Casio – Piano Lessons – William Joseph composer of O America

July 2, 2013 – William Joseph – A Great Pianist & Musician – There’s no doubt that music usually “moves people” emotionally when they play it or listen to it, especially if it means something to them by way of the words and/or music. The great dream of all good musicians is to play in a concert of some type or write a song that is a “big hit.” Whether it’s Rock music, Broadway, Jazz, Classical, Latin, or Patriotic, most musicians would love to have that experience because it’s the culmination of all the hard work they put into becoming a musician.

When it comes to playing the piano, many young students do it because either their parents are encouraging them or the parent is “making them do it” regardless of what the child likes. But in either case, it’s the piano teacher and the instrument which the student practices on at home that can help determine a successful outcome. Wouldn’t it be great if YOUR child could not only play the piano well for their own enjoyment, but also “move others” emotionally with their music in performance!? Perhaps one day your child will play piano on stage somewhere, write a famous song for someone else to sing as so many songwriters do (and I know some famous songwriters), or just simply play for themselves as a great form of “release” and relaxation. But to get to that point, the piano student needs to have a good piano (digital or acoustic), practice on a regular basis at home, and have a good piano teacher who they can really communicate and connect with. When you can do all that, great things will happen.

Take for instance my young friend William Joseph. I’ve known and worked with William for a number of years and he is a great guy, family man, and a fine musician. He did exactly what I just talked about when it came to taking piano lessons. William started young, had encouragement from his family, had a teacher who cared about him and his musical progress, and William worked hard and never gave up. In fact, William became a popular local piano teacher here in the Phoenix area for a number of years and is now a world wide performer and songwriter. William writes his own music and one of his compositions has recently become a big hit for the “Celtic Women.” The name of that song is called “O America” and the lyrics to it were written by Brendan Graham, the famous lyricist who composed the song “You Raise Me Up” made popular by Josh Groban. Well, it doesn’t get much better than that! And to add to William’s success, he is being produced by David Foster, the famous producer of Celine, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, and Andrea Bocelli to name a few. So William is in very good company and has become quite successful all because he stuck with it and had a love for music. If you want to learn more about William, go to his web site here: William Joseph web site

William Joseph started out just like any other young child taking piano lessons but always had something good to practice on. If you are a parent reading this, your child (or yourself) should be allowed to play and practice on an instrument at home that will help them to have fun, stay motivated, and progress towards their musical goals. There are many great acoustic & digital pianos out there including Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway, Roland, Kurzweil, Casio, and others. But most families that I work with want (and need) to keep the cost of the piano down in the beginning…and I agree with that. The cost of piano lessons alone can be near or at $100 per month per student so taking piano lessons and having a good piano to practice on is a big investment.

Kawai CE220

The piano you get needs to have a good piano touch & tone, and in the case of a digital piano, offer some educational technology that helps with practicing piano at home.  I happen to like and recommend digital pianos as a great lower cost investment in your child’s (or your) musical future. The requests I receive from people all over the country start with wanting a good piano for between $1000-$2000. In my opinion, one of the best new pianos out there right now in that price range with the important features a piano student needs to have, is the Kawai CE220 ($1899 internet price). I have written an extensive blog review about this piano so take a look at it when you have time.  Kawai CE220 Review

If you want more info on these and other pianos and lower prices than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call me direct at 602-571-1864

By the way, here’s a video (below) of the “Celtic Women” singing William
Joseph’s “O America.” If you haven’t heard the song or seen the Celtic
Women in concert, then you’re in for a treat when you watch this. Also,
below that video is one of William himself playing the piano…AMAZING! 

And here’s William himself performing in a televised concert for David Foster: