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Musicians, Instrumental

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Arrange and edit music to fit style and purpose.

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Pianist / Tae Kwon Do Champion

<p>The team drives north to Chicago. They interview chef Homaru Cantu and go to a White Sox baseball game-a first for the Australians. Then they drive to Cleveland and interview Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The team drives east to New York City to visit with tattoo artist Eli Quinters and pianist and tae kwon do champion Elaine Kwon.</p>

Chicago - New York City

I recently got back into pianos, so after moving [INAUDIBLE] goes 37 and I was doing fitness modelling and martial art videos and still kind of playing a little bit. But then it was like, about a year and a half ago, maybe some tears and I was taking the cross town bus here on the corner, and I turned around and right behind me was a saxophone player, who I had played with back in college. And I hadn't seen him for years and we used to perform together and he was standing right behind me. And we sat on the bus together, caught up and that end of the bus ride we had already formed a group and we were going to start playing together. See it's one of those strange coincidences, which I don't know if you've read that Deepak Chopra book, you know there are no coincidences. So, that got me back into music and a year and a half later now I'm playing at Carnegie Hall on September 15th, so it's just kind of along that way. >> So if you had big dreams as a musician, I'd think that at that point you might, you think, oh, Kennedy Ford, the dream is over >> Yeah. >> Kind of thing. >> Yes! >> That's just amazing. >> I think if I had followed the regular path, I probably wouldn't be playing at Carnegie Hall right now, I would be living some state, somewhere, teaching full time at a college, and living life that way, instead of this. [LAUGH]. Sometimes I wonder how it happens. But I think it's if you keep your eyes just very open, and non-judgmental, and curious and just let things come into your life and out of your life and go with your heart. I think that's how good things happen. 

Chance

Forming A Band

[Piano Music Playing] Elaine Kwon, I'm really, really excited to meet her. Just because it seems like she's come from a very similar situation. [Fast paced piano] (Roadtrippers)  Wow! (Elaine)  The last note. I started playing the piano when I was four years old and my father is, he just wanted us to succeed and he still does. But he says, 'Not only are you asian and a minority 'but you're also female. 'So you have to work doubly hard, be doubly better to even get attention or recognition.' So that's, it's a lot of burden for little kids to, to carry around but we did and you know I really did a lot of piano, basically that was my childhood, performing at a young age and doing competitions and you know it was really tough when it came time to make a decision about college and you know about what were supposed to do and I was supposed to become a medical doctor. I have absolutely no experience, or no aptitude or anything but they had a vision of me being stable and secure in a nice profession, and I didn't listen so you know I, I went in to music and kind of made a break actually. What do you mean by, 'made a break?' When all of the schools are already decided, I was already set up to go to University of Washington and enroll in pre-med and I'd just done a competition in Texas and I met a piano teacher down there and it was sort of, I had a back door. This was all planned and just because I just didn't want to go into medicine and so I had that set up and I had a very tough conversation with my father then i just left and decided I'm going to follow my heart, that's what I thought I'm going to really absolutely follow my heart. 'Cause otherwise I'm going to feel sick inside. Ever since the age of maybe 15 or 16 when I wanted to study music and not physics, my communication with my dad is breaking down ever since. Like I, everyone's been telling me that it's important for me when I go home to, to sit down with him, kind of catch him up on my life but I'm not sure, how important is it to, 'cause I still live at home, how important do you think it is to kind of get away? (Elaine) For me it was very important. I slip back into old habits and old ways of feeling when I'm back. Sometimes the only way to really follow your own path is to create physical distance. It doesn't mean that you have to love them any less or have necessarily emotional distance but physical distance so that you can find yourself in your own space. And did you leave on good terms? Like there was still that pressure there 'cause you said-- Oh there's still the pressure. Oh, absolutely. Oh yeah, absolutely. I really truly know this because parents care. They care and they just want you to be happy and stable and safe but the pressure continued for me to find a full time teaching job somewhere as a university professor and to do this, then I wouldn't be, then I would become president of the university, you know like, they've already got it formulated out, how the path will go and I haven't done that. (Roadtrippers) Wow, what a brilliant photo! (Elaine) I jumped off a box, I don't know 50 or 60 times. I always wanted to do martial arts. Finally at age 25, I was getting my doctorate, there was a tae kwon do program and I started and I just, and I thought, 'Well, I'm so old now. 'I wish I had done it earlier but it's okay and 'I love it so much, and I trained and got my black belt 'and I competed and won things and I'm still doing it. I'm training Shaolin Kung Fu now and I started that when I was how old, 40, 41? You know this is where I thought, 'I'm just gonna, whatever strikes me, I'm gonna really try to explore' and not let fear or, 'oh well you shouldn't do that,' get into my head. I did all kinds of things, I did some fitness modeling, I did the Nike Asia ad campaign. (Roadtripper) How did you get into that? Was that because of your Tae Kwon Do? Yeah it was. They were, um, I just answered an ad. You know Nike looking for women ages 18 to 23 for all different kinds of sports. So I was 37 at the time, I thought, 'Ok well I'll go. I'll go for martial arts.' And I got through and I went in and the casting director, I don't think she put my age on there. You have so much time. You really do. You have so much time. And plus, like what's too old? How someone is supposed to be at a certain age is invented, somebody had said, 'This is how you should be when you're such and such an age.' So, we don't have to do that. You don't have to do that, you know. You can redefine what it means to be a woman at any age, really. 

