{"id":1928,"date":"2016-10-18T02:23:19","date_gmt":"2016-10-18T02:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/?p=1928"},"modified":"2017-02-14T18:38:12","modified_gmt":"2017-02-14T18:38:12","slug":"meet-team-andrew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/meet-team-andrew\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Team: Andrew Bishko"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andrew Bishko is a 25+ year veteran piano teacher, university adjunct professor (on such topics as music appreciation, song writing, and opera), published author, and father of three. Andrew has delved into a number of different musical styles throughout his career, including<\/span><\/i> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.melbay.com\/Products\/22195BCDEB\/first-lessons-native-american-flute-how-to-sit-on-a-rock.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Native American flute<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/napashamusic.com\/klezmer.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Klezmer<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, jazz, and many other popular styles. His current projects include <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/napasha_music-1430837666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HeartWinds<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (acoustic world music and jazz), <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reverbnation.com\/thruthewallband\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thru the Wall<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (a Pink Floyd tribute band), <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/ozarks_krezmer_orkestr_springfield\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and music minister\/songwriter\/composer in an all-original church music program.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andrew is the Content Editor for Easy Ear Training and Musical U, running publishing on EasyEarTraining.com as well as <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/author\/andrew-bishko\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">writing articles<\/span><\/i><\/a> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/author\/andrew-bishko\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">himself,<\/a>\u00a0and<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0helping edit and develop new training material inside Musical U.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>A Bit of Background<\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Musical U: Hi Andrew, and thanks for joining us for this interview! First of all, please tell us a little bit about your musical background.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andrew Bishko: When I was 5, I wanted to play guitar. My parents translated that as \u201cpiano.\u201d Piano was difficult for me: it took ages for me to read through a piece and much repeated practice. Still, I kept up lessons into high school and played some beautiful Chopin pieces for my recitals. I would spend a year learning my recital piece, give a great performance, and forget it the day after the recital. At that point, reading or playing fluently didn\u2019t happen \u2013 more like each piece was a really good trick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We had a beautiful baby grand in the house. My sisters and I would play for hours \u2013 \u201cChopsticks,\u201d \u201cHeart and Soul,\u201d \u201cThunder and Lightning,\u201d strumming on the strings inside. Exploring sound. My parents were supportive to the max \u2013 they never ever said, \u201cStop banging on the piano.\u201d I loved improvising on the piano, but didn\u2019t have a clue what I was doing. Most of my improvisations sounded like scary movie soundtracks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When school orchestra came along, I wanted to play upright bass. My mom and piano teacher decided that that meant \u201cflute.\u201d At 10 years old, \u00a0I didn\u2019t want to play the \u201cgirls\u2019 instrument.\u201d But when I arrived in high school, I was very grateful!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had lots of allergies and respiratory issues, so the flute was very therapeutic for me. But I was always looking for some way to make it \u201ccool.\u201d I went to the public library \u2013 this was 15-20 years before the Internet \u2013 and looked for Jean-Pierre Rampal records. At the library, I discovered world music. I took home any record with flutes on it \u2013 African, Hindustani, Irish, and Latino. Then I stopped caring whether there was flute or not. That\u2019s where I discovered Bob Marley and the Wailers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I went to undergraduate college, I left music behind. Fast forward six years. I\u2019m in Italy, running out of money, and I don\u2019t want to go home. I started playing my flute on the street, paid to practice. Everything was by ear, and I strapped bells to my feet and danced around quite a bit. I learned that as long as I could play music, I could eat. I was hooked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I returned to the States, I discovered reggae clubs and went dancing every night until I found myself in Satta, a reggae\/world beat band. An awesome mixed up crew \u2013 black, white, rich, poor, male, female. A very creative bunch. We traveled incessantly and had many great opportunities: playing with the Wailers in NYC, Department of Defense tours to Europe and Asia. After four years, though, it wasn\u2019t fun anymore. All that potential squandered for partying. I left the band and moved to Alaska.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wanted to be better at communicating my musical ideas to others, so I decided to continue my music education. By some miracle I was accepted into the ear training-based Third Stream program and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. There I played lots of jazz and free improvisation. I studied the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/lydian-scale-seeking-ultimate-mysteries-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lydian Chromatic Concept<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with George Russell, and microtones with Joseph Maneri. And I was required to sing, sing everything. After 30 years of not singing, that was huge!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Klezmer became my musical obsession, and would remain so for fifteen years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was the \u201cklezmer flute guy.\u201d I did a lot of teaching, recording, workshops, and weddings with The Alaska Klezmer Band and The Alaska Klezmer Duo. At the same time, I began teaching piano, flute, saxophone, and accordion lessons. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I began teaching piano, I discovered everything that I had missed the first time around. From observing and working with my students, I explored new ways of integrating the kinaesthetic experience of playing piano with hearing and reading music. Soon I found myself sight reading, improvising, composing, and playing beyond anything I had ever been able to do in the past, with much less practicing.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"float: right; min-width: 300px; width: 40%; margin-left: 15px;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><span style=\"color: #59638c;\"><strong>I have learned more from teaching than any other aspect of my life. While I have a large knowledge base to pull from, I love being in that space of discovery with my students, when we are all zinging off each other and coming up with new ideas that work.