In this episode, Jared sits down with harpist Carrie Tollett to share her inspiring journey from a full-time teaching job to building a growing high-end gigging business. In just a few months, Carrie has booked nearly $10K in gigs by taking consistent action, overcoming introversion, and following a proven strategy. They break down how simple actions like sending emails, going on venue tours, and doing sales calls can create a ripple effect of opportunities—and how she’s preparing to go all-in on music as her primary income source.

"Sometimes all you have to do is ask—you never know what one email can turn into."

- BookLive: Everything you need to start marketing and booking your act online (without having to hire or rely on a tech team!)​
- Your First Gig: Everything you need to book your first high-paying gig.
- Fulltime Music Masterclass: The Secret To an Unlimited Stream of High-Paying Private Event Gigs …Without Spending a Fortune on Online Advertising or Having Any Connections!
- Fulltime Music Academy (Gig Vault): 24,665 High-End Venues + Event Planners: Use this directory to book your highest-paid gig to-date.
- Breaking Into High-end Gigs Masterclass: How I Went From Broke Musician to Thriving By Breaking Into These Largely Unknown High-Paying Gigs

Jared: What's up, gigging musicians? Welcome to another episode of the Gigging Musician Podcast. I am your host, Jared Judge, and I am joined today by a very special guest. This is a harpist who has been in my Fulltime Music Academy coaching program for a couple months now.

I think maybe like 6 or 7 months, and, uh, she has just been very inspiring to me and the other members, and I thought it would be just incredibly beneficial to share her story because she's still pretty early in the process, but her commitment to it and the amount of action that she's taken has just been super inspiring and motivating to me.

And I think that all of you would benefit from her story. So I'd love to welcome to the podcast Carrie Tollett from Dallas-Fort Worth. Welcome to the podcast, Carrie. How's it going?

Carrie: Oh, doing great. Thanks so much for having me.

Jared: Yeah, for sure. And no pressure here. This is a very laid back conversation. But I was wondering if we could just start out by you introducing yourself and your musical act and a little bit about why you joined Full Time Music Academy.

Carrie: Sure. Yeah, so like Jared said, I am a harpist and I play for weddings, a variety of private and corporate events in the area. And yeah, my goal with joining Full Time Musicians is that I really want— I wanted to replace my income. So I currently am in a 9-to-5 job that has been great.

I teach full-time, but it just didn't offer a lot of flexibility for like other things and interests I wanted to pursue in life. And my husband and I are hoping to start a family at some point, and I just didn't feel like a 9-to-5 was really going to work well with, with what we were hoping to to get out of our lives in the future.

So, um, I was kind of thinking of ways that I could still contribute financially without working as much, and it was actually my husband's idea. Um, we used to live in the DC area, and I had played for a few corporate gigs there that paid better than any previous gigs I'd ever had. And so he came to me and he's like, well, why don't you just try gigging and like really tapping into like a higher-end market? And who knows, you could just play like a few gigs a month.

And be able to replace your income. And so when he said that, I was like, yeah, maybe, we'll see. And then when we moved to the Dallas area, I just kind of started thinking about that more, and I was feeling just more of a nudge to kind of get out of my 9-to-5 and find like a new rhythm for my life that would allow for more, more time flexibility.

And so I actually tried reaching out to like some country clubs in my area on my own. I didn't really have like any strategy. I was just compiling a list of all of them and just kind of shooting my shot and see if anyone replied. And I got zero replies. So that was a little discouraging.

Um, and then I got an ad for one of Jared's free workshops and, um, I was watching it and I just related so much to your story, Jared, and You just made it seem like so attainable and you were saying things that I had never even considered of like ways to connect with like venues and event planners.

And I was like, okay, I think this is what I need to do. Like clearly what I'm trying on my own is not working. So I really need like a strategy if I'm gonna be serious about making this transition. So yeah, that's really my goal with diving into this program is to be strategic in how I can increase my income and eventually replace my 9-to-5.

