Speaker Identification

Speaker 1 - Announcer / Prerecorded Intro and Closing Voice. Identified by the polished promotional language introducing and closing the Sound Pathways broadcast.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host. Identified because she introduces herself as Dr. Karen Olson and leads the interview.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest. Identified by the host's introduction and by the guest's discussion of her trumpet career, music, faith, nonprofit work, and creative projects.

Speaker 1 - Announcer / Prerecorded Intro and Closing Voice: Have you ever wondered how sound can heal, inspire, and transform your life? What if the vibrations around you could unlock your true potential and guide you to a deeper sense of harmony?

Welcome to Sound Pathways, the groundbreaking journey into the healing power of sound, creativity, and connection with your host, Dr. Karen Olson. In each episode, she explores the profound link between your mind, body, and spirit, from composers and musicians to sound healers and visionary leaders. She dives into captivating conversations that reveal how sound shapes your reality, heals our wounds, and helps us manifest our dreams.

And guess what? You're part of the conversation. So call in, ask questions, experience personalized sound healing live, and let your sound be your guide to the life you've always dreamed of.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Hello. Welcome. I'm Dr. Karen Olson, and welcome to Sound Pathways. I am so thrilled to share this time with Syreeta Thompson today. Here we are, where every note is a heartbeat and every story is a song of transformation. Today, we're sounding love. The Trumpet Lady is about our voice, dreams, courage, service, and spreading love.

Syreeta is a celebrated trumpeter, recording artist, educator, and clinician. She's also a composer, organizer, mentor, advocate, and a really powerful presence in the world today through all that she leads, shares, and creates, including her work that bridges gospel, jazz, classical training, charity, and service. I am so happy to welcome you today to Sound Pathways, Syreeta.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: It is a pleasure being here. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited, and it's a pleasure to be here.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Thank you. I'd love to start at the beginning and learn about how you got your first sparks with music and your inspiration. Where did that come from?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Music has always been a part of my DNA. My dad was a music enthusiast. My mom is a music enthusiast, still even to this day, and they trained me and reared me to be in music. I actually started playing in church before I even picked up my instrument and took it to school because my mother said, “Syreeta, if I'm going to buy this instrument, then you must take it to church and you must play in church.”

So I said okay, and I took my trumpet to church before I ended up getting private lessons. Then I went over to the clarinet, and those reeds were so god-awful expensive. I couldn't play with the reeds, so trumpet became it because it was the loudest in the band and I could be heard. That's how I got my start in music.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, I love that. I love that. When did you know it would be your path for life?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I knew it would be my path in life when I realized that I wasn't good in math, English, or any of those common subject areas. It was just something that was a part of who I am and a part of what I do, and it is my calling. I had never been to a dance club where people party or anything of that nature. I was always around music. I studied with Bud Herseth from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, so my downtime was spent at orchestra concerts and jazz clubs.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, that's so cool. All the different styles. It is amazing how bold and bright and exposed the trumpet is. It can be a resemblance of a voice. Some voices whisper, but you really know how to belt it out, get your message out, and lead. It's just amazing. Did you always have an outgoing personality?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yes and no. Because I'm an only child, I kind of struggled with that. As an only child, everything is for you, and you don't have to fight for anything. So I had to learn how to come out of my shell. My mother really worked hard with me on coming out of my shell because, being an only child, you have everything. I did struggle in that area, and even to this day, I'm still somewhat introverted. But when you're in music, I like to let my horn be my voice.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Yeah, I totally agree. Sometimes things can be going on in my head, but they aren't real thoughts with words, and then they just come out. I hear a lot of musicians say they're kind of introverted, though when you see them, you would think nothing of that about them.

I love the Trumpet Lady. How did you get that strong identity and that title? What does it mean to you?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I became the Trumpet Lady from Hezekiah Walker, who's a gospel artist and a two-time Grammy Award nominee. I was the only girl in the band who played the trumpet, and everyone had a nickname. Everyone had a nickname. So he was like, “Hey, Trumpet Lady. Hey, Trumpet Lady. Hey, Trumpet Lady.” That's how I became the Trumpet Lady.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's so cool. Where was that in your career?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: It was a little early on, while I was in grad school at NYU. When I was working on my master's degree at NYU, that's how I became the Trumpet Lady.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, I love that. Do you feel it shaped your confidence, purpose, and message?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I don't know, because even to this day, I still get a little razzled by it. I say, “I don't know if I want to be 90 years old being called the Trumpet Lady.”

