2008 Woodie Awards
The Piano Man
Maggie Rhynes
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: A&E
Rich Kindle can rattle off the date, Feb. 6, without much thought, as if it were his birth date.
But Kindle is a freshman, and the Feb. 6 he is referring to was about 13 years ago when he was just five years old. It was the day he started playing the piano.
Kindle now shares his music with the SIUE community, spending a good chunk of time playing the piano that resides on the second floor of the Morris University Center.
At least once a day, sometimes twice, Kindle's music fills the air, entertaining the students and staff who find themselves within hearing range of his impromptu concert.
Tom Ostresh is the manager of Print and Design, and his office is just a few yards away from the piano, giving him a front row seat for Kindle's performance.
Ostresh is also an amateur musician and describes his ear as quite "discriminating." But Kindle's music meets Ostresh's standards.
"I like when he plays," Ostresh said. "He plays with boldness, he's not timid. You can hear him all the way downstairs."
Kindle, however, does not seem to mind who hears him. He is just playing because he loves the piano. He looks equally content playing jazz, classical or contemporary tunes. On occasion he even writes his own songs. Each day he sits and plays, seemingly unaware of the people around him. That is until someone stops him with a request.
"A few people have asked me to play certain songs," he said. "But I just don't know how to play the 'Rugrats' theme song on the piano."
The songs he does know seem to please people just fine.
"I've seen people applaud his music," Ostresh said.
Among his biggest fans is Melissa Jones, a sophomore psychology major.
"I come up here to kill a lot of time and read," Jones said. "One time I heard him playing, so I stuck around."
Now Jones spends time every Tuesday and Thursday lounging on the couch and listening to Kindle's music.
"He leaves and goes to class, but he comes back," she said. "I sound like a stalker, but I'm not."
But Kindle is a freshman, and the Feb. 6 he is referring to was about 13 years ago when he was just five years old. It was the day he started playing the piano.
Kindle now shares his music with the SIUE community, spending a good chunk of time playing the piano that resides on the second floor of the Morris University Center.
At least once a day, sometimes twice, Kindle's music fills the air, entertaining the students and staff who find themselves within hearing range of his impromptu concert.
Tom Ostresh is the manager of Print and Design, and his office is just a few yards away from the piano, giving him a front row seat for Kindle's performance.
Ostresh is also an amateur musician and describes his ear as quite "discriminating." But Kindle's music meets Ostresh's standards.
"I like when he plays," Ostresh said. "He plays with boldness, he's not timid. You can hear him all the way downstairs."
Kindle, however, does not seem to mind who hears him. He is just playing because he loves the piano. He looks equally content playing jazz, classical or contemporary tunes. On occasion he even writes his own songs. Each day he sits and plays, seemingly unaware of the people around him. That is until someone stops him with a request.
"A few people have asked me to play certain songs," he said. "But I just don't know how to play the 'Rugrats' theme song on the piano."
The songs he does know seem to please people just fine.
"I've seen people applaud his music," Ostresh said.
Among his biggest fans is Melissa Jones, a sophomore psychology major.
"I come up here to kill a lot of time and read," Jones said. "One time I heard him playing, so I stuck around."
Now Jones spends time every Tuesday and Thursday lounging on the couch and listening to Kindle's music.
"He leaves and goes to class, but he comes back," she said. "I sound like a stalker, but I'm not."
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Carol Kindle
posted 9/14/07 @ 4:57 PM CST
He is following in his father's footsteps. His father was known as Piano Man in high school, doing much the same thing in high school as Rich is doing in College. (Continued…)
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