Exciting Journey at Renown Music! Hey friends and music enthusiasts! I wanted to take a moment to share the incredible journey I've had at Renown Music as a piano teacher. Since 2022, I've had the pleasure of teaching some amazing beginner piano students. Witnessing their growth and progress has been nothing short of magical! From their first hesitant notes to the confident melodies they play today, it's heartwarming to be a part of their musical journey. The Christmas recitals this year and last have been a true highlight! Seeing my students shine on stage, sharing the joy of music with friends and family, was a proud moment for me as a teacher. Being a piano teacher is incredibly rewarding. The bond formed with each student goes beyond just music; it's about nurturing their passion and watching them blossom into talented musicians. I've put together some video excerpts from my students' public performances. Watch it to catch a glimpse of the dedication, progress, and pure joy these young musicians bring to the stage! Thank you, Renown Music, for providing a platform to inspire and nurture the next generation of musicians. Here's to many more musical adventures ahead!
Sharing the Joy of Music: My Journey so Far as a Piano Teacher at Renown Music
ZANE GILLESPIE
After six years as Minister of Music at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church (UMC) in Holly Springs, MS, I was recently called to continue to work to address public engagement in music participation as Director of Music Ministries at First UMC in Water Valley, MS. I am a Composer, Theorist, and member of both The College Music Society as well as The Poe Studies Association (PSA). I am also an active pianist and vocalist, specializing primarily in church music. My paper entitled ““Mesmeric Revelation”: Art as Hypnosis” has been published by the international, peer-reviewed journal Humanities. In addition, another paper of mine entitled “A Model of Triadic Post-Tonality for a Neoconservative Postmodern String Quartet by Sky Macklay” has been submitted to the peer-reviewed Music Theory journal Perspectives of New Music. At the end of February 2015, I served as Chair for the session entitled “Aesthetics and Philosophy” at The Fourth International PSA Conference in New York City. On June 21, 2014, my Quartet for Alto Saxophone and Strings, a commission from concert saxophonist Walter Hoehn, was performed as part of Concert V of the Eighth Annual Belvedere Chamber Music Festival held at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN. Characteristically neo-romantic (in the original sense of the word), my music earned me the Nancy Van de Vate Award for Composition three times from the University of Mississippi Department of Music. A native of Pontotoc, MS, I hold degrees from the University of Mississippi (BM; MM), and the University of Memphis (DMA) where I was the 2011 recipient of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music's Smit Composition Award. I live in Memphis, TN.