Introduction
Dr. Kyle Johnson is Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association’s (NVMTA) February spotlight teacher. He is serving as a Member-at-Large on the NVMTA Executive Board and brings thoughtful insight, curiosity, and experience to the group. Kyle is passionate about the power of the arts to express, empathize, and understand across cultures or time periods.
Professional Background
Regarding his musical education, he says, “In many ways, I fell in love with classical music before I fell in love with the piano. I used to listen to a lot of classical music radio as a child. I recorded directly from the broadcast onto a cassette tape so I could listen to certain pieces over and over!”
His grandparents were very influential and would play recordings of classical music, and take Kyle to classical or pops concerts. They encouraged his piano playing because they liked hearing piano music generally. They were never intense, but they found it important for him to be involved in meaningful activities.
During high school, a college professor at a local liberal arts college was particularly inspiring and good at choosing music. Kyle was motivated to practice, and the teacher let him explore music he was most interested in: modernism. So, he learned the Bartok Sonata, Bartok Suite, Ives, Rzewski, Ginastera, as well as (for some reason) a lot of Beethoven.
Kyle completed his DMA in 2018 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His dissertation focused on Catalogue d’oiseaux (Catalog of Birds) by Messiaen. It was based on the question: Philosophically, what are composers actually trying to do by representing the natural world through Western instruments/ensembles? Listen to a recording of Le Merle Noir by Olivier Messiaen.
Kyle moved to Northern Virginia in 2019 to work at the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The NASM is the accrediting body for degrees in music at colleges/universities in the U.S. His work with national conferences and alongside university deans directors provided valuable insight for his teaching and leadership opportunities.
Current Projects and Musical Interests
Performance Goals
Kyle is currently working on an all-French program: character sets of Debussy (Estampes, Images, etc.) and ballades of Chopin. One of his current goals is to play all of the ballades, back-to-back.
This past November, he happily purchased his dream piano! House concerts, anyone? Kyle now has two pianos in his teaching studio! He would welcome the chance to collaborate with any other teachers or musicians in the area.
Technique Research
“To some extent, I’m also always working on topics within piano technique, from a research or performance-practice perspective. This may sound boring to some, but the history of piano technique fascinates me.”
He reports that he will frequently approach Clementi, Czerny, Hanon, Chopin, and more in order to understand what they felt pianists should be required to do and WHY. Kyle argues that they were often writing exercises in line with the repertoire of their era. For example, Czerny exercises are helpful when playing Beethoven. Chopin etudes are helpful when playing other Chopin pieces.”
Life-long Skills and Favorite Music
One of his long-term goals includes improving sight reading. He says that this will always be a goal. “Can one ever be too good at the skill?” He also has a long-term project of reading through old treatises and compendiums related to keyboard technique. He will frequently spend an entire week on a couple of Clementi or Czerny exercises, for example, and he says that he finds himself continually humbled.
When asked what kind of music he enjoys, Kyle replied that his guilty pleasure is pop music. He also frequently listens to music that others find “creepy”. He finds very relaxing, such as the music of Morton Feldman. Feldman was a part of the “New York School” in midcentury America, alongside John Cage and others. Like Cage, Feldman’s music sounds spatial and even “random”, but it’s actually tightly controlled by very specific (changing) time signatures. Kyle describes Feldman’s specific kind of atonality as colorful and peaceful in the sense of a Zen Garden. (Palais de Mari). Additionally, he listens to a lot of music that he could see giving to students. He does this to broaden his own knowledge of piano repertoire.
Teaching Philosophy and Advice for Families
Kyle’s success strategy for parents is to learn alongside their child. Parents can attend the lesson with their child, take note of what’s required/expected, and hold the child to those expectations during the week. A scheduled daily practice time is also recommended.
Further, he says, “Kids should be exposed to music very regularly (through recordings or even live performance),” as that was the spark that made him fall in love with music. Kyle still goes to see/hear a lot of live music. “How else will musicians know what’s possible?”
Life Outside Music
When Kyle isn’t practicing or teaching, he describes himself as a voracious reader and wishes he could spend entire days reading. He also frequents a cycling (biking) class about three times a week. International travel is something he’s always planning a year or two in advance – currently working on an extended trip to Japan.
NVMTA Involvement
Kyle has participated in a variety of NVMTA events with his students and looks forward to participating in more events. He has learned about the typical standard and level that is required to consider a performance “successful”. Kyle serves as a judge for some of the Judged Recitals for NVMTA and WMTA, as well as the Lichtenberg competition (WMTA). He also judges in events that require you to be a judge if you have students participating (Fall Festival, Sonata Festival, Bach/Baroque Festival and Competition).
“Participating in these events and judging other students has shown me what typical rep is at those types of events, and what goes over well with other teachers/judges – it’s not always the technically perfect performance, but rather one that has spirit, expression, enjoyment, and ownership of the music. Through entering students in different types of events, it has also shown me that an impending public performance will almost always raise the student’s level of playing naturally – they just feel more pressure than they normally would, and that can be helpful and healthy.”
Kyle actively participates on the NVMTA board and on Virginia state issues. His advice to new members is to not be afraid to raise questions, suggestions, and issues whenever they arise. Private grumbling doesn’t lead to change, but taking proactive steps within the policies/procedures of the association often does. He suggests taking the time to learn about the standard procedures of a business/board meeting, for example, and (again) navigating the most effective ways to make suggestions. He encourages everyone to become a “policy wonk”!
Looking Ahead
Through his teaching, performing and service, Kyle exemplifies a deep belief in music as a rich way to explore one’s own personal curiosities, connect with others, and understand the many facets of the human need for expression. NVMTA is grateful for his leadership and engagement, and we look forward to the many ways he will continue to shape our music community in the years ahead.
You can learn more about Dr. Johnson at his website.
