Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Ehrgott
Hi Bailey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Bailey Ehrgott and I am a guitarist, composer, director, educator, performer, soon to be author, and probably anything else that comes with the skills or requirements of being a musician. Ha! I live in south Denton, TX currently and attend The University of North Texas where I am pursuing my doctorate degree in Jazz Studies at the College of Music! Originally, I am from Washington State and was born and raised in a small-ish town called the Tri-Cities, WA. It was small growing up, but it has grown substantially since yet maintains its small town vibe. The tri-cities is local to the Hanford Nuclear Site, which is always a fun fact to share with new people I meet as curiosity about the location increases. I grew up a very shy homeschooled girl (I very much enjoyed being homeschool) but it can have its pros and cons. I attended public high school when I started getting into playing the guitar and was interested in music. In high-school I started learning guitar and played in the Jazz Ensembles, from there music really took its place in my heart and I continued pursuing it after high school all through college. I attended Columbia Basin College in Pasco, WA where I got my Associates degree and performed with the jazz ensemble and Jazz Choir. Later, I moved to Boston, MA to study at Berklee College of Music and emerge myself in a wide diverse community from all areas of the globe. After I got my Bachelors I persuaded my Masters degree from the Berklee Valencia campus (Valencia, Spain) where I lived in Spain for two years and had one of the most incredible cultural experiences of my life, musically, and personally. In 2020 I graduated with my masters from Berklee Valencia and moved back to the states during the pandemic. During the pandemic I lived in New York for about 1 month, then ended up in the mountains of North Idaho living at my mom’s cabin for 1.5 years and made my way to my hometown for about 9 months and then ended up in shortly after Texas! It’s been a wild last few years of moving countries and states but I am happy to have a home in Texas with my wonderful partner, Brian. Since moving to Texas, it not only has given me the opportunity to pursue a doctorate degree at one of the nations most prestigious schools, but has opened a wide door for me with performing, teaching, and being in a large musical environment. I absolutely love it!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not smooth the entire time. It was hard to leave Spain, I really didn’t want to. I thought I would be in Europe long term after school but when the pandemic happened it changed the course of a lot of things. I was in Spain during the lockdown and that was like something out of a movie! The conditions were a bit harsh in compared to what the USA had going on, and I was alone during the time. I went through 5 flight cancelations in attempt to fly home to the USA but so many airlines were closing down and it just wasn’t working out. I grew up a bit of a loner, so being alone wasn’t new to me, but that was definitely a different kind of “alone”. I remember burning apple cinnamon candles I purchased from my local market, Mercadona (they also have incredible hummus I ate on the regular) they smelled amazing and reminded mm of home. I am pretty sure I kept that market afloat with how many candles I purchased too. haha. The smell and light from them was so comforting and helped me get through that stage time. I also fostered two female sibling kitties. I am pretty sure It was illegal and that my landlords would not of approved (I never did tell them, but my landlords really liked me, so I guess I used that as an excuse and went ahead and fostered the two for about a month. Their names were Pinky and Winky :). They were very sweet and loving. They quickly got adopted too!
When the world started to emerge again from the pandemic and things started to sorta re-open, I was able to move to the USA. At this point, there wasn’t anything available for me in terms of work due to the current state of things, So I decided to go to New York. I was there for about a month living in Greenwich Village and also briefly Montouk by the grace and kindness of my friend Joel. He and his wife had a vacant apartment they let me stay in during the time. But, unfortunately things just weren’t ready to go back to normal and it was also difficult for me to find work. I moved to North Idaho where my mom lives, and within a week I got a job teaching at a music academy. I was really shocked but thrilled to have secured something, and that it was in music. I had quiet the commute one hour both ways, but through beautiful landscapes and terrain, so it didn’t feel long. It was also the time I did the most active listening with music. During my long drives I discovered a lot more music and particularly got into Dave Wekl, Luca Mantovanelli, Greg Howe, and one of my former professors, Gary Willis. I got really into listening to fusion music during this period of time which later influenced my playing. North Idaho is/was stunning but over time It was a challenge to live there because the lack of musical environment I needed/wanted. Later on, I moved to my hometown as I discovered there was more opportunity to teach and play. I ended up hosting jam sessions weekly at one my my favorite Thai restaurants, The Emerald of Siam located in Richland, WA. It’s a sweet local spot where majority of the local musicians gather to perform, jam, or hang out, and they have the best Thai food in the world. The challenge with being back in my hometown while I was performing and playing again, I knew in my heart it wasn’t my final destination either. I still wanted to learn, and be part of greater things. I ended up getting invited to move to Texas with my boyfriend whom I had only been dating for about 3 months. an Incredibly crazy and foolish idea? ehh, I solo traveled to 9 countries by myself, so I knew what I was in for. However, it felt like the right answer….and fast-forward two years later, it still was!