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Klezmer music brought me closer and closer to the Jewish community, especially to the Hasidic rabbi and his family. They put the spiritual first in all their lives, and their music expressed their connection to God. I was inspired to make this choice in my own life. At that point, I met a healer who introduced me to a spiritual path that held even more truth, and wound up joining the Community of Light in Missouri, a little over ten years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My teaching continues, and I branched out again in my musical styles, which are now imbued with the intensity I found in my 15 year concentration on Klezmer. Songwriting and music ministry figure prominently right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: Who are some of your most inspiring musicians?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: Of course that answer will vary moment to moment. Tito Puente, with his most profound understanding of rhythm. Look up his timbale solos. Herbert von Karajan conducting Beethoven \u2013 he furnishes the symphonies with an almost Stravinsky-like energy that to me truly reflects Beethoven\u2019s intentions and always moves me to tears. Klezmer clarinetist Shloimke Beckerman bubbling through an old Yiddish dance. John McLaughlin and Shakti exploding with pure joy. Gambian kora player Pa Bobo Jobarteh\u2019s driving energy, bursting with light and love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of all, these days I am inspired by my friends and HeartWinds collaborators Robert and Jill Stadler. They write the most beautiful, simple and moving songs that give me a place to open my heart and spirit. One of my favorites is \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/a\/easyeartraining.com\/file\/d\/0B-JfsNINs67DWnBuUHY2R1RGS2s\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paradise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d written by Robert.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Interests in Eclectic Sounds<\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: What initially drew you to Native American music? Klezmer? How did these genres influence you as a musician?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: After a reggae gig with Satta in Logan, Utah, a mountain man \u2013 beard, furs, the whole bit \u2013 introduced himself to me as \u2018Crazy Coyote\u201d and invited me to go with him. He took me to a dark house, where we stepped over sleeping bodies to a back room, where he handed me what looked like a broken stick and whispered, \u201cBlow in the pointy end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"float: right; min-width: 300px; width: 40%; margin-left: 15px;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><span style=\"color: #59638c;\"><strong>When I observe other highly trained musicians, they have this quality which I call \u201cmagic.\u201d They seem to go into another world as they play. I imagined what it would feel like to be \u201cthere.\u201d&#8230; I realized that I had the magic, that I had \u201cmade it.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Native American flute jumped in my hands. The instrument was so alive! After that experience, I always had it in the back of my mind that someday I would have one. Maybe 17 years later, I was burning brush in my backyard in Alaska. A friend called me and said he wanted to give me something. He came by and handed me my first Native American flute. Before that, I had no idea that he even played music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We sat by the fire and played our flutes. The birds sat on the branches and sang with us. I\u2019m not kidding! It was like a Disney movie! I knew there was magic in there. I began teaching Native American flute, and eventually wrote <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.melbay.com\/Products\/22195BCDEB\/first-lessons-native-american-flute-how-to-sit-on-a-rock.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Lessons Native American Flute: How to Sit on a Rock<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, published by Mel Bay.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1931\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1931\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1931\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/First-Lessons-Native-American-Flute.jpeg\" alt=\"First Lessons Native American Flute\" width=\"225\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/First-Lessons-Native-American-Flute.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/First-Lessons-Native-American-Flute-224x300.jpeg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew&#8217;s book, <em>First Lessons: Native American Flute: How to Sit on a Rock<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Klezmer led me to a intense discipline in one style of music. In the process of producing the nuances and phrasing on the flute I\u2019d heard in all my listening to clarinetists and violinists, I developed a much deeper understanding and command of my instrument. I carry this discipline with me now in everything I do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I also composed quite a bit of klezmer music, especially focusing on generating melody. This understanding of melody serves me well in everything from songwriting to classical to jazz improvisation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: Tell us more about your current projects \u2013 <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/napasha_music-1430837666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HeartWinds<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reverbnation.com\/thruthewallband\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thru the Wall<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/ozarks_krezmer_orkestr_springfield\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They all sound really intriguing!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: \u00a0HeartWinds is my blanket name for a variety of difficult-to-categorize acoustic projects. My buddy Randy Buckner \u2013 who teaches across the hall from me at Hoover \u2013 is a phenomenal guitarist and mandolin player. We perform with a repertoire of gypsy-jazz, Brazilian choro, classical, and Irish music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, HeartWinds is rehearsing as a quartet with Robert and Jill Stadler and my wife Rachael for a Native American-themed wedding. We\u2019re exploring a fusion of our original songs with powwow music and Native American flute. While we are not Native Americans, we have a deep respect and love for the culture and the earth which is finding spiritual expression in our music.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1930\" style=\"width: 2010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1930\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1930\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124.jpg\" alt=\"HeartWinds\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124-300x283.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124-768x724.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124-1024x965.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0124-1080x1018.