Conductor and former Principal 2nd Violin of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Greg Lawson shares a whole host of thoughts with me on his feelings surrounding Musician's Mental Health. We touch on all kinds of subjects, including how music education and instrumental teaching can be guilty of not even scratching the surface of the subject, partly because of the lack of vulnerability from tutors and also the limitations that curriculums can put in place for such a vastly creative subject.

When it comes to the presentation of music, particularly Classical, why DO we have to dress like 16th Century servants in tails to perform Beethoven?!

We also cover the weirdly formulaic nature of auditions and how the fear of the participant was so palpable you could almost smell it! Greg expresses how he always wanted to make musicians feel as comfortable as possible in that setting so that their creativity would stand a chance of shining through, but any of us who have experienced an orchestral audition know that this is rarely the case!

We also talk about how it's taken Greg a lifetime to feel that his confidence and insecurities are starting to stay in check, his experiences of feeling like a misfit within the Classical Music industry and how we need to foster a sense of community within our industry to ensure it's survival at the highest level, not continue down the road of toxic behaviours that kill the musician's love of music. Plus SO MUCH MORE!

Intro/Outro Music: "Battle" by Ian Prowse

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.