Allison M. Schweitzer

Hi! I’m Allison.

I’m a musician, teacher and entrepreneur from Wauwatosa, WI.

  • Happy Anniversary To My Parents

    Happy Anniversary To My Parents

    Today I’d like to give a special shout out to Bruce & Holly – the two people that brought me into this world. Today marks their 42nd wedding anniversary. Not only have they managed to stay married that long, they’ve managed to stay married that long after having had a ridiculously ’80s wedding… The brown […]

  • VanderCook’s Disco Fever

    VanderCook’s Disco Fever

    Sometimes my work and personal lifes converge. That was absolutely the case over the weekend, as I made my way down to Chicago to catch my nephew playing saxophone and singing for VanderCook College of Music‘s annual pops concert and fundraising event. It was a delightful night. As guests arrived, we were greeted with appetizers […]

  • Statistics and Booking Musicians in the Music Industry

    Statistics and Booking Musicians in the Music Industry

    I hear it time and again, from those booking and/or otherwise hiring musicians: what are your stats? Spotify following/listens, Instagram and now TikTok stats, sometimes YouTube and often still Facebook – the numbers are out there, and they are being used… Whether you like it or not. They are being used to determine whether musicians […]

  • Linneman’s Open Mics

    Linneman’s Open Mics

    I personally am not a big open mic performer; I’ve done so a couple times, and may do so again… But I love to attend them, to hear what musicians are coming up with. You really just have no idea who’s going to show up, or what you’re gonna get. Linneman’s Riverwest Inn (Milwaukee) has […]

  • WMV Origins

    WMV Origins

    Yesterday I was filling in information for a profile being done on me, as an entrepreneur. I’ve been a part of these things occasionally, mostly in the form of podcast interviews. This one will be written/online. It’s always a little interesting to me, recalling how and why I began the business. WMV was initially intended […]

  • On Creativity

    On Creativity

    When it comes to Principles I Promote in Performance & Practice, Creativity is the first word in the acronym “CARRIAGE” which I use – a term that “can carry you through music and life.” I was born into a family of real creative people. My mother was a longtime art teacher (also a flute player), […]

  • Sheboogie in Sheboygan

    Sheboogie in Sheboygan

    There’s a new movement in Sheboygan, WI to bring in more jazz to their scene. “Sheboogie” Jazz Connection is where it’s coming from. Local high school jazz pianist George Phillips is the one taking the lead on this – and it is quite the undertaking, indeed. George is looking to develop Sheboygan’s jazz scene through […]

  • The Role of an Ally

    The Role of an Ally

    Relating to my last post: one of the most wonderful things to have come out of our discussions about women’s safety in the music industry has been men stepping up, wondering what they can do to help. In some cases, men have also asked me what the perpetrators in our situations are doing or saying, […]

  • No Means No

    No Means No

    In the Milwaukee area we’ve had a few different incidents with men harassing women in music in some very serious ways. In one case, it’d gotten to the point of a judge awarding a 10-year restraining order to the victim. The musician/stalker is someone we’d worked with a while back, at WMV. The victim is […]

  • Shout-Out to Sheboygan

    Shout-Out to Sheboygan

    In recent months I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and work out of the great city of Sheboygan, in addition to WMV‘s homebase of Wauwatosa. Did you all know how cool Sheboygan is?! I’ve been on the sub list as a horn player for the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra for the last five years […]

  • Easter as a Non-Church Musician

    Easter as a Non-Church Musician

    I love this time of year. Easter is a holiday associated with so much hope – whether you celebrate from the religious or secular perspective. Here in Wisconsin, the grass is getting greener. The sun is staying out longer. Perennials are popping up. Spring is in the air! Last year was the first Easter in […]

  • Alliance Brass Quintet @ Wisconsin Lutheran College

    Alliance Brass Quintet @ Wisconsin Lutheran College

    My brass duo has been and will be on hiatus for a while. We’ve been making use of this “down time” by composing for ourselves, listening, learning and networking. On Friday March 31st Emmy and I paid a visit to Schwan Hall, on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee. We were there to see […]

What I’m Writing About

Activism Activity Artificial Intelligence Basketball Brass Quintet Chicago Church Music Creativity Decatur Easter Failure Holidays Jazz Lessons Livestreaming Madison Men Helping Women Milwaukee Milwaukee Magazine Music Business Music Composition Music Education Music Library NFTs Open Mic Oshkosh Podcasts Promotion Riverwest Sheboygan Social Media Songwriting Streaming Music Teaching Teaching Philosophy Technology Web3 Women's Safety