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I think it's fantastic, and you have so much joy in everything that you do. I'd love to know more about how you create so many things. I hope we have enough time because I want to learn how you create your music, but also how you create so much around bringing people together, raising everyone up, raising money, and supporting people and kids.

When I have this show, I like to think of the people listening, including myself, and the whole topic aims at creativity. I think if we can all tap into our creativity and envision our dreams, that's how they can really happen. But it's also a practical thing. What would you share with us that would help us move further in our dreams?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I believe that having your dream and building your dream is about consistency. You have to be consistent because there are going to be a lot of ups and downs, and most of the time, a lot more downs than ups. When you stay consistent and also know how to diversify within that, you'll start to see that every step is still a step in the right direction.

You have to be consistent at all times. The messaging has to be consistent. Who you are and what you do have to be consistent, and the consistency of who you are and what you do has to align with who you truly are and what you stand for.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I love that, and you really do that. Could you help us with a few examples for people who don't know all your amazing work?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Currently, I have a couple of things. I have an amazing partnership with the Grammy Museum, where I support Grammy Camp New York. I support students attending Grammy Camp New York so they can understand what music industry education is about.

I also have a partnership with NYU Langone Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, where we create content for children who are in palliative and critical care.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Wow. What kind of music?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Wellness content, audio and visuals. Through my nonprofit, Lady Trumpet Inc., we'll be looking at expanding and scaling to provide music and creative arts therapy sessions for those children who are in palliative and critical care. That's my philanthropic side.

I also work through my nonprofit organization. Every year, I choose a school to support, helping provide musical instruments, repair instruments, or provide music supplies so they can have what they need for the upcoming school year.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: What are some of the schools you've supported?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is an all-girls school; LaGuardia School of the Arts; and Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts. Those are our top three. This year, we're supporting Cicely Tyson's school in New Jersey, making sure they have supplies like rosin, reeds, mouthpieces, and all those kinds of things for the upcoming school year.

I do that event every year at Lincoln Center at a restaurant here on the campus of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as well as supporting Grammy Camp New York. What other place would you want to help lift the arts up than Lincoln Center?

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's exciting, and I'm trying to be there. It's amazing, all the people and things you bring together.

What can you share about your amazing albums? Maybe one of your tracks, or just how you process, how the information comes in, and how you organize it. How does it happen?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: My music process is that I really like and love arranging and rearranging songs. I have an album coming out August 14 entitled Legacy in Motion. I rearranged “Drive My Car” by the Beatles. Most people don't know that I play the piano, so I play the piano and I sing because I always believed that Louis Armstrong was a trumpet player, but he was also a singer too.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, I can't wait to hear that.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: You can't play the trumpet without singing. You just can't. So I rearranged “Drive My Car,” and I put a little R&B, funk, and gospel in it at the end. I also did “Hit the Road Jack,” but I turned it into house music. I had to embrace who I am musically as a musician and also as an arranger.

My process is, number one, I start with the melody, or sometimes I start with the groove first. If I start with the groove, then I try to figure out how I can put the melody on top and what changes I can make to it. Then I have to step away from it and come back to it.

Sometimes a song can just flow right there on the spot, and sometimes it may take me three months to get it right, sometimes six months. Sometimes I take the song, put it aside, and send it to another fellow musician to add to it and add their flavor. Then I normally have to step away from it so I can listen with fresh ears.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Wow. Do you have any particular studios you like to work in?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I work out of my own studio. I have my own recording studio. I use Logic Pro X and Pro Tools.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's fantastic. You're so talented.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Thank you. I have a master's degree from NYU in jazz composition and orchestration, where Frank Foster of the Count Basie Orchestra was one of my teachers. I also have a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's really great. I didn't even see that in your bio. That's so cool.

How does your faith and your spiritual grounding guide you in all these things that you share, do, and create?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Faith is a part of who I am. I grew up in a very conservative Christian home, so I am a Christian believer. I believe in God. He is the source of my strength. He is who I am when I get down. He carries me. It is through Him that I am who I am.