Jared: So awesome. And I guess we'll, we'll get back to the beginning a little bit, but I'm wondering if we could kind of skip to like, where are you at now? What does that number in BookLive say that keeps track of how much you've been booking?

Carrie: So I am getting close to $10K total so far, which is super exciting. Um, hopefully that number will continue to go up, But yeah, that's been pretty fun to see that in BookLive.

Jared: That is amazing. Congratulations on that. Thank you. Um, okay, where do I want to go with this? I think I'd like to ask you a little bit about your background before joining this program or anything. Like, I think you went to school for music, correct?

Carrie: I did, yes.

Jared: Okay. Uh, what degrees did you get? If you got more than one, like, just tell me about that.

Carrie: Sure. So I, um, got my bachelor's in hurt performance and, um, I technically got like a certificate in entrepreneurial internship as well. So I think that has also like helped with my journey a little bit. But, um, and then I went on to get my master's in harp performance along with that.

Jared: Okay, amazing. Uh, why, why such a rigorous course of study for harp performance?

Carrie: Well, to be honest, I mean, when I started playing harp as a child, like, I was just completely enamored with it. And, um, when it came time to choose like what I wanted to study in school, I didn't really know what else to do, but I knew I loved music. And so I just decided to apply for music school, and I'm so thankful I did because I think as rigorous as it was and as challenging as it was, like, it has now given me the tools to play the way I want to.

And I think that's always like the goal of technique. It's not just like a means to an end to like play perfectly, but to really allow you to express yourself and play what, how and what you want to play. Um, so yeah, I'm super thankful for the training that I've had and have so— have had so many good like mentors and have met so many other harpists that I've learned from. And so, um, I'm just so thankful to have had that background that now allows me to kind of branch out into other styles of music.

Jared: Yeah, absolutely. And me too, like I, I got a degree, 2 degrees of music as well, and I'm so thankful for that because as you said, it allows me to express myself musically. I feel like I have such proficiency to that I don't even have to worry about like what the instrument is doing. It's just about like that heart connection to the sound that we're creating.

But I don't know if your music education was similar to mine, but we didn't get any training on marketing or selling ourselves. Maybe you did in the entrepreneurship classes. Yeah. But I found that it was, it was a big gap in my education. Did, did you find something similar when you were studying harp?

Carrie: I did. I think when I was in like the later years of my school, my schooling, that was something that teachers were trying to incorporate a bit more into their teaching because I think they were getting feedback just in the music world in general that that was like a big missing piece. So I got a little bit of that.

But I think that's part of the reason I decided to also pursue that entrepreneurship certificate because I, I didn't really picture myself going like the traditional classical musician route. I didn't really have an interest like playing in orchestras or teaching universities or like being a soloist. So I just, I knew I had to kind of find something else if I wanted to do music. And so that kind of led me to the entrepreneurship degree that helped a lot for sure.

Jared: Yeah. Did you have like a clear picture of what you wanted to do as a career while you were in school?

Carrie: Not really. I had a few ideas, like I thought about being a studio musician. I always thought it'd be super fun to play on like movie soundtracks, things like that. Um, but I also know that's like pretty rigorous, like your sight reading has to be like pristine. And yeah, so I— that clearly didn't really work out.

Um, and you know, once I graduated, the logical step just was to start teaching, so I kind of just like jumped into that. Um, so I really didn't have a super clear idea of what I wanted to do. I just wanted something with music.

Jared: Gotcha. That makes sense. Do you still have students?

Carrie: I do. Yep. So I'm still, um, in that like full-time position where I'm teaching, but I recently gave them notice that I'm gonna be transitioning out of that. So awesome.

Jared: Congratulations. That's a beautiful transition, uh, to how is that possible? Like, I guess tell, yeah, how's that possible? I'll just leave it there.

