The Fourforty (440) with Eric Branner
The FourForty Podcast is where musicians and music teachers share their journeys as educators, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders. Each conversation explores the real work of building a meaningful career in music... and the impact it makes beyond the studio.
Episodes
32 episodes
The Opposite of Anxiety is Creativity with Leila Viss
Leila Viss has spent her career helping musicians find and trust their own creative voice. In this conversation, she shares the philosophy behind Space to Create, what her son’s accident taught her about music and grief, and why the opposite of...
Roberto Hermosillo on Building a Modern Music Career
What does a contemporary, thriving music career actually look like?Roberto Hermosillo has built it. He's a GRAMMY-nominated guitarist, studio musician, songwriter, TV actor, and the owner of Roberto's Music Studio, a boutique lessons ag...
Jaclyn Mrozek of the Scrappy Piano Teacher
Jaci Mrozek just took the entire month of May off, and she's still getting paid. In this conversation, she walks us through exactly how she built a system to support her "radical sabbatical."Jaci is a piano teacher, presenter, and host o...
Level It Up! Narciso Solero's Framework for Teaching Piano Repertoire
Narciso Solero spent 30 years developing a framework in his head before he finally put it on paper. The result is Level It Up!, a series that organizes composers' piano repertoire from easiest to most advanced. Level It Up! has attracted teache...
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Composer Elizabeth Swift on Creativity, Saga Land, and the Art of Saying Yes
Elizabeth Swift didn't start composing until well into her teaching career. She wasn't trained to improvise. And the first time someone handed her a lead sheet and said "just noodle for a few minutes," she broke into a cold sweat.Today s...
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Anne Katherine Davis on MLT, Audiation, and the Science of Musical Thought
Anne Katherine Davis teaches piano from Mexico to students and teachers across the world. Her approach is unlike what you’ll find in standard method books. Grounded in Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory, Anne is passionate about audiati...
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Beyond the Method: Tim Topham on Creative Teaching in a Distracted World
Tim Topham, founder of TopMusicCo and author of No Book Beginners, joins Eric to talk about creative teaching, the four pillars of modern piano pedagogy, the challenge of keeping students engaged in the age of TikTok, and why in-person communit...
Follow Your Curiosity: Designing a Sustainable Music Career with Dr. Lisa Neher
Dr. Lisa Neher didn’t choose one lane.She’s an opera singer, composer, professor, private studio teacher, actor, and President of New Wave Opera... and she does all of it at a high level.In this conversation, we explore what it ac...
Structure + Freedom: How Tony Parlapiano Built popMATICS
Tony Parlapiano is the creator of popMATICS, an online music school built on a simple but powerful idea: great music education lives at the intersection of structure and freedom.In this episode, Tony shares how popMATICS ev...
Why I’m Wildly Optimistic About the Future of Teaching Private Music Lessons
There’s a lot of excitement right now, and also a lot of anxiety in the music lessons industry. After returning from the NAMM Show and talking with teachers and industry leaders, I’m still wildly optimistic about the future of teaching private ...
Merging Business and Art: Lessons on Gratitude, Risk, and a Life in Music with Brian Chung
Brian Chung has lived a rare kind of career—one where music and business were never opposites, but partners.In this wide-ranging and deeply human conversation, Brian shares the full arc of his journey: from a five-year-old who wro...
Clarity Over Chaos: Building a Professional Music Teaching Business with Michael Richey
What does a truly professional music teaching practice look like in 2026?In this episode of The FourForty Podcast, I’m joined by Michael Richey, owner of Tennessee Music Academy, a multi-teacher, in-home music studio serving Nashville fa...
The Happy Musician: Burnout, Boundaries, and Building a Sustainable Career with Candace Lark-Masucci
Candace Lark-Masucci is a harpist, educator, and musicians’ life coach helping artists build careers that are emotionally grounded, mentally healthy, and financially sustainable.In this deeply honest conversation, Candace shares her jour...
MTNA at 150: Creating Artist Citizens and the Future of Music Teaching
Brian Shepard, CEO of the Music Teachers National Association, joins the FourForty Podcast for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about the past, present, and future of music teaching.As MTNA approaches its 150th anniversary, Brian ...
A Gratitude Practice for Music Teachers with Eric Branner
In this solo episode, Eric explores gratitude as a critical skill for musicians, educators, and creative entrepreneurs. Practice a guided meditation, hear stories from the studio, and craft your own gratitude statement. This o...
Scaling with Soul: The Sloan School of Music Story
In this episode, Eric talks with guitarist and entrepreneur Anthony Sloan: co-founder and CEO of the Sloan School of Music.What started as a family idea grew into a two-location music school, retail operation, and community hub offering ...
The Three-Legged Stool: Building a Successful Music Career with Joe Bergamini
Drummer, educator, author, and industry leader Joe Bergamini shares how he built a resilient, multi-hyphenate career spanning Broadway pits, international touring, best-selling drum books, and more than 35 years of private teaching.We ta...
Make an Offer, Add Value, Create an Asset: Studio Growth with Josh Gillis
Today I’m talking with Josh Gillis, founder of Catfish Alley Studio in Columbus, Mississippi. Josh is one of the kindest, most curious, and most future-leaning educators in the Fons community. He’s building a modern, community-centered music st...
Magic in the Small Moments: Teaching, Leadership & Balance with Kevin Chance
How do you stay joyful and grounded when you’re teaching, performing, and leading at a high level?In this episode, Eric talks with Kevin Chance, President of MTNA and Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Alabama about...
Seasonality & Self Love: Building a Creative Life That Works with Allie Tyler
Marketing mentor, voice teacher, and choral director Allie Tyler joins Eric Branner to explore how to grow a creative business without losing your joy. From running The Voicepreneur Program to directing a non-audition community choir i...
The Virtuous Cycle of Mentorship: Three Stories That Changed My Life
In this solo episode, Eric shares three vivid mentor stories. Pete (artist–entrepreneur), Terry (the open-hearted teacher), and Bryce (the student who became a guide) to unpack what mentorship is, how it shows up, and why becoming both mentee &...
The Path of a Pioneering Educator: Rob Hampton on Purpose, Joy, and Pricing
Guitar teacher and Heartwoodguitar.com founder Rob Hampton joins Eric to share how a simple shift in mindset changed his life and career. Rob talks about The Jam, his all-day student concert that’s anything but a recital, and opens up ...
Curiosity, Courage, and Connection: Angelica Cortez on Leading with Intention
How do we make arts education thrive in a world that’s changing faster than ever?Eric interviews Angelica Cortez, Executive Director of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She shares how curiosity is a leadership tool, the power of m...
Artistry, Entrepreneurship & Building a Life in Music with Brenda Earle Stokes
How do you build a creative career that’s sustainable and joyful?In this episode, pianist, vocalist, composer, and educator Brenda Earle Stokes joins Eric Branner to share practical lessons from her journey of bala...
Dr. David Cutler on Innovation, Demand, and Redefining Success in Music
In this episode, Eric sits down with his longtime friend Dr. David Cutler... composer, author, and Distinguished Professor of Music Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of South Carolina. David is one of the world’s leading voices ...
