Meet Lewis Warren Jr.

We recently connected with Lewis Warren Jr. and have shared our conversation below.

Lewis, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

It is very interesting, because more often than not, I am the only black classical pianist in a whole class or room filled with predominantly international students (Chinese, Korean, Russian etc.) or American (white and/or Hispanic) students. Yet, I’ve never felt that I was out of place or uncomfortable. Perhaps, it is because I genuinely love different cultures and peoples. I also have pride in myself, and am confident in my brown skin, I play at a high level, and, ultimately, my identity is in Christ, not myself. Of course, it is difficult to face prejudice, indifference, racism, classicism, elitism, and jealousy. Perhaps I am too flamboyant for some, and for others, my faith could be confusing to them. However, I think these traits are what distinguishes me and makes me successful. Now, I have grown practically numb to the judgement and negativity, and recognize that it is one’s own insecurities that cause them to treat me a certain way. I am unapologetically myself; so I stand tall when I am the only one in the room because I am uniquely and only me: I am irreplaceable, remarkable, and profoundly me in any and every situation I exist in. With that in mind, that is what propels my success and drive: I strive to be the best self that I can be with all my power and every facet I exist in, Lord willing. #PERIODT

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Currently, I am a versatile classical pianist, composer, arranger, and improviser that resides in the DFW area. I teach private piano lessons to about 20 students, I am the Worship Music Director at Northwood Church in Keller; I am a performer for education programs with the Cliburn Foundation. Last year, I graduated with a post-graduate degree from SMU after 8 years of collegiate piano education. In the meantime, I aim to work on personal recording projects, perform, and compete internationally.

What is exciting about being a musician is that I am the narrator of my own path: I can perform as much or as little as I please. I can choose to participate in projects when they interest me. I also get to explore and create in the privacy of my home while still being productive. I am always eager to share and display my creations and ideas with others, whether its collaboration, composition, competition, or performance.

However, I absolutely adore teaching piano lessons: it is a way for me to give back to the community and foster environments of positivity, growth, legacy, and excellence. My students are so gifted and intelligent. They inspire me to practice more! I never get tired of it, and I so enjoy being able to interact with the upcoming generations.

Additionally, my deepest devotion is to Christ. I love being able to lead worship at my church, Northwood. I am immensely grateful for my pastors, brothers, and sisters there. They are each so gifted, sensitive, and encouraging. I am grateful to have a positive and formative anchor at Northwood. Every year we host a Christmas concert in early December, and we appreciate visitors and encourage people to join our early Christmas celebration!

I’m hopeful for my personal projects and goals to be achieved soon within the next two years so we’ll also see what the future holds that (albums, business plans, competitions, etc).

If you’re interested in private piano lessons, please email me via my website, www.lewiswarrenjr.com, and you can follow me on my instagram, @lewis.warren.jr.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Social skills, hard work, and faith, I believe, are the skills that were the most impactful for me on my journey.

To my best ability, and some days I fail, I have learned to be kind to every person that I meet. Being polite is one thing, and believe me — people certainly practice their “good manners” as they see fit. However, genuine kindness is different. I try not only to be kind to the person who “has the most money” or the person who “has the coolest vibe”: I aim to be kind to every person I encounter because I never know how they might impact or influence me in the future. I do my best to always be kind to my family, with new people, with children, with youth, with the elderly: every interaction counts. An advice I would suggest is to be willing to stand up for yourself and say no when necessary, however, strive to be kind. For younger children, do not be afraid of having conversations with adults: I still practice having conversations with myself in the mirror to make sure I look and present a certain way. When dealing with children, being patient and listening to what they are asking is important. With elderly people, greeting them respectfully and understanding them with gentleness and humility is helpful. We can learn from both the younger generation and the newer generation.

I often practiced when other kids played, especially in high school. While other kids may have spent 4 hours recreationally, I spent 2 hours of the 4 hours practicing piano. At one point, my junior and senior years of high school, I practiced around 6 hours per day. Finding a healthy balance between work and play is pivotal. It is better to practice thoroughly and with intense focus for 1 hour than aimlessly practice for 10 hours without any goals or results. Learning to master time and devoting energy into work makes it successful while also not exhausting one’s self.

Most importantly to me, I find that having a deep faith in a God who is loving, forgiving, just, and creative helps me with understanding my craft as well. Connecting with him provides me with the grace and freedom to interact with music. For me, navigating music is a sacred process. To properly interact with music, I go to God to help me understand and comprehend it. Music exists to me as an interlocutor between myself and the origin of creation: I see God channeling His creative power into my work and my performance.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

Going in on all strengths at one time vs being well rounded is an interesting question: my answer to that is that life comes in seasons. Every season requires a different approach and strategy. 2 years ago, I was in a heightened state of grief due to losing 10 people by way of death. I was the major source of transportation for my family, I was taking post graduate courses, traveling performing, working at my church, teaching a private piano studio, and competing in piano competitions. I gave my very best, however, my grief was something I needed to address. So after a while, I began saying no to gigs, performances, even began practicing less because I was so stressed and overwhelmed. During that season, it was good for me to exercise my strength in being resilient through trials, not allowing my emotions to take the best of me, remaining positive. Managing my emotional state and protecting my mental well being allowed me to work and be productive without exhausting myself. I am grateful that I took the time to rest and focus on my mental health by seeking therapy and resting mentally and physically. Now that this season of grief has passed, I’m more willing to be more fervent with focusing on competing, performing, teaching etc. So, I believe it is important to know yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses, and to be aware of what season you are in. If you are in a season of winter, it wouldn’t make sense to plant seeds and harvest your bounty. But if it is your spring season, then don’t be afraid to bloom and celebrate the hard work that went into prepping for your reaping!

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Image Credits

Jeremy Klefeker

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