Carrie: Sure. I mean, I'm thankful for my husband. He has a full-time job, so we have like some extra security with that. Um, and he's also pursuing like some side projects as well. Um, but we basically just did the math and, um, we've got some savings too as a buffer in case, you know, there are some months where I'm not, um, getting as many gigs.

Um, but I told myself like, I just want to give myself a chance to go all in. I mean, I've been really pleased with how much progress I've been able to make, um, even in my 9 to 5, but I knew like if I could spend my days just like diving headfirst into gigging, like how much more could this grow.

So I just wanted to give myself a chance to really dive in, not working that full-time position, and see how it goes. And we agreed, like, okay, if it's not generating as much as we need, I can always pick up another job. But I just wanted to give it a shot.

Jared: Yeah, for sure. That's awesome. What have been some of the activities that you've been spending your time on that have led to that $10,000, almost $10,000 in gigs?

Carrie: Yeah, I mean, sending emails and going on venue tours, like, I can trace every gig I've had back to those, those action points that I, I did. Um, and yeah, it's just kind of crazy to look back on, um, like a variety of gigs that have all come because I took that step to send an email to a venue, and they then invited me to like their wedding tasting where I would meet other brides, and then those brides have like a house party I need a harpist for.

And so like, it's just kind of cool to look back and see, um, the web of opportunities leading back to just a simple action of like sending an email. And, um, I realized like sometimes all you have to do is ask. I think we overcomplicate it sometimes, but, um, just kind of going for it and you never know where things will lead.

Jared: Yeah. Oh, that's so interesting. Cause it sounds to me like you were emailing country clubs prior to joining Full Time Music Academy and you didn't have anyone respond. Was there like a difference in how you approached it or maybe even just your mindset that made these venue tours turn into those gigs?

Carrie: Yeah, I'm trying to remember exactly what I even said in those emails. I think, um, I was just telling them, hi, I'm new to the area and I'm a harpist. If you ever have clients looking, um, for live music and kind of ended it at that, like there was no real action point there, but, um, reaching out to venues and asking if I can actually come in person And, um, I don't know, that's just, I've never thought of that, but, um, just the templates that you've provided, um, I can see exactly how that works because, um, yeah, they're willing to, they're often willing to, um, just have you come by and check out the place and you can use that as a chance to really connect with them and, um, sell yourself basically, but in like a more natural way. So just like getting that personal connection with someone, I think is a big difference there.

Jared: Awesome. Yeah. I mean, imagine they trust you a lot more because they can put a face to the name. And did you actually, did you bring a harp to those?

Carrie: I ended up not doing that. I was really debating what to do. I think if I had a smaller instrument, I totally would have, but the harp is, it takes so long to like unpack and set up that I felt like that might actually be a hindrance to me establishing like a natural relationship with them. So what I did was I just brought a video of my sizzle reel on my phone and I would share that with them oftentimes. And it was a little awkward at times, but most of the time they were willing to watch it. And yeah, it worked out.

Jared: So yeah, that's awesome. Because I think an objection I get a lot is like, I play an instrument such as drum set, then I'm not going to unpack a whole drum set and play. But I'm really pleased to hear, like, you didn't even have to bring your instrument. You just showed them a video. Also, visiting a venue that hosts these events, that is a scary thing to do, especially for us musicians who are used to being in the practice room and not talking to people. How did you persuade yourself to, like, I'm actually going to do it and go to a business that I've never been in before and talk to somebody I've never talked to before?

Carrie: It was very scary. Like, I still get nervous before venue tours because I am 100% introvert and don't really like doing that sort of thing, but I just knew like nothing was going to change unless I took some risks, and I just felt like the reward, um, could be more than worth it, and it has turned out to be.

I mean, there have been some venue tours— I think the very first one I went to didn't really like turn into much, but as I continued to go on more I started to see just how much of an effect that can have on my business and how they usually, in my experience, only last like half an hour at most. And so it's like half an hour in exchange for hopefully having gigs just like being sent to me for a very long time. So I just kind of had to weigh out like the reward of a few minutes of feeling awkward. Um, so yeah, just went for it.

