Together in music, together in life: Couple to graduate this December

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.

ASU doctoral students Riley Braase and Mikaela Renee Hannon are both graduating with a Doctor of Musical Arts in performance this December. They have performed together frequently in music ensembles during their time as Arizona State University students. And in addition to being partners in music, they are partners in life.

Braase and Hannon moved to Arizona together in 2020 so Hannon could begin her Master of Music in flute performance. Braase began his Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet performance in 2021 after teaching elementary music at a charter school for one year.

“I was a civil engineering major when I auditioned for my first music ensemble and thought that music careers are limited to prodigies,” he said. “I always wanted to make music but was scared to pursue a career in music because I did not have the skills I knew a successful music major or professional musician would need.”

Braase said the clarinet professor who heard his audition invited him back for an “in-depth, life-changing conversation about neuroplasticity — the nervous system’s ability to change with experience," and a week later he added a second major in music.

He said he continued to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts to “pass on the generosity, expertise, empathy and perseverance” that his teachers showed him. And he hopes his research, which merges neuroscience, music performance, motor learning, music education, educational psychology and performance psychology, benefits young learners whose brains are still developing, musicians looking for specific strategies to hone their craft and anyone who wants to continue learning throughout life. 

Braase will be recognized for his outstanding research by the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts during the fall convocation ceremony.

For Hannon, pursuing a career in music was an easy choice.

"I am not sure I ever had one ‘aha’ moment where I realized I would study music, so much as I gradually realized that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” she said.

Hannon, a flutist and music educator, is actively involved with the Arizona Flute Society, where she is a regular clinician for the Summer Flute Workshop, a weeklong educational event for Phoenix-area flutists of all ages and backgrounds. She is also a teaching artist for the Phoenix Symphony, where she works with woodwind quintets and works with Phoenix-area students.

“It is such a rewarding job to share my love of music with the young students in the area,” Hannon said. 

Hannon’s research explores using technology in flute pedagogy, and how sonic visualization can make learning more effective, accessible and engaging. 

Both Braase and Hannon received funding, which allowed them to pursue their degrees and projects. 

Braase received a special talent award from the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, travel grants to present at the International Clarinet Association 2023 conference and an Arizona Commission on the Arts and Herberger Institute Creative Constellation grant that allowed him to record an album with the Opuntia Winds Quintet called “Picturesque” that will be released in early spring 2025.

Hannon received funding from the Katherine K. Herberger Music Scholarship, the Louise Kerr Endowment and the Jennifer Dock Fellowship in Music, as well as a special talent award from the School of Music, Dance and Theatre.

Question: Why did you choose ASU?

Braase: I considered ASU because the clarinet faculty, Associate Professor of clarinet Joshua Gardner and Emeritus Professor Robert Spring, are renowned performers and teachers who have an exceptionally strong track record for their DMA students securing college teaching positions, which is what I want to do.

Hannon: When I auditioned for graduate schools, I met with the flute professors at each school. I quickly felt that studying with Professor (Elizabeth) Buck would be the best fit for me, and that she would help me achieve the goals I had set for my playing. I was also encouraged by the teaching and performance opportunities available to ASU students in Tempe and Phoenix.

Q: Which professor or faculty member taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

Braase: Professors Gardner and Spring both taught me how important it can be to show up for your students. Their mentorship has gone above and beyond my degree program, and their advocacy and support made it possible for me to pursue the many opportunities and collaborations that the ASU music program facilitated.

Hannon: While there are so many professors and faculty members that have influenced me, my studies with my primary flute professor, Professor Elizabeth Buck, transformed my flute playing and changed the way I teach my own flute students. Most importantly, she taught me to trust my expressive instincts as a flutist and as a musician by always encouraging me to develop my own interpretation.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

Braase: Prioritize rest and sleep, even when things get crazy.

Hannon: It is so important to live a balanced life outside of school. When I began studying music, I often studied or practiced to the point of burnout. I have since learned that I perform my best when I prioritize taking care of myself through rest, sleep, exercise, hobbies and time with friends and family.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus?

Braase: I love walking through the grass outside of ASU Gammage. There is also a palm tree between Payne Hall and Dixie Gammage Hall that has a lovebird nest in it, and I love seeing those little tropical parrots on campus when I walk by.

Hannon: I love the covered courtyard in the Fulton Teachers College with the fountain and all of the plants, making it feel very relaxing. I would often take a walk through the courtyard when I needed a break from studying or practicing.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

Braase: I am currently a format and curriculum advisor for ASU’s Graduate College, teaching and performing in the Phoenix area, serving as director of institutional advancement for the Oh My Ears New Music Festival and applying to clarinet teaching positions around the country.

Hannon: I am completing my first semester of teaching a music theory class at ASU, and I am excited for future semesters. I will continue working with the Arizona Flute Society and the Phoenix Symphony, as well as teaching the flute students in my private studio. I am also looking forward to some future performances in the works.