No Performer Left Behind: Rachael Rose on Building a Safe Space for Artists in Metro Detroit

When the arts become a place of fear, people stop creating. Rachael Rose is making sure that never happens.
In this episode of Opening Doors, Annette Compo sits down with Rachael Rose — founder and Artistic Director of Thistle Rose Academy of Arts, a 501c3 nonprofit built on one core belief: no cost, no skill level, no background should ever be a barrier to the arts. Rachael shares her journey from growing up at her mother's rehearsals as a baby, to building a thriving community of singers, actors, musicians, and dancers in Metro Detroit. She opens up about the philosophy of "no performer left behind," why curiosity is more powerful than correction, and how Thistle Rose is heading into its 10th season with its biggest concert yet.

🎭 Songs for Our Shared Home — live at Wayne State University on May 17th. Tickets on sale soon through Wayne State. Don't miss it.
Want to support Thistle Rose? Every dollar matters:
💛 $20 sponsors a dance or pilates class
💛 $50 sponsors 3 dance classes
💛 $450 sponsors a pit musician for the concert
📧 For sponsorship & ad opportunities: info@thistleroseacademy.org

🌸 Connect with Thistle Rose Academy of Arts:
 @ThistleRoseAcademy
🌐 Website: https://www.thistleroseacademy.org/
📧 Email: info@thistleroseacademy.org
📸 Instagram:   / thistleroseacademy 
👍 Facebook:   / thistleroseacademy 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hi, it's a Met Campo. Welcome to the next episode of Opening Doors with Amet Campo. Today I have the pleasure of introducing Rachel Rose. Hey, and Rachel Rose is from Thistle Rose, and we're gonna talk a little bit about her community involvement, um, about Thistle Rose, what's going on. So without me telling your story, because we've been friends forever, um, tell us a little bit of where Thistle Rose came from.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

I shall, but first, thank you so much for inviting me on. Um, it this is a joy, and uh I'm so glad we've been friends for so long because now you get to witness the growth and next level.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

So and honestly, before we even start as well, I first have to say thank you so much because you're also the vocal court uh coach for my 14-year-old daughter Jules. And so thank you for that because there's nothing when you have a friend that's a friend, right? But then when you take that friendship to the level that you're impacting their family, it not only deepens the relationship, but it's just it's just so nice to know that someone's out there, you know, got your back, got you know, has your family's back.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

And so thank you for that as well. Oh my gosh, you're very welcome. It's my honor. Jules is amazing. Um, and uh, I'm so glad to get to work with her. That's actually a great segue because This Little Rose was born, it's probably been around for I don't want to say how many years, but a long time, you know, ladies of an age and all. Um but the endless age. The endless is we are age less. Yes, yes, of course. Fine wine and only getting finer. Yes. Um, but for me, uh, I grew up studying piano. I started piano lessons when I was four. My parents were divorced, but both musicians, so music sort of just runs in my blood. And my mom used to play for a little opera company called Piccolo Opera Company, way back in the day here in Michigan. And she would take me when I was just a tiny baby and set me in my bassinet, like whatever those rocker. I don't know what it is. It's not a bassinet. Yeah, they are, but you know what I mean. So she would set me on top of the piano for rehearsals. And so amazing. Yeah, I was a baby in rehearsals. And throughout life, um, it's it's really hard to be a performing artist or a teaching artist because the world of um practicing, you know, they say you need to practice 10,000 hours to get good at a skill or master it. And um, I certainly have done that in piano and organ and voice, but there's a world where then we go to the next step and we invite essentially criticism. You get your notes if you're in rehearsal. Oh, you need to do this, you need to do that, and then there's reviews. And for me, um the performing arts can become a place where people really can gain a lot of uh self-confidence and find their community and work with one another. And it can also be really detrimental if you have people in there that are um that are less less kind in the world.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Well, I think too is providing the education for performers, like so. For my daughter, she goes out there and she just performs, right? And and the reason why she's so open about her talents is because I've always told her, I'm like, feedback is a gift. Feedback, even from the hardest person, right? It it there is something in there that you know who you are and you're confident in what you do. So you take that feedback in as a gift, knowing that if the message may have been like a little SOS peg, because I always say if it feels a little SOS pad-ish, right? That's a great one. Um, it's not personal, it's just whatever happened in the individual's life. And if we keep educating, you know, these artists in that, it gives them that mindset of really expanding where their talent is because yes, you can create talent, however, it comes from the core of having it, right? So um, you know, we we always tell that story. My my son um played trumpet and he played trumpet for one grade level. I couldn't take it. Yeah. And he finally, and of course, I'm edifying and encouraging, as you know, I do, right? And he finally goes, Mom, this is just not working for him. Like, you know, it's okay because athletics is where, you know, and that's where his passion was with lacrosse and football. And obviously, you know, the story went on to play in in college ball. Um, but I think you sharing that, you know, is that it really, it really helps. And that's kind of the culture that you've created with this whole rose.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yes, yes. I never wanted anyone to be told so many. Well, let me finish that thought. I never wanted anyone to be told they couldn't do it or they weren't good enough. And I personally have been told those things, or you'll never be as good as, and that's devastating. It's devastating to an adult, let alone a teenager or younger.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Well, it's like a it's just like squashing the talent, right? Exactly. And then all of a sudden their authenticity doesn't shine any longer of the talent that was given to them.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Exactly. Their authenticity, their joy, their playfulness, and if you they're afraid of failing or afraid of judgment, they're not even gonna try. Eventually, you stop trying. So the ethos and the culture and the philosophies of myself and Thistle Rose is no performer left behind. No one, no one is gonna be told you can't do it or or not you're not good enough. We have groups and classes that actually say, come as you are, any skill level, any background, if you don't know how to read music, that's fine. We'll teach you, or you'll you'll get along. You have friends, it's a whole community. Um, and it's expanding now for no theater, no, no group of artists left behind, because there are so many artists and theaters and community theaters out here doing a thing, very little teaching, and um not that teaching is where everything is, but if you don't have an environment where people feel safe to learn and fail, there's a book, um, I think it's John Maxwell called Failing Forward.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Right it!