Doubt

Family

Fear

Money & Financial Security

Pressure

Interview

I started playing piano when I was four years old. And my father is...he just wanted us to succeed. And he still does. But he says, "Not only are you, "you know, Asian and a minority, but you're also female! "So then, you have to be doubly... work doubly hard "and be doubly better to even get attention or get "the recognition you want." You know, so that's... It's a lot of burden for-for-for little kids to-to carry around. And, you know, I really did a lot of piano. That's basically... that was my childhood, you know. Performing at a young age and doing competitions. You know, it was really tough when it came time to make a decision about college. They had a vision of-of-of me being stable and secure and having a nice profession. And I didn't listen. So, you know, I went into music. And I just left and decided, "I'm going to...I'm gonna follow my heart, that's what I thought. "I'm going to really absolutely follow my heart. "'Cause otherwise, I'm gonna feel sick inside." 

Elaine Kwon Highlight

At this point in my life, I'm like, whatever. This is [LAUGH] this is how I am. I walk around barefooted. This is me on a Tuesday. And if I'm emotional grape it just makes me a better musician and I think, it takes a while to learn how to get comfortable in your own skin. Just whatever you're going through, you know you are building yourself. If you look at it that way it's like, I am just feeling myself getting fuller and stronger and more of a person. Each thing that happens, it's like I'm filling out. So that later you can really be a genuine, full person, not just half a person. Not just somebody who, that goes to the motions or says what people want you to say. 

Individualism

For me, the way that I've tried to keep that love in there is that now I wanna play for a purpose. So that's why this Carnegie Hall concert, we're doing it for charity, and for a really wonderful charity. So when I think in my mind, okay, this music, and what I'm playing, I'm learning is for a broader purpose. It's for something, it's not just me out there playing. Then that motivates me every time. And I have to keep that in my head. Okay this is for a greater cause. I'm using my music as a benefit to help because it's what I'm skilled to do. I know how to do that best. So I can help others in that way. It kind of comes around and with the Women's World Conference I'm involved with, I'm performing both solo piano and also with a singer and in that way, we're reaching out and we are communicating through music so it's for a bigger purpose, you know? That's how I keep the love for it. Yeah, I think if I just stayed in the path, and just teaching other students to do the same thing, I don't know. I couldn't have done it. 

