We wanted some get-off-the-couch-even-though-we-are-all-working-from-home inspiration for the new year, so, naturally, we spoke with Desmond Marshall, an Online Administrator at CMRRA and our resident fitness motivator!
You’re a graduate of Trebas in Audio Engineering and a longtime member of our Online Licensing team at CMRRA and joined us initially as part of the Gracenote lyrics team. Can you tell me about your interests and studies leading to CMRRA?
From a very young age, my two passions have always been music and fitness. The two are intricately connected. Being fit helps your musical performance, and performing music helps you stay fit, both physically and emotionally. Before joining the CMRRA I was working as a Personal Trainer during the day and as part of the Security team at the Hard Rock Café at night. I was also finding the time to learn music theory and to play guitar and piano.
I had already been playing the tenor Steel Drum in a band prior to all of this. But I still felt like something was missing, so I decided to return to learn about the technical aspects of music production and tie them all together.
What does your CMRRA day look like?
I have a great deal of respect for creators of art, and in this case, music creators. I feel like they are not rewarded enough for all the beauty that they create. I’m an Online Administrator, so my job is to ensure that creators’ works are added to our database with the correct information and that files submitted from the digital marketplace are matched correctly to those files. On a daily and on-going basis that is the bulk of my work. From time-to-time there are special projects and other priorities that come my way.
It’s a new year after a year of change and unexpected diversions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. We wanted to talk to you because you have always put health and fitness as a priority in your life. How has the pandemic affected this world view? Any tips?
Once a personal trainer, always a personal trainer, or at the very least always willing to help out with personal training advice. Covid-19 has been a disaster to many sectors. Gyms and fitness centres are some of the worst affected and the majority of people tend to utilize a gym or group fitness centres for all of their fitness needs, so for them everything just stopped.
My advice is to invest in a few sets of kettlebells or dumbbells and exercise at home in a limited capacity because any exercise is better than no exercise. But even if you have no equipment, no problem. Calisthenics are a great way to keep in shape. I’ve personally always had gym equipment at home and it was a seamless transition for me but I know many people cannot self-motivate even with the best equipped home gym. Recruit a family member and motivate each other. Brisk walking outdoors is another great way to stay active.
Where does music fit into your life these days? Do you have workout playlists?
Music is a mainstay in my life. Every activity in my life comes with a soundtrack! I’ve always felt that you should workout to your favourite songs and not a random “workout playlist” that you found on the internet. My workout playlist is my Spotify library!
Thinking about becoming a client of CMRRA? Already a client but you have questions? Email us at inquiries@cmrra.ca and we’ll get you the answers you need.
