We recently connected with Sen Yoshimura and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sen, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
The work of the musician has no end. Music doesn’t have a physical form, and musicians don’t even have a holiday, which can make it easy to become overwhelmed. Given the often busy and irregular nature of a musician’s life, I find it crucial to derive resilience from daily routines. For example, as a human, we need to eat every day. I found that it is valuable for me to cook my own meals Instead of relying on takeout. Not only does this allow me to enjoy the process and create healthier options, but it also helps me save money. Interestingly, I’ve noticed parallels between music and cooking; both are artistic endeavors where subtle details of the composition and recipe can significantly impact the outcome, providing me with valuable insights as a musician. Besides that, during the practice or composing, I tend to get short breaks although sometimes I don’t stop when I am in a zone. According to the Harvard University’s research, we can concentrate on more with short break rather than working continuously. Thus, I’ve found that taking a 10-minute walk or engaging in light conversation with friends enhance my focus and allows me to work more effectively and productively. So, in this way, I can get better result and work effectively as well as being recovered.
If I have a longer break, I enjoy watching movies, visiting new places, spend time with loved ones, but these are the ideas of my resilience.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston since Spring 2021. I was very honored to receive the full scholarship to study there, and now I’m in my final year working towards completing my degree. Now, I am a member of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), one of the foremost institutes for performer’s education, led by world-famous pianist and educator Danilo Perez along with other esteemed musicians. This past spring, I had the privilege of performing with legendary musicians Brian Blade, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and David Gilmore as part of the BGJI Big Band. It was an incredible experience for me to perform with these icons and share it with the full of audience.
Furthermore, over the past year, I started recording and releasing my own project, the “Sen Yoshimura Group,” collaborating with Grammy award winning musicians. To date, I’ve released two of my original tunes titled “A Year Later” and “Same Destination.” I was so honored and grateful to be able to work not only with those fantastic performers, but also with all the brilliant team members. The music is available on all the music streaming services, so please take a listen to that!
In March, I did my first own recital featuring world-famous pianist Leo Blanco, where I showcased some of my original compositions. I enjoy and appreciate all of my music opportunities I have, and I cannot wait more to come.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the most important qualities that all the musicians should have is to be a good person. What I’m trying to do with music is to care people, think about people, communicate with people, etc. Without these important qualities as a human, we cannot express or apply it into music. Even if I achieve solid technical skill, I don’t think I can move people’s hearts without that true mindset. Furthermore, it also affects to who you work with. For example, if someone in the band disturbs other members, it will be hard for them to create good groove or sound, and it might affect to the future work as well. I believe the same applies to other kinds of jobs as well.
In terms of musical development, I acknowledge the value of my classical music training. Although my main focus of the music has been jazz and contemporary music, I’ve incorporated influences from classical music into my practice. Studying classical music has always been important and has greatly benefited my performance. For example, it helps in achieving the smooth rises and finishes of sound, keeping it clear and stable. Classical music also can help a lot of difficult patterns of fingerings and altissimo. Recently, I discovered that it even can help my composition skills such as harmonies. In many ways, classical music contributes to improving the quality of my performances.
Another aspect of myself that I’ve found valuable is my inquiring mind. When I become into something, I deeply get absorbed in it. For example, when I find a great song that I really love, I listen to it multiple times, and I analyze it from various angles such as harmony, melody, intonation, sound, dynamics, and so on. By doing so, I can internalize the information and apply it in my performance. This approach not only applies to music but also to other aspects of life. If I can sometimes learn and internalize what I love rather than just being moved by it, it enhances my overall experience and enriches my life.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
As I mentioned in the top, music journey never ends and I always try to find new things or find and overcome something I want to improve more. After having a lot of great teacher’s guidance and studying in Berklee College of Music, I could obtain a lot of method or ways to expand my technical skills and musicianship. Now, my challenge lies in integrating what I learned to my unique artistic identity as much as possible. While acquiring new musical vocabulary is relatively straightforward because you just need to practice. Cultivating a distinctive voice demands a deeper commitment because that means you need to do something people have never done. However, if I just copy someone who already exist, I cannot surpass as an artist. In fact, all the famous and popular artists not only musicians but also in other genres are famous and popular because there is no other person who does the same, and they create their own colors that can represents their own individuality. In a lot ways, I get much positive influence from other artists. If the impact from outside is huge, sometimes it is easy to recycle it too much in my own performance even without thinking. So, these days I’m intentionally trying to consider how I can be different than other people and how I can express myself in the original way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sen.yoshimura1?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sen.yoshimura.98?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sen-yoshimura-71ab652b6/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Ber89r4oXWZQ917S-czCA
