Baltimore in Harmony: Building Spaces that Resonate

In this episode of What’s Next? With The Chief Librarian, we’re joined by Melissa, the visionary founder of Resonate Baltimore, a space where healing isn’t whispered, it’s amplified.

Part music school, part podcast studio, part event venue, and all heart, Resonate Baltimore is redefining what it means to lead with rhythm, resilience, and rest. Melissa breaks down how sound, somatics, and space come together to support Black and Brown folks in their healing journeys especially in a city as layered as Baltimore.

We talk embodiment, leadership, joy, legacy, and what it truly means to resonate in your purpose. This one is for the builders, the healers, the artists, and everyone who’s ever asked, “Is there space for me?”

The answer: Yes. And Melissa built it.

🎧 Tune in and turn the volume up on your healing.

#WhatsNextPodcast #ResonateBaltimore #HealingJustice #BlackLeadership #SomaticWisdom #BaltimoreCreatives #TheChiefLibrarian

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey hey family! Welcome back to What's Next with the Chief Librarian, the podcast where vision meets voice. Today, we're talking to a powerhouse who's redefining what healing looks like and it sounds like. Melissa is the visionary behind Resonate Baltimore.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Hey TikTok.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Hey! It's a music school with a healing hub, a podcast studio, event space, and a sanctuary for our full serv for our full selves. From rhythm to restoration, she's using sound, space, and spirit to shake up how we live and lead. Let's drop in. Hey Melissa. Hi again.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I'm so excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

It's all good. It's all good. It's all good. I'm so excited to have you here. Um, Melissa, you know the moment that we met when we did our event back in the winter, the connection was real.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

You were so welcoming. The space is beautiful and welcoming. I'm excited to dig into all that you all are doing here at Resonate.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Thank you for having us. I mean, I feel honored. I remember when you came in and I was like, oh, this is good, people. I could feel the vibes for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Thank you. And that's the feeling is mutual. Um, let's jump in. My first question is what sparked your vision for Resonate Baltimore? And it's more than a space. It seems like it's a movement.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

It is. And you know what? I just wanted to convey the point that music is holistic. When I was a kid, I took music lessons at a place called Professor Professor Gibson's Music and Art Center in Philly. And he didn't just do lessons, he did blog parties, he did sheds. A lot of people who went through his school are like getting awards, Grammys, like Emmys, Tonies. Like these are people that he created. I feel like he developed a sense of leadership and excellence, expertise. And I always wanted something like it. And so when the opportunity came, I really wanted to emulate that community and connection, not just skill. It's like music can change a community, a whole neighborhood, just through learning an instrument or finding a beautiful space to uh use as a platform, like this podcast studio. You know, it's so many ways to be creative. And so it's just like it's not just a music studio. Like, how can we make a home, a creative hub for our people?

SPEAKER_00 2:29

And that's what you did. I mean, speaking of Philly, I I mean that's probably the vibe I'm feeling. I came off of a conference yesterday. I was in Philly for five days. So I I love Philly, it's one of my favorite cities next to New York, of course, y'all. Um, but um, that's probably what I feel like that community, that that connection, that that openness, right? The open to the openness to help people grow, to be comfortable in what they're feeling. That's exactly the energy that you all have in this space. So what you were going for, you achieved.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Thank you. Yeah, because like our it's called resonate, and then under you'll see create, connect, learn. So it's like, yes, be creative, but also connect with these people that are coming in and out of here. So I love that we get to connect too. Yes, and then support the chief librarian. Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

And the chief librarian is so appreciative. Um, I never thought, you know, a young Harlem girl, well, Bronx-born Harlem-raised girl, would be in Baltimore and living her dream. You know, being able to sit across from people like you and your husband. Y'all make a difference, not only just in Baltimore, but I'm sure in Philly and any space and anybody you interact with. So I'm just thankful for the opportunities to collaborate in this space. For sure. Don't forget to come to resonate, y'all.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

Y'all can find them on resonatebaltimore.com.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

Damn, we're gonna do that. So, what did you imagine when you combined music, education, healing practices, and community events under one roof? Was this it?

