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September 2020 Member Spotlight - Ken Zimmerman


Chris W

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Hey PWJ Members! It is now time to announce the PWJ Member Spotlight for September.  This month it goes to someone who has contributed frequently to the Facebook page, with videos of the material he is working on, which have inspired others to post and share their talent.  

So the PWJ Member Spotlight for the month of September goes to.......

Ken Zimmerman!

One of my favourite performances he has put on to the Facebook page, has been "Memphis Stomp" , which had such a cool groove. Ken frequently contributes to the PWJ challenges which take place, and encourages other people  as well.

Well done Ken - please could you join with me and congratulate him on his Member Spotlight.

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•    Where are you from?
My dad was in the Air Force, and we moved around a lot, so I grew up in many different places, including Germany, South Carolina, California, Japan, Virginia, and New Mexico. My dad retired from the Air Force after we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and that’s where I ended up going to high school. I attended undergraduate college in California, and graduate school in both New Mexico and Idaho. For work I’ve lived in Idaho, Colorado, and, where I live now, Maryland. So I’m from all over the place!

•    When did you start playing piano?
I started playing the piano when I was 5. I attended a group piano class where we worked through a beginning piano book. It was dreadful. I remember being way more interested in trying to figure out how to play The Entertainer at home. I think the movie The Sting must have just come out, and Scott Joplin’s music was very popular. And somehow we had a copy of Joplin’s Collected Piano Works at home. I think my mom gathered piano music to have around. I managed to learn the introduction to The Entertainer, but I didn’t get much further than that. For one thing, I couldn’t reach an octave with my hand, so the right hand part of that piece was hopeless. So I played the introduction over and over!
I had classical lessons through college, but then gave up piano for about twenty years. About three years ago I started practicing again, and last September I discovered PWJ!

•    What got you interested in learning music?
I’m not sure. I’ve always been interested in music. I think what appealed to me, and still does, is that music is a non-verbal form of communication. You don’t necessarily have to be witty or articulate if you can express yourself with music. I also like the fact that music doesn’t have any political opinions! People from all sorts of different backgrounds can still enjoy the same music.

•    What is your favorite style of piano music?
Jazz Piano! Even though I can’t play it (yet!). ;) I am absolutely mesmerized every time I listen to a skilled pianist play an improvised jazz solo, especially while maintaining a solid groove with the left hand.

•    Do you have any favorite pieces to play?
In the last year (I joined PWJ September 2019), I’ve immersed myself in Jonny May’s music and arrangements. My favorite pieces to play these days are his arrangements of Hallelujah, Free Fallin’, Let It Go, and Angels We Have Heard On High.

•    What has most helped you most in improving as a pianist?
I will answer this question first by saying what discouraged me the most as a pianist. I once took lessons from a very skilled jazz pianist, and it was one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. The lessons would generally consist of listening to a Bill Evans recording, and then sitting down at the piano and attempting to “play what you hear”. I didn’t really “hear” anything, and any notes I played sounded awful. I remember thinking that the most musical thing I could do would be to not play anything at all. So what was the point of these lessons?
In contrast, I like how Jonny has taken the concept of improvisation and broken it down into small, manageable, (and practicable!) ideas. That way you can take one small idea and actually practice it, and see improvement.
Another thing that has helped me the most is have positive, encouraging support. (Which is why the Facebook Group is such a great thing to be a part of, in my opinion.) When I was about 14 years old, I had a wonderful piano teacher, Mrs. Roose. She wanted me to practice 1 hour every day. I had never practiced even close to that amount. But she encouraged me in such a positive way that it worked. She convinced me that I was capable of playing far more difficult and advanced piano pieces than I thought I was capable of. Her words were something to the effect of “You’ll be amazed at what you can play if you give yourself a chance and practice 1 hour each day.” She had a way of making me believe in my own abilities and WANTING to practice more.
One day when I arrived at her house for my lesson, the door was open and I walked in, and the entire house was filled with beautiful piano music. She was playing on her wonderful grand piano in her living room. I almost didn’t want to let her see that I had arrived, so that she would keep playing.
When she saw me, she stopped, and then she told me that the piece she was playing was something she wanted me to learn. (It was Etude 8, Op. 25, by Chopin.) There was no way I would have chosen to work on something like this, or even have thought that I could ever learn to play it. I certainly couldn’t sight-read it, and I could barely play the first measure. But she was so convinced that I could learn this piece that I started to practice it. And over the next year I actually learned it, memorized it, and performed it!
That experience with Mrs. Roose—how she guided me with positive encouragement —has been a major influence in my life, and not just with piano. I think it is so important to seek out people who encourage you, rather than people who tell you what you can’t do.

