The Fourforty (440) with Eric Branner

Eric Branner
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Entrepreneurship

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.

  1. Making a Resilient Living with Jason Sifford

    Jun 18

    Making a Resilient Living with Jason Sifford

    Jason Sifford is a piano teacher, composer, and performer based in Iowa City. He runs an independent studio, writes pedagogical music published by Willis/Hal Leonard and FJH Music, composes original musical theater for a children's theater program that now reaches hundreds of kids across Iowa, and recently joined the MTNA Board of Trustees as West-Central Division Director. He also just launched Piano Blocks, a newsletter for piano teachers on Substack. In this conversation, Eric and Jason talk about building a career rooted in community and curiousity, make the case for 45-minute lessons, and share the origin story of Jason's highly successful theater project.  We also discuss his unique strategy for his latest Substack project. This episode is perfect for any music teacher contemplating the arc of their career. Topics covered: The 45-minute lesson format and why it worksLeaving academia to go freelance and what that decision made possibleThe Aspen moment: finding your place in the clubHow a COVID-era theater project became a six-show, 17-employee operationComposing for students: writing only what doesn’t already existA/B testing your music with real students“Passive income” and why the crank never stopsPiano Blocks: writing for yourself first, audience secondThe income quilt, building a resilient careerWork-life balance by the year, not the weekLearn more about Jason's work here... Website: jasonsifford.comPiano Blocks on Substack: jasonsifford.substack.comYouTube: youtube.com/@jsiffordInstagram: @jasonsiffordSheet music: search “Jason Sifford” at halleonard.com🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    1h 6m
  2. The Opposite of Anxiety is Creativity with Leila Viss

    Jun 3

    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 anxiety is creativity. This episode is a must-listen for creatives, educators, and humans... Here's the blog post about her recent recital! Learn more about Leila's work here. Website: https://www.leilaviss.comSpace to Create: https://www.leilaviss.com/space-to-createFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/88pianokeysInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilaviss/🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    1h 5m
  3. Roberto Hermosillo on Building a Modern Music Career

    May 20

    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 agency in Santa Monica. In this conversation, Roberto and Eric talk honestly about the multi-hyphenate life: balancing artistry with entrepreneurship, ditching the old music school playbook, and building something that makes you genuinely happy. In This Episode How Roberto went from independent teacher to running a multi-teacher lessons agency... nine iterations inThe intentional geographic move to Santa Monica and why location strategy matters for music educatorsWhat he learned writing curriculum for a major guitar brand and why he calls it "a free degree in music education"The GRAMMY-nominated Solid Rock Revival project with Alice Cooper, Slash, and Rob HalfordThe difference between followers and fans, and what a real music career looks like todayWhy the old music school playbook feels dated in today's worldTurning down an arena tour with one of the biggest Spanish-language artists in the world, and why he has no regretsThe no-physical-location agency model and paying teachers well as a competitive advantageJ.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as the original multi-hyphenatesBuilding a career you actually want... health insurance, a retirement plan, families who love you Learn more about Roberto's work here. www.robertosmusicstudio.com Instagram, FB @soyrobertohermosillo 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    54 min
  4. Jaclyn Mrozek of the Scrappy Piano Teacher

    May 6

    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 of The Scrappy Piano Teacher Podcast. She's been teaching for 28 years and has spent the last several helping independent music teachers build studios. We talked about year-round billing, the summer schedule that keeps retention up, how she handles parents who count lessons, the "Policy Triangle" she uses in her cohorts, asynchronous lessons for snow days, and the idea that building a great studio experience is the best business move you can make. This one's full of practical ideas you can borrow. And Jaci delivers them with the kind of energy that will inspire you to reorganize your studio.  Topics covered: - The radical sabbatical: how to take a month off and still get paid - Year-round flat-rate billing and how to communicate it to families - Summer scheduling that increases retention (and respects everyone's chaos) - Setting goals in April for the fall, before the year even ends - The "Piano Gymnastics" evaluation program students actually love - Recitals as your biggest marketing moment - The Policy Triangle: philosophy, time, and money - Asynchronous lessons and the "what now?" weeks - Running cohorts that create lasting community - Why raising your rates attracts better families Connect with Jaci: Website: scrappypianoteacher.com Instagram: @jaclynmrozek_piano YouTube: @ScrappyPianoTeacher Facebook: ScrappyPianoTeacher 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    51 min
  5. Level It Up! Narciso Solero's Framework for Teaching Piano Repertoire

    Apr 16

    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 teachers from across the country. In this episode, Narciso shares how the series came to be, what it means for teachers navigating the vast piano canon, and why versatility might be the most underrated skill for any independent music educator building a long-term career. Leare more about Level It Up! at narcisosolero.com. The videos are also available on Narciso's YouTube channel @narcisosolero8163 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    1h 9m
  6. Composer Elizabeth Swift on Creativity, Saga Land, and the Art of Saying Yes

    Apr 2

    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 she is a composer published by Alfred Music, the creator of the Saga Land series,(video game-inspired piano music now used in studios nationwide) and the 2025 Ohio Certified Teacher of the Year. She teaches students from age six to sixty-three, runs a studio where families often stay for over a decade, and just launched Saga Land 2 at the MTNA National Conference. In this conversation, Elizabeth traces the winding path from classical performance training to composing: a church worship team that needed a keyboard player, a kindergartner who loved Super Mario Galaxy, and a willingness to say yes to things that felt far too big. She shares her composing process, her approach to teaching students to improvise through video game character archetypes, and why she believes that doing the small thing in front of you is almost always the right move. If you've been sitting on a creative idea and wondering if it's too late, this episode is for you. Topics covered: The origin story of Saga Land and Saga Land 2How a church worship team unlocked Elizabeth's composing careerHer process for writing pedagogically grounded, emotionally alive musicTeaching students to improvise using video game character archetypesThe Pixels to Piano camp curriculumWhat it's like to work with a publisher after years of self-publishingCommunity, professional leadership, and the value of local teacher networksAdvice for teachers just starting out: any small start is still a startLinks & Resources elizabethswiftpiano.com | Alfred Music: alfred.com | Facebook: elizabethswiftcomposer | Instagram: @elizabethswiftpiano 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    53 min
  7. Anne Katherine Davis on MLT, Audiation, and the Science of Musical Thought

    Mar 11

    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 audiation: the idea that real musicianship is thinking in music, not about it. In this episode, she and Eric unpack why the 'eyes before ears' approach has dominated piano pedagogy for decades, what the science says about musical aptitude and its development window, and how movement, immersion, and variety are the real building blocks of musical fluency. Whether you're a curious piano teacher or a lifelong learner, this conversation is for you. Learn more about Anne's work here. Facebook Instagram 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    1h 9m
  8. Beyond the Method: Tim Topham on Creative Teaching in a Distracted World

    Mar 5

    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 community might be the most important investment music teachers can make right now. Learn more about Tim's work here. topmusic.co YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Instagram 🌊 Connect with us: Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group a supportive community for teachers & creativesFollow on Instagram: @getfonsLearn more about Fons (Soon to be MakeMusic Studio!)TikTok: @getfons

    1h 3m
See All (33)

Trailer

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

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.

Information

You Might Also Like