Katie Rushing Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Hi PWJ Members! This month's spotlight goes to.......... Laura Unterweger! @Laura U Please join me in congratulating her! Where are you from? I have lived in the St. Louis area all my life. When did you start playing piano? I banged around a lot on my mom's piano when I was very little--and sometimes it sounded like music! So then my mom would take a piece of paper and put it behind the keys, with dots showing where the notes were that I was to play, in order to play a song. I wish I could remember exactly how she did it, so I could offer it as a a suggestion. When I was about 6, Bonnie McLaughlin, a friend of my mom's, started giving me piano lessons, and about a year or two later, I started going to Townsend Piano School, which is still around--it's Townsend Music School now. What got you interested in learning music? Mostly the fact that we had a piano! What is your favorite style of piano music?That's a tough call. I love playing hymns, blues, pop, rock, show tunes, classical...Maybe I should just say that my favorite type is whatever type I'm playing at a given moment. :) Do you have any favorite pieces to play? There are so many! If I started making a list, I'd probably think of a million more later! Since I've been involved with PWJ, I've been enjoying playing Jonny's compositions such as "Footsie Woman" and "Shout Hallelujah", and also his arrangement of "Cruella de Vil", plus a lot of his shorter pieces like "Rollin' Along" and "Jonnylito". Just to name a few. What has most helped you most in improving as a pianist? Becoming more patient with myself, I guess. And immersing myself in the music more--getting to know it inside and out and playing from the heart. Do you have any tips for other PWJ members? Have patience with yourself (I'm still working on that one!), and try to practice a little every day if you can; even if it's just scales or exercises. What is your favorite part of the PWJ Membership? The courses, and Jonny's teaching. He's so enthusiastic about what he does, and he does it so well! What are your future music goals? Just to learn everything I can. One thing I want to do is to become more fluent at reading lead sheets. Do you have any words you try to live by or a favorite quote? I thought about this one for a while, and the best way I can sum it up is simply "Do your best." 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura U Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Thanks, Katie! I feel really honored to be chosen for this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan D Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 Congratulations @Laura U! Well deserved recognition! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura U Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 Thanks @Brendan D! And congrats on your being selected the previous month! It's really cool, isn't it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dina M Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Congratulations Laura!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura U Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Thanks, @Dina M! And thanks for being such a nice friend! Hope you are feeling OK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane S Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 On 9/11/2021 at 9:41 AM, Laura U said: Thanks, @Dina M! And thanks for being such a nice friend! Hope you are feeling OK! Hi Laura, Belated Congratulations to you on being chosen for the September 2021 Member Spotlight! An honor well deserved! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura U Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 On 9/14/2021 at 9:40 PM, Diane S said: Hi Laura, Belated Congratulations to you on being chosen for the September 2021 Member Spotlight! An honor well deserved! Thanks! You are so sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 Congrats @Laura U!!!! Your hard work and dedication has paid off! You certainly deserve this!! Nice job! 🤘 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura U Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 3 hours ago, Scott M said: Congrats @Laura U!!!! Your hard work and dedication has paid off! You certainly deserve this!! Nice job! 🤘 Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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