•    Do you have any tips for other PWJ members?
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself! At the same time, be patient with your progress. I think sometimes it’s easy to overestimate what we can learn in one or two days, but at the same time, it’s also easy to UNDERestimate what we can learn in one or two months if we practice consistently. Anything that is a challenge is going to take some time to learn. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a challenge in the first place!

•    What is your favorite part of the PWJ Membership?
The one thing about my PWJ Membership that stands out for me is the monthly live Q & A sessions with Jonny. A close second are the live workshops. I really enjoy the live interactions during those events, and the sense of community. I greatly admire Jonny’s ability to demonstrate and perform concepts right on the spot. And I also like to see what questions other members have.

•    What are your future music goals?
I would like to build up enough memorized repertoire, and playing ability, that I can perform in restaurants, bars, hotel lobbies, etc. As soon as the COVID crisis is over, I plan to go to local retirement homes and offer to play on whatever piano is available. I’d also like to concentrate on a small number of jazz standards over the next year and focus on my improvising skills.

•    Do you have any words you try to live by or a favorite quote?
“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”
This is rule #4 from Jordan Peterson’s “Twelve Rules for Life,” and I think it applies particularly to piano practice. It’s easy to become discouraged by listening to a great pianist, and then think you’ll never be able to play like that. But instead if we appreciate the improvement in our own playing then we are much more likely to keep going and not give up in frustration.
This makes me think of Terry Hopley and his contributions to the PWJ Facebook community. He was so clearly enjoying the progress he was making, even though he started the piano late in life. Whenever I listened to his posts, and saw how much he was enjoying himself, it would reaffirm to me how much of a privilege it is to have the opportunity to practice the piano!

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Congrats, Ken!  

A well deserved spotlight.  I really enjoyed reading your answers and learning more about your background.  Isn't it amazing what a good teacher can bring out of us?!  Very inspirational and motivating spotlight!  Look forward to hearing more of your playing! 

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Congratulations Ken!

I always look forward to your videos and it inspires me to listen to you play the piano.

Your organization is tops and your piano practicing, discipline and habits are obviously excellent because it shows in your 

achievements.

I appreciate your kind, encouraging words.  

Thank you!

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Ken, congratulations.  You are very deserving of being featured in the Member Spotlight.  Your playing is always nice to listen to and the inspiration you provide in breaking pieces apart and giving us insight into how you learn a song, is a plus for our community.  Again, congratulations and I look forward to your next post!!  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Congratulations Ken!  I am inspired by your performances, level of participation and in reading your Q&A above.  It is what keeps me motivated engaged.  I'm also super excited for you that you are making big strides towards your goals.  Keep up the great work and thank you for keeping it real for all of us! -- Happy playing!!!

 

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Loved watching your video interview and reading your responses @Ken H. You are such an inspiring pianist. I loved learning about your piano journey, and I'm amazed at how quickly you've picked up the instrument again after so many years. Your story is a testament that if you believe in yourself and surround yourself with a strong community, you can accomplish almost anything you set your mind to. I am very proud of your hard work and dedication to the piano and the PWJ Community. 

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