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Yes, it's so good, it's so good, and that's what we need in the performing arts because if you don't have room to explore, well, does this work or that work? And you're already being beaten down, what's the point? Right. So our culture is to link arms and welcome people and uplift them and just give them some background, some education. I've also changed um in my personal studio teaching of students, but also in the classroom and at Thistle Rose. I keep bumping the microphone, I'm sorry. Um, but my curiosity with people, rather than there's one way to sing, and you will do you feel do it sat way, and we will not go forward, right? So that's not okay. I just felt like I needed to stand up more proper. Exactly. Well, it's my dialect training, so there you go. Um but yeah, exactly. When you come in with this rigid, there's one way to do a thing, they don't get to explore. So oftentimes I I remind people, this isn't about getting it right or wrong. This is about feedback that your instrument, because our body is our instrument as singers and actors, it's true. And that that's a whole the support system. I'll get to that in a minute. But if we invite observation, experimentation, and curiosity, it's no longer me saying, What did you like about that? Right. What did you think felt right? Because then we're changing the language around it. And um then people feel like, oh, oh, well, it's not oh, well, I can try this. Oh, that felt funny. I don't like that.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Well, and obviously being uncomfortable is where you grow as well. Exactly. So let's go back just real quick is that Thistle Rose offers uh vocal and it offers theatrical.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

And what else? We offer instrumental classes, acting classes, dialect classes. Soon, this is gonna sound crazy, like a leap. Obviously, singing, instruments, acting, musical theater, liturgical music, which is uh sacred music. Um, we have experts in both classical and musical theater, and we work with a lot of musicians around who just want to pour in and educate. So our classes are actually growing.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Um it's interesting because you and I have sat down, obviously learning more and more about Thistle Rose and being, you know, my whole coming from contribution and philanthropy. Um, and of course, the love of the arts, right? I just want um any child to be able to get the opportunity to explore and decide for themselves that they have a talent or they don't have a talent. So your um Thistle Rose is a 501c3, correct? So yeah, so you're a nonprofit. Yeah, um, and obviously money is always a constant conversation. Oh it seems like you and I talk about that a lot, but that's why you use me because I want to be able to help in the aspect of your business plan. You know, what where is Thistle Rose and three years and five years and ten years, right? And how does that legacy continue so we don't have a person left behind, as you said in the beginning, which I love that. So, what are some things that you're doing to generate revenue where people that could, you know, are watching this or listening could really say, you know what, I I can see that I can feel her energy and I want to learn more about that. What are some ways that people can plug in to the actual giving and supporting Thistle Rose?

