The Modern Pioneer

Definition of pioneer

1: a member of a military unit usually of construction engineers

2a : a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method or technical development

b : one of the first to settle in a territory

3: a plant or animal capable of establishing itself in a bare, barren, or open area and initiating an ecological cycle

This photo above is a picture taken from my hometown of Sioux City, Iowa. What you see is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on the banks of the Missouri River. Sioux City was a pivotal stop in Lewis and Clark's trek to map out our nation's newest land acquisition, as one of their men, Sgt. Charles Floyd, died there (the only death on the years-long journey).

Life in this particular city, completely surrounded by the history of where our nation's first pioneers traveled, has set the tone and foundation for future generations that live on the Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota border.

For example, the park where the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center now stands is called Chris Larsen Park, named after my great-grandfather who pioneered and worked to place Interstate 29 through Iowa instead of Nebraska as originally planned. Thanks to his work, Sioux City became a town of commerce and growth with the new interstate traffic.

(Sioux City Journal file photo)

Now, here we are in 2018, and I have caught the modern pioneering bug, thanks to those that have gone before me. As technology becomes more accessible and more intuitive, it has been a joy to not only fully engage in a full-time piano studio, but I am also able to teach students that live hundreds of miles away from me.

Just think about that for a moment. Piano lessons have come from being a strictly upper-class luxury for the few and far between in Europe back in the 1800s, and it has now become accessible to all families in America, whether in-person or through technology like Skype.

In this day and age, we have the unique opportunity to provide greater accessibility to piano lessons to students all across the country and world using technology that does not take away the integrity or importance of one-on-one conversations between teacher and student.

How humbling it is to embark on such a new journey. Join me as I work to pioneer the world of piano, education, and technology into one efficient but yet still very effective process for students.