Meet Kari Miles | Musician and music teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kari Miles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kari, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued a creative career in music because so much of my life was filled with beautiful places, people, music and art. I wanted to create a life of beauty and create beauty in the world through sound. I developed an appreciation for nature and the land. My youth was filled with drives through the countryside of Minnesota were my father and mother grew up. My brothers are like a mirror. My late older brother was a sculptor and college professor. My younger brother is also a college professor and sculptor. I studied music at Concordia College in Moorhead, Mn. I later studied flute in a Master’s program in Boulder, CO. Every good thing that has happened in my life was through pursuing music. It was in Boulder were I met my beautiful husband, Ron Miles. We have two children. Our daughter is a choreographer, dancer and our son is an artist. Our life was filled with creative energy. Music brought Ron and I together, kept us together and now being a widow, music has been a comfort. I remember my first piano lesson and how exciting it was to study music. As a teacher and performer my mission is to pass on the joy of music to my students and to those who hear me play in church services.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
A big part of my life has been teaching piano and performing music for church services. I started my performing as a musician in small churches in Minnesota. Thinking back, I’ve been a part of about 8 churches in my lifetime. I’ve been a piano teacher all these years and I’m still teaching. I could have given up long ago, because a career in music is a life of underemployment and ups and downs. My husband was the person who supported our lifestyle. I don’t feel like I’m set apart from my musical peers. I’m proud to be in the company of musicians and artists. I guess life is like a piano lesson. Listening is key, repeating is necessary, solving problems and putting it all together in a beautiful expression of sound and sharing with others is a worthwhile pursuit.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take a friend to the Botanic Gardens for a beautiful day in nature. Maybe, we’d visit Honey Hill in Park Hill for a cup of coffee or Latte or visit Devil’s Food Bakery on Gaylord Street for a almond croissant or Kouign Amann. We could drive to Boulder and visit the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse for breakfast and drive to Flagstaff Mountain for a beautiful view of Flatirons region. If possible, we’d attend a Gamelan Tunas Mekar Concert for an exciting evening of Balinese music and dance.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ron Miles, my late husband and my two children, Honor and Justice.