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Sounds of Encouragement

Sounds of Encouragement

By: Melissa Slocum and Friends
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Encouragement from Musicians, Music Educators & Creatives for Creatives. Interesting interviews with music teachers, creatives, and musicians along with calming and topical encouragement as you face the challenges of everyday life. Find out what sounds and songs encourage other creatives and what keeps them hopeful, moving forward, and creative.© 2025 Sounds of Encouragement Music Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Interview with Brenda Earle Stokes, Musician, Educator, Jazz Artist
    Dec 19 2025

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    Brenda Earle Stokes is a rare jazz artist with a true command of both the voice and the piano. Hailed as “a breezy delight” by Time Out New York, Brenda’s music is rooted in the jazz tradition with influences ranging from Brazilian music to rock radio. As a bandleader she has toured clubs and festivals across the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia and has released 6 albums own her own label. As a follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2014 studio album Right About Now, Stokes sought to challenge herself to dig deep and share the full scope of her talents in the most intimate setting possible. Brenda Earle Stokes has performed as a side person with John Riley, Dick Oatts, Joel Frahm, Roxy Coss, Wycliffe Gordon, Maurice Hines and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. She has held residences at the Kennedy Center and Banff Center for Fine Arts, was a finalist of the Mary Lou
    Williams Jazz Piano Competition and was a winner of the IAJE Sister’s in Jazz competition, identifying her as one of the top emerging jazz artists of her generation.

    To learn more visit https://brendaearle.com/
    To find the Versatile Musician visit https://pianoandvoicewithbrenda.com/membership/

    Top 5 Songs of Encouragement
    1) Song of Life: Fred Hersch and Norma Winstone
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1rRZnsy8hA&list=RDw1rRZnsy8hA&start_radio=1
    2) Oscar Peterson Trio - Place St. Henri
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nje7TuVJIo
    3) Morrissey - Back on the Chain Gang (Official Video)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_hInzyYN3o
    4) No Wonder by Luciana Souza
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttQ8k2vdopo
    5) CARMEN MCRAE - No More Blues
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0UWu_xchHU

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Interview with Brian Witkowski, Classical Baritone, Business Coach
    Nov 7 2025

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    Brian Witkowski’s path has moved through the worlds of classical singing, voice teaching, and coaching—but the thread running through all of it is his belief in the power of a person’s voice to shape their life. Trained as a classical baritone, Brian spent years performing, teaching, and mentoring musicians, before his work expanded into supporting leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives navigating high-pressure environments and seasons of reinvention.
    What he discovered along the way is that voice is never just vocal technique—it’s how we express needs, hold boundaries, make decisions, and trust our own worth in the world. Today, Brian helps artists and professionals reconnect with that deeper sense of voice so their work, livelihood, and identity no longer feel at odds with each other.
    His approach is gentle, grounded, and deeply human.
    At its heart, Brian’s work encourages one simple truth: You are allowed to take up the space that your voice was always meant to hold.

    Top 5 Songs of Encouragement
    1) Schubert - Sehnsucht D.636 - Fischer-Dieskau / Engel
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlY1ytShmU&list=RDidlY1ytShmU&start_radio=1
    2) “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glenn Campbell
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAU3B9Pi_U
    3) “Respect Yourself” by the Staples Singers
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InYaB16xEd0
    4) “Cancelled” by Taylor Swift
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij6SgmK8KGQ&list=RDIj6SgmK8KGQ&start_radio=1
    5) “American Anthem” Nathan Gunn, (Gene Scheer, piano arrangement Lee Musiker)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JCLEQALjiU

    Reach out to Brian at
    https://thelucrativevoice.com/

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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Interview with Katie O’Rourke, Pianist, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Teacher
    Sep 19 2025

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    Katie has taught piano for nearly twenty years, and her love for the instrument began after taking lessons with a family friend at age six. Even in moments of deep frustration with the challenges of making ten fingers do ten different things, music kept calling her back.

    After earning a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Western Washington University, Katie taught at two music schools and enjoyed a vibrant performing career collaborating with local musicians, serving as pianist for the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra.

    After developing persistent shoulder pain, her teacher suggested attending a Feldenkrais class where she immediately connected with the subtle movements and student-centered approach. What began as a path toward healing quickly became a new way to teach.

    In 2021, Katie became a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®. She is also a Certified Oxygen Advantage® Advanced Breathing Instructor and a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music.

    Top 5 Songs of Encouragement
    1) Blink by Hiroshi Yoshimura
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaZI5KUC7U0&list=PLwxMX47xnWxczN8VEKwW16kwnKHYSNtFO&index=1

    2) Chorale Prelude BWV 639, “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr” by Bach, Performed by Tatiana Nikolayeva
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ckdRu6bXlw&list=PLwxMX47xnWxczN8VEKwW16kwnKHYSNtFO&index=2

    3) En Gallop by Joanna Newsom
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN6rRJ8ulQ0&list=PLwxMX47xnWxczN8VEKwW16kwnKHYSNtFO&index=3

    4) How Far I’ll Go (from Moana) Lyrics : Auli'i Cravalho
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PRQmLXC6TA&list=PLwxMX47xnWxczN8VEKwW16kwnKHYSNtFO&index=4

    5) Rachmaninoff: 12 Songs, Op. 21 - V. Lilacs
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTbylwbqtGU&list=PLwxMX47xnWxczN8VEKwW16kwnKHYSNtFO&index=5
    Lyrics:
    In the morning, at dawn,
    Through the dew-clad grass,
    I shall walk, breathing in the freshness of morning;
    And to the fragrant shade,
    Where lilacs cluster,
    I shall go in search of happiness…

    In life there is but one happiness
    That I am fated to find,
    And that happiness dwells in the lilacs;
    On their green branches,
    In their fragrant clusters
    My poor happiness blooms…

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    1 hr and 29 mins
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