Jared: That's awesome. Um, about how many venues and partners have you made contact with, like say face to face at this point?

Carrie: Okay, face to face, I think I've gone on maybe like 20 to 25 venue tours. In addition to that, I've been like emailing a lot of event planners that I don't typically get to meet with. Um, but venues themselves, I think somewhere between 20 and 25.

Jared: Okay. Gotcha. When I hear that number and I hear you're in Dallas-Fort Worth, 20, there's like hundreds in the DFW area. Yeah. And so I feel like you have just scratched the surface. Is that how you look at it too?

Carrie: I do. Yeah. I was feeling a little discouraged, um, a few months into it cuz I felt like I'd reached out to a lot of like the high-end venues downtown and hadn't gotten a response. But you're so right. Like, there are so many venues in DFW. Like, this place is huge. So, yeah, I think, like you said, I've barely just scratched the surface. So I'm excited to keep exploring that.

Jared: Awesome. I'm curious about, like, I don't know, the getting discouraged part. I think that's such a common experience, not just for people in our program, but for every musician in every stage of the game. How do you convince yourself? Like, how do you get over that hurdle?

Carrie: I mean, my husband has been extremely supportive and I think he kind of helps me change my perspective a little bit. And yeah, I think he's had his own endeavors where he's had to like push through moments like that that have paid off. And I also think like going through music school also kind of trained me for this mindset too, because, you know, music school, along with like any other training you've had or learning a new skill, comes with discouragement and challenges.

Um, but I just kept telling myself, like, let me just keep sending emails even if I'm not hearing back from people. I just need to like keep trying and see what happens. And sure enough, um, like there were some, like I said, some high-end venues that I reached out to in Dallas, and I heard nothing for like a month or two.

And then one of them randomly reached out and needed a harpist last minute for a baby shower. And so even though they hadn't responded, like, they had at least remembered that I'd emailed them and I came to mind when they had a need. So I just keep telling myself, like, you never know what effect one email could have. So you just got to keep, keep chugging along.

Jared: Yeah, for sure.

Carrie: Cool.

Jared: I just heard a different gig type, baby shower. What are the kinds of gigs that have come from this?

Carrie: Yeah, so I've played a few baby showers so far. I've played a handful of weddings, and my goal really is to play corporate events. At least that was my goal when I first started, because I felt like they're just kind of easy to prepare for. It's just background music. You don't have to work with like all the logistics of a wedding.

But now that I've played weddings, I'm actually like realizing how special they are and how cool it is to be a part of those. So yeah, definitely weddings, I have played for a few corporate events and then I sponsored, what was it called? Like a, I don't know, it's like a place where people are networking.

Jared: Networking event, yeah. Very cool.

Carrie: Kind of a variety of events there.

Jared: Awesome. For the gigs that you have not sponsored, what's like, I'm going to just ask you bluntly, what are you charging these days?

Carrie: So for my base price, I started at $500 because that felt safe. That was like closer to what I had been starting starting out at before starting the program. And then I've gradually increased a little bit. So I'm now at $700, um, for when, like for weddings, I'll charge like $700 for the ceremony.

And then if they want to add on a cocktail hour, I'll say, um, you know, I also charge $700 for a cocktail hour, but if you book them together, I'll give you 50% off. And so that kind of makes it feel like a better deal. Um, so yeah, I'm hoping to keep increasing my prices. I'm probably gonna try out, um, 800 as like my base here in the coming months, but we'll see how it goes.

Jared: Awesome. Yeah, I think you could easily do 1,000 as your base.

Carrie: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Maybe I should just go for it. Yeah.

Jared: Yeah, for sure. Well, that's awesome.

Carrie: Cool.

Jared: Um, I guess, you know, how do I wanna word this? You've been working a lot with one of our other coaches, Matt. I'm curious, what have been some of the helpful pieces of guidance and encouragement that you've gotten from our team, the program? Yeah, everything that we're working on here.

