Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gail Gallagher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gail, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My journey as a composer started with the piano in the basement of my college dorm at University Nebraska-Lincoln. I was a freshman theater major and had taken piano lessons since I was 5 years old. When I moved to college I knew I was going to focus on theater but I kept music as my creative outlet. I taught myself how to compose by improvising on piano, giving myself different parameters and composing within those guidelines. Piano was my way of decompressing all my “20 something college student angst.”
When I wasn’t jamming out in practice rooms, I was studying both acting and theater management. The theater management program was largely project based- you had to complete four projects in either stage management or production management by the end of your senior year and work with a supervisor who advised you on your work. This “learn by doing the thing” attitude has been a through line of my career.
When I moved to Chicago, I saw my first musical improv show. That’s where teams of actors make up musicals on the spot and a music director makes up the music. I started taking lessons in improv music directing from Dave Asher at iO and that led to me getting my first musical improv gigs.
Improv led to the sketch comedy scene where I learned how to come up with musical concepts under a tight deadline. Actors/ writers would give me lyrics and a general concept and I’d come up with the melody. This helped me hone my musical instincts as well as my comedic instincts.
While I was growing as an improv music director, I also was working as a teacher in various aspects. My first job in Chicago was an internship with Still Point Theater Collective, a company that combines theater and community outreach. The main program I facilitated was a program for adults with developmental disabilities. This work taught me patience, different ways of communicating, and different ways that people can artistically express themselves. What I learned in those years has stayed with me as transitioned into mainly working with kids. I love learning how different people learn and finding what methods are best for them.
My newest skillset is what I do as a producer/ audio engineer. I started recording my own music in 2018 when I started doing February Album Writing Month (FAWM) this is an annual challenge to write 14 songs 28 days. Thru this challenge I did things like finally figure out how to get my keyboard to plug into my recording software which led to me writing a song called “space noises” where I just made a bunch of goofy effects for the sake of experimentation. FAWM taught me how to record myself fast and take my skills i learned from writing for sketch shows and use them as a songwriter.
In 2019 I signed up for the online course From Voice Memo to Demo from the Produce Like a Boss Program. I learned a lot of my music tech skills from that program as well as friends and mentors who produce. In 2020 I produced my first album Power of the Unnamed Passion completely remotely. I recorded all my vocals and keyboard parts at home, had various friends across the country provide instrumentation and worked with another producer for the final mix and master. It was incredible empowering to be able to work on this project and create my first album while in lockdown. I’ve grown so much as a producer since then but I know this project was huge in my production journey.
Out of all these skills, I think the common theme is my ability to stay curious and keep learning. It’s also my ability to improvise and try new things. I forgot who said it first but a quote I love is that amateurs think they know everything and professionals have a clear idea of what is in their circle of competence and where they need to grow.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m Gail Gallagher, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and music teacher. I’ve been a musician my whole life and studied theater performance and theater management in college. When I moved to Chicago, I started music directing in the musical improv scene. One gig led to another and fast forward 13 years later and I have written music for several locally-produced musicals, released my debut album, have a growing roster of piano and voice students, and am working on various freelance production and composition projects thru my business Sparklebard Studios.
The nickname Sparklebard was given to me by a radio drama group I worked with for awhile. I would always light up and get really excited when I made a new musical discovery and my joyful way of being led to the nickname Sparklebard. It because a social media handle and then a business name.
Under the name Sparklebard Studios, I “provide custom compositions and audio services for nerdy creatives.” I specialize in custom theme songs that evoke the mood of a particular genre or shows. For example one of my past clients was the Youtube Channel “Bad Astra” which is an educational channel about space and I created a theme song that both felt like star trek and Disney while also become the iconic theme of the “Bad Astra” youtube channel. Recently I wrote a theme song for the channel “That Drag Horror Fan” which went from creepy footsteps and underscore to a quick club beat.
I also do audio editing for podcasts and am looking into adding audiobook production to my list of services.
As a singer-songwriter, I create “genre bending musical theater folk rock.” I write both comedy songs and heartfelt piano ballads that have a slice of life feel that evoke both whimsy and wisdom. Sort of like what would happen if Weird Al and Tori Amos wrote a musical.
As a music teacher, I work with kids and adults and teach piano, voice, songwriting/composition. My teaching style is very student focused and I love learning how people learn. I teach from a place of patience and humor and combine more classic teaching with creative exercises and wacky activities that keep lessons fun.
In all the things I do, there’s a through-line of joy, curiosity, and authenticity. I love working with people who are unapologetically excited about the things that they love and I love being able to share that joy with them thru my work.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I don’t believe in the concept of a “big break.” There’s this whole concept that people in the arts work hard and “make it big” and then that’s it! you “won”! But even when the big stuff happens, a career in the arts isn’t a fairy tale situation- it’s not “and then you find the prince/princess/fabulous non-binary royal and then you live happily every after and have no problems” A career is a marriage. It’s an on going relationship full of love and joy and complex decisions. Living the dream includes doing projects you’ve wanted to do since you were 13 as well as the complicated book keeping of paying quarterly taxes on all the ding dang gigs you have. =)
Speaking of all the gigs, the other thing I would say is that regardless of what you do in a creative field, if all your income is completely arts-based it’s important to distinguish what is “day job art” and what is “hobby art” and make sure you’re doing both and know which one is which. For me It all comes down to intention for the project and whether I’m working with client or whether I am the client for that project. If it’s just for fun, I want to let it be fun while also trying to keep to reasonable deadlines.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I’ve spent the past few years absorbing self help/ leadership content so it’s all sort of a blur. I’ve discovered that what works best for me falls into the category of “anti-hustle culture self help.” I love content that is mindful of creative lifestyles/ the needs of neurodiverse entrepreneurs. I also love anything where businesses owners unpack the balance of reckoning with internalized capitalism while also running a business. If I had to pick one source out of the music industry entrepreneurship category it’d be Suzanne Paulinski’s the Rock/Star Advocate. She’s really good at reminding folks to take time for self care and plan creative schedules in an efficient way.
Other books that have resonated with me are What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting, by Tara McMullin and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
My main takeaways from these books are to focus on organizational systems that are mindful of natural rhythms. When a project is overwhelming, it usually means it needs to be broken down into sub tasks. It took me awhile to get into it but I’ve found that putting to do list items in the calendar is useful for me. . These books also emphasize ways of diving into the flow state and organizing time in ways that you can be present with the task at hand rather than obsessed with all the boxes that need to be checked.
Of course, these are all lessons that I am still putting into practice but in general I find more comfort in advice that takes a holistic approach rather than the more shallow “hustle culture” advice about how to just keep a positive attitude and push your way thru. My thoughts on toxic positivity are a whole other rant ;) (My song Brightside is a musical rant that encapsulates a lot of those thoughts).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gailgallaghermusic.com; www.sparklebardstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparklebardgail
- Facebook: facebook.com/gailgallaghermusic; facebook.com/sparklebardstudios
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gail-gallagher
- Youtube: youtube.com/gailgallaghermusic
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1BH9EXUHBcP9HVtiXqwdfK?si=BUfykNOzSnaxtS9krlwgZA Bandcamp: www.gailgallagher.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Photographer: Dan Lewis, Badassity Photography