SPEAKER_01 4:06

You know, it's funny how it happened. You know how like the butterfly effect and every little thing adds up. I went to school for psychology, and I'm still paying those loans off. And I used to fuss. Like, what did I go to school for if I'm gonna end up starting my own business for music? I'm studying psychology all the way up to my master's. Um, but one day it all culminated to make sense. Um, I started teaching students with different learning styles, different learning disabilities, um, really focusing on trauma-informed approaches. And then we had the opportunity to teach adults with intellectual disabilities. And it really was reminding me that my background um really served a purpose all this time. And so I was like, man, the wellness part of music. You know, music therapy is a real thing. And so it's like, how do we take this and uh put it all together? It looks like healing. It looks like a very powerful thing where you don't even have to master the instrument, but to be surrounded by the sounds or to be able to just talk about what you're feeling when you hear it, um, or just trying new things, you really feel empowered and you see these students, they come week after after week and they're actually growing, not just in the skills, but just in confidence. You know, like they're shy at first, they're uncertain about what they can do, and now they come in here like the run the spot.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

You know that's they're like, we know, we know what to do with it. We know what to do. You need help because I can help you. But to your point, I mean, confidence um is really what builds successful adults, right? So people think it's the skills or how educated. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking away from education. I love I'm my parents focused on it. Yeah, yeah, right. I'm I'm I'm a librarian, that is my field. But my connection that I make with people is when I'm consulting, when I'm coaching. And one of my um strengths is building confidence, it's the boost in the confidence. So I love that you speak about that with your students. Yeah. Now, are your students only young people, or do you have students of all ages?

SPEAKER_01 6:08

We have students of all ages. I always brag on my oldest student. She should be 72 now. That's right. But she used to always say, I'm 70. Look at me, you know. We had we had a granny's piano club online. So they will all hop on Zoom and they went through the book that I published, My Journey, My Music, and they learn to read and play. And so we've got our seniors and we also have our youngest, youngest. So we'll take, we have um a little like mommy and me program with the books and the music, but we also have lessons for kids for and up.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

I love that. And we're not gonna miss the message. What's the name of the book and where can we find it again?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Uh-huh. My journey, my music. It's a piano lesson book with original music that highlights African Americans who've made an impact in our history.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

So and that's what it's about. I mean, for us, we have to attach to impact, right? Like so many people will try to ignore everything that we do.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

I love that word impact because that's really what we want to do. Like, we want to be the go-to place for any creative if they need help, if they need support, if they want to learn, if they want to grow. And I wanted to be like, man, Baltimore is a better place because of Resonate. You know, so many people like you who are doing amazing things. Like, if we can all just have this idea that what we have to offer, we share it, like we're continuing to make this bigger impact. So that's what we hope to do.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

No, yeah, I mean, like we we talked a little bit earlier about movement, but this really is a movement. In order for us to have a movement, we have to have the people that are jumping on board, right? And sometimes people stay on board. I like to say a reason, a seasonal lifetime. So you have the people who stay, you have the people who jump in and out, and then you have, you know, the others, and it's all good. Yeah. But the movement is the connection, the movement is like the thread of where we are. And so I, oh man, you you got me so excited about everything that y'all do. My next question that I had, you already talked about it. So I just want to talk about like the story behind building a podcast studio in your event space. Why was that important to have Baltimore voices represented?

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Yeah, it's black storytelling. I think the most empowering thing you can do is let the person tell their story. You know, instead of someone else saying what happened, you get to have your own voice. You know, like we were talking earlier, like this is where you get you have something to say and we can listen it, we can hear it. Um we want to be able to be a place that puts a platform for other people. We want people to know there's other amazing people doing great things, they have something to say. And if we don't want like a space or financial resources to be the barrier that you can't get something conveyed. Like we want to provide high-quality stuff. We don't want it to be a drinky dink, like we've got good sound, good space, good lighting. Come to us. We want to support you. You know, we're not gatekeeping, we're not trying to keep it elitist or exclusive. Like, this is a space for us. You know, tell your story. How can we make it look good so somebody can hear it?

