Beyond the Keys: Music and Stories of Inspiration by Jeeyoon Kim
Many thanks to Greenleaf Book Group Press and NetGalley for
making Beyond the Keys: Music and Stories of Inspiration, classical
pianist, teacher, and author Jeeyoon Kim’s collection of 52 pieces of writing
and reflection, available for review. I was surprised to find this book because
I remember listening to Jeeyoon Kim’s excellent album 10 More Minutes a
few years ago. I was really interested in classical French pianists like Debussy
and Erik Satie, and this album had several of those songs on it, along with
some other great piano pieces. I wasn’t aware that Jeeyoon wrote books, and
that Beyond the Keys was not her first book. However, this book is
unique in that it consists of collections from her newsletter, so the book can
be read at any time, from any one of the chapters. I appreciated this aspect of
the book—that it was really a kind of collection that I could refer to or come
back to at any time. Furthermore, each chapter contained a QR code linking to a
performance of some classical piece that Jeeyoon linked to her writing. Each
chapter also contained artwork from different artists that paired in some ways
with the memory or idea in the chapter’s writing. There are 52 chapters in the
book since there are 52 white keys on a piano. To further emphasize the musical
themes and metaphors, the book is divided into 5 movements, reflecting different
themes, experiences, ideas, and inspiration from Jeeyoon. She provides this
information along with some recommendations for reading the book—I especially
liked the idea of taking time to read through and listen to the music after
reading. However, I found it interesting that writing, for Jeeyoon, is a way of
connecting with others as well as navigating aspects of life. It was
interesting to learn about her different experiences beyond being a renowned
musician, including her life as an immigrant from South Korea, her passion for
music, and her continued desire to push her boundaries and try new activities
and challenges.
I initially thought this book would be more focused on music
and how Jeeyoon learned piano and became a classical pianist, but there was
much more to offer. As a teacher, I especially appreciated her chapters about
working with students and about Jeeyoon’s own desire to continually learn,
whether it is surfing or Spanish. She reminds readers about the need to
continue to challenge oneself and learn on a regular basis. Furthermore, one
chapter dealt with “unlearning”, a
concept where we try to build new habits by abandoning those learnings or
habits that are no longer beneficial or useful for us. It’s something that I’ve
taught before in a writing class for first year students, where we tried to
encourage them to think about the need for unlearning in schools, to value
lessons and ideas beyond what is taught, and to recognize that everyone has
something of value to bring to a community of learners. Despite being a
classically trained pianist and earning her doctorate in piano performance, Jeeyoon
writes in some chapters about letting go of perfectionism with activities like
surfing or speaking Spanish. She acknowledges that it is important to try these
new activities, but she doesn’t always have to be the best. Again, there were
many great lessons to impart to students and readers alike, and I felt like
this was a great book that offered some useful anecdotes about important
lessons in life.
Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed was that Jeeyoon
provides chapters that reflect on books she’s read. She takes the lessons from
certain books and shares her own experiences with them, providing examples from
her life of applying or challenging these principles and ideas. While I haven’t
read many of the books, I was familiar with some of them, so it was interesting
to see these ideas put into practice. I was also surprised to read about how
candid Jeeyoon gets in some of the chapters, writing about her experiences with
her father and her marriage and eventual divorce. These were both challenging
situations, and she shared not only about her willingness to take a stand for
herself, but also about the emotional impact it had on her later. However, I
enjoyed her reflections on music and performance the most. As I try to work
with my kids on their piano, I appreciated Jeeyoon’s ideas about bringing joy
to practice and appreciating the kind of emotional connection we can have with music
and playing an instrument. I’m not sure if my children will ever feel the kind
of joy and appreciation Jeeyoon has for music; however, I think she helped to
reframe my mindset on practice for my kids, as I try to work on learning songs
and connecting with the emotion of the music. As I was reading this book, I
just kept thinking about my kids’ piano teacher and how much she might
appreciate this book as well. In one of the chapters that focuses on teaching,
Jeeyoon talks about a young student who was probably forced to learn piano at
an early age and was very difficult. As Jeeyoon explained, she couldn’t
understand how someone would not enjoy learning piano since piano was so
important to her. However, as any teacher can attest, it can be a challenge to
get some students motivated to learn. It is a hard lesson, especially when
teachers are skilled, knowledgeable and really passionate about their subjects.
Nevertheless, Jeeyoon reflected on earning a teaching degree and teaching music
to elementary students, and how this changed her outlook on teaching and music.
This was one of those great lessons and success stories that Jeeyoon provides
throughout the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s not necessarily a
book to read from cover to cover like a novel. Rather, this is a wonderful
collection of thoughts, reflections, and experiences, that highlight someone
who is passionate about music and art, but who also loves to challenge herself
and continue to learn. I felt really inspired after reading this book since Jeeyoon
offers suggestions and ideas and poses questions about meeting challenges,
questioning fear and hesitation about tackling tasks, and pursuing passions and
interests. She frequently talks about thinking beyond being a concert pianist
and finding ways to reach out and expand her audience through other media like
podcasts, newsletters, a piano school, and recorded music. It’s really amazing
to see how she is able to identify and create new opportunities. Although I received
a digital copy of this book, I can only imagine that the physical book is even
better to read, especially for the QR codes and the artwork. I will probably
pick up a copy since I’d love to share some of these reflections with my kids.
I was already pointing out some of Jeeyoon’s tips about practicing piano in the
morning, rather than after school or at night when my kids practice. Beyond the Keys is a great book, filled with interesting and entertaining
anecdotes, but also with many thoughtful and important lessons and ideas about learning
and challenging oneself. I loved the idea of connecting musical pieces to the
chapters and including artwork as well. Beyond the Keys is a great
multimodal text that emphasizes how art, whether it is visual, musical, or
literary, can be a healing force. Highly recommended!
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