS, Ryan credits his teacher Phil Smith for pushing him forward in his saxophone studies which eventually transported him to Eastern Mennonite University and West Chester University. Listen in to find that surprisingly enough,...

Jennifer Schoener, a Lancaster County native and dynamic Director of Educational Programming at the Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation, sits down with us to share a multitude of aspects in her musical life.

Jen shares the fascinating story of how her parents met at WGAL8 as well as what it was like to grow up next door to Millersville University where she would later earn her Music Ed degree. She also reflects on her involveme...

A veritable icon in the York county music scene, pianist Gretchen Dekker has impressed both local and international audiences since her teens. A current professor at York College of PA, Gretchen has been a featured soloist with the Peabody Chamber Symphony, the Harrisburg Symphony, the York Symphony Orchestra, the Hershey Symphony and the York Oratorio Society among others. Gretchen is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory in Balt...

Oboist Kim Webster, a pillar in the Berks County music community, shares with us how she (accidentally?) started playing the oboe and the great influence Wes Fisher had on her professional career. We also discuss what she wishes to impart to her private students as well as her many years of involvement with the Reading Symphony, the Reading Pops Orchestra and the Reading Musical Foundation.

What a fun conversation this was, we hope...