26-year-old graduate student, Jie Zhou has been playing piano for over 20 years. He began playing when he was a child growing up in Yichang, China.
GCM photo by Shaniqua Jones

How many of us truly know what dedication is?

Ask Central Michigan University graduate student Jie Zhou, he knows.

Currently working towards his Masters, Zhou has been studying the performing arts since he was six years old.

Now, at age 26, Zhou says he’s far from ending his career as a student.

Like most aspiring musicians, Zhou began his musical career out of his parent’s house. But unlike most musicians at CMU, Zhou’s parents live in Yichang, China, Hubei Province. His city was small and times were economically hard. But despite a lack of funds Zhou’s parents worked hard and saved enough money to purchase him an electronic keyboard for home study, an opportunity neither of them had growing up.

It turned out to be the investment of a lifetime.

At age six, Zhou began playing the keyboard for four hours a day, never missing a practice session.

His destiny seemed to be sealed within the musical scales.

After several years of performing out of his home for family and neighbors, Zhou entered a province level competition for young pianists at age 10, stepping away with first prize.

At his performance, a professor from a nearby conservatory saw potential in Zhou and spoke with his family about enrolling him in the Attached Middle School of Wuhan Conservatory of Music. The Middle School was a town away and, because the cost of owning a car in China was too expensive, it was not possible for Zhou to live at home with his parents while he attended school. His parents, knowing the importance of education, decided once more to make a sacrifice and enrolled Zhou in the school.

Zhou soon moved to Wuhan where he began spending time with his grandmother and attending school.

“My parents usually came to the city to see me, but they had work. My grandmother stayed with me and helped me study because I was so young,” Zhou said

“My grandmother, she knows so many things…at the time I was fascinated with soccer, so she’d buy a newspaper for me and prepare a good lunch for me after I’d practice.”

Zhou’s grandmother played a large part in pushing him to further his studies. She would make it so Zhou could leave class earlier than the other students, allowing them to beat the long lines outside of practice rooms

Zhou performs during the Chinese New Year Celebration at Grace Church in Mount Pleasant
GCM Photo By Todd Balazovic

“There was always a long line to register for a practice room around noon time. So after my class around 11:40 I would run to the practice room so no one else would be there,” Zhou said.

The Conservatory allowed Zhou to learn many different aspects of music. Classes ranged from piano performance to conducting. Unlike American education institutions there was little emphasis on other subjects though English, Chinese language, history, politics and math classes accented his musically based schedule.

While Zhou regards the piano as his favorite musical outlet - it was in conducting that he found his professional calling. Using the listening and performing skills he obtained from playing the piano, Zhou channeled his creative energy into conducting.

Continuing his education at the Conservatory through high school Zhou’s studies became far more intense than the traditional American student. Constantly working to better himself and his music, Zhou spent four hours a day rehearsing piano.

In the end his efforts paid off and by the time he left high school he had composed 10 musical works.

Upon completing high school, Zhou was selected by one of his professors to complete undergraduate work at the Central Conservatory of Music Conducting in Beijing. With the support of his professor, who was also the Dean of Conducting at the Conservatory, Zhou enrolled himself as a candidate at the Central Conservatory.

Here Zhou faced the challenge of rising above the swarm of applicants applying for education at the Central Conservatory.

“In the U.S. ‘central’ means more of a region, but in China ‘centra’l means the government, or the most important. It means the best,” Zhou said.

To be accepted into the Central Conservatory in Beijing would be comparable to being enrolled in the Juilliard School of music, one of the most prestigious music schools in the U.S.

After much anticipation, Zhou was enrolled in the conservatory with an undergrad degree in conducting, a program that takes a minimum of five years to complete.

Zhou’s studies focused purely on his degree. Electives and university requirements didn’t focus on liberal arts. Instead his curriculum was intended to give him the best education possible for his future profession.

“In conservatory we didn’t have to study physics, no biology,” Zhou said.

As finishing his undergraduate degree, Zhou knew he wanted to continue his education. He began looking into the west, investigating master programs beyond China’s borders.

In the end he decided that studying abroad in the United States was his best choice.

“America has so many professional orchestras, high level, top ten, top of the world orchestras. More than anywhere, that’s why I’m here.” Zhou said.

Knowing Zhou wanted to expand his horizons, his advising professor urged him to apply for Central Michigan University’s music program. Once again taking the advice of a mentor, Zhou applied and was enrolled in 2008.

GCM Photo By Shaniqua Jones

Being surrounded by students of different concentrations and taking classes outside of music was a new educational experience to Zhou.

“This is my first time to come to a university. There are so many different students, different majors. In China I grew up in the conservatory so our friend’s circle only studied music,” Zhou said

Life in Mt. Pleasant was also a bit of a culture shock.

“Before you go abroad you have so many thoughts, like you will imagine how the things will work. Here it’s the best experience ever. In Mt. Pleasant the people are so nice” Zhou said

The first difference Zhou noticed was the population.

Mount Pleasant seemed almost deserted when compared to the bustling streets of Beijing where at times, it took two hours to get across the city, Zhou said.

He said because of the heavy traffic and high costs of owning a car, many people rely on public transportation – something that changed when he came to Mount Pleasant.

In China it’s very expensive, but we don’t need cars. I have a lot of experience in performance, but I was nervous for the time of the road test,” Zhou said.

Now 26, Zhou has been a student of music for nearly 20 years and has no intention of ending his education. Zhou said after he completes his master’s degree he would like to continue on to earn a Ph.D.

“I want to do so many things,” Zhou said. “But one man cannot do everything he wants to do in one life. He can just spend most of the time doing the right things.”

From an electronic keyboard thousands of miles away to a master’s degree in composing Jie Zhou knows the meaning of dedication.

“Professional means you will donate your life in this work. We need to study. You need to work on this, it’s your career,” Zhou said.

URL: http://www.grandcentralmagazine.com/home/2009/2/19/lifes-work-the-studies-of-jie-zhou.html