If you take a piano lesson from Brainerd — or a songwriting or a music production lesson — you might be asked similar questions: What are your goals? Why are you here?
Brainerd incorporates those short- and long-term goals into each subsequent lesson, starting with affirmations and a check-in on life, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
It’s a holistic and purposeful approach to music instruction, a stark contrast to how Brainerd was taught.
At 12-years-old she started taking piano lessons from a Juilliard master, one that set the bar perhaps a bit too high and did everything by the song book. She studied under her for 10 years.
“Exploring for the joy of exploring, and having that leeway to make mistakes,” Brainerd said, “was not a thing at all.”
Despite the instructor’s rigidity, Brainerd stuck with the program. From age 16 to 24 she became the music director at several non-profits in Spain, Portugal and in Middletown, Ohio. That’s when she really started falling in love with music; she saw the joy in the mistakes and the freedom in them, too.
Brainerd now offers a more fluid, individualized approach to teaching.
Brandie B Writes Songs offers both virtual and in-person music lessons, teaching students as young as six months. Brainerd’s oldest client is currently 85. And while the name of the business is somewhat accurate, as she does have songwriting students, it is mostly about the piano lessons.
Brainerd’s services were entirely online when the business started in 2020, and she only had 2 students. Now, she has over 50 in-person and virtual students, plus more on the waitlist, and three other instructors on her team.
“When I saw my first in-person person,” Brainerd said, “I was explaining something, she was maybe seven years old at the time, and I saw her face light up. I got such a jolt of energy. I remember having that moment as a kid, being in her shoes, when something finally clicked. That’s really what changed it for me.”
One of her goals is to build a community. She wants a group of instructors who put emphasis on the love of the learning process, not just on reading music correctly.
“I turned to music a lot, and so I not only want to be what I didn’t have, but I want them to know that there’s more to it than just that; there’s mindset,” Brainerd said. “This can be a hobby if you want. This doesn’t just have to be your outlet. Those things were never said to me by anyone. So I want to change the narrative.”
She also releases her own music under the name Brandie B, collaborating with local rappers, artists and producers. Her latest single, “c’est la vie,” came out in October, and explored the darker, minor key side to her overall pop oeuvre. She currently has five other projects in the works.
As she reflects on her career, Brandie feels she’s only scratched the surface of her big dreams. But the most fulfilling part of her work isn’t the personal success; it’s the opportunity to change the trajectory of other people’s lives.
“I get to do that for a living,” she said. “It means everything.”
Brandon Berry writes about the local music scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Have a story idea for him? Contact branberry100@gmail.com.
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