ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
Music in Focus: pianist Kai Ono sets sights on NYC
► JACKSON DODD
@snooopdodd
A student sat on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union, confidently playing the piano.
"Do you know "Turkish March?" one onlooking student said to the student playing the piano.
The musician immediately started playing the familiar tune.
"Oh, play 'River Flows in You,' I know you'll know that one," the student said once more.
Yet again, he played and a group of students gathered around to listen.
They were observing Kai Ono, a junior majoring in piano performance and composition. Ono is originally from Orange County, Calif., where he attended the Yamaha Music Center. He is a jazz musician who performs with the jazz and wind ensemble as the pianist. He started playing piano at the age of five.
He described Yamaha as mainly a piano school, with one private session and one group session each week.
"Where I'm from, that was the typical age kids started learning piano," Ono said. "Me starting piano wasn't different from any other kid's story. I kind of started just because my parents wanted me to. My compliant self said, 'Sure, why not?'
"In high school, I was serious but not that focused on piano," Ono said. "I have this stupid thing where I want to learn every musical instrument. For really no reason at all, I just took an advantage and tried to take a learning curve on every instrument."
Other instruments Ono can play include the cello, clarinet, saxophone and percussion.
Ono has a talent that he and his classmates developed in high school, perfect pitch, which is when a person can hear any note and know immediately what it is without reference. The school taught the kids to sing, dance, and recognize different notes at a young age.
"For me, at the time it just became instinct," Ono said. "My entire class graduated with perfect pitch, and I thought everyone who didn't have it was grossly untalented. I eventually learned that most people don't have it."
He won the Young Pianist's Beethoven Competition in San Jose in high school but went on to bigger things during his time in Lawrence.
What brought Ono to the University is a current professor of piano pedagogy at the University, Scott McBride Smith.
Smith was Ono's piano mentor, and used to teach at the University of Southern California. Smith started teaching at the University six years ago, but Ono has known him since first grade. He was Ono's mentor throughout high school and was good friends with his former piano teacher.
"Kai was always talented," Smith said. "I encouraged him to come to KU since I knew he could explore all his many musical interests and find the focus to achieve excellence."
Ono said Smith helped him decide on colleges and said the University was his top choice.
"We talked throughout high school, and he was a great source of guidance, even though he wasn't my teacher because he was here [in Lawrence]," Ono said. "I didn't apply to many schools, and it was a pretty obvious decision to come here."
When Ono came to Lawrence, he noticed the School of Music was relatively small compared to other colleges.
new piece, "Everybody is with Everybody Else." Ono said he gains influence for his music by pretty much everyone he listens to.
"Whenever I come across any piece of music I really love, it shows in my music, either in my playing or writing," Ono said. "I heard legendary organist and pianist Cory Henry, and that was incredible."
Ono's long-term plan is to end up in New York. He
told himself in February that he'd strive to land a job in New York but wasn't gaining any headway on receiving responses from any dance schools there.
"I emailed every dance school in New York, and got replies from two of them. My last hope was a studio named Steps on Broadway and thankfully it worked out." Ono said.
He recently landed a day job in New York this
"My job has been to help guide him and give him the tools he needs," Smith said. "It's been a lot of fun. He's a great young guy. I'm really proud of him."
summer to be an accompanying pianist and said he believes he has a strong chance of working there after graduation.
Smith, who was instrumental in getting Ono to the University, said he's proud of the young pianist and is excited for what his future holds.
students take."
**Alex Robinson/KANSAN**
Kat Ono is a piano and composition major who is the pianist for the KU Jazz and Wind Ensemble. He also plays and composes his own music.
- Edited by G.J. Melia
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