On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with my brother, Jarrett McCourt. He is the Principal Tuba at the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida.

Jarrett’s playing was recently called “warm, romantic and seamless” by the South Florida Classical Review. He has performed with a number of different high-level ensembles, can be heard on several recently released CDs and has either won or advanced at ten competitions in the past five years. Most notably, he won the top prize in the brass category of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal’s prestigious Standard Life Competition in 2014, becoming the first tubist to do so in the competition’s 75-year history. Jarrett is also currently on faculty at New World School of the Arts at Miami Dade College.

On the show, we talk about how Jarrett got into music, what he took away from his time working at a crisis hotline, his TSA struggles, being an Canadian in Miami Beach and all of the anecdotes in between.

Jarrett plays with the New World Symphony. To follow their work, check out NWS.edu. If you want to follow the work that Jarrett does, you can check out his website at JarrettMcCourt.com or follow him on Instagram @JarrettMcCourt. He’s also a photographer and posts his photos on Instagram @jmccourtphotography.

Interview Notes:1:55 First exposure to music4:25 The first person to say: “...you can make it in music.”6:05 How did you choose Western University...8:00 ...and how did you choose performance?11:50 Going to the University of Michigan and how “rankings” affected his mindset15:20 Student Life at Western University17:45 Jarrett’s best tip for mentorship20:15 An experience from Jarrett’s time working a crisis hotline29:50 Being told “no” while applying for Doctoral programs and applying for jobs35:30 Travelling with two Tubas (aka TSA nightmares)43:55 Moving to Miami to play with the New World Symphony48:25 Living in South Beach52:40 Advice about facing adversity

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.