We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacinda Ripley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jacinda , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’m not going to lie, some days are very hectic and stressful. Actually, Most days are hectic and stressful. But I come back to this quote from my undergraduate trumpet professor, James Thompson, “The journey on the road to perfection is endless, so we might as well relax and enjoy the trip.”
For me, it has always been music. I was born into a musical family, having parents who were both band directors, an older brother with old-school music tastes, and who plays trombone. As the youngest in the family, I just wanted to fit in. So when I started playing trumpet in elementary school, I knew that this was it for me.
Looking back, I should have worked harder in High School. I was given so many opportunities but efficiency and smart practicing were not something I learned until my Master’s degree. College was an eye-opening place because everywhere I went I was surrounded by people smarter than me AND they worked harder. Realizing this, I only had two options- quitting or going for it (Hint: I never quit). As my work ethic and organizational skills continued to progress, and I began to become a stronger, better musician, Thompson’s quote kept me grounded.
After my master’s degree, I became a freelance musician and teacher in Chicago. My first time out of school was when I realized that none of the petty drama of school mattered, and the safety net truly went away. I taught 50 individual students a week, drove all over Chicago, played gigs (but not as many as I wanted to), and learned a new level of stress. Being in charge of my schedule and still wanting to win an orchestral job, but not having time to practice because rent came first – I learned what it felt like to be a starving artist. I wasn’t sure where to go from there, but I knew I was in it for the long game.
The pandemic, in some ways, was a blessing for me. I was forced to stop driving hours to my students (They came to me via Zoom), and I had time to rekindle friendships and create new hobbies. I was able to practice in the storage unit of my apartment complex and take time for myself (something I had stopped doing while freelancing). It was during my time to myself, that I realized I loved teaching, but I needed one paycheck, one place to teach- A UNIVERSITY!
So I started my Doctorate at Michigan State University, in hopes that one day, I could just have one or two W2 forms for taxes, paychecks, etc. I will be finishing up my doctorate in April of this year, and am still on that resilient search for the life I think I want. I’m not promising that it will happen, but I’m excited to see what will happen.
“The journey on the road to perfection is endless, so we might as well relax and enjoy the trip.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I teach trumpet, young and old, beginning and professional. I believe every student is a puzzle, and it is my job to figure them out and give them the tools to be successful (whatever that means to them). I love the opportunity to perform in many different settings as well – orchestra, band, chamber, polka, etc.!
My father told me as I started my undergrad at The Eastman School of Music, “Take Every Opportunity.” I’ve taken that to heart and experienced so many musical and artistic facets. I love creating music and giving others tools on how to create.
I am currently working on a method book for beginning trumpet players. This book, LAUNCH!, is different than most beginning methods, as it has supplementary exercises allowing students to receive different tools that will bring successful habits to their playing. I am very proud of this book, and I’m excited to see how it will create a more productive student at an earlier age.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
-Be Curious -Work Hard AND smart
-Respect Others/Yourself
These three traits do not come naturally to me. I have had to work on them, and they are worth working on.
-Curiosity has never come easily to me. I watch colleagues ask the questions I wish my brain had thought of. But being aware that I could be more curious, and having the tools to work on being more curious (Google, Youtube, BOOKS, etc.). There is too much information, and MUSIC in this world to not be curious. We can never know every piece of music, but we can continue to explore new things and find hidden gems along the way.
-My mother grew up on a farm, and she taught me to work hard. I’ve always worked hard, but I didn’t always work smart. Working smart means using your time wisely, setting goals, changing your system if something isn’t working, etc. Working hard and smart is the secret to my success so far. This also includes using the failures as an option to make adjustments for next time.
-I met my partner in 2017 and it was then that I learned how to truly respect others. He once paid for someone’s groceries because they had miscalculated how much it was going to be, and I cried (The world needs more people like him). I strive every day to not only be nice but to respect people. You also must respect yourself- take care of your mind and body. You are a vessel for your craft and you must give it nourishment.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In October of 2022, I decided to get Invisalign. I never had braces growing up, and now as a Doctoral student, I decided to fill in the gap KNOWING that it would potentially change everything.
Was it a risk? Yes, it was.
Was it terrifying?
It wasn’t until it was. Everything was fine until the gap was fully closed and then just like that- I couldn’t play above or below the staff, and the loudest I could play was a mezzo forte. This just happened to happen the first week of my last semester (January 2023).
Why’d you do it?
I have always missed a lot of notes and played with a wide sound. I wanted to know if I closed the gap between my teeth and if that would change my playing for the better. (Disclaimer: I’ve done five years of fundamental work specifically to help change these aspects of my playing. I was blaming myself, but didn’t know if it was me.)
Did it work?
I went through an embouchure change to facilitate the change in teeth. It was a HARD semester, but things are finally back and better. And I do miss fewer notes, so I was right about that for myself!
What was the hardest part?
The hardest part HANDS DOWN was how nice everyone was about this – How supportive everyone was. My ego has been severely bruised through this process because even though I was in a safe place, as a second-year DMA student and a teacher at two colleges, the expectations were high.
How are things now?
Things are coming back at a very fast rate now, and I finally feel stronger than were I started with things. There are so many things that I couldn’t do, but now I can!!
The confidence is coming back slower that the playing. I have to reassure myself that I can play my instrument that I am an artist and that I can teach much more often than I’m willing to admit.
I’m proud of myself for overcoming this journey though, and I look forward to continuing research soon on the topic.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: jacyripley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacy.ripley
- Youtube: @jacindaripley8265
