Pianist returns to Flathead Valley sharing music with students

Jordan Neiman has been waiting roughly two decades to play the Yamaha grand piano that now sits to the back of his music studio.  

His parents purchased the black piano for him, but in pursuing his education and then career in music, Neiman was moving around the country and often living in spaces not large enough to accommodate it. Sitting behind the musical instrument, Neiman, 35, recalls a recent session when he played into the early hours of the morning.  

With a laugh he admits since moving into his new home off Stillwater Road over the holidays, he hasn’t had anyone stand outside while he plays to make sure he’s not disturbing the neighborhood in the still under construction subdivision.  

“It’s life-changing to have it,” he says of the piano. “Seriously, I’ve always had to go to the practice rooms [at college] or to a church. I’ve never really been able to practice at home like this. The first day I got this, I practiced for six hours without even realizing it.”  

A Flathead High School graduate, Neiman began taking piano lessons at age 4 when he wasn’t yet tall enough to see the keys. His sister, who is seven years older, was taking lessons and his parents thought she was practicing when it was Neiman at the keys.  

He began piano lessons with Michelle Van Allen and then later Kay Lund in Whitefish. A story in the Daily Inter Lake in March 1996 shows a 6-year-old Neiman smiling at the piano as he prepared to perform an original composition in California for a competition sponsored by Yamaha.  

Neiman recalls the title of his song as “Jordan and the Wolf,” but looking back he laughs saying at the time he was probably more excited to visit Disneyland than play in the competition. Still, that was where he got his start in music.

After graduating from high school early, he earned his bachelor’s at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a master’s and graduate performance diploma from Boston Conservatory and a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  

At the Boston Conservatory, he was the winner of the H. Wilfred Churchill Piano Competition in 2013 and attended Pianofest in the Hamptons in 2014. He has played concerts all over the United States, Canada and in Switzerland.  

Sitting at a desk with his diplomas hung on a nearby wall, Neiman recalls his journey in music. Some of his professors provided inspiration to his career while others pushed him almost to the point of quitting entirely. He recalls one practice session on Chopin spending four hours learning three notes.  

“I’ve never played better,” he said. “But I almost didn’t make it through. I started looking at pharmacy school because it was so intense, and then I decided I’m not going to quit because of you, I’m going to learn and get as much as I can.” 

It was “defiance” and “stubbornness” that kept him going. 

Eventually Neiman became a professor at Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit he found himself teaching remotely from his small apartment and after his lease came up for renewal he decided to return to Montana. With about $100 in the bank, it was about five years ago that he moved into an RV in his parents’ garage.  

“At first, I thought I made a big mistake, but I found that I can do everything I want to do here. I can teach. I can perform. I can collaborate,” he said. “I’ve got an idea for a chamber music festival concert series that I’m working on. The Flathead Valley is such a beautiful place and that feels like a draw for artists to come here.”  

Along the wall opposite the grand piano are shelves containing musical arrangements previously stored in boxes. Using a chair to reach the top shelf, Neiman pulls down a deep red hardcover book from 1887 containing all 32 Ludwig van Beethoven piano sonatas.  

“It’s rare to find all 32 in one volume,” he says of the book that was a gift. “If you learn a Beethoven sonata it depends on who edits it, and they may interpret it a certain way. But that’s one thing about having a library, you can compare different editions – I have several copies of one set of music.”  

Neiman’s favorite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach, but lately for an upcoming concert he’s been working on American composer Samuel Barber and playing a lot of Antonin Dvorak to prepare for planned chamber concerts. 

“There’s so much music, you could never play everything in multiple lifetimes,” he said. “You have to pick what you spend your time on. It feels like a privilege to know enough to appreciate all the music — there's a small group of people who will know how great this music is.”  

The music studio is where he works with students ranging from 5 to in their 80s. He also serves as the music director at the Bigfork Community United Methodist Church, performs keyboard with the Glacier Symphony and Chorale, is the president of the Kalispell Area Music Teachers Association and pursues performing.  

Putting a focus on teaching allows for stability in life that isn’t always possible as a full-time performer that he says is a constant hustle, and he loves teaching. Watching a student really master a concept for the first time is fulfilling.  

“The teacher and student relationship, especially piano teacher, is unique,” he said. “You learn a lot about life in piano lessons, not just piano — you learn about history and the world. It’s like being a life mentor because you learn about how to be a person in society.” 

Neiman took lessons for 25 years.  

“I’m still learning from those teachers because I remember them saying things that didn’t make sense at the time, but do now,” he said. “It’s such an impactful thing. It's fun being on the other side of that.”  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.