Inspiration

Playing For A Broader Purpose

Oh, man. I was in school for a long time and that definitely does stilt creativity for sure. I mean, that's how I felt. I did four years undergrad, then I switched to another school, did two years master, then switched to another school and did five years for a doctorate. >> Wow. >> So it was just institution after institution, and it can really do a number on you definitely. But once you're done, and let yourself live and breathe a little, it will all come back. [LAUGH] Your great activity will come back to you. Don't worry about that. And whatever training that you've done, no one can take that away from you. You'll have that under your belt. 

School Stilts Creativity

You don't want regrets, you know? I worry it might hang over if you leave unresolved things. And if you're really in touch with yourself, things swing around. [LAUGH] Always eventually. It's something that you left undone, un-taken care of. It will come around again until you finish it. But you wanna look back on your life and say wow, I had a really interesting life. Don't you? Don't you wanna say that? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, no regrets. That's what I feel. It's like wow, that was really worthwhile, interesting life. 

Regrets

We all struggle with similar things. Especially, first of all, with being an Asian family and having a strict, I don't know if it was because your parents are Asian. [LAUGH] Mine were too, and they still are, they're living. It was definitely hard. Mine had immigrated from Korea. So in that sense, it's like you. I felt so much pressure and I still feel that pressure but it's mostly myself. Maybe it's a habit from when I was a kid but pressure externally, and then I internalize it and now I still put pressure on myself. But to be really something great, to make their trip over, and just to make giving up their family and their lives worth it. Sometimes I think parents don't ever truly understand. I've come to the fact that it's okay. It doesn't matter how old you are, they still have an idea of what they wanted you to do. And if you lived up to it, great, if not, it's not going to change their opinion too much. In some way, you have to say, I can handle myself and that's how some parents or some people will test and say you should do this because I don't see you doing any better. So in a way, it's like I will do better. I'm gonna do this on my own and be fine and happy. I'm doing what I really love to do. I'm so happy and it couldn't have happened if I had followed someone else's dream, someone else's path. 

After I got my Doctorate and started teaching, I kind of went the regular route after you get your degree, then you teach piano and you get a university position. That was sort of what I've been pressured to do. And I realized I don't wanna do that. I think I'd like to live a bit more. I want to do other things. And I was married at the time, too. I got married and I started my doctorate. And then I was supposed to be teaching, and maybe have a baby, and just do and be the regular life and live kind of suburbia and do that, and it just felt like it was so wrong. It was wrong. I had never traveled. I had done nothing, nothing but be in school just studying. I decided this isn't right. I'm not happy. This is wrong. This is not right for me, and made a big break. And, you know, I left my marriage. I just left. And, you know, it was just a really traumatic time. Very, very, very difficult. Losing friends, losing support from your family. It's just [LAUGH] it's really hard. I took some time and traveled about a year and a half. So, lot of these things here are from my travels. And I'd never traveled before. Put things in storage and just had an amazing time. You know, sky diving, and bungee jumping, and rafting, and hiking, and mountain climbing, and snorkeling, and scuba, and just living, and you know, just travelling. Just really experiencing. Experiencing life. 

Choices

Experience

Making Tough Choices

I finished my doctorate. I think I was 30 or so. Yeah, still in Boston. And then for the first couple of years I did do the regular path. I was teaching part-time at three colleges there and running around, and doing that. And that's when I went traveling. I think, by that time, I got divorced and that took some time. And so I moved to New York. I think, by that time, I was already 36, 37. So that whole chunk of time was just a life shift. And sometimes I think back, wow, I just wasted so much time. But I don't think anything is ever wasted. It really isn't. As long as you know that whatever you're learning and going through now is something that will be useful to you later. Even if it seems like it's bad, looking back I can say, wow, that's why I went through that back then. It's because it's either made me stronger for now or, I know what it's like to go through that. I can help someone. It's hard to explain when you're in it. And I know I'm probably going to things now that. [LAUGH] I'm thinking, why is that happening or what is this? And it will come back in a good way. So that way it takes a lot of pressure off. If you feel like no matter what's happening, it's the right thing that should be happening. Then you feel like, okay, it's all right. I'm just gonna live. I'm just gonna go with it, go with it, and go with my heart. And then everything will be okay. 

