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Jennifer Haines is one of the younger composers that I have interviewed. At twenty-eight, she has released two well-received CDs (“Christmas Magic” and “Thoughts And Dreams”) and is a popular artist on Whisperings Solo Piano Radio. Jennifer and I had a lot of fun last year getting the sheet music for both CDs transcribed and ready to market. This also gave me the chance to really get into her music and to get better acquainted with Jennifer as well - both were a pleasure!
Jennifer was born in Placentia, CA on February 3, 1980. She lived in Southern California until she was thirteen, and then her family moved to the White Mountains of Arizona. Jennifer has one sister, Elizabeth, who is not a musician, “but she is certainly a music lover!” Jennifer’s father is a retired track and field and cross-country coach who worked at ValenciaHigh School in California for thirty years. He also coached for a few years at Show Low High School in Arizona. “I was fortunate to have him as my coach when I was in high school,” Jennifer says. “He taught me to pole vault!” Her mom was an “amazing” homemaker while Jennfifer and her sister were growing up. Now that both girls are out of the house, Jen’s mom teaches kindergarten at a local charter school. Here is the interview with Jennifer:
KP: How old were you when you started playing the piano?
Haines: When I was ten, I took lessons for about nine months. I enjoyed lessons for the most part, but I wasn't satisfied with learning the songs at my grade level so I ended up quitting.
KP: Were you encouraged to improvise or compose by your piano teacher or anyone else?
Haines: A friend of mine named Julia was the first person to encourage me to improvise at the piano. She taught me a little theory and showed me how to play chords. It wasn't much, but I really began to look at the piano in a new way. It became more accessible and less daunting.
KP:Do you play other instruments?
Haines: I also play the guitar. I'm not as familiar with it as I am with the piano, but I can play well enough for singing around the campfire.
KP: How old were you when you started improvising?
Haines: I was seventeen when I learned to improvise, but it wasn't until I was twenty-two that I actually began to write my own piano pieces.
KP: Did you play with any rock bands in high school and/or college?
Haines: No, but when I was in high school, I was the guitar player for a worship team at church. That was a lot of fun and a wonderful experience.
KP: When did you start playing professionally?
Haines: Well, I recorded my first CD when I was twenty-two. When I was twenty-three, I began promoting my music on the Internet, so somewhere around that time.
KP: Who or what are your biggest musical influences?
Haines: I love nature. From the forests of the White Mountains to the desert landscapes of the Phoenix area to the oceans here on Long Island and back in California. God's creation never ceases to inspire and amaze me. My family and our experiences together are also a huge source of inspiration.
KP: What inspired you to start composing your own music?
Haines: There were actually a few things that inspired me to compose. My sister-in-law, Melissa, was a huge inspiration. She loves to write music. In fact, she and I have written a song together. I don't think the idea of writing my own pieces would have happened if not for her. My husband, Peter, bought me a piano even though I told him I would probably never play it. He just knew I needed it. Composing certainly wouldn't have happened without that piano. Then there was the day that I was sitting at the piano with my daughter, Naomi. She was only two-years-old and she was just patting at the keys with her cute toddler hands. All of a sudden, she played a few notes that I loved! I wrote a song around those notes right then. I haven't stopped composing since.
KP: How many pieces have you composed so far? Have you recorded most of them?
Haines: I have composed sixty-nine pieces (not counting songs I have arranged), and I have recorded all of them except the very first song I wrote (I forgot how it went!). Since I write all of my music from memory, I would lose a song if I didn't record it. My earliest recordings weren't released commercially, though. I only gave copies to my family. It wasn't until my brother-in-law suggested that I try to promote my music on the Internet that I decided to introduce my music to a wider audience.
KP: How is your sheet music doing?
Haines: I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback on the sheet music! I’ve received letters from piano teachers whose students are learning my pieces to perform at recitals and die-hard fans who own every piece of sheet music that I’ve transcribed. It’s pretty awesome!
KP: Do you perform often?
Haines: Actually, at this time, I don't perform live at all. I have so much going on in my
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