Believe it or not, I started playing in churches before I started playing in jazz clubs.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Wow, that's so cool.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Then I started getting called for jazz clubs. So the church is still a big part of my life. I don't get a chance to perform in church as much as I used to because of my schedule, but it's definitely still a part of my life. I attend regularly.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I really love that. Do you feel that experiencing your music is like a prayer, service, ministry, form of healing, or all of it?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I believe that music is a form of healing, definitely. It is definitely a form of healing. For me, music is a form of healing, but it's also a form of communication and expression. That's why I love the trumpet, because the trumpet can express itself in so many different forms. It can roar like a lion, but it can also be soothing like a baby.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, that is beautiful. It's very sacred, all the different forms and all the different genres you bring together. Does it just flow together? Do you say, “This feels like gospel; this feels like neoclassical”?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: No, it's just what it is. I think instrumentation can give that. What it brings and the chord structure can give neoclassical or classical qualities. I think the chord movement and things like that can give it that.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: It's amazing. How did you find this path where you could be this educator, clinician, organizer, and mentor, and create this support? How did that begin for you?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: You know what it is? I've had great mentors. Wynton Marsalis was a great mentor to me. Terrence Blanchard was a great mentor to me. It is very natural, as an instrumentalist, to have mentors who do what you do. Having them, I always feel like we have to pay it forward. Paying it forward is always a top priority.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Thank you for paying it forward here.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I feel so honored, and it's so beautiful. You must have a team. I admire you so much, how you can put your personality, your gifts, your goals, and everything together and have it happen. You must have a lot of people who help you know how to lead on every level. Would you say that?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I do. I have a team. My team is a very special team. We're not a big team, but I have a team of five people. They let me be in the forefront, and they work the back end. They don't really come from the entertainment side. They're more from the business world, which I think is beneficial because they let me handle the entertainment side.

We also have a lot of strategy meetings. We talk strategy, but because I'm a heart-centered person and I believe in community, in our meetings we talk about strategy, the best way to do things, and how to implement them without straying away from who I am.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's beautiful. You innately have right and left brain and can organize things and have business skills, it seems.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: That's the key.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's something I'm looking to create in myself, a little more of those gifts too. It's amazing how not only do you express yourself, but you lift people up. I guess it's just who you are, that you're a light, and it becomes a service and a performance balanced together.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yeah. It also came with trial and error. It came with bumps and bruises along the way, and also with having people on my staff who I can let operate in their level of expertise.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: What do you feel helps you the most when something hasn't worked, or something is keeping you down?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I go back and sit. I talk with my team, and we evaluate what's working and what's not working, and we move on from it. We take it as a learning curve, and then we move on from it.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Would it be like an approach?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yeah. Have we approached it, or do we need to approach it again? Sometimes it's just about letting it sit where it is, and we learn from it. We take a look and see what worked and what did not work. What needs to happen moving forward? My team meets once a week.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, that's so cool. Do you work online, in person, or both?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: We do both.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Oh, that's so cool. Sometimes it's the shift of one note, or just breathing in another way, or a deep breath, or an honest creative step. Then we can make a shift and connect with our inner voice and whatever we've forgotten about ourselves. I think that does help in a community, and it's beautiful to have met you that way: the art groups, everybody doing their own thing and supporting each other. That's what life is really about.

It's amazing. You're blowing your heart, and that shines light on women in music and performance. What changes do you hope for women instrumentalists, creators, and leaders?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I hope for women and female creators that we receive more commercial access and more commercial visibility. I feel like it's a very narrow window when it comes to female musicians. I would like to see female musicians not be typecast and always have to play with an all-female band to get any type of visibility. I would like to see us shine a little bit more.

I would also like to see female musicians not take on the responsibility of saying, “Well, it's me,” but let the craftsmanship speak to who they are.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's so beautiful. Do you think some people wait for permission to be heard rather than putting it out there, belting it out, and knowing that it will be heard?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I think sometimes female musicians lay in the negative more than the positive. They focus more on why they might not have been heard, as opposed to what needs to happen for them to be heard. My philosophy is, if there's no seat at the table, create your own seat at the table.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's really good. Do you think sometimes it's because women are really sensitive and are tuning into other people rather than just taking charge and claiming their space?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I think so. I also think it's what women have gone through in the past. Because of our past, our past can sometimes mentally try to dictate our future.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: For someone listening who's talented but hesitant, what do you think could help them just go for it?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I think they need to stay consistent. You have to develop as a person and as a human being first. That's really key and critical. You have to find your happiness in who you are and know that life does bring challenges. It's how you overcome those challenges. It's okay to have a challenge. You want to have challenges because you have to learn from those challenges, but it's how you overcome them.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I love your confidence. You are sincere, and we can feel your heart. How can we blow our horn without feeling like we're bragging or pushing?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I think when you blow your own horn, you're just being who you are. People like people who are who they are. You can always blow your horn in how you treat people and how you treat others. I think that's a very important way to blow your horn.