Struggle

I think it's when you try to gyp yourself that things go wrong, your health goes bad, let's say, cuz I started getting sick a lot when I was in the other situation. it just wasn't right. The stress, and everything was off. If you can just stay true to your heart. It's hard, it's hard to do that. You have people who tell you all the time, people tell you what you should be doing. Oh, you should do this, you should do that. If you try something new, there are lot of people who don't want you to try something new. If you just stick to what you feel is right, just stick to it, just stick to it. Let the comments and the doubters and whatever just deflect off of you, just stick stick stick stick stick with it. Time just tells in the end, absolutely, who's left standing, who's doing really what they want to do. It's absolutely being consistent and just moving forward. 

The Noise

As a classical musician, I'm not following the regular path. And a lot of my peers now have continued the path. So they've got all this other stuff that they're doing in the field of music. But having lived and broadened my experience with traveling and martial arts, everything like that. I can do even more because it's not just about one thing anymore. It really isn't. I mean, it's good to be skilled in one thing, it really is good to be skilled in one thing. But you know how life is, it's like this. So if you can at least have some experience in all these other areas, you just have more tools available. 

I'd always wanted to do martial arts. Finally at age 25, I was getting my doctorate, there was a Taekwondo program, and I started, and I just, I though well I'm so old now. I wish I had done it earlier, but it's okay. And I love it so much. And I trained and and got my black belt, second degree black belt, and I competed and won things. And I'm still doing it, I'm training Shaolin Kung Fu now and I started that when I was, how old 40, 41? You know, this where I thought, I'm just gonna, whatever strikes me. I'm gonna really try to explore and not let fear or oh, well you shouldn't do that get into my head. 

Courage

Desire

Determination

Exploration

Tae Kwon Do

When all the schools are already decided. I was already set up to go to University of Washington, and enroll in pre-med, and I had just done a competition in Texas, and I met a piano teacher down there and it was, sort of, I had a back door. [LAUGH] This was all planned just because I just didn't want, I didn't want to go into medicine. So I had that set up and I had very tough conversation with my father. And then I just left, and decided I'm gonna follow my heart and so I thought, I'm gonna really absolutely follow my heart, cuz otherwise I'm gonna feel sick inside. 

Passion

Perseverance

Following My Heart

I started playing the piano when I was four years old and my father, he just wanted us to succeed, he still does. But he says not only are you Asian and a minority but you're also female so you have to work doubly hard and be doubly better to even get attention or get the recognition. So it's a lot of burden for little kids to carry around, but [LAUGH], but we did. And I really did a lot of piano. That's basically, that was my childhood, performing at a young age and doing competitions. It was really tough when it came time to make a decision about college, and about what we're supposed to do, and am I supposed to become a medical doctor. I have absolutely no experience, or no aptitude, or anything. But they had a vision of me being stable and secure and having a nice profession and I didn't listen. So, I went into music. [LAUGH] 

Childhood

I did all kinds of things, I did some fitness modeling, I got the Nike Asia ad campaign. >> How did you get into that from, was that because of your Tai Kwan Do? >> Yeah, it was. I just answered an ad. Nike looking for women ages 18 to 23 for all different kinds of sports. And so I was 37 at the time I thought, okay, I'll go. I'll go for martial arts. And I got through and the casting director didn't, I don't think she put my age on there. You have so much time. You really do. I mean so much time. And plus like what's too old? How is someone supposed to be a certain age is invented. Somebody had said oh, this is how you should be at such and such age. So? We don't have to do that. You don't have to do that. [LAUGH] You can redefine what it means to be a woman at any age really. 

Elaine Kwon

Pianist / Tae Kwon Do Champion

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Elaine Kwon

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