We were lucky to catch up with Marguerite Beane recently and have shared our conversation below.
Marguerite, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Getting to where I am today with my musical skill was the result of a number of things- listening to lots of records, attending music school, performing/gigging, playing with other folks in the music community, taking risks on stage, and a good deal of dedicated practice time. That being said, I think the time period that I made the most musical growth was after I got out of college. I graduated in 2020 at the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was definitely a terrifying time for gig workers (and literally everyone), but it gave a lot of downtime to practice and listen to a lot of music. I had also just moved in with my partner and two other musicians, who taught me a lot about music, production, and having fun while playing music. For the past 4 years I had viewed music as an academic chore rather than the spiritual and emotional escape that it has the power to be. I began to learn tunes that really spoke to me, while also shedding tedious things that I knew would help me to improve my overall performances. Once things started to open back up again, I started booking gigs (I was still very new to this at the time) and that’s where the most important learning experiences started happening. Any time I would “fail” on stage (sound flat/sharp, sing a solo that sounded very unsure, miss my cues, etc) I would come away from that knowing exactly what I had to work on. These little “mistakes” are constantly shaping me into the musician that I am still becoming. They are so important to our growth as not only musicians, but also in everyday life. I try to tell my vocal students this all the time- give yourself the space and the grace to mess up. It’s what you DO with those “imperfections” that really pushes you forward on your artistic and vocal health journey. I wish that someone had told me that consistently from the time I was a baby, because believe me when I say that although I am very grateful for all the mistakes I’ve made, I really did beat myself up for the majority of them. And to be frank, that really just feels like shit along the way. I think I would have improved a lot faster if I had actually kept these thoughts in mind every step of the way, and if I had loosened up and simply played to have fun sometimes. When you get in that self-hatred mode after making a mistake on stage (or whatever/wherever it may be), it makes you pause that growth for a minute. At least that’s how I’ve experienced it. I can confidently say I’ve gotten so much better at holding this mindset, but I’m on a constant journey with this as well. If I was to give a list of things that I feel are really important as musician, it would be the following: don’t be afraid to take risks and make mistakes, pour into your community and learn all that you can from your elders and peers, have fun, and **practice your craft** (just be careful to not look at it as a a chore. That’s where that fun part comes back in. Take as many breaks as you need).
Marguerite, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Sure thing. I am a 24-year-old jazz vocalist, guitarist, and music educator. I primarily teach vocal lessons, but also some guitar and music theory. Thanks to my parents, I got my first guitar at the age of 13 and have loved playing music ever since. I’ve been interested in many different types of music my whole life (pop punk, rock, soul, musical theatre, singer songwriter), but I really knew I wanted to sing jazz around the age of 19 when a close friend of mine in college started showing me a lot more of the music. The more I dug into it, the more I was enthralled by the improvisation, the tone of the vocalists voices, and the way that the music made me feel. Fast forward to today and I’m playing around town Nashville with various groups, including my own combos. I absolutely love this music and I love telling stories through their melodies and lyrics. I also write my own music, and am currently working on a project that I hope to put out next year…stay tuned.
In terms of my teaching, I think what potentially sets me apart from other vocal coaches is that I really want to tailor each of the lessons I give to the individual. I want to explore what exercises and wording works for you and helps you to alleviate unnecessary tension and unlock your full potential. I am always constantly researching about the voice and taking pedagogy lessons as well so my students know that I am always trying to be the best teacher to them that I can be. I love working with people to achieve their goals and overcome the mental blocks that often come with using our own bodies as instruments (I definitely know that from experience).
I want potential students, listeners, and booking agents to know that I put everything into my craft. I am extremely passionate about making music and fostering welcoming communities for people to share in that art. I come to my gigs and lessons with the intention to achieve goals and have FUN!
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
Not into it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Meeting other artists and collaborating. Playing live music and having a blast.
Contact Info:
- Website: margueritebeane.com
- Instagram: @margiebeane
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWcZP0eZ69VEkWN0xdEjZwQ
- Other: I host jams sometimes! Follow my instagram or check my Shows page on my website to see when the next one is.
Image Credits
Ramsey the Photographer M.M. Antoniak