Judy Bowen

Judy grew up on a farm outside of Deer Grove, IL (population of 50) in northwestern Illinois, starting piano at the age of 8.  She wanted to start at
age 6, but at that time, teachers wouldn't take a student until they were 8, so she waited impatiently for 2 years!   She worked on the farm, driving a tractor, to pay for college and went off to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana after high school to study piano and received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano Pedagogy, studying with the international pianist, Joel Shapiro.

After teaching piano for 12 years, she also began tutoring math and eventually also taught algebra at several local colleges in Milwaukee.  When the pandemic hit in 2020, she went to tutoring math totally online, tutoring students (Age 8 - Pre-Calculus) from all around the country and currently maintains a full schedule of students.  www.OnlineMathTutoring.net

In 2002, Judy went back to playing the piano and started playing pop piano music at Mayfair Mall Food Court in Milwaukee and also for private parties.  Since then, she has played for hundreds of parties and events in Milwaukee, Chicago and throughout the Midwest, as well as occasionally in Las Vegas, Hollywood and Beverly Hills, CA. 

The arrangements that Judy plays are very carefully chosen and crafted to be exquisite, classy renditions of famous pop songs, some with jazz harmonies and all with the finesse of classical music, creating Judy's own unique, elegant style, thanks to her background in classical music.

                         Judy plays for all types of events and parties:
                                         Cocktail Receptions
                                         Corporate Events
                                         Black Tie Events
                                         Country Club Events
                                         Wedding Cocktail Hours & Dinners
                                         Wedding Receptions & After Parties
                                         Wedding Rehearsal Dinners & After Parties
                                         Anniversary & Engagement Parties
                                         Fundraisers & Non-Profit Events
                                         Birthday Parties
                                         Restaurants
                                         Museums
                                         Resorts
                                         Yachts

                            She would love to play for your next party!!
 

In 1999, Judy wrote a book "A Graded Guide to the Piano Literature" which shows the difficulty of classical piano pieces in charts.  It is designed for pianists, hobby pianists, piano teachers and college students.  It has been sold around the world and is now available on Amazon at the link listed below.  47 pages, $8.00

In 2018, James Spencer, a pianist and music coach in California, wrote a book about cocktail pianists and lounge musicians entitled "The Lounge Music Companion", detailing the lives and careers of cocktail pianists through the years.  Judy was honored to be interviewed and included in the book!  It is also available on Amazon and is listed below with a link.  517 pages, $26.75