Teen to tickle ivories at national competition

Published 12:14 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND – For North Bend 15-year-old Lauren Johnson, music is more than just a sound.

Rather, it is a mix of science, the humanities and her own accomplishments.

“I like it because it’s mathematical,” she said. “But it also combines history and music history.”

That vision of music has helped Johnson become one of the best young musicians in the state. Last month, she was the Northwest Division Winner in the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) Junior High Piano Performance Competition, where she competed against musicians from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. She will head to Kansas City in March to take part in the national competition.

Johnson started playing piano at age 8 and her first song was “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Johnson’s parents encouraged her playing, and their son plays as well. Although neither of them were musicians, Johnson’s parents saw the benefits of the discipline and self-esteem gained from practicing and playing.

“It’s good for self-discipline and setting goals,” said Johnson’s mother, Vickie. “It’s good for children.”

For the past seven years, Johnson has embraced the music and method behind the piano. She is a student of Dr. Peter Mack from the Cornish School of the Arts and is studying music theory. Her grasp of the concepts and the technique it takes to play well has proven to her that she is goal-driven and can accomplish a lot with hard work.

Her motivation to study music also comes from the history behind it. She has grown particularly fond of the Russian romantics and would like to study more about Russia and its culture when she goes to college. She wants to eventually get a Ph.D. in music history and pursue a career in music research.

While a knowledge of classical music may put her out of the mainstream of children her age, she said she doesn’t miss popular music and has no problem finding others her age who share her passion for classical works.

“All of my friends are musicians,” she said.

Her aspirations are big, but for the time being Johnson is focusing on the national competition next month. Competitions for pianists can be a little nerve-wracking because unlike other musicians, they can’t bring along their own instruments. Depending on how much time she has to rehearse at the venue beforehand, she may perform on a piano she is completely unfamiliar with. While competition organizers provide concert grand Steinways, the instruments can respond differently.

Johnson, however, is no stranger to unfamiliar surroundings and performances. She has performed in her own recitals and has been invited to play twice on the Seattle classical music radio station KING FM (98.1).

All of that passion and experience should bode well for her in Kansas City next month. She needs to play for at least 20 minutes, but she has hundreds of years of inspiration and seven years of experience from which to draw.

Ben Cape can be reached at (425) 888-2311 or by e-mail at ben.cape@valleyrecord.com.