She’s a barrier-breaking musician and mentor
Age: 29
Job Title: Musician, Singer, Songwriter
While teaching for the TD artist in residence program, Mallory Chipman didn’t expect someone to come in asking to learn how to yodel. But Chipman knew the technique. The two worked together for about 20 minutes and, by the end, the student was yodelling, and Chipman couldn’t tell who was happier.
“I was giddy because it’s so huge to watch somebody meet their goals,” says Chipman. “There’s this moment where you watch somebody go from doubt to confidence, and there’s not much more beautiful than that.”
Chipman doesn’t think music education needs to be so formal or difficult to access. Even though she holds a master’s degree in music, she says people don’t need to take music in post-secondary or have any formal training to make it their “everything.”
During her journey in music, Chipman has been an award-winning jazz artist, an award-nominated roots artist, performed in an alt-country duo called the Goddamsels, and also released a recent solo EP which Amplify Music Magazine described as “some of the finest folk-rock currently being made.”
So now, as the inaugural musician-in-residence for Edmonton Public Library, Chipman is able to create her own space of music mentorship that’s accessible to anybody. With EPL she’s looking forward to having the space and freedom to explore her new role, and most importantly have fun with music.
“Sometimes we forget that we play music. When the element of play is lost — we’re doing it wrong.”
This article appears in the Nov/Dec 2023 issue of Edify
