Navigating the Industry: Mental Health & Career Expectations

There is increasing awareness of mental health and the necessity of personal reflection within our community. Join alumni professionals Melissa Myatt B.M. ‘13, Ayanna Jacobs-El B.M. ‘18, Mario Jose ‘11, and Mary Dooley B.M. ‘10 for a conversation about their personal journeys with mental health and their perspectives on the relevance of this conversation when it comes to how we approach and manage our careers.

Participants will:

• Hear personal reflection about mental health and mindfulness
• Gain insight around tools and methods to assess environments we work and live in
• Reflect on myths/misconceptions within our music industry culture

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Navigating the Industry is an alumni event series focused on exploring the different perspectives and experiences within our diverse community. Through discussion and resource sharing, professional alumni come together to enhance collaboration as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the music industry.

Melissa Myatt B.M. ‘13, is a Chicago-born, Inglewood-bred singer-songwriter. As a student, the music education major worked as a resident assistant, served as BSU Vice-president, and worked with the Diversity and Inclusion Office, overseeing and consulting for events, such as the grand opening of the Berklee Africana Studies Center; as well as, helmed a soul band while studying abroad in Greece. Off-campus, Melissa and her band, Melissa Myatt & the Chase, frequently performed at locally known venues such as All Asia, Middle East, Brighton Music Hall, Wally’s, Darryl’s and many more.

As an artist, Melissa has released two self-produced EPs (2011’s "Defined" and 2016’s "Caution: Love"). She also wrote and produced the soundtrack for the 2016 indie film "Walter Walk with God". As an educator, she has operated her own online and in-home private music lesson school, worked as an elementary school music teacher for the DeKalb County School District in Georgia, and presently serves as a Mental Health Educator with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Los Angeles. She is also currently studying to become a software engineer, which she hopes will assist her in developing innovative technologies that will merge her passion for music and mental health awareness and advocacy.

Ayanna Jacobs-El B.M. ‘18 is a composer, producer, songwriter, DJ, alto/baritone saxophonist, and vocalist currently based out of Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2018 with a dual major in Contemporary Writing and Production and Professional Music and minors in Writing for TV and New Media, Video Game Scoring, and Music Technology. As an avid listener of a multitude of genres; she writes and produces in a wide range of styles such as classical, jazz, R&B, electronic, pop, rock, hip-hop, and funk.

In 2016, she launched her music production company, Ayanna Jacobs-El Productions, with the goal of providing unique music for films, games, recording artists, TV shows, and advertising.

In addition to music, she is passionate about mental health awareness, particularly for creatives, women, and minorities. As a way to combine these two passions, she infuses uplifting messages into her lyrics that stem from her personal journey towards gaining mental wellbeing.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Mario Jose ‘11 is a seasoned singer-songwriter, powerhouse vocalist, and true entertainer. Mario has had the privilege to share the stage and studio with music icons including Pentatonix (opening for them on tour), Prince, Justin Bieber, Meghan Trainor (New Orleans Jazz Fest 2017), John Legend (NBC’s Duets), Michael McDonald, Philip Bailey (of Earth, Wind & Fire), John Elefante (of Kansas), Jim Peterick (of Survivor), Bill Champlin (of Chicago), Paula Cole, Lalah Hathaway, Ben E. King, Post Modern Jukebox and many more!

Mary Dooley B.M. ‘10 graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2010 with a degree in Professional Music, focusing on Music Therapy, Vocal Performance, and Psychology. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Minnesota, focusing on Addiction Studies and Counseling. While in Minnesota, she worked at an adolescent correctional facility which started a life-long questioning of who receives what services, what resources are available to whom, and why we continue to perpetuate these disparities. She moved to Los Angeles CA and while in LA she worked in substance abuse treatment programs, inpatient psychiatric treatment programs, and as a sober companion for celebrities, but her favorite position was on Skid Row providing housing and mental health services for the unhoused in downtown LA. While working on Skid Row, Mary noticed many of her clients had limited educational histories. Specifically, if a client had graduated from 8th grade, that was an anomaly. Most of the clients had experienced trauma, abuse, and dropped out of school by 5th grade, where they then found themselves in and out of corrections and experiencing homelessness. This was the catalyst for Mary’s Ph.D. career and research. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a Ph.D. in School Psychology. During this time, she focused on abuse and trauma, specifically racial trauma and foster care. Mary’s clinical work and research spotlights systemic and institutional racism which leads to and encourages disparity in treatment, resources, and health outcomes. Her dissertation titled “We’re Here Too: The Black Female Experience in North Carolina Schools'' explored systemic, institutional, and direct racism Black female students have faced throughout their education with the least amount of support. Her residency was completed at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH where she was on the Trauma and Community Health Track, working closely with client advocacy and foster care. Currently, she is completing her Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC. She is a pediatric psychologist in an integrated primary care setting, working within the community and schools to support marginalized and oppressed children and families while advocating and fighting for real life structural system changes. She presents and speaks at conferences, schools, and organizations on abuse, trauma, mandated reporting, mental health, and white supremacy.