An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
”Be Authentic” — Other people can help you know yourself better, but no one else can define who you are and what you stand for (unless you let them). Failure to be true to yourself will cause you to try to “blend in” with the crowd and lose your uniqueness which is what makes you special. Attempting to be like other people will cause you to question and second-guess every important decision you make, and will lead to a stripped-down homogenized version of who you are.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Steven Jenkins.
Steven Jenkins is a self-described “recovering piano student” who helps people with busy schedules learn piano in a unique way that does not require them to take lessons. After quitting piano lessons five times and spending nearly a decade of research and development, Steven knows what it truly takes to help people get over the difficult hump of understanding piano. By developing a patented method that simplifies music theory and reduces stress and anxiety, Steven is helping the 80% of people who like him have quit traditional piano lessons in the past. Steven has landed coverage in print and broadcast outlets around the world and has been recognized in academia as a modern innovator to be watched. Recent partnerships with creatives and scholars have brought Steven into circles where he is been able to inspire and help others. Steven is on a mission to spread his positive message of reaching goals despite the struggles while helping people achieve their dreams of playing the most beautiful and complex musical instrument in the world, the piano.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Being able to play piano has been a lifelong dream that I struggled with for most of my life trying to achieve. I tried everything from, taking piano lessons to online forums, and self-help piano courses. Finally, after quitting piano lessons five times, I developed a simplified method that allows people to play piano without having to struggle or take expensive time-consuming lessons. A few years ago, my personal struggle to learn piano turned into a mission much bigger than myself that I feel will ultimately leave the world in a better place than it was when I found it.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting thing that has happened to me since I started on this path was the actual “aha moment” when the pieces all came together for my piano method. It was like a light shining on me when I realized that my struggles to play piano were over and I would be able to help so many other people like me who had given up.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
The primary philosophies that have guided me in life, as well as my career, are to persevere through adversity and to never give up on anything worthwhile. I have always believed that there is more than one way to do anything, so if you ever get stuck on anything, keep hacking at it and your diligence will pay off.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
My big idea is Piano Made Simple. The piano is arguably the most beautiful musical instrument, yet it is also the most complex and intimidating. My method for playing the piano is based on the scientific process of simplification. It breaks down complicated sheet music and music theory to the most basic levels of human comprehension which could actually make this beautiful instrument accessible to a massive group of people it is currently unavailable to.
How do you think this will change the world?
Eighty percent of people that take piano lessons end up quitting their lessons before they are ever able to play piano. These people have not failed piano, rather their piano lessons have failed them. My mission is to reverse these sad consequences of a rigidly strict tradition of teaching piano in an overly structured way that does not work for most people. By removing the technical barriers of playing piano by simplifying it and making it easier to understand I am allowing people to connect with a musical side of themselves that they never knew was possible for them.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
My method has been compared to “Paint by numbers — for piano”. It is so easy to use that some have questioned whether it truly teaches people how to play piano or if it creates a “crutch” for the people that use it. I view my method as a “bridge” connecting the student directly to the solution which can be used indefinitely or it can be used as a springboard to other avenues of learning music theory at a deeper level.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
The “tipping point” that brought about this idea to life came 10 years ago after I quit piano lessons the fifth time. By that time I knew for certain that I was never going to sign up for piano lessons again because my busy life would not allow the time required for lessons and practice.
This time I had been taking lessons for 6 months and I hadn’t even gotten to the point in the lessons where I would be able to actually play any songs beyond entry-level. That’s when I realized that learning piano needed to be systematized so that anybody could understand how to do it without requiring a piano teacher. One day while I was online looking for a way to play a piano song for my wife at our anniversary party, I taped a piece of paper to my piano keys and sketched the lines at the exact location of the piano keys. I extended those lines all the way up the paper to allow space for me to make notes. As the song played from start to finish, I listened carefully and copiously made marks on the sheet of paper next to each relevant piano key as the song was being played. By the end of this session. I played back the song on piano using the template I had just created and to my surprise, it worked! Within minutes of me creating the piano template, I was able to play the most beautiful song for my wife on piano at our anniversary.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
For my idea to gain widespread acceptance, I need mass exposure so my positive message can reach the masses of people that want to learn piano but have given up. People must also be open-minded to different ways of learning piano because the old ways do not work for them.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1)”Be Authentic”
Other people can help you know yourself better, but no one else can define who you are and what you stand for (unless you let them). Failure to be true to yourself will cause you to try to “blend in” with the crowd and lose your uniqueness which is what makes you special. Attempting to be like other people will cause you to question and second-guess every important decision you make, and will lead to a stripped-down homogenized version of who you are.