SPEAKER_00 10:23

That is a fabulous question. And um, we are in an active massive restructure. We're in our ninth season and we are headed into our 10th. We've got sponsorship opportunities. We need, we need equipment, we need a brick and mortar, and if people can't, even a dollar helps. You could sponsor a student to take a class because our mission, one of our core values is that there's there should not be any cost barrier to entry. We are coming up on a big concert and it's going to be at Wayne State University. Well, tell us more. What date is it? It's May 17th. Can't forget that day. It's your birthday. We might even just have to sing happy birthday to you. I mean, that would be so fun. A whole audience will see. That would be super fun.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Um, but so where would they go to buy these tickets? We'll put it on the website or we'll put it on the podcast so they can get it onto your website. Um, but ticket sales are open now.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Ticket sales are currently being developed because I just got the news on Tuesday. So this is like this is brand new, hot off the presence. Exactly. Um, so when are ticket sales going live? They will probably be live in two weeks. Okay. Um, and we are So by the first or second week of March. Yes, exactly, exactly. So we get to work with Wayne State. They're going to be facilitating our ticket sales for us. It's a gorgeous multi-million dollar building. The the Maggie LSC Department of Theater and Dance at Wayne State University is sponsoring Thistle Rose. And it just is like divine intervention all the way. So many of our students uh at Wayne State and alumni and dancers and staff and faculty from Wayne State are working on this program because so many of us are just like, hey, come do this really exciting concert. It's a collaboration, it's absolutely, and at a university that's in Detroit, urban university, all of it's such a testament that Thistle Rose is able now, because I'm gonna be an alum by that point, um, but we're pouring back into Wayne State, back into Detroit, which is one of our core values as well, is to uplift the communities around us, make the arts available. So tickets will be available in just a few weeks. And um Thistle Rose needs help for infrastructure costs, which is not the fun stuff to donate to. But if you want fun stuff to donate or you can purchase an ad, we have those forms available. And my production manager Justin Baja, also a Wayne State alum, is uh he is handling all of that, and we can that email would be info at thistleroseacademy.org. And he can get the ad information over to them. Um, it is a very beautiful concert. It's called Songs for Our Shared Home, and it's featuring Nisa Gaia, which is Earth Mass, by Paul Winter. And we have this collect what started as my friend Michael Katapotas, also a Wayne State alum and a U of M. Wow. Yeah, he is the director. It's like the who's who. It is. It's the who's who of Up and Coming in the Arts in Detroit area. And um he said, I really want to do this. And I said, Okay, I'll be the producer because I'm usually doing all the creative things. And I said, Let me produce. Here's Justin, he can be the production manager, and we've just it's grown. So we have the ballet students involved, we have To Sangana, which is our African diaspora dancers involved, and we have pit musicians from all around southeastern Michigan. A pit musician for this engagement is gonna be something like $450. So if somebody really wanted to pour in, sponsor a pit musician. Or if you want to find a way to, hey, we don't have $450, $50 takes care of three dance classes for someone, and that's manageable. If you can't do that, $20 is a dance class or a Pilates class. And Pilates is the other certification I'm working on per purposely, um, so that I'm a holistic teacher, an artist, uh, which is we have to take care of the whole person. Right. We are always looking for grant opportunities. But as I said, I mean, it's it's sort of it's been a labor of love for a lot of years for me. And Thistle Rose Academy of Arts is now headed into redoing our business plan, redoing our infrastructure so that we have everything in place to be able to apply for foundational money, to be able to take this to the Fisher. That's a dream of mine. Like, I want to do a gala at the Fisher. Love that. On their stage, benefiting Thistle Rose so that we can keep doing what we're doing, and St. Baldrick's Foundation, which is children's cancer, a cure for children's cancer research. Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

And I think it's so interesting, is that if you go back to the nonprofits that are started, the the biggest challenge that they have is to kind of get over that hump, right? Of going from conceptual, you know, of the the concept of what the mission vision is to the actual funding of it, right? And so this is why I wanted you on the show and the podcast, because I really believe obviously we've talked and shared my my passion for the fine arts and supporting it. And if we don't get the information out there about what you're doing, so first off, thank you so much because getting um children in in the ability of their talent in a place where it's not based on economic need, yes, um, you know, it's it's huge because now it uh levels the playing field for everybody. Exactly. And that's really where the mission, vision, the core of Thistle Rose is in the heart that Thistle. So providing the ability for people to have that, thank you so much. And of course, you know, if you've thought about um supporting the fine arts, um, even just simply, as she said, in two weeks tickets are going to be on sale, buying a ticket, or maybe even just sponsoring a pit, um, uh, what'd you call a pit? Pit musician. Yeah. I've never heard that, but I know exactly what you're doing. None of you know what it is.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

That's that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

I'm always like, they're far down there. Yes. Um, or you know, um maybe just sponsor a vocal lesson or an instrumental lesson. Yes. Um, but thank you so much for being on the show. And for you, I give you a call to action because fine arts are an absolute critical piece to the foundation in the development of our future leaders. So please reach out um on the podcast. Make sure that you go to the website and support Thistle Rose. See you on the next episode.