No matter what you do with your life wether that be in career, relationships, or personal growth, there will always be some sort of challenge/obstacle you will face. I think majority of the time, how we as individuals handle these occurrences, makes or breaks the outcome of them. Sometimes the challenge you are faced with leads to a better opportunity.
Moving to new locations was sometimes a challenge because I didn’t always know if the next thing I was headed to, was going to work out or be a flop. But those challenges led me to where I am now.
Having gone back to school after a few years was a challenge and getting back into the academic grind. Except this time, I was working as a graduate teaching fellow (teaching classes at the university) and teaching music lessons privately and for Lone Star Music Academy. All while simultaneously still being a student.
While being a teaching fellow, you are technically an extension of faculty and a professor in the making. So you take on more responsibility, however it can be challenging because when you are somewhat close in age to your students, not everyone’s going to respect you or treat you the same way they do their main professors.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Bailey Ehrgott is a versatile guitarist, composer, and educator who is fluent in a range of styles from jazz to contemporary popular music. Originally from the Tri-Cities, WA, Bailey currently resides in Denton, Texas where she attends the University of North Texas as a Doctoral Teaching Fellow.
At UNT, Bailey studies with Dr. Davy Mooney, and directs UNT’s premier jazz guitar ensemble, the L-5. Under Bailey’s direction, the L-5 won their division in the 2024 International Collegiate Guitar Ensemble Festival. At UNT, Bailey has taught a Digital Audio Workstation course, and assists with the jazz history curriculum. As the guitarist for the UNT Jazz Singers, Bailey won an outstanding performance award from DownBeat Magazine.
Bailey earned her bachelor’s degree in professional music from the Berklee College of Music on the World Tour Merit scholarship, and furthered her studies with a master’s in Contemporary Performance & Production from Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain while on the Berklee Groove Scholarship. While at Berklee, she studied with Sheryl Bailey, Gary Willis, Polo Orti, Ed Saidon, Perico Sambeat, Isreal Sandoval, Tim Miller, Richie Hart, Liz Teutsch and more.
This year Bailey was selected to be one of the guitarists for the Jazz Aspen Snowmass workshop. A prestigious full scholarship and all expenses paid intensive to study with some of the nation’s finest musicians and mentors in Apsen, CO. In 2023, Bailey was selected as a Diversity Fellow with the United States Air Force Band, where she performed with the USAF Airmen of Note. She is also a current Paul Reed Smith Guitars Pulse Artist. Performance credits include the Jazz Point Ibiza Festival, New Orleans Jazz Museum, George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum, The National Harbor, Jimmy Glass Jazz Bar, and many regional appearances.
An active member of the Jazz Education Network, Bailey regularly works as a clinician and educator for young musicians. She has served on the faculty of the UNT Jazz Combo Workshop, and been a guest artist for the Louisiana State University Women in Jazz Celebration, the Puget Sounds Jazz Combo Festival, and Columbia Basin College Jazz Unlimited Festival. Bailey maintains an active private teaching studio in the Dallas area, with students accepted to major university music programs, and the Berklee College of Music’s Five-Week Performance Intensive. Currently, she is working with a colleague to develop a book of compositions by female composers, for use with young students.
Upon completion of her Doctoral studies, Bailey hopes to teach in higher education while recording and collaborating with musicians around the world.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Growing up I had short hair, Im not sure if that is because I wanted short hair or because I cut my hair a lot and my mom had enough of it. So, I remember wishing my hair was long and would take my moms silk dress slips and clip them to my head and put jeweled hair clips of all kinds on the slip as if it was a long braid of hair. My sisters and I would play dress-up and pretend we were medieval maidens with magical jeweled braided hair. LOL.
Pricing:
- $140.00 per month for lessons
- Available for clinics and workshops
- Available for recordings
- Available for performances
- Available for tour
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bailey.ehrgott
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bailey.ehrgott
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BaileyEhrgott