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Love that. Tell your story. I tell you again, so the I've been in librarianship for 30 years, and every time I hear somebody speak about telling their story or writing their vision, things like that, those things resonate with me. No pun intended, but they really resonate and it makes me excited to understand that um that's a connection that was made with somebody. Like when I feel that I kind of have chills in the hair stand up. That means that we're on the same path. So, like I said, uh the name of your spot, um, just the energy. I just have to keep reiterating, open, beautiful. Like some places I go in, I'm like, I need to say and and I just come in and I just feel good. I mean, from the children, I'm we met your children, you know, your family. All of that is representative. I mean, it's a vibe in here. And you is is very well, everything is very well placed. When you come in, you understand what it is. Even if you don't explain it, you get a feel of the love for the photography, you know, the love for Baltimore, the love for Philly, right? Like you know where people are in this space. Yeah. When you come in and you feel that. And um, even in our event, people are like, oh, what's the space? And oh, could we possibly get it? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah, of course you can.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

This is like our second home. And so we wanted to reflect like who Trevor and I are. Like, who are we? What do we love? What do we care about?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

And and you care about the people, and it's obvious. So thank you so much. Um, so how have you used your event space to uplift and activate the community? Because I know that's really important to you.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

We do so many things. Um, the one thing we do are recitals and showcases. So if you've learned something, you're gonna show the people. That's right. You know, bring your family and friends. Uh, we've done open mics. We have um wellness is like core. So we do healing and harmony events, which are like um somatic stretches, sound baths, and like just people getting together. And it's like a really healing event. Um, talks with different artists, talks with different groups and organizations like about authenticity. Um, we've provided, of course, our music and wellness program, and that is my pride and joy. And so, what we do there, we we partner with local like nonprofit organizations, hospitals, senior centers. Um, we're hoping to express that even to um returning citizens from jail. You know, we really want to open this space. Um, but the music and wellness program is you get access to instruments, voice, movement, and visual arts for an hour every week. And you just get to be, you enjoy. There's mindfulness, there's painting, rock band, piano, singing lessons. And the goal isn't to master the instrument, the goal is just community integration, the goal is social and emotional development, and um, they really are finding their voices here, and it's just my pride and joy.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

I that's wonderful. I mean, especially having um returning citizens. You know, often people forget about people we we don't give second chances. Right. I don't know why we're people we're understanding that when we all need a second chance. I've I've been given second chance after second chance. And I also I always say to people, provide the grace that you would love to receive. Yes. If you start with that, I think things would go smoother, and and that's even conversations. So when you show up like that, I I think it's really welcoming for people to say, I'm able to be in this beautiful space.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Yeah, because they're worthy, you know. It either we're all innocent or no one is. That's part. That's just how we have to look at it.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

That part. Oh my goodness, I love this. I absolutely love. I heard you talk a little bit about sound baths. Can you talk talk about what that looks like and like are there classes? How do we? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

So we host them quarterly and we partner with an organization called Vibe Well Events. Okay, and she is just the self-care guru. Um, and so sound baths, you have these crystal bowls, and you use the sound waves, and those vibrations go through your body, and it's it's known to have healing properties all the way to the cellular level. And so it's a very relaxing time. We lay on a yoga mat, we've got our um aromatherapy eye masks on, we've got a blanket, and we're doing the sound therapy, we're doing um imagery and meditation, and some people are knocked out, like you hear people snoring, and you know, you can tell, like this woman, she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders all week long and got here and was able to just release everything. And we do the sound bath after doing somatic stretches, so that focuses on your hips and your core, which is where you carry trauma. That's right, right? And so a lot of us have complex trauma, chronic exposure to traumatic events, and and don't get a chance to really deal with it because we're still managing everything around us. And so if we can just offer once in a while, quarterly, a time for us to come together and do that, it's another way we're making an impact in our community.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Yeah, no, I'm gonna be at the next one because that sounds exactly like what I need.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Yeah, the next one will be in the fall. So we did spring, summer, next will be fall.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Then we'll do a winter one.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

No, I'll be right there with it. Um how do you balance structure and spirit in your work as a cultural leader?

