2.  Born in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 9 th 1966  Parents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany  Father was a classical pianist and wanted John to be well versed in music like himself. Notes: With the guidance of his musician father, Schmidt could easily play classical compositions that are meant for only seasoned pianists. Both of Jon’s parents had a taste for classical music that he immediately picked up on.

3.  At 10, Schmidt was making appearances on stage with his father › Audiences enjoyed watching such a young boy play but his true talent wasn’t fully recognized till much later  Near the age of five, Schmidt was listening to compositions of classical composers › Parents exposed him to many different instruments, but piano was his instrument of choice. › Could also play many of the classical pieces he enjoyed listening to at a young age. Notes: Enjoyed listening to the likes of Mozart and Beethoven at a young age. Known to make appearances of stage with his father. Seeing such a young and talented musician perform was astonishing to most of the audiences who watched, however, the world didn’t recognize Schmidt’s talents until much later in his life.

4.  Quit teaching piano at the age of 16 to peruse a career as a professional pianist  August End was Schmidt’s first album to be produced › Followed by seven other albums and seven piano books for children and adults  Most popular album is Hymns Without Words › Most of the tracks were written by other composers and Schmidt put his own personal touch to them. Notes: August End (produced 1991 by JS Productions), Hymns Without Words (produced 2006 by JS Productions) all albums stayed true to the character of his first album

5.  Since the release of Hymns Without Words, Schmidt has gone for a more modern approach › His new song, Viva la Vida meets Love Story is one of his top selling tracks of his career › In the song, he mixes classical playing with new age rhythm. › The song also includes a classical cellist Notes: Schmidt’s influences range from Beethoven to Billy Joel, which makes his musical style truly one of a kind and most definitely recognizable to listeners. Having played alongside the likes of David Arkenstone, John Tesh, Kurt Bestor, Lex de Azevedo, and Peter Breinholt, Schmidt keeps showing his abilities as a pianist to play with many genres of music.

6.  Christopher’s Song › Released in 1966 on Schmidt’s sixth album, A Day In The Sunset  Inspired by the likes of David Arkenstone because of instrumentals that accompany piano

7.  Written for his son Christopher › Starts off slow in tempo then gradually gets faster and more up beat › Change in tempo indicates to listeners that things always get better in the end › Woodwinds, drums and guitar are added toward the middle of the song to make the end more up beat like his son is said to be Notes: By mixing variations of instruments with fast and slow tempos, harsh and pleasing tones, and staccato notes with long drawn out chords, Schmidt keeps the song interesting and inspiring to the listener through his intricate playing. the song much more lively than in the beginning where just the piano is playing. Also, the overall tone of the instruments becomes more pleasing as the song progresses. Schmidt with his three children

8.  All of Me › Released in 1991 in Schmidt’s August End album › Highlights his true talent as a pianist  Plays the song quickly while still being precise  One harmony is played in the treble clef while a separate harmony is played in the bass clef

9.  Schmidt spent more time writing All of Me than almost any other of his compositions › Also was the first song he preformed after releasing his album › Second most popular song he has ever produced Notes: All of Me, is a fitting title for this composition because of the extraordinary amount of work into writing. Also, it was the very first song Schmidt preformed after releasing his first album.

10.  Don’t Stop Believin’- Journey › Comprised of an introduction, 4 verses, a chorus, and one bridge › Introduction begins with just the piano playing the harmony  Played in quadruple meter  Played in bass clef but still up beat Notes: The lyrics begin still with no accompaniment other than the piano. None of the lines rhyme with each other, however the 1 st and 3 rd lines in the verse have rhyme within themselves. Also, the 2 nd and 4 th lines are the identical other than one says “she” and the other says “he”

11.  Throughout the song: › The piano harmony changes at the beginning of verses and choruses › Electric guitar, drums, and synthesizer are brought in to make the song more up beat and to add texture. › Tempo speeds up during choruses and slows down during verses.  Tempo of piano is always in the same meter. Only the tempo of the singer and other instruments change

12.  By the end of the song: › Ends with the bridge; made of three verses  High pitched guitar solo leads the song from the last chorus to the bridge  Accentuates last word of every line › The tempo is the same as in the chorus (faster than the rest of the song) › All instruments are still playing, including vocals, volume just slowly fades down

13.  Ben Folds Five- Brick › Comprised of and introduction, four verses, a chorus, a chorus add-on and › Begins with piano playing harmony  Guitar, drums and vocals are added in by verse one  Piano plays the same harmony throughout the song  Plays in quadruple meter  Drums alternate between duple and quadruple

14.  Throughout the song: › Tempo shifts between choruses and verses  Choruses are more upbeat while verses are slower in tempo and the singer is softer  By the end of the song: › Ends after the final chorus on an upbeat tone › Drums begin playing eight beats per minute in the fourth verse to lead into the end of the song  The cello, then the drums, are taken out one after another then the piano slowly fades out as the song ends. Notes: The instruments remain the same as in the chorus during the chorus add-on which helps the song to end on an upbeat note. Also, similarly to the chorus, every other line in the chorus add-on rhymes with each other. During the last line, the drums suddenly begin playing eight notes per measure and increase even further in tempo by the end of the line to make the end of the song more lively and so the verse will flow directly into the chorus.

15.  Ben Folds- Landed › Comprised of and introduction, four verses, a chorus, a chorus add-on and a bridge › Introduction begins with piano playing the harmony quickly in quadruple meter  By verse one the tempo slows down and guitar, drums and vocals are added  Piano reverts back to harmony played in the introduction during each chorus and during the bridge and chorus add-on

16.  By the end of the song › Instruments are double the temp they started with › Artist puts in a bridge to give variation › Song ends with the chorus add-on which includes background singers  The instruments and the background singers are still playing and singing while the volume slowly decreases. Notes: The normal harmony of the piano begins again at the start of the chorus. As previously mentioned, the first four lines are the same as the other choruses’ while the final line is different.

17.  Dillon, Charlotte. "Jon Schmidt Biography." Yahoo Music. Yahoo Inc., 2010. Web. 03 Sep 2010..  Schmidt, Jon. "Biography." Jon Schmidt. JSP Productions, 05 Jun 2009. Web. 05 Sep 2010..  Webmaster, John. "Jon Schmidt Biography." Lost.FM. CBS Music Interactive Music Group, 04 Feb 2007. Web. 05 Sep 2010..  www.lyricsfreak.com