Greer's Talent Takes Him to Number One

Written by

Jessica Snider, SMT Writer

Joseph Greer has been playing the piano since he was nine years old. Greer has an amazing musical talent that has been recognized by many people who know him.

From playing in talent shows, private events, and now being the number one piano player in the state of Missouri, Greer’s talent and love for music has only grown.

He started taking piano lessons when he was just nine years old. Greer moved from Nashville, Tennessee to Dexter the same year his teacher from San Jose, California moved here. It didn’t take long for Greer to get the hang of making music out of the piano keys.

Greer has been very active in Jazz Band at school and his freshman and junior years of high school he made second at state. Greer was determined to be first his senior year.

Once one makes the district jazz band from their area, they are then qualified to compete for the state jazz band. The state band is made up of highly talented high school students.

Only one piano player can be taken for the state band, and there were a larger number of hopefuls. The judges do call backs after everyone auditions. It is narrowed down to the top four piano players, and then they are put into combos made up of drums, bass, guitar, and piano. The call back audition was made up of two songs that they were supposed to have prepared and then they were also asked to sight-read.  

Greer noted, “You’re given four songs and you’re free to interpret them however you want as long as you don’t change them too much.”

It was about four hours of waiting after callbacks when Greer realized that his goal had been accomplished. Greer was pretty confident in his performance, but it was still a nerve-racking wait for him. He knew he wanted to make first, but it wasn’t until he saw his name that he really believed it.

Not only did Joseph Greer want first for himself, but he also wanted to make his father proud. Right before Greer went into the audition, his father sent him a text message that said, “I’m proud of you.”

Greer has stated that he’s not sure what he would like to do in the future. He wants to do law or maybe medical field. Greer even joked about bringing the grand into the courtroom or hospital.

Joseph Greer’s talent is truly one of a kind and has blessed many ears that have heard him play.

We want to congratulate Joseph on an awesome job and also wish him good luck in all his future endeavors!