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Woo! All right, so we're both artists, so you know, we're not super administrative, right? But we do have um administrative assistance and we do have operations managers because we wanted to be able to have like the spirit and the creativity, but also excellence. And so it's like we want to know that the narrative is black business is excellence, yeah, not oh, they're too expensive, the customer service is poor. No. We want it to be if you want excellent service, go to black business. That's right. That's what we're trying to do. And so, you know, there's a little combo of spreadsheets, CPAs, and admins, as well as just diving into the art. And so I'm trying to make sure I'm constantly listening to music, playing music, learning music, studying artists, and he's doing his crap, Trevor's looking at photography and videos, and we're constantly immersing ourselves in that and trying to stay organized. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

And that's us, I mean, this is what this is about. Like this podcast is about being able to be real and talk to people about it because there may be somebody out there listening or watching who's interested and just this may help them take that next step.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Yes, you can do it. You don't have to be perfect, just get help. We need to help. I literally I tell my admin all the time, please don't go. Because who responded email?

SPEAKER_00 16:18

No, but a good admin will have you like that. Yes, okay. A good admin will be like, you what do you need?

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

What do you need from me to keep you, right? Yes, and so I think that's really important. Um, we try to balance so many things as adults, because I can't believe we the new adults. Whoops. Right. Whoops. What? Adults, but then wife, husband, wife, parents. Then we're usually in some employment business owner, some some responsibility. Or doing both. Exactly. Or doing both. And then we have to maintain homes. Yeah. Because everything takes maintenance. Yes. Yes. So I love the fact that hearing you say you ask for help. Because the other thing we don't, well, let me not say we, I would say for me is I have a hard time asking for help.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

That's my new goal for 2025. I'm working on that. And I'm also working on dropping multitasking and instead prioritizing. Okay. Because when I'm multitasking, certain things are getting little to no attention and others are getting too much attention. When really I want to say, okay, in this season, what's most important? What can kind of just get 50% for now? What needs 100% of my attention? So prioritization over multitasking has helped. Um, and I also really invest in my planner. Some people are not planners, but I need a physical book that I write in so that I know I'm staying on task. At the end of the day, I'm looking at what I'm gonna do tomorrow. In the morning, I'm looking at what I'm gonna do today. At the end of the day, I'm looking at what did I do today? You know, really making sure I seize the day and the day is not seizing me.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Oh, I love that. And I'm gonna take some of those tips. Yeah. Because to your point, the plan is very important, but you have to pay attention to the plan. Gotta open it. You gotta open it. You can't just put things in the calendar. You gotta look at it. You have to plan. So you have to come in, you know, look at, see what your day is looking like, and then at the end, check off and and maybe re rework, right? Like I got three things done, I have two more, but I'll add that to tomorrow. I think that's really important. And some of the things that even though it seems like that makes sense for us to know, we don't do it. We don't always apply it.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Yeah, I know. I we be mean at least us to. I know I've literally wrote in my planner and just never went a week without even opening it and sometimes I'm I'm just avoiding it. Right.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Oh, yeah, because you know what's in there. All of that, that's that's about it.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

If I look at it, I'm gonna have to do it.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

If I look at it, I'm gonna have to do it. But you know what? The other thing that I found is um helpful, and you let me know if this is the case for you. You have to balance out your work life. Like, so yes, do all of the great things, but when when are you resting? Well, you talked a little bit about self-care. That's one of the areas that I'm gonna start focusing on this second half of 2025 in a very intentional way.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love, I'd love to talk about this, but it's really self-love. Yeah. Um, and it's just like the same thing that you would do for your children or for your loved one or for your partner or whoever, do that for yourself. And that looks like checking in with yourself. Do you need anything? Are you tired? Can I get something for you? What do you love? Um, even today, I just wrote myself a love letter. You know, it's like self-compassion, self-forgiveness. Um, just like get to know yourself the same way you would a friend. And it seems silly at first, but then your inner narrator starts to change. You look in the mirror and you start saying more positive things about yourself. Because self-care isn't always just going to the spa and getting your nails done. It's really about nurturing your soul. And it's like when you nurture your soul, it doesn't matter how other people perceive you, you can really just love yourself. You look like, I know I love me, I know God loves me. It's this song back in the day, it's like, I like me, you don't like me. What's wrong with you? You know, like that kind of um self-care is where I am now. And I just started that journey, so it's fresh for me. And um, in the last year, within about since like late 2024. And um I think that what's caused for me is to pour that into my students when I see them. You know, I do a lot of vocal coaching and I see them hiding behind so many things. And it's just like, imagine if you saw what I saw. Let me tell you what I see in you. And, you know, like look in the mirror, like what do you see? Like, what lies do you believe? What truths do you refuse to receive? Like, that's what it means to have lessons here, by the way. Like, it's a mentorship. I'm always telling my teachers, this is more than just voice lessons, piano drums. It's about the person. It's very person-centered. This is like a clinic. You coming in and coming out with something.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

