Title: Whenever You're Ready; How to Compose the Life of Your Dreams
Author: Jeeyoon Kim
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication Date: August 24, 2021
Length: 264 Pages
About the Author
Jeeyoon Kim is a professional concert pianist who has performed in venues like Carnegie Hall, the Chamber Music Society in San Francisco, and the Stradivari Society in Chicago. As an accomplished performing artist and award-winning music educator, she credits her success to key disciplines, practices, and mindsets that she lives out every day.
Composing the Life of Your Dreams
Jeeyoon Kim has written a memoir that details her life as a concert pianist. She shares her techniques for preparing yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically for your own performances.
The book is organized like a piano concert:
- Prelude
- Movement #1; Practice until Practicing Is a Part of Your Normal Life
- Intermission #1
- Movement #2; Guard Your Mind and Keep Negativity at Bay
- Intermission #2
- Movement #3; Create, Dream, and Play
- Intermission #3
- Movement #4; Connect with Yourself, Others, and the Universe
- Intermission #4
- Movement #5; Take Care of Your Body and Your Environment
- Encore
At the end of each chapter, there are activities for you to apply in your own life.
My Thoughts
This book is magnificent. I found it to be informative, inspiring, and motivational. I am a pianist (beginner/intermediate) and could relate to many of the experiences the author had in her childhood years of piano lessons, practicing and perfecting her skills. I was interested in how she deals with the "jitters" that many musicians deal with before performing in public. Jeyoon Kim learned at a young age that she would need to dedicate her entire life to music if she was going to achieve her goals and make her dreams come true.
This book is magnificent. I found it to be informative, inspiring, and motivational. I am a pianist (beginner/intermediate) and could relate to many of the experiences the author had in her childhood years of piano lessons, practicing and perfecting her skills. I was interested in how she deals with the "jitters" that many musicians deal with before performing in public. Jeyoon Kim learned at a young age that she would need to dedicate her entire life to music if she was going to achieve her goals and make her dreams come true.
This book is much more than a biography of the author's life. She shares her secrets for living a successful life and dealing with the challenges that we all ultimately face. There are workbook-like activities at the end of each chapter to help readers apply key concepts to their own situations.
I found the first section of this book, "Practice until Practicing Is a Part of Your Normal Life", especially helpful. The techniques in this section of the book can be applied to any skill that you want to excel in. The author reminds us that the turtle wins the race over the rabbit. Perseverance and persistence are important traits to use when working toward a goal. The concept of natural talent is downplayed and a strong work ethic is emphasized.
I have been listening to Jeeyoon Kim's cd album "Over, Above, Beyond" while writing this review. The music is stunning. My favorite selection on the cd is her rendition of the classic children's song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
You can listen to the author play the piano on her YouTube Channel.
I highly recommend this book!
5 STARS OUT OF 5
FYI ~ I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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