Coaching Services
I offer smart, sensitive, and generous coaching for musicians who wrestle with what it means to be an artist today. I don’t offer generic prescriptions, and I don’t shy away from the significant challenges facing our profession. I take into account the specific circumstances of your life; and your strengths, skills and experiences; in order to help you find your path and reach your personal and professional goals.
My advice is grounded in 35 years of experience as a working musician and as a leading international voice on entrepreneurship and professional development in the performing arts. I’ve led and designed entrepreneurship courses that have been adapted and adopted by faculty the world over. I’m faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston; The New School’s College of Performing Arts in New York City; and Juilliard’s Evening Division. My broad range of artistic and professional experience is a lifetime of knowledge that I have used to help hundreds of people achieve proven success.
A note on sliding scales
One of my motivations in opening a coaching practice is my desire to offer my support to people outside of the institutions where I teach—places where the average net cost is close to $50,000 per year. My session rates are comparable with the cost of private music lessons in NYC, but if you feel a connection to me and the work I’m doing, and lack the ability to afford market rates, then please email me so that we can discuss alternatives. I need to work for a living, and I need to cover my expenses, but I will be as accommodating as I possibly can. People who identify as working class, first-generation college-goes, BIPOC, immigrant and/or who are involved in activist work get priotrity for sliding scale.
Some of the places where I’ve coached musicians
Some of the things we can talk about in coaching sessions
How to make a life in music
How to make music that is truly socially significant
How to advocate for your art while dismantling its investment in whiteness
How to balance the discipline you need for your art with your other responsibilities
How to make music your way of life when it’s not your career
How to write grants and win support for your projects
How to set specific, measurable, practical goals at different timescales — lifetime, yearly, monthly, weekly and daily
Negotiating transitions: transitions from college to professional life; mid-career transitions; transitions to different geographic spaces
Artistic projects: from idea to inception to production
How to create and maintain personal and professional budgets
Strategies for generating new creative collaborations and interdisciplinary engagements
Graduate studies and employment in higher education
Strategies for authentic networking and marketing
How to be accountable to your goals
Want to find out more?
Contact me to set up a free 30-minute consultation.
Testimonials
Tanya is a thoughtful and practical coach who has a fresh perspective on what it means to be a musician. She took the time to get to know me as an individual before and during the session, and our session was very much tailored to my individual needs. I went into the session looking for the direction I "should" be going in and I left feeling empowered to explore all the avenues I feel compelled by. I highly recommend reaching out to Tanya if you're looking to broaden your artistic vision and impact
Serena Huang // www.serenahuangflute.com
Tanya is a sensitive artist and community builder. She uses her gifts and training to mutual best effect. She allowed me to delve in deep so that our dialogue had meaning for me. I haven't had the opportunity to work with her very much but sense her life and art as a driving force. I look forward to working together in the future.
B. Tina Ebey
Working with Tanya permanently altered the way I conceptualize how to play in an ensemble. Not only is she driven towards open, clear and beautiful communication in both her writing and her playing, but the way she conceives of how to interact musically with multiple people is indicative of a type of aesthetic and political care that has been influential to how I conduct my own bands now. What Tanya emphasizes is a clarity and intensity of purpose that is rare to discover, let alone enact. As a coach, she brought out the best in me as a composer. Under her guidance, I was able to bring new musical systems I’d had in mind for a long time into light with clarity and precision, and for that I am ever grateful.
Wendy eisenberg // www.wendyeisenberg.com
Tanya did a wonderful job sharing her expertise with me on my questions regarding fundraising for my solo CD and how I can combine that with activism for a cause I care about. I had never done anything of the sort before and after months of research did not really know where to turn or how to start when it came to combining fundraising for a personal cause with a professional one. She not only made it feel attainable, but also offered specific advice on how to make it happen with regards to my particular situation. I appreciated very much her direct approach and frank manner. I would certainly recommend Tanya to work with anyone who is looking for a structured approach to achieving a goal—even a non-musical one—because she had such wonderful advice on the mentality behind goal-setting as well. — Rachel Koblyakov
Tanya coaches with a commitment to inclusion, understanding, and personal care. She immediately picked up on my learning style and personal needs, and developed a clear set of steps for me to take in a more positive and self-serving direction. The most enlightening point I took away from my session with Tanya was the idea of repairing my relationship with my craft. I found that idea to be both empowering and logical in terms of what lies ahead in my career. I recommend Tanya to anyone who wants personalized coaching that focuses on ethical and rational ways of being. Tanya isn't marketing a one-size-fits-all life coach service, Tanya is taking the time to get to know every client and help them reach their individual goals.
Bailey Spiteri // baileyspiteri.com
“The best class I ever took at NEC.”
Student review, “The Entrepreneurial Musician” at New England Conservatory