Treating people with respect and integrity is important. Being a good person is another way to blow your horn. Giving back to your community is another way of blowing your horn. I think there are many factors that will blow your horn.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's beautiful. Finding your confidence as a form of service rather than getting into performing for your ego is kind of a balance.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Absolutely. You have to find who you are, know who you are, know what your purpose in life is, and know where your audience is. Sometimes that can take time.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Finding that balance of service and performance. What are some collaborations that you're excited about? You have this new album coming out, which is really exciting. Will you be releasing it? Will you have a concert? How can people find you and be part of your community?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: They can find me all over the internet. If you Google me, you can Google “Trumpet Lady.” I'm literally all over the internet, so there shouldn't be any problems there. If you Google “Trumpet Lady,” I should come up. I'm on Instagram at Trumpet Lady T, on YouTube at Trumpet Lady T, and I'm on as Syreeta Thompson, Trumpet Lady. They can join my mailing list at www.trumpetlady.com.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: Wow, and contribute to all your great ways of sharing music and spreading music, especially with the kids who are the future.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Absolutely.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: What have collaborations taught you about listening, trust, and putting love in everything that's done?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: What collaborations have taught me is, number one, you have to listen. When you're collaborating with another artist, you have to take in where the other artist is at, and you both have to come together for a common goal. That's the power of music.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's so beautiful. When people meet you, they feel your joy, your drive, your humor, and your huge energy, like larger than life. Where do you feel that comes from inside of you? Your spiritual connection, who you are, and your life force?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I think it comes from, number one, my upbringing and how I was raised. I was raised, as I said earlier, in a very conservative home, but also a very stable home. When you have that type of upbringing, it becomes a staple of who you are.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: And the love and support.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yes.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I think believing that they believed in you and gave you opportunities matters. For some people who didn't have that, it's learning how to create that support. It doesn't mean you don't deserve it. That simply means you didn't have that particular opportunity, but you can find ways to support yourself. I think finding communities and people who do believe in you, who help raise you up, and finding people you can help is one of the keys. Tapping into the vibrations and all the healing that music brings is what I love so much to share, along with the passion.

How do you protect your spirit while giving so much to people and your projects?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I protect my spirit by keeping my circle small. I keep my circle very small, and also self-care. I'm very committed on self-care, and I'm very big on keeping my circle small because that keeps out the drama.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's so cool. You must be really organized. Do you have certain ways that you organize your day?

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yes, absolutely. Every day, I start out with exercising between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Every day, I do water aerobics, lift weights, or run. I don't take any meetings until after 11 a.m. because that's my self-care time. I get a massage every two weeks, and I get a facial every two weeks. I've had to learn how to make self-care a priority for me.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's a good inspiration. I think we all need more encouragement to do that, and not just get permission, but give yourself permission to do that.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: I had to learn how to do that without feeling bad, without feeling guilty.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: That's amazing. Every listener has their own horn, whether it's music, kindness, teaching, healing, parenting, art, leadership, or business. I think your inspiration helps us want to live more boldly and put love into every part of our lives, because that's really the key to it all.

Speaker 3 - Syreeta Thompson, Guest: Yes.

Speaker 2 - Dr. Karen Olson, Host: I was thinking of you and thinking about how the music and the love lift us up. When we're lifted up, it lifts up others so that we can all rise higher, get closer to our dreams, and be honest, brave, generous, willing to be seen, and willing to serve others with our gifts.

Thank you so much for reminding us to use our voice, to dream, and to lift others.

The oneness pledge: In all my thoughts and actions, I pledge to look on all things with the eye of openness and oneness, commitment, and love.

For our action step this week, choose one gift, one part of your dream, or one particular act of service that is waiting inside of you. Make the call. Write the note. Practice. Create. Say yes to your voice. Your voice matters, your dream matters, and the love that you share can lift the world. One breath, one choice, one true step moves our energy forward.

Thank you for all that you do and share. I look forward to learning more and more about you and what you do. I'm just so grateful for all of your blessings. Thank you for joining us here. Until next time, keep listening and keep walking your path of sound, soul, and love.

Speaker 1 - Announcer / Prerecorded Intro and Closing Voice: Thank you so very much for joining us on today's transformative journey. We're honored to have shared this space with you, and we hope you're feeling inspired and aligned with your highest self. For more insights, resources, and to continue your path of healing, be sure to visit karenolson.com, your gateway to deeper sound healing, music, and wisdom.

Remember, Sound Pathways is here every other Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific on BBS Radio TV, Station 1. Until next time, stay aligned, stay inspired, and let the magic of sound guide you.