iCadenza Creative Careers Podcast

I was featured on Episode 19 of the iCadenza Creative Careers Podcast on June 12, 2017. Creative Careers Podcast: Episode 19 with Astrid Baumgardner    

Taming the Fixed Mindset: 4 Steps to Lasting Growth and Change

Over my years at the Yale School of Music, I have introduced my students to the growth mindset, the belief that you can develop your talents and intelligence through hard work, smart strategies and input from others. This concept has become very popular ever since Dr. Carol Dweck, the brilliant psychologist who developed and researched the concept, published her findings …

The Mindset of Today’s Music Entrepreneur:  The 4 Elements of Success

What’s the starting point for creating a successful career in today’s music world? To me, it’s having the mindset of success. I define mindset as your attitude and how you perceive the world based on your experiences:  how you feel about your ability to translate your musical talent into a successful career as opposed to the FACT of what instrument …

Share Your Big Goals: How SMART Goals Set You Up for Success

One of the highlights of my summer is teaching the Art of Career Planning at the So Percussion Summer Institute, the wonderful program for budding percussionists founded by my buddies at So Percussion.  In our session, I help these aspiring musicians to gain greater clarity on their career goals. And this year, one of our students surprised everyone by sharing …

Creative Careers Podcast for iCadenza: How to Leverage Happiness for Success

I am thrilled to be included in iCadenza’s most recent Creative Careers Podcast. In the Podcast, you will learn about my career path from law to career coaching and music entrepreneurship.  I also discuss my method of coaching wherby I help students and clients discover their values, strengths and passions and learn how to put the pieces together in order …

Collaborative Artistic Leadership: 3 Tips on Leveraging Strengths to Enhance the Power of Your Team

Recently, I conducted a leadership training at Ensemble Connect, the wonderful fellowship program at Carnegie Hall that prepares young professional classical musicians for careers that combine excellence in performing with teaching, community advocacy, entrepreneurship and leadership. Our session focused on helping the Fellows develop an authentic leadership style in team settings, using strengths and communication styles.  The Fellows particularly enjoyed discovering their strengths …

Demystifying the College Teaching Job Process: The Search Committee Review and On-Campus Interviews

In my last post, I introduced the four-step process for applying for a college teaching job according to Yale percussionist Professor Robert Van Sice and covered how to find a college job posting and create great materials. What’s next? This week, we will demystify the Search Committee Review Process and the On-Campus interview.  Step 3: The Search Committee Review Process Initial Review …

Demystifying the College Teaching Job Search Process: Part I

Can recent music graduates realistically aspire to teaching at the college level? College teaching is an aspiration of many music students. While these jobs, especially tenure-track positions, may seem out of reach, it is still possible for recent graduates with masters degrees to compete successfully for these jobs. Recently, Professor Robert Van Sice, the renowned head of the percussion studio at …