Megan Ihnen
Host of Studio Class
Megan Ihnen is a mezzo-soprano on a mission to change the world through the commissioning, performance, and proliferation of new music. She has collaborated with individuals and ensembles around the globe including: International Contemporary Ensemble, Fifth House Ensemble, Great Noise Ensemble, Rhymes With Opera, and Synchromy. She is deeply committed to the belief that new music should be performed and loved in communities of all sizes. Megan’s advocacy for music and musicians extends beyond the performance stage. She also effects change as a non-profit arts coach and consultant. She is currently the executive director of the Live Music Project which advocates for connecting people with live early music, classical, and new music experiences in a way that strengthens community, celebrates listener agency, and amplifies local arts resources. You have also likely interacted with her work for Nief-Norf, New Music USA, and many individual artists throughout classical and new music. Megan’s work at the intersection of performance, creative placemaking, audience development, and music entrepreneurship is a delight to her clients and colleagues.
Megan Ihnen has hosted 84 Episodes.
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Episode 68: Micro Action Monday - Do your Eisenhower Matrix
February 28th, 2022 | 9 mins 29 secs
arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business
“Make a list: these are all of the things I’m actively engaged in that are not urgent and not important. Then, practice letting them go. You might be convincing yourself that they are urgent or that they are important. That is sabotaging what you really want to do with that time. I don’t want you to hear me saying that you should be a “creative business robot” - that’s not what the Eisenhower Matrix is about. We sometimes allow non-urgent and non-important things to take over because we think somehow it makes us more worthy of the gold stars but I promise you that it doesn’t…” That and more in this Micro Action Monday episode on Studio Class.
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Episode 67: Micro Action Monday - Determine KPIs
February 21st, 2022 | 15 mins 41 secs
arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business
"As creative professionals, having your own KPIs (key performance indicators) can be the difference between wild insecurity/uncertainty and feeling like you’re on your own path - you’re in your lane. I promise you that having these things will level out some of those ups and downs we feel because you’ll feel like you’re doing your work. Not somebody else’s work. Not somebody else’s dream. Your dream. Your goals. Your work. I want you to set up your own KPIs so that you can look at the progress you’ve made toward your own strategic goals." That and more in today's Micro Action Monday episode!
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Episode 66: Micro Action Monday - Build your board
February 7th, 2022 | 8 mins 36 secs
arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business
Megan discusses how you can think about building a board of directors for your creative career and why you’ll want to set up meetings with your board members today!
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Episode 65: Micro Action Monday - Have a content strategy
January 31st, 2022 | 6 mins 49 secs
arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business
Before you even start your content strategy, "What's the overall thing that I'm an expert at? And, what does my community care about? What do they want to know more about?" That and more in this Micro Action Monday episode.
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Episode 64: Masterclass - Laura Strickling
January 24th, 2022 | 58 mins 48 secs
classical singing, masterclass, music business, opera
Grammy™ nominated soprano Laura Strickling was praised by The New York Times for her, “flexible voice, crystalline diction, and warm presence.” Celebrated for her work on the concert and recital stage, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, Trinity Church on Wall Street, Washington National Cathedral, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, and so, so many more! A specialist in new music, she has collaborated with composers Libby Larsen, Tom Cipullo, James Matheson, Juliana Hall, John Musto, Reinaldo Moya, and Glen Roven. Her upcoming commissioning initiative – The [email protected] Project – will bring to life 40 songs by 40 composers. Find out more about her at https://www.laurastrickling.com/
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Episode 63: Micro Action Monday - Set your intentions
December 6th, 2021 | 11 mins 42 secs
arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business
“If this, then that… Right? What kinds of things do you want? What are your biggest goals? Then, what kinds of ‘if this, then that’ statements can you set up so that they’re helping you get closer to it? This is such a core ‘micro action activity’! It’s just these little things in which you set up cause and effect statements for yourself.”
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Episode 62: Micro Action Monday - Take the leap
November 22nd, 2021 | 11 mins 59 secs
classical singing, music business, risk taking
"You don’t have to have the career you thought you were gonna have when you were 18. You don’t have to have the career where you perform at La Scala by 28 and if you don’t then it’s a failure. You are creating the career that YOU want to have. If your career leads you to directing, producing, teaching, being a creative person in multiple modalities, you have not failed yourself or anyone else. I am giving you permission to be successful and happy in the version of you that you want to be. You are going to be a light and empower the people around you because you have done your own discernment process. Where do you feel called, divas? I want you to take this permission slip and leave all your fear and regrets behind. You are allowed. It is available to you. I want you to take the leap."
