Episode 158: Ken Medema on the Art of Improvisation

Imagine you’ve just heard an hour-long keynote full of history, statistics, personal story and social justice. And then someone comes to the stage, sits at the piano, and sings back a song that encapsulates the emotional and intellectual content you’ve just heard. That is the improvisational talent of Ken Medema, a keyboardist/pianist, singer, storyteller and performer. In this episode of Emerging Form, we speak with Ken about the importance of a “fence” when it comes to creative play, how to listen for key phrases, how to make people feel truly seen and heard through creative response, plus there’s a spontaneous mid-interview performance!

Ken Medema has shared his passion for learning and discovery through storytelling and music and has been writing and performing as a singer and pianist/keyboardist for 52 years in many different venues: churches, conventions, colleges, corporations and more. Though blind from birth, Ken sees and hears with heart and mind, improvising stories from his audience and speakers. Ken lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his Tree Song, which premiered at a youth convention in Princeton in 1976. He has written and produced over 30 albums.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe