Music, Confidence & Community: Turning Your Creative Calling into a Business with Alyssa O’Toole, Musicians Playground
Reclaiming Creativity Through Music: A Wellness-Focused Music Community for Adults
On a recent episode of The Wild Party Podcast, host Stefanie LaHart opened with a memory many creatives can relate to: the moment you realize your passion may not fit the mold. As a tiny grade schooler, Stefanie chose drums when every other girl picked flute. Though her lessons only lasted a few weeks, the rhythm stayed with her. That beat,the thrill of being behind a drum kit,never left, and years later, it was what propelled her to move to Los Angeles to work in the music business.
That story set the tone for a powerful conversation with guest Alyssa O’Toole, founder of Musicians Playground,a Boston-based community that is redefining what it means for adults to learn, love, and live through music.
A New Kind of Music Studio
Alyssa’s story began like many musicians’,sitting at her grandfather’s piano, piecing together melodies by ear. That early fascination turned into classical training and, eventually, a career in teaching. But something shifted when she began working with adult students.
Nearly every adult she met had the same reaction: “I’ve always wanted to play music,” or “I used to, but I stopped.” The longing was universal, yet most felt they had missed their chance. It was this observation,paired with the rise of wellness culture,that sparked an idea.
What if music could be treated like a wellness practice, just like going to the gym or doing yoga?
Enter Musicians Playground,a creative wellness studio for adults that offers over 100 group classes each month in piano, voice, and guitar, along with one-on-one lessons, community events, and team-building experiences. The mission: make music accessible, social, and emotionally empowering.
“We think we have to be Mozart,” Stefanie joked during the episode. “But you can get joy just playing chopsticks.”
A Safe Place to Begin Again
One of the core principles behind Musicians Playground is that everyone starts somewhere. The studio is specifically designed to be a safe space for beginners,people who are new, rusty, or simply curious. It’s not about perfect notes or performance. It’s about showing up.
In fact, Alyssa once ran a social experiment by setting up a piano in a public plaza and offering strangers 15-minute lessons. By the end of the day, people who had never touched a keyboard were playing songs with confidence. The takeaway? It doesn’t take years to feel like a musician. It takes a supportive environment and a willingness to try.
“Music is exercise for the soul,” Alyssa said. “It reconnects us to who we are.”
More Than a Studio: A Community
Whether it’s a Friday night jam session, a drop-in practice hour, or a corporate “Battle of the Bands” event, Musicians Playground is more than a place to learn scales,it’s a place to come alive.
The “Battle of the Bands” program, in particular, has become a hit with Boston companies. Teams of coworkers are given instruments, assigned to bands, and guided through the process of learning and performing a song together,many for the first time in their lives. It's not only fun, it’s transformative.
“It levels the playing field,” Alyssa explained. “It builds trust and creates connections that wouldn’t happen in a typical office setting.”
Music as a Mirror for Growth
Stefanie and Alyssa connected deeply on the idea that music can be a mirror,a way to see ourselves more clearly, to work through perfectionism, fear, or emotional blocks. Alyssa spoke about how many people are afraid to try music because they feel they have to be perfect.
But embracing imperfection is part of the process. And it doesn’t stop with learning music.
Alyssa’s own journey has been shaped by bold decisions and relentless faith. She built her business client by client, while living in a storage unit and teaching lessons from a converted walk-in closet. She signed a lease for a 3,000-square-foot studio in downtown Boston without a formal plan,but with a vision she never let go of.
That grit now powers her second calling: consulting for creative entrepreneurs. Over the past five years, she’s helped nearly 100 studios around the world find clarity, growth, and purpose in their own ventures. Her biggest lessons? Let go of trying to please everyone. Don’t personalize setbacks. Keep going,even when you don’t know exactly how it will turn out.
Your Invitation to Reconnect
By the end of the conversation, Stefanie was more than inspired,she was ready to dig out her old drumsticks. “I’m still a drummer at heart,” she said. “And I’m so inspired to get back into it.”
That’s the heart of this episode and of Alyssa’s work: an open invitation to return to the creative spark you thought you left behind.
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be young. You just have to begin.
🎧 Listen to this episode of The Wild Party Podcast on your favorite podcast player
🎹 Visit www.musiciansplayground.com to explore classes, events, and memberships