Carrie: Oh gosh, so many things. Yeah, Matt has been a huge help. And one thing that stands out to me that I remember him saying is that if people are saying no when you tell them what your rate is, like you being too expensive is like a good reason for them to say no. And that's been encouraging.

And yeah, I think just the way that he's helped me fine-tune some of my emails to certain people that I'm reaching out to and handling different situations, that has just been really, really valuable. And getting to hear from other people in the program as well and hearing the questions they ask give me ideas for like my own business as well. So Yeah, I feel like I've just been able to absorb so much from both you and Matt's experience gigging. He's shared like a few of his sales calls as well.

Um, and I don't know, it's just comforting knowing that you two are in, in it with us. Like, you're doing the same things we were doing and you're learning along the way. And I think it's so important to have that mentorship from you and Matt who are like steps ahead of me in this. Just to have that support has been great.

Jared: So that's awesome. You mentioned the word sales call, which not a lot of musicians are familiar with that term. Tell me about what does that mean? What do those words mean to you and how do they assist in the whole gigging process?

Carrie: Yeah, they have been a game changer, I think, because before I was doing the program, I was just kind of going back and forth over email, which which felt great as an introvert that you just can kind of, um, do everything online. But, um, yeah, I think sales calls have been so valuable because I think I heard you mention this, that it's not only a chance for your client to see if they wanna work with you, but you also get to decide if you wanna work with them too. Mm-hmm.

Uh, so it gives you more control over the situation. Um, and just being able to connect with someone over a call. Especially if you're playing for their wedding, you just develop so much more of like a personal connection with them. And I think that's part of the reason that the weddings I've played for have felt even more meaningful is because I've been able to like connect with them, um, on a deeper level and hear about like what their actual visions are for their special day rather than just like keeping it purely like logistical.

Um, so yeah, they, those have also been a little scary. I think each one gets easier. I've actually got two later today. That's kind of unusual to have two in one day. But yeah, I just keep telling myself it's going to be worth it. And there's a chance, you know, those clients don't want to move forward, but I've gotten good practice. At least it's good practice to continue, like, working on my, my sales pitch and everything.

Jared: Yeah, that's awesome. Have there ever been sales calls where you've gotten on a call with a client and you just got a bad vibe from them and you turned down working with them?

Carrie: Not yet, thankfully. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So cool.

Jared: But you, you do feel empowered to do so if one rubbed you the wrong way.

Carrie: Yeah, definitely.

Jared: I think that's great cuz a lot of musicians I've chatted with, especially about doing weddings in particular, they're worried about you know, somebody who just demands all these excessive things from a musician and only wants to pay them peanuts. And I think knowing that you can say no to that is such a huge deal.

Carrie: Totally. Yeah, I completely agree. Yeah. And I'm hoping to get to the point where I have enough like inquiries coming in where I can be more selective like that. I feel like right now I'm at the point— this is also kind of why I've kept my prices a little lower. I guess beggars can't really be choosers at this point. So I'm still kind of like, you know, making sure I'm filling up my schedule enough. And once I have enough inquiries coming in, I'll be able to raise my prices a bit has been my approach to it at least. But I guess that applies also to like choosing who to work with.

Jared: Sure. And, you know, I wouldn't see yourself as a beggar at this point. Sure. Yeah. Many musicians dream about even booking $10,000 in gigs over their life. Lifetime.

Carrie: Oh wow.

Jared: And for you to have done that in the last 6 months is just incredible.

Carrie: Thank you.

Jared: But I know that that's, that's not your goal is just $10,000. So what do you see are your next steps towards getting one of these gold record awards, the $100,000 in gigs? What are your next steps?

