Worthy Convos: Dr. Jill Sprenger and the Joy of Music

Dr. Jill Sprenger is an accomplished pianist and director of the Fort Worth Conservatory of Music and Fine Arts. Sprenger runs the music school with her husband, Dr. Kurt Sprenger, an equally gifted violinist, and together they share the gift of music with students of all ages and levels.

What is your earliest memory with the piano?

Since both of my parents were music teachers there was always a lot of music making in our home. My parents have told me that I spent a lot of time when I was a preschooler playing around on the piano and was trying to teach myself to play and read music. They didn’t think it was going so well and decided they’d better get me in lessons.

photo credit: Joyce Marshall

As a kid, I protested the piano and it’s one of my biggest regrets. How do you encourage younger children to appreciate music?

Most people assume I ended up as a professional musician because I loved to practice growing up and was good at it – but we had bitter fights about getting to the piano every day. My parents say that I would sit there angry while my mother practiced with me, my next sister would get on the floor and have a tantrum, and my youngest sister would sit at the piano quietly crying. We all became professional musicians. When I had my own kids there were lots of fights about our 2 sons practicing every day, but now one is a music major in college and the other one, while in business, is now pursuing a music production degree. I have set up the Conservatory with a system of periodic goals to help students stay motivated and engaged just as I was – my experience is that once students experience success and the pleasure of music making, that becomes the motivator to continue. And there is also the dogged perseverance from the parents – a gene I came by naturally. As to your regrets, it’s never too late for you to begin music study!

How did the Conservatory come about?

Since I was blessed with great teaching growing up, I always knew that I wanted to pursue creating a music school for kids and adults alike which would provide an environment for fun, inspiring, and excellent music making. As the Fort Worth Symphony motto says, life is better with music! I wanted everyone to have a chance to learn to play an instrument and make music with a solid foundation in reading as well as experiencing personal expression through music. I also wanted a school where those who desired to excel and make music their profession could receive top-notch training.  I’m proud that we have a high retention rate and that many of our students are winning high-level state and national competitions.

The Conservatory operates on a semester system. What does each semester consist of?

We have set up our semester system to provide many activities to keep all our students engaged. They receive weekly private lessons but then we offer monthly group repertoire classes, theory and games classes, and casual and formal recitals as well as community outreach concerts which are all very motivational. Each semester we have a casual “creative” concert where students have to do something extra with their piece – dress up in a costume, draw a poster, write a poem. With the addition of the Zoom performance option many students have figured out how to create incredible virtual backgrounds for their pieces! This coming summer flex session includes 10 lessons spread out throughout the summer and scheduled at the convenience of the teacher and student.  We also offer group keyboard exploration classes and Kindermusik for the preschoolers.

You’ve centered your life and career around music. What have you learned from your musical journey?

I have learned that the rewards of learning music go far beyond the enjoyment of playing an instrument – the joy of the sounds, the pulse of the rhythm. The benefits for brain development are clearly documented, and through sharing their music in performances students learn poise and confidence. And of course, the pursuit of excellence and the discipline of daily practice provide the framework for success in whatever field students eventually choose – many of my students have gone on to pursue double degrees in pre-med and piano at schools such as Johns Hopkins/Peabody Conservatory, Oberlin College/Conservatory, and the University of Oklahoma. Musicians are just plain fun to be around so it’s a great life. And the kids are just so cute!

If you could only play one song for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Since my earliest years I have found that the music of J.S. Bach speaks to a deep place in my soul. But I love all music – rock, country, and I think that Michael Jackson had the most intense sense of inner rhythm I have ever seen.

Although she prefers burnt orange to purple, Hannah Bush is happy to call Fort Worth her new home. She began freelance writing a few years ago to break up the monotony of her 9 to 5 and to prove to her parents that she’s making good use of her journalism degree. When she’s not hanging out with her cat, Hannah can likely be found on a patio with her fiancé, talking about her cat.