311: Replay – Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys

Our episode today is actually a favourite episode from the archives where we’re going to be sharing with you one of our earlier episodes way back in 2018 with none other than the piano guy from The Piano Guys, Jon Schmidt. In this interview, Jon gives us the inside scoop of his awesome YouTube videos, as well as his thoughts on tampering with the classics, and what we can do to inspire the next generation of creative pianists.

• The magic behind The Piano Guys’ incredible music videos.
• What it’s like to be inspiring so many piano students around the world.
• How Jon started with traditional piano lessons.
• Where the inspiration for Waterfall came from.
• How Jon approaches teaching chords to students.
• How The Piano Guys go about choosing and creating new arrangements.
• Jon’s views on “messing” with the music of the great composers.
• The essentials of Jon’s own practice routine.
• What we can do to inspire the Jon Schmidts of the future.

Links Mentioned

• The Piano Guys
• The Piano Guys YouTube Channel

Today’s Guest

Jon Schmidt was born to German Immigrant parents, who gave him the gift of early education in music. Classical training fell on the fertile ground of Jon’s natural talents for music and hard work. Schmidt began composing as early as age 11. He started teaching piano lessons when most people get a driver’s license and he began a successful solo career in his early twenties. Schmidt’s 20 year solo career has included many albums, performances, and awards. The Piano Guys entrapped Schmidt with their lair of beautiful pianos. Shortly thereafter, they all ran away together to create spectacular piano/cello video content. Their goal is humble—to inspire those that may listen. Schmidt contributes not just to the on-screen piano talent, but he loves to throw out all of his ideas, and he is not afraid to edit and revise until he has a refined and quality product. Jon finds his fire for the journey seeing the joy of people who hear great music. He is thrilled to reach a wider audience through his work with The Piano Guys.

Thank you for tuning in!

Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.