Carrie: My next steps are really just, just to kind of double down on what I've been doing. Um, my full-time job, I gave them notice, so I'll be ending that at the end of May. And so, and even up until that point, I'm just going to really try to do what I can to keep sending emails and connecting with others like in the events industry and just see where that takes me and continue experimenting with my prices and other ways to market myself. So I've definitely got my eye on that, that plaque you have behind me, or behind you.

Jared: So I want to see it behind you.

Carrie: Yes.

Jared: Uh, so what, what would you say to somebody who's on the fence about joining Fulltime Music Academy?

Carrie: You will not regret it. I think, like I mentioned towards the beginning, like it's just so invaluable to have a structure to this journey because it's very easy to get discouraged. And I think I know you asked that question, like what keeps me going and another thing is this program because I can, I have like not just you and Matt, but also other people going through it as well.

Um, so you're not doing it alone. I think that's a big thing is that there are other people pursuing a similar journey. Um, and yeah, you won't regret it. The support is incredible. And I think your strategy that you've developed is just, um, it's great. And I think I'm already seeing like the fruit of it. So yeah.

Jared: Awesome. I'm so glad to hear that. Um, were there any questions that you wish I asked but didn't?

Carrie: Hmm. Not that I can think of. Yeah.

Jared: Okay, cool. Do you have any other like pieces of advice that you would share to a musician similar to you months ago who has two degrees and a certificate in music and is staring at the end of that program with, with prospects in mind, what would your advice be to them?

Carrie: Yeah, I would say like, don't be afraid to carve out another path for yourself. I think, you know, when I had graduated, I kind of figured that part of my career would be playing for weddings and playing for gigs. That's just what most harpists do alongside teaching and performing. I just never imagined that I would be able to like make a full-time income off of it because I didn't, I never felt like I was able to charge very much.

And so I think you have to understand like your value as a musician and like everything you've invested into your instrument and your education, all your equipment, all the time that you spend practicing is worth a lot. And I think this program has helped me understand that. And that makes it a lot easier when you are like on a call with clients because you, you understand how much goes into it. And yeah, asking $1,000 really is not that much compared to all the work that we put in as musicians.

And so I think, yeah, I would love for more musicians to like under— understand that. Hopefully we can continue to keep the music industry improving in the sense of like how much we can charge for gigs. So I see more and more harpists learning about that, which is exciting. So I'm hoping it continues in that direction.

Jared: Yeah, I love that. And the subtext of what you're saying to me is like, also, we're not in competition with each other.

Carrie: Yes.

Jared: Yes. Because this is a music industry. It's a small industry where if we can raise the tide for everybody, All the ships rise. Like, you charging more helps another harpist charge more, which also helps every other musician charge more because we're worth it. We just need to recognize that with what we ask from our clients.

Carrie: Yes, absolutely.

Jared: That's awesome, Carrie. I appreciate you so much taking the time to, to do this. Um, I do want to give our, our listeners a chance to get to know you better. How can they do that? Do you have social media, your website?

Carrie: I do, yeah. So I have to remember what my Instagram handle is. I think it's @carrietollett_harpist if you want to follow me on Instagram. And I do have a website, it's www.carrietollettharp.com. I'm hoping to start posting more on YouTube. I would love to kind of share more of like my music and, um, yeah, gain a bit more of a following that way. And so clients can see kind of how I play, but mainly just my website and Instagram for now. Yeah.

Jared: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing that. Go check her out. She is incredible. And Carrie, thank you for doing this interview. I am looking forward to our next one, which whenever you earn that gold record award, we interview everybody there and ask them their journey of getting there. So I can foresee that in your future too. So thanks so much.

And to our listeners, uh, if you are interested in learning a little bit more about Fulltime Music Academy, you could check out our website fulltimemusicacademy.com, or you can watch our masterclass, the same masterclass that Carrie watched, to learn about our program and our strategy.

That is at fulltimemusicacademy.com/high-end-gigs. That's high-end gigs with dashes in the middle. So thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Gigging Musician Podcast. Remember, “Your music will not market itself!”

Take care, everybody.