2) “Write a Mission Statement”
Define who you are and what you are about and keep your mission in front of you. It will serve as your moral and financial compass that will enable you to take the necessary actions to bring your vision to reality.
My mission is bigger than the product that represents the mission. It is my overarching desire to help people play the piano that drives all of my decisions. Keeping my mission in clear focus has helped me to overcome obstacles that would otherwise be “roadblocks” to success.
3) “Start Early”There are advantages to being the first to do something whether it be using a social platform or bringing a product to market. Delaying the start of your mission is unproductive and self-defeating because it allows for other people to move faster than you and gain a better foothold in your space. If I would have started growing my list of supporters when I first started working on this concept, this big idea would already be big.
4) “Take Consistent Decisive Action”
Everyone comes up with a good idea, but most people don’t do anything about it. The more time passes the more they pick apart the idea until it is dead or too late to act on.
For several years I acted on the flawed thinking that delaying taking action for the sake of delivering a better product. In hindsight, I understand now that I failed to take action because I was afraid of finding out what other people would think about my idea. So I held back from letting anyone know what I was working on, thinking that I would emerge one day with a perfect project.
No matter how good or bad your product is, there will always be people that love it and others that hate it. So put it out there into the world and let the world decide. If your product is authentically helpful, the people that connect with your concept will accept it as it is and will allow you to refine it later.
5) “Make Meaningful Connections and Get Help”
This has been one of my most difficult yet most beneficial learnings to date.
In the past, I would try to learn everything related to my business so that I could do it all myself and feel in control of my own destiny. I found myself constantly reading books and taking courses rather than working on the most important thing, my product.
Then I came across a piece of advice that changed my whole perspective. It was a statement written online somewhere that said something like, “Don’t try to be a lone wolf. You aren’t a wolf. You’re a human. And humans need help”.
That one statement changed my whole outlook about trying to do everything myself. Instead of trying to write patents, I hired attorneys. Instead of trying to learn the ins and outs of marketing, I hired professional marketers.
I still read a lot of books, but they are more relevant to self-development rather than the technical aspects of running a business.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Stay Mission Focused.
There are so many “shiny objects” out there vying for your attention that can distract you from who you are and what you need to do to make progress. When you get lost, let your mission be the shining light to get you back on the right path.
Wake Up With a Purpose.
Life without a purpose is destined for haphazard results. Success doesn’t just happen to you, you have to create it. Don’t let a single day pass where you are unfocused or uncertain about who you are and why you are here. From the moment you wake until you go to sleep live your purpose.
Let Your Work be the Reward.
Do not be overly focused on vanity metrics such as “likes” and “followers” that may or may not be indicators of success. Do the work it takes to reach your goals and stay focused on working on your mission. When you love what you do, the reward is in the work and the results will come because you took positive incremental mission-focused actions.
Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard.
Daymond John’s theory on the “The Power of broke How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage” emphasizes the importance of turning limited resources into a powerful mechanism that can grow your business beyond the scale of what any amount of money and influence could possibly do.
Take Care of Yourself.
If you’re going to be a resource to others, fill your own cup first. Don’t sacrifice your health and mental sanity, or relationships for the sake of the pursuit of financial dreams. Take care of your mind. Take care of your body. Spend time with your family. Pray. Find a way to position your mission comfortably with the more important aspects of life.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
My vision is to share the gift of playing piano with the masses of people that would love to play piano but feel that it is too difficult or confusing.
People typically enroll in expensive piano courses that are overly strict and require too much time and resources to see results. These factors have led to an 80% dropout rate of committed piano students with especially high failure rates among adults with busy lifestyles.
My company solves this problem by providing a patented method based on the science of simplification that employs positive teaching techniques along with visual aids that ensure rapid learning for the student.
We are seeking to make key connections with people that share our core vision and interest and will be utilizing highly targeted marketing along with media exposure to build a list of users to take our products to market and bring this vision to a level of success that truly impacts the world in positive ways.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Website: www.controlshiftpiano.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ControlShiftPiano
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfuzHmmFRHQ9uHRGOd2Hsow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctrlshiftpiano
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Piano Made Simple: Steven Jenkins’ Big Idea That Might Change The World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