And I mean, it you you touched on that, but again, the feeling in this space is that it is a cleansing that happens. So what comes in also has to go out. So, how do you do that?

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Oh, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Because we, I mean, I'm an energy person. So I understand that you may take on some things, right? When when we're taking on people, when we're doing people management in any realm, how do we release? Yeah, because that can be exhausting.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

Yep. Yep. And so the, like I said, those self-care things. Another one is just how we treat our body. So um, two years straight, been going to the gym. It don't have to be, you know, macho macho, man, but like something to tell your body, like, I care for you and I want to make sure you're strong, and then what you're taking in. I mean, there was a moment where I was just drinking coffee and protein bars, and I was not doing great. Right, right. You know, you really have to nurture your body, um, sometimes accountability because as an entrepreneur, you you got the hustle. And then if you if you buy vocational and you've got your job and your hustle, it's hard because you work and then you go home and you work, and you wake up and you work and then you go homework. So who's the person that says, Hey, did you eat? Did you how many hours of sleep did you get? You know, I think that's important too. I have friends who are like, Did you take your medicine? It's like, no, but even as simple as that, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Um, so what do you want people to feel when they walk in to resonate for the first time?

SPEAKER_01 22:37

I want them to say, I'm home. I'm home. And I think um for me that's a really important feeling to feel like I belong and that I'm a part. And so I would love for when someone else to walk in here that they feel comfortable. When you walk in, immediately there's a couch. When you walk in, there's um my husband's grandmother's albums on the wall. You know, there's child, there's pictures of my children, like there's a live plant, you know. And so I want you to feel like you're home because if you feel home, you feel safe. And if you feel safe, you'll try new things.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Oh, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

You know?

SPEAKER_00 23:09

So what's next for resonate?

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Oh, girl. Okay. So the one thing I just was talking about this camp is coming up. Camp Resonate, kids 7 to 12, they're gonna get to experience piano, guitar, drums, voice, and visual arts. Um, they're gonna have a sip and sketch. So cute. They're gonna have like Capri Suns and Vidrain, you know. I love that. Um, but also we have coming up on July 11th, our one-year anniversary. Yay!

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Seriously. Yes. You get a round of applause.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

We have been doing it for a year in this time. Yes. And it feels like we just got here. So I'm like, whoa, I just we just put the floors down. But the exciting thing about the grand opening, of course, we wanted to see you guys there. We wanted to invite people who are like a part of our community because there wouldn't be resonate without people coming to do podcasts, without coming to lessons, and my husband's photography will be displayed. We're gonna have some really fun updates to the space, and we want everyone to come see it. It's gonna be amazing.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Oh, I'll be here. It's gonna be amazing. I'll be here. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited for that. Yes, yes, where can people find you? We're gonna tell them again.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

Okay, make sure all the platforms, Instagram, resonate Baltimore, um, also Facebook resonatebaltimore, and then online resonatebaltimore.com. Very easy for you. If you want to email us, resonatebaltimore at gmail.com. I know that's right.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

So come on now. If this conversation didn't stir something inside of you, play it back with your hand to your chest. I don't know. We're gonna have to talk, friends. Melissa showed us that handling uh that healing is rhythmic, is rooted, and it's revolutionary. Resonate Baltimore is a love letter to this city and our collective power. Support them, follow their work, and go visit when you're in town. And remember, wherever you are, your voice matters. Until next time, this is the Chief Librarian asking what's next for you. Bye, friends.