Patrick and his mother, Mary Boylan Walsh, have a wonderful relationship. Patrick claims that his mother has had quite the impact on his life and he adores her and all the wonderful and crazy times they've shared including with his mother's eight siblings. Patrick grew up in the suburbs of Illinois and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. My guest is a multi-instrumentalist and Co-Founder of MuseFlow.AI, an immersive piano learning game built on flow state and sight reading.
Patrick shares stories of his mother and her ability to light up a room whenever she walks in. "She's always herself," beams Patrick. Patrick attributes, her sense of humor to her brothers and he says "she's a little butch, not too feminine." And all of that and more makes him love his mother even more. "She unadulterated herself. She never code switches or changes her behavior depending on the crowd. She always her most authentic self."
Eight years of piano lessons was tough for Patrick. He didn't like the repetitive method that his teacher was using and he was bored. His mom eventually had to ground him for not practicing. But that's when he started exploring with little chunks, the melodies, the notes, breaking things down, playing them backwards and forwards until he absolutely fell in love with playing the piano. Patrick claims that his mom "gave him that space to be able to do that and what a privilege."
He also admits that his ADHD was most likely a big part of the problem and today, finds great relief by taking a prescribed medication. Patrick's philosophy "even though life around you is chaos, you can still find an inner calm/inner peace, and my mom has that in spades. She can re-infect a room with her vibrancy so easily.She walks into a room and it lights up."
"My mother knows that she's infectious around everybody else and so she's able to kind of manipulate that too to better suit the environment a little bit. She thinks everyone should be themselves, most authentically all the time.
Below is the first first email response that I got from Patrick having asked if he'd be interested in joining me on SHLTMM.
"Hey Jackie. Thanks for reaching out! I love this concept for a podcast. My story fits perfectly for this since she’s been a freelance true crime documentary writer for decades and she allowed me to feel confident in that space, just seeing her succeed and talking about the struggles in that space. I had a good role model. And also… she was the one who grounded me if I didn’t practice piano lol, and now I’m a professional pianist so… I owe it to her for a lot of who I am today 😊 I’d love to be one of your guests. Let me know next steps! Talk soon"!
Patrick'sBio:
Patrick Boylan is a skilled multi-instrumentalist with a deep passion for self-education. Despite eight years of traditional piano lessons, Patrick found the repetitive nature of practicing the same pieces uninspiring. Like many music students, he struggled with the conventional approach. However, when his teacher retired, Patrick began exploring his parents' sheet music on his own, selecting phrases he enjoyed and improvising around them. This self-directed experimentation not only reignited his interest in music but also led him to uncover the foundational elements of musical theater.
Today, Patrick can sight-read virtually any musical theater composition. His experience with traditional music education, combined with his innovative spirit, inspired him to co-found MuseFlow, a cutting-edge music edtech startup often referred to as "The Duolingo of Music Education."
MuseFlow revolutionizes music learning by emphasizing the development of bite-sized skills through sight-reading—enabling students to read and play music at first sight—rather than relying on repetitive practice. After students master a new skill through sight-reading, they can apply that skill to songs that get unlocked. This approach to skill-acquisition makes learning music more engaging, effective, and rewarding compared to traditional methods.
The platform is customizable to each student's preferred learning pace and skill level, allowing the user to adjust the tempo and complexity of the music, ensuring that they remain challenged but not overwhelmed. MuseFlow’s unique method involves students playing levels designed to teach specific skills, such as new notes, rhythms, or time signatures. The system generates novel sheet music, focusing initially on the new concept in isolation, and gradually integrating it with their existing knowledge throughout the level. Students continue practicing until they achieve a 95% accuracy rate over four consecutive phrases, at which point they have mastered the new skill.
Patrick has been featured on podcasts such as Mystery Team Inc.'s "The Biggest Thing In The Universe," where he shares his insights on the future of learning, edtech, and underappreciated Sondheim musicals. He is passionate about educating audiences on self-teaching sight- reading and guiding parents and teachers on how to leverage MuseFlow to help students achieve a flow state, enabling them to master a new instrument with greater accuracy and enjoyment.
Patrick’s SOCIALS:
Website
https://www.instagram.com/pboylan_official/?hl=en
Linkedin - patrick-boylan-6b133248
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-boylan-6b133248/
Patrick's Mother, Mary Boylan Walsh:
Mary Boylan Walsh:
Mary Walsh is a multi-genre author known for books including urban fantasy, romance, cozy ghost stories, historical fiction, and nonfiction, with a focus on true crime and crime fiction, including "American Posse: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist".
Here's a more detailed look at Mary Walsh's work:
Mary Walsh writes in a variety of genres, including urban fantasy, romance, cozy ghost stories, historical fiction, and nonfiction.
She has written books that blend fact and fiction, such as "American Posse: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist," which explores a real-life art heist.
Some of her other titles include "Mardi Gras at Midnight," "Fine Spirits Served Here," "You Deserve Better: Leave that abusive relationship," and "Stable of Studs: Misadventures in dating".
One reviewer praised "American Posse" as an excellent blend of true story, remarkable characters, and great imagination, stating that it is a page-turning read.
Mary Walsh is also a freelance editor, offering services for those who need help with their novels.
She was born in St. Louis and grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and now lives in
Mechanicsburg, PA with her husband and four kids.
WritersWork.com: https://writers.work/marysboylan
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-boylan-walsh-87a4a315/
AI OVERVIEW:
Sight-reading in music is the ability to play or sing a piece of music directly from written notation, without prior practice or memorization. It involves quickly translating musical symbols into sound, requiring both visual processing and coordination of the body.