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Episode 61: Micro Action Monday - Work with a coach
November 15th, 2021 | 12 mins 52 secs
acting coach, business coach, coach, voice coach
“It’s such a powerful relationship [between a voice coach, acting coach, or business coach and you.] They can really help you feel so much more prepared. Going into auditions or performances, you’ll know that you’ve worked this out. I really want you to work with someone who is going to give you that unyielding feedback. That means that you have someone on your team that is invested in your success. You’re both invested in your success.”
Enjoy this episode about how to get the most out of working with a coach!
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Episode 60: Masterclass - Ariana Wehr
November 8th, 2021 | 1 hr 25 mins
auditions, classical singing, music business
Ariana Wehr, is a Brazilian-born soprano who has sung traditional operatic roles as well as contemporary repertoire. She has performed with Washington National Opera, Opera in the Heights, Brava Opera Theater, Naples Philharmonic, Opera Louisiane, and more. Ariana debuted the roles of Girlfriend #1/Nurse/Congregant in Blue at The 2019 Glimmerglass Festival and will reprise the roles at Washington National Opera in 2020. She also recently completed her MBA and we’ll talk about that beautiful intersection of music and business as well. I hope you enjoy this episode with the wonderful Ariana Wehr! Find out more about her at http://www.arianawehrsoprano.com/.
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Episode 59: Micro Action Monday - Get the most out of a YAP or DIY YAP
November 1st, 2021 | 19 mins 23 secs
classical singing, music business, voice lessons, voice teacher
“These types of programs can be very powerful for that kind of learning, growing, challenge, and change. YAPs help you focus on your craft, technique, acting, being on stage in general, business of music, language study, diction - so many things. It’s an incubator of that experience. If you’re trying to really amp up specific aspects of your skills a program can be a great way to do that. It’s this condensed time to really focus on knowledge acquisition. With that in mind, remember how I said, 'you don’t have to go to a YAP to do this.' Let’s think broadly. Let’s think creatively for a second. If a YAP is a place where it is an intense, condensed incubator of skill and knowledge acquisition, am I able to give myself that in other ways?”
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Episode 58: Micro Action Monday - Break down your big vision
October 25th, 2021 | 21 mins 39 secs
classical singing, goals, micro actions, music business
"I want to be known for impact and known for transformation. I can’t stay in that burned out place and I don’t want you to stay there either. So, let’s commit to the big vision. Let’s commit to each other. Let’s commit to breaking down those big visions into really important tasks and not just busy work. Divas, I love you so much. If you are in that burned out place, if you are in that dark cloud place, hang on. Throw everything you can at getting out of it. I know it’s hard. I know that there are more sparkly times in front of you. They are not only in your past."
Join me for this Micro Action Monday episode where I walk you through my 20 year goal exercise. (You can buy the ebook and exercise in my store on meganihnen.com if you'd like to do this in written form!)
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Episode 57: Micro Action Monday - Commit to language learning
October 18th, 2021 | 7 mins 19 secs
classical singing, language learning, music business
We always talk about micro actions on this podcast which is about chunking something down so it’s really manageable. Then, you can have this much larger experience - this really wonderful experience - of being able to converse in a language, or understand a language, or perform your best because you have this understanding. So, get in there and chunk this down. Ask yourself, “How am I going to turn language learning into a ‘micro-action’ so that I can commit to it over time?”
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Episode 56: Micro Action Monday - Form a forgiveness practice
October 4th, 2021 | 12 mins 28 secs
classical singing, empathy, forgiveness, music business
Divas, in what ways are you going to be a self-compassionate singer? In what ways are you going to be more kind and empathetic and aware and understanding with the people that mean the most to you in your life? Be in a forgiveness practice and be in empathy with yourself today and let that transform your own self-worth. I promise you that work will not go to waste. I promise you that work will be transformative.
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Episode 55: Micro Action Monday - Achieve flow
September 27th, 2021 | 7 mins 1 sec
confidence, micro-actions, music, self-worth
Flow is often described as a mental state in which people experience complete immersion and involvement in an activity. Things seem to happen almost effortlessly and time seems to disappear while in this state. Your micro action for today is to give yourself the gift of time to achieve this state of being. You'll be happy you did!
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Episode 54: Masterclass - Odeya Nini
September 20th, 2021 | 1 hr 21 secs
classical singing, micro actions, music business, recording session
Megan welcomes vocalist/composer Odeya Nini to give this Masterclass episode of the Studio Class podcast. They talk about Odeya's deep understanding of embodiment and physicalizing sound, unraveling habits that the body stores, the importance of being in our imagination/visualization when doing voicework, and so much more.
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Episode 53: Micro Action Monday - Cultivate self discipline
September 13th, 2021 | 10 mins 34 secs
auditions, classical singing, music business
"Your micro action for today is to make a commitment to accountability. It is to make a commitment to self discipline. Remember that self discipline tends to look like those small, boring, unsexy tasks. But, through that, you reach a freedom of being able to do what you want to do - being able to do what you said you were going to do."