S03 Episode 10: Joy Kane - If They're Buying It, I'm Teaching It

"I’m so happy. That’s what surprises me. I never thought I’d survive 50. I’ve been suicidal a lot of the time. I was so poor and such a mess. And my life is beautiful now. Beautiful." Joy Kane can make anything swing: an interview, a piano lesson, a song. At 91, she remains a musical enchantress, guided through life by her motto: If they’re buying it, I’m teaching it. She turned her early training as a modern dancer and a classical and jazz musician into a career teaching the Methode Dalcroze in her 50s and started to write a series of books about her method in her 70s. She was born in Cleveland during World War II and was deeply affected by the genocide and totalitarianism that infused the zeitgeist of her formative years. Joy does not shy away from the tragedies or disappointments in life; instead, she shows us how -- through good times and bad -- her talent, her grit and the welcoming reception her work generated in France made re-invention a constant theme of her life. You’ll be enthralled with her reflections on the ways in which her 90+ years mirror the history of women standing up to patriarchy. Be as inspired as we were by this unstoppable nonagenarian! And by the piano solos in this episode. They were all composed and performed by Joy especially for this podcast!