An Interview with Jennifer Bouch
When did you first become interested in playing music?
I have to credit my parents for my interest in playing music. They both played piano, so from my earliest days I saw and heard piano playing in our house. My official piano lessons began around age 5, but one of my favorite early pictures is from around age 2 with my mom singing and playing piano while I was sitting in her lap.
How long have you been teaching music?
All of my first teaching experiences were with my own children! I began teaching Clara piano in 2004 when she was 5 years old, and then continued with all of the others at around the same starting age. It wasn’t until 2017 that I realized if I could teach my own children with all the resistance they gave me, I could certainly teach other children. So I posted on Facebook and a local homeschool email list, and thus my teaching studio was born that year.
What is your favourite part of teaching music?
My favorite part of teaching music to others is knowing that I’m giving them the foundation of a lifelong skill with the potential for immense enjoyment. I’m so grateful for the investment my parents made in my piano training, so I naturally hope that my students will be equally grateful for their musical training one day.
What is your favourite part of playing music?
As much as I love playing the piano, my favorite musical moments have always been in ensembles with others. I spent countless hours in band or wind ensemble in high school and college. The beauty of certain timbres and harmonies leaves me in awe of God’s creativity and artistry.
What do you hope to be doing musically in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5-10 years I’ll still be spending much of my time helping facilitate the musical development of my two youngest children, Peter and Victoria, who play piano and violin respectively. I look forward to the days of attending Victoria’s youth orchestra concerts, and I love that she’ll get to experience the joys of performing orchestral masterpieces the same way Clara has.
I also hope to continue to hone my teaching skills – inspiring many more students to truly enjoy playing piano - not just play it because their parents “make” them.
Who is your inspirational BEAUTY? (male or female)
In recent years God has blessed me with a fun new friend who exemplifies BEAUTY - Marnice Charles. Marnice generously loves and serves others while also respecting her own personal limits. She always speaks the truth without pretenses, while at the same time her overflowing cheerfulness lights up the room. I’m so thankful she hasn’t shied away from jumping right into the mix of our busy household. We are all blessed by her authentic and loving presence.
Some fun facts:
In 2019 I trained for a marathon watching Korean dramas on a treadmill. Really! Since I prefer to stay out of the sun (a complete 180 turn-around from my teen years when I wanted to be tan) I did about 95% of my training at Planet Fitness, and as a bonus, I got to see several K-dramas I’d been wanting to see. Highly recommended training method!
Aside from that marathon training, I actually love running outside in the winter. And even sub-freezing temps are ok. I also love going for twilight walks in the winter. I’ve found that I don’t mind the cold of winter as much as I mind the darkness. So by mid-February when sunset is after 5:30, I’m pretty happy!
I love to drive. I’ve never been a mom who dreads being her kids’ taxi driver – instead, driving is the best time to listen to to music and not worry about whatever messy state the house might be in. Sometime in 2021 it dawned on me that a legitimately difficult/bummer aspect of 2020 was hardly ever driving anywhere!