For someone two weeks overdue on her first baby, Leslie Gereghty was surprisingly optimistic about doing an interview over the phone. Her voice is unique; a raspy calm whisper similar to someone with a constant cough or frequent asthma. She takes deep breaths in between words, I admire that. People don’t think before thinking anymore. As I edit our interview, I am having a hard time deleting the pauses and long breaths I had marked. They seem well placed-intentional. She sounds tired though, more than usual. Coming from an afternoon meeting, she had been rushing around all day. From day one, I had always looked at Leslie with great amazement. She seems like one of the people that are too creative. She is one of the people that you model your life after, an artist in every meaning of the word. I dressed formally when we met for the first time, sweater vest and slacks. She told me before I left, “Never wear a tie.” I respected that. I have noticed that she is always running. She always has something going on. At first I wondered if being so wrapped up in music all day, had taken away any of the joy it once gave her. “Yeah, it has, unfortunately. I think in one hand it’s good, because now we play music all day long, but it does mean that I don’t play music during the day, and then come home and play music just to relax me anymore.”
Interview: Leslie Gereghty
Q: How and when we’re you first inspired to pursue music as a career?
I think I probably knew from a very young age that I do would do music. I don’t ever remember not being a musician; I started music lessons when I was four.
Q: After going through college and getting your bachelors in music, what would you advise someone my age to do right now if they wanted to pursue the same thing?
Choose your colleges and majors carefully. There are just so many careers in music between law and business and performing. There are so many. So explore, really research different alternative degree programs that are applicable to the things you want to learn.
Q: After getting your bachelors, then masters at northwestern, you pursued doctoral studies in the Department of Music and Human Learning at the University of Texas at Austin. What did you do? What was it like?
Music and human learning- college level music teaching and education. It was a lot of research; and I already had a masters and bachelors degree in piano performance, so it was something new. I was always working as a musician. I never just went to college. I was always teaching. So that was good, because some people don’t even work in college, and they are dumb (Laughs). So I was gaining experience while I was learning. I ended up leaving Texas for a good job offer that I couldn’t resist.
Q: What was your job offer?
Senior editor at a music publishing company.
Q: How did these courses change your views of music? What did it teach you that you didn’t already know? Did it change your views on music?
That’s a good question. It was a lot about how people learn and how…I’m not sure if this will translate, but a lot of teachers teach things, and the students don’t really learn. Teachers have to be responsible for their students learning. It taught me a lot about how the human brain works and learns and processes information, which helped me.
Q: Do you feel you made the right decision going into an art related field, opposed to a more guaranteed higher paying business profession?
Yeah, there is a saying that you don’t choose music, music chooses you (Winton Marsalis), and I think that is very true. I think that there are three different groups of people. People that do music because there is nothing else, and they are often in trouble. Then, there is the second group that do it because they can’t see themselves doing anything else. Then the third group of people that find a balance to do music and something else, which is cool, but I was definitely the second group. I don’t want to make it seem like if you are unsure about something not to do it, but you will definitely know. It’s all about your experience.
Q: Even with a bachelor’s degree in music, did you feel unqualified going into music as a profession? Were you nervous? Did you ever feel that you weren’t good enough?
Oh yeah. Of course I did. It takes a lot of time to gain enough confidence and experience to feel good about your self as a musician. There are still parts of my business that I feel like a total klutz. Even though I never doubted my degree choice, there were so many times I wanted to quit. I had serious struggles with doubts.
Q: How did you overcome those? Did you put those thoughts aside?
I realized I was there for me. Regardless of if I won the competition or if my career was important to anyone else, I didn’t care what they thought. I knew what I was doing and I knew why I was there. It wasn’t their life. I didn’t care. You just have to focus on what you want. It’s like that band teacher you had. He said you weren’t good enough. You weren’t good at the skills he required, but he didn’t see what you WERE good at. That’s why you have to keep going, and not always listen to people that may be professionals.
Q: With a baby on the way, and your business directed towards music lessons for kids and adults, do you think that having the baby will give you a chance to learn about a child and their views on music as they grow?
Oh sure. It will be really fun to expose her to music at such a young age. And that will probably be a whole new area of curiosity for me.
Q: How did opening a music studio teach you about business, the balance of money and time, and how to keep a business open in troubling times?
Well, it teaches you everyday. And I mean every day; and I come across something I don’t understand everyday. But, I also have sought out professionals that can support my areas of little knowledge and help me understand more; people like accountants and mentors and business advisors. I have no business background and they helped a lot.
Q: Has your business been affected by the market? How so?
I do think so, because any time before, that I’ve ever started a teaching studio, it just exploded. But it has been a lot slower of process this time. People will call and ask how much it is, and say thank you very much and hang up. Music is not a necessity. Like for you when you never got lessons, it is probably because it just didn’t fit into what you needed at the time. It was last on the list. It is unfortunate.
Q: How does your work affect their personal life? Do you still find yourself doing all the things you once did before this company was your main priority? (Jamming)
Yeah, it has, unfortunately. I think in one hand it’s good, because now we play music all day long, but it does mean that I don’t play music during the day, and then come home and play music just to relax me anymore. So yeah, it has in a way.
Q: Is music still fun for you? Or has it become business?
Well, my job is fun, you know? I absolutely love what I do, so its fun in that way, but its still a job so I have to do things I don’t like to. Like, memorize the chords to a song by an artist I hate, because a kid wants to learn it. (Laughs)
Q: Did teaching music affect you in any way? What have you gained from teaching?
I just love the look on people’s faces when they get something. And it has brought so much happiness into my life that I just want to share it. And I want other people to feel that. It became a matter of fulfillment for other people, where as performing its all about you, and who you are impressing. I just feel a lot better sharing it.
Q: Were you ever an intern? Where? How was your experience? If not, why?
Actually I never was. Well, when I first started teaching I got a job at a college level, and I was assigned to a professor that mentored me because I didn’t have any college teaching experience. And I had to watch his lessons and he had to watch mine and it was annoying and I hated it. But I learned a lot from it.
Revision Questions:
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