Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Schafer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Truthfully, I intended to go into healthcare when I was younger. I did all the rigorous academic things: honors classes, AP tests, prestigious scholarships, avid volunteering, you name it – all with the aim of getting through university at an accelerated pace, making a better life for my family through higher education, and hoping to change some lives as an eventual Nurse Practitioner.
But I discovered in my late teens that despite having lived in the States since I was a small child, I needed to navigate the citizenship system for both me and my brother because we were born in Canada (to an American parent) – I wasn’t able to get a legal job or driver’s license, and had to give back multiple scholarships I had won in high school because of this.
I did go on to college and had already finished all my Nursing pre-requisites and gotten an Associate’s degree in Kinesiology & Wellness but was still struggling to obtain citizenship and couldn’t move forward to my upper division classes either at that college or a university. So in the meantime I started officially studying Music; choir had always been my extracurricular activity and I felt there was nothing else productive I was able to do – it was a pretty hopeless time for me actually. It just so happened that my college – Mt. San Antonio College, chosen because it was the closest to me geographically and I could travel to it by taking a few buses – also had a phenomenal vocal music program, and I enjoyed participating in the second and then top groups in both choir and vocal jazz.
By the time I finally resolved the paperwork issues, my science pre-requisites had started expiring and I would have needed to take them all over again to continue on in Nursing and so I transferred as a Music major to CSU Long Beach. Got a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies, and started navigating life as a musician – all while looking over my shoulder at the lost dream of being a nurse. It took me a good three years out of school to finally settle into making the most of a life in the Arts and accepting that I could contribute to my community as a musician too – perhaps healing souls and minds instead of physical maladies.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am vocalist and composer whose main recording and live performance work is under the jazz umbrella, including Brazilian and world music influences (like Spanish, Afro-Cuban, eastern European, Mediterranean – I am always learning new music cultures and grooves!). As a working singer based out of Los Angeles, I also work as a vocal contractor, session singer, classical chorister and soloist, and educator.

Though my background is heavily centered in the songs of the Great American Songbook, and I spent two years travelling the world full-time as the female vocalist for swing era big band The Glenn Miller Orchestra, I now focus on recording and performing my original jazz music along with modernly arranged standards and lesser known melodies. I have a steady quartet I play with but also have a “L’il Big Band” with horns. My focus is on connecting with the audience through contemporary lyrics and intimate performances; I have an immensely technical approach in terms of my instrument but for audiences the main experience is a conversation about life, love, and the beauty of the human experience all nestled in the jazz idiom.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The streaming platforms have perverted the perceived value of artistry; being bombarded by so much music at our fingertips muddies the immense talent, skill, time, energy, and resources put into creating those works. And in the States there is less emphasis on community and governmental support for the arts like you see in Canada or Europe, so it comes down to a need for direct support – each individual can help make a little wave in their world by directly purchasing tickets, merchandise, and art or sharing information about their favorite artists and impacts with their immediate community.

Some offered “rules of thumb” might be if you listen to more than half an album on streaming, buy that album outright (from the artist’s website, BandCamp, iTunes, etc) or purchase something else from the artist’s store, go see them live if possible or tell your friends to see them live. If you have a print of someone’s artwork as your background on your computer or phone, or love to watch videos from a particular dancer; if you are moved, comforted, gain pleasure from receiving the existence of someone else’s creation, lean into that feeling and send them direct support while also sharing your interest with others.
We are now in such a “content creation”-centric world that many people are not aware but are open to being educated on the immense input required by artists; I find when most people learn about the realities of trying to make a living in the arts they are more than happy to buy a poster, a t-shirt, send $5 for a coffee to an artist rather than getting their third Starbucks that week, etc. But only if they are informed.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It took me a long time to be able to ask for and receive help (and acknowledge that I needed it too!). In the blue collar culture there’s the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality that a person should be able to conquer any given issue as long as they “try” hard enough – it leaves many people in prideful darkness for generations because the pain of being vulnerable and asking for help is perceived to be greater than that of their current situation; they fear somehow they would be less respected if they were to ask for assistance. Now I am a very resourceful and perseverant person, but not all of us come into this world having the demeanor and tools that are most helpful to live a fulfilling and healthy life. I suffer no delusions that I’ve gotten to where I am today without the help of many, many wonderful and generous people. And once I started accepting that help, my world kind of opened up in terms of personal and professional opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.mariaschafer.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mariaschafermusic
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mariaschafermusic
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@mariaschafermusic

Image Credits

Maria Schafer