#11: Dr. Justin Waller on Musician Identity, COVID-19, and Finding Purpose in Life

Exploring Kodawari

Our guest for this episode was Dr. Justin Waller, a fantastic trombone player based in the Southeastern United States. He is currently serving as the Lecturer of Trombone at East Tennessee State University, and has performed and recorded with such groups as the American Brass Quintet, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, the Chattanooga Symphony, and many others.

My co-host Yankı and I also went to graduate school with Justin, so it was great to have this conversation and catch up. We talked about adjusting to teaching online, the importance of having a purpose in life, musician injuries (and the identity crisis that can cause), education philosophy, and so much more.

Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps (clickable on website)

• [02:27] Justin's background
• [12:14] Adjusting to COVID-19 life
• [21:06] The Stoic practice of negative visualization
• [27:14] The importance of having a purpose to your life mission
• [31:15] Understanding sadness through music
• [43:31] Vitamin D levels
• [52:33] Why teaching and socializing online isn't the same
• [57:13] COVID-19 anxiety fatigue
• [01:03:06] Adjusting to teaching at the college level
• [01:07:50] Justin's philosophy of education
• [01:15:30] Playing injuries and the musician identity crisis
• [01:30:26] Bonus Questions

Links Discussed:

• Justin's website
• One of Gustav Mahler's last photographs, taken a month before he died.
• Dr. Rhonda Patrick on Vitamin D and COVID-19
• Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield on honoring you grief and tears

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