Opus 1 Music Studio recently welcomed new piano teacher Ryan to the team. Ryan has an admiration for classical piano that stemmed from an unlikely source. Ryan's journey into music began with his mother's encouragement to learn the piano. He discovered a love for classical compositions through video game arrangements, which now shape his unique teaching approach.
“I came across a video of a guy named ‘The Video Game Pianist,’ and I played video games a lot when I was young. I thought ‘Oh I can play video game music on piano.’ I found all these websites where you could download and print sheet music. I started to teach myself. The video game pianist was a very good classical pianist, so through him I came across the work of Franz Lizst, Frederic Chopin, and Felix Mendelssohn. I found out I actually really liked classical too,” explained Ryan.
With a master's degree in piano performance from the renowned Eastman School of Music and over 15 years of experience, Ryan brings a wealth of expertise to his teaching. He has been featured as a soloist with the Eureka Symphony, Humboldt Symphony and the North State Symphony. He has also participated in the Round Top Music Festival in Texas and the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine.
Ryan comes to Opus 1 from Humboldt county, and he moved to the Bay Area in pursuit of a more collaborative and enriching teaching environment. “I think the best thing to do when facing challenges in teaching is reaching out to other teachers and colleagues for help or ideas. That is one of the reasons I wanted to move down here, and work for Opus 1, to be around more teachers. This place seemed special, and like a good fit for me.” he said.
Ryan has a self proclaimed addiction to learning and honing new skills, and has found teaching to be an enjoyable way to satisfy this addiction.
“The funny thing is that when I was going through University, I told myself that I didn't actually want to be a teacher. After I graduated, I immediately got a job teaching one-on-one piano lessons at Humboldt State University where I got my bachelors degree from. It worked out well, and I grew to really like teaching. I have an addiction to learning new skills. I realized that teaching is a never ending skill that I can just build forever,” he said.
Although he was initially reluctant to become a teacher, Ryan continues to enjoy the impact he makes on his students. He particularly appreciates moments of recognition that signify a deeper understanding of music.
“One thing I like a lot is when I am talking about musical things with students, and you can see a change in their eyes when they realize that playing piano is not just pressing a button on a keyboard. It's more than that. Music doesn't need to be like a metronome. It can be more free. It's like how you breathe, or go through life,” he explained.
In addition to his classical training and teaching, Ryan has also arranged and performed his own interactive shows, inspired by the piano music in his favorite video games.
“The performances I have done that I’m most proud of is a series of video game concerts I recently performed. It was a mini tour I did in Humboldt County, Stephen Austin University in Texas, and at a Video Game Music Convention in Indianapolis. These shows were my own idea. They all consisted of video game soundtrack pieces that I liked and chose to include. The concerts involved music, and then throughout the show I had mini games for the audience to participate in. I had the prizes in “Super Mario” question blocks that I made myself. I had visuals too that went along with each piano piece from the game,” he explained.
These shows were an intensive labor of love for Ryan, and he hopes to keep evolving and improving them to be performed again in the future.
“It still needs work, but the mini- tour was pretty unique. It is potentially something special if I can keep working on it, and work out the kinks. I want this to be something I do every year or two, to improve upon it and go on tour,” he explained.
With quite an accomplished career thus far, Ryan attributes most of his success to perseverance. This is something that he hopes to share with his students.
“Everything is an ongoing process. It takes some time to get to where you want to be. That is what piano has taught me. Even when I try to learn other skills, it's really hard at first, but then something will click, and you get it. You hit roadblocks along the way, but if you just continue with it eventually you will get over that block,” he said.