The Musician’s Compass:
Charting your New Course
Free 3-day online training for artists looking to change trajectories in their careers.
Imagine if it were possible:
to move, or change trajectories, knowing that no matter which way you went, you would land on your feet
to have an artistically fulfilling position
to set your own terms
to plug into any community immediately with confidence?
Through the Musician’s Compass – my free online training series and workshop, I’ll guide you through my signature charted course to help you set sail on a path to
creative fulfillment and financial serenity.
I’ll show you how to effectively
Navigate culture shock in a new field or city
Debunk the “Reinvention” myth
create new communities around yourself,
using what I call the
Guest Artist Mentality
a growth mindset philosophy that helps you embrace new experiences with ease and confidence, so that you can get back to the art of doing what you love!
Drawing from my experience as a pianist, vocal coach, arts administrator and educator, we will explore some of the most forward-thinking industry trends, look at how coming from you CORE ESSENCE makes you uniquely qualified to accomplish your goals, and build a community of thriving professionals together!
Whether you are looking to start an online business, create a new performance series, land a job in a prestigious institution, or looking to give yourself 30 minutes of “me” time, this free course is for you.
March 29, 30, 31
daily at 2pm Eastern time
Valerie has encouraged me to think of new ways of exploring the things that I love to do.
Over the course of these past few months, Valerie has inspired me think of how I can fit into my new community, now that I’ve just moved again. These sessions with Valerie have encouraged me to think of innovative ways of exploring the things that I love to do.
Paule Préfontaine, violinist with Bergen Philharmonic, Tafelmusik, and National Arts Centre Orchestra
Join me for this free three day offer to learn how you can become the pilot of your own adventure.
Is this for you?
Now I don’t feel as tangled up about how to explain myself. Especially to myself.
Before I started working with Valerie, I was struggling with presenting myself in a way that felt authentic and would portray what is truly unique about me. I felt like working out why I do what I do, rather than WHAT I do, became my blueprint for moving forward.
I find that settling into this knowledge actually makes the horizon wider for my search and yet has given me an amazing sense of things I most certainly will not pursue. I have room to grow and expand. I feel more bold about the things to which I say yes. And no guilt for when I say no.
Billie Jo Miller, Collaborative Pianist, M.Mus, Carnegie Mellon University
Who Am I
I help musicians dive in and get their bearings both in unfamiliar settings and in new repertoire so that they can confidently communicate their artistic passion with ease and get down to the business of doing what they love.
Having moved 20 times in the past 2 decades, I’ve charted my own course many times: I know what it’s like to start over with finding new friends and colleagues, and pounding the pavement to hustle up work. Yet, in each new place, I’ve carved out a niche for myself, moved into a space of peak performance, and created an artistically fulfilling career.
As a relocation coach, I’ve been engaged as a mentor by the Association for Opera in Canada and for Ensembl’Arts’ Digital Paths program as well as an invited guest speaker for National and International Organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society.
In 2020, in the wake of canceled performances and of learning how to be an online piano teacher, I decided I’d also like to reinvent myself as a live interview host. As a self-proclaimed luddite, moving into this world took culture shock to a whole new level!
I created a program called Well-Tempered Bernadette: A Piano’s Tale of 5 Cities . In this series, I interviewed musicians that had met my piano, Bernadette, in each of the 5 cities she’s lived in. We talked about the challenges and joys of moving and traveling as performing musicians.
I came to this latest redirection – becoming a live interview host – because I was driven by the elemental need for human connection: given our current state of affairs, for me, it has become more important than ever to bring people together through classical music.
Working with Valerie for just a few weeks brought so much clarity on what I really want to do.
I knew I needed to bring new challenges, new projects in my work as a musician but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Working with Valerie for just a few weeks brought so much clarity on what I really want to do.
Gertrude Létourneau, flutist, singer, pianist and therapeutic musician
I believe it is up to us, as musicians, to delve into new opportunities and to search for new possibilities,
no matter what the climate is and
no matter what world we are living in.
Because of what I have been through, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, I’m now on a mission to help other musicians feel empowered to actively transform their lives so that they can boldly impact and change their world through their creative contribution.
Q & A
When is it?
The free training is taking place online on March 29, 30, 31 at 2 pm. These 30-minute-minis are live and interactive, so make sure you can be there in person to ask your questions and get personalized feedback!
How do I get the link?
and I’ll send the link to the online sessions right to your inbox!
How much does it cost?
It really is free! I’m looking forward to this opportunity to share what I’ve learned and support you in your own journey
Will their be extra time involved?
As musicians, we know we receive manifold to what we put in. There will be some small homework assignments each day so that you can best benefit from the following day’s session
Valerie helped me articulate my goals, so I could realize them!
As a result of working with Valerie, I developed a deeper grounding in my WHY. One of the biggest “a ha” moments I had while working with Valerie was discovering that when I articulate my goals in writing, they are inevitably realized:
When I get CLEAR on my WHY, followed by WHAT, then the HOW, WHEN and WHERE materialize, often in amazing ways!
Val Gay: Serial Entrepreneur
