William Marsh leads the modern musician in his Musical Being Community

 Hollywood Music Pulse was fortunate enough to catch up with the legendary guitarist/educator William Marsh who is dedicated to serving music and its devotees in a unique way.

William teaches us about the power of language, and its influence on the mindset of being musical. 

Rather than have me explain, catch him in an exclusive interview with Dawn Montefusco: 

So now that you understand the way William thinks, lets get a little deeper into why he does what he does. 

1. What is the "Musical Being Community"?

The Musical Being Community is a facebook group where musicians can seek support, offer resources, and share what they are working on.  My vision is to have it be a space where we can foster conversations of what it is like to be a human being that participates in music.

I’m interested particularly in the conversations around how music shows up in our lives, distinct from the theoretical or technical conversations around music.  So rather than, “what scales/chords/songs should I learn?” We are asking, “How do I get past this obstacle to get what I want?”

2. What inspired you to start this community?

My initial inspiration for the group was to have a place where I could share what I have to offer.

I have taught guitar for over 15 years in lesson schools, private studios and universities.  In my time as an instructor, what became clear to me is that the traditional model of music education is mainly informational.  We focus on delivering information (theory, techniques, repertoire, history, etc) without necessarily any support for the student in integrating that into their musical lives.  Students are told to “go practice this”, and that is often the end of the conversation.  What shows up for the student between the assignment and the next lesson?  What keeps the student from practicing effectively, if at all?  Why are students often not showing their competency on performance stages despite having spent the time practicing?

The breakdown is not informational, but our education system indicates that it is.

We are given the tools in traditional music education to know whether something is “right” or “wrong” in the music.  We are not given the tools to distinguish what shows up for us adjacent to the music that thwarts our intentions.  We can’t have power over that which we can’t distinguish.

I’m out to shift the conversation around music education.  By learning to identify and name what shows up for the musician in the same space as music, be it comparison to others, fear of failure, feelings of overwhelm, lack of fulfillment, feelings of unworthiness, or anything else that occurs as disempowering, we have the power to deal with what is actually getting between us and the fulfillment of our goals.  My work as a coach is to support musicians in getting out of their own way to fulfill on their musical goals.

What has become clear now is that the Musical Being Community can be most effective if it’s a place where musicians can show up to share about the things that matter to them.  It’s a place where I can share about the work that I do, which I am very passionate about, and musicians can benefit from my sharing.  It’s a place where I can see what musicians are up to and what they are facing, which not only supports those musicians in fulfilling on their goals, but allows me to be present to how I can best serve my community.

3. What has been the most difficult aspect of being a musician in 2020 for you personally?

Really, the most difficult aspect of the quarantine is the loss of in-person public performances.  I had two tours in Europe cancelled, the income for which I was counting on, and an incalculable loss of those gigs that could-have-been.  Aside from the income, I really miss the experience of connecting with my fellow musicians and audiences in live performance.  It’s really an experience that is difficult to replicate in an online-only or socially distanced model.

4. What has been the most liberating aspect of being a musician in 2020?

The most liberating part of this quarantine is that we, as musicians and participants in the music industry, get to choose how we proceed.  All of our careers, we have created ourselves as pieces that fit into an industry that had existed long before we did.  We molded ourselves to survive it.  Now, the industry as we knew it has all but vanished.  I acknowledge that this is disheartening for many music professionals, but what I see as the opportunity is that we get to rebuild this in a way that actually works for musicians.  I think about what an industry could look like if the musician had a say in how it works.  Rather than fitting ourselves into an industry that doesn’t work for us, what if we created an industry that does work for us, where we are not at the mercy of predatory middlemen and gatekeepers?  That’s the opportunity that I see in 2020 and beyond.

5. William Marsh has been a household name for Jazz/Contemporary Guitarists around the world, but for those who are not aware of that scene, how would we know about you and your projects?  

I’ve been playing in bands of many genres since I was in high school.  My first big touring opportunity was with the swing / ska / Americana band Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.  I toured internationally and recorded on two albums with them between 2010 and 2014.  After that I spent a lot of time teaching at Reed College and Willamette University, and touring with Morning Ritual, Lost Lander and Edna Vazquez out of Portland, OR.  I started subbing on tours with the jazz / classical / pop crossover band Pink Martini in 2017, and was recording on a project with them just before the pandemic got into full swing in the United States.  Currently my most active project is Cardioid, based here in Los Angeles.  I recorded some guitar, as well as arranging and organizing the recording of a string section on one track of our new EP, Fantasy Metal, which was released on October 9th.

6. Where can people get involved ?

You can join our discussion at the Musical Being Community 

If you want to get a taste of my work as a Musician Mindset Coach, check out the Musical Being Kickstart.