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1930\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never thought of myself as a rock musician, but I am gaining a deep appreciation for the beauty and thoughtfulness of prog rock as I play saxophone and keys for Thru the Wall, a Pink Floyd Tribute band. And with The Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr, I have returned to performing Jewish music at local events with wonderful musicians. I am playing accordion in this group and loving being the accompanist. Playing Klezmer accompaniment is so interactive, like classical chamber music with more room for improvisation.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Music and Passion \u2013 One and the Same<\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: What do you love most about teaching \u2013 both at the university level and with your private students?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: I have had a good education. But I have learned more from teaching than any other aspect of my life. While I have a large knowledge base to pull from, I love being in that space of discovery with my students, when we are all zinging off each other and coming up with new ideas that work.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1929\" style=\"width: 1546px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1929\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1929\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0007.jpg\" alt=\"Andrew Bishko lessons\" width=\"1536\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0007.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0007-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0007-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_0007-1080x1440.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew with one of his accordion students<\/p><\/div>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: What sort of \u201chabits\u201d do you have when composing and songwriting? Are there any specific things you always do to get into the \u201cright\u201d mindset?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: Melody comes first. Most of my ideas come when I\u2019m driving and singing. I have hundreds, thousands of videos of my steering wheel, recording ideas on my phone. I also vocalize the instrumental parts. Then when I sit down at the piano, it\u2019s like, \u201cOh no, what did I get myself into?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting with melody, I come up with chord progressions that are much more interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As far as mindset, the music always plays in my head. It\u2019s mostly a matter of me giving myself the time and attention to do it. That\u2019s why the car works so well for me \u2013 I become my own captive audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: Did you ever think about quitting in the past? How did you handle it? Why didn\u2019t you quit?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB:I did quit for six years after high school, and devoted my undergraduate years to exploring my wide interests in the humanities and science. But once music came back into my life, it never left.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve certainly had long periods of non-musical day jobs and I have only relied on performing as my main income for very short periods. In a way, not depending on performing frees me up musically to do more what I like, rather than being guided by any kind of market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: Would you say you still practise? What\u2019s the hardest part about staying motivated?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: A lot of my technical practicing happens when I\u2019m working with students. Otherwise, I am practicing for a specific performance, or when I\u2019m composing or songwriting. This happens mostly when I have a break or cancellation between students. Then it\u2019s me alone with my instruments in the teaching studio, no distractions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Wise Words for Fellow Musicians<\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: When did you feel like you really \u201cmade it\u201d as a musician?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: When I observe other highly trained musicians, they have this quality which I call \u201cmagic.\u201d They seem to go into another world as they play. I imagined what it would feel like to be \u201cthere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few months ago, I was showing one of my students \u2013 who, at 11 years old, already accompanies singers at her Romanian Pentecostal church \u2013 different alternatives to expand her chord playing to support the melody and movement of the song. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"float: right; min-width: 300px; width: 40%; margin-left: 15px;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><span style=\"color: #59638c;\"><strong>Many people equate \u201chonesty\u201d with criticalness. They are not the same thing. If you are truly honest, you must be as honest about everything that you are doing right as you are about the things you wish to improve. Fully appreciating yourself will bring you along faster than criticalness every time.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She asked me, \u201cHow do you do that?\u201d I started to explain about the chord inversions. \u201cNo,\u201d she explained, \u201cHow do you get so <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emotional<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d That\u2019s when I realized that I had the magic, that I had \u201cmade it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: What advice would you give aspiring musicians?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: There\u2019s a place I go in my mind where I am hyper-aware of every detail, everything I want to improve. Yet at the same time, I am totally into the music and enjoying it tremendously, and also aware of shining my love and light into the music. I love this place because I am totally objective, not only about what I want to improve, but about what I am doing well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people equate \u201chonesty\u201d with criticalness. They are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the same thing. If you are truly honest, you must be as honest about everything that you are doing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">right<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as you are about the things you wish to improve. <\/span><b>Fully <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appreciating yourself will bring you along faster than criticalness every time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MU: What is your favorite part about working with the Musical U team?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AB: Musical U is an awesome project. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/musical-u-team-christopher-sutton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christopher<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is clarity personified, and exudes a perfect blend of supportive, encouraging, respectful and exacting\u2014much like the picture I expressed in the last question. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/meet-team-marisa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marisa<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musical-u.com\/learn\/meet-team-stewart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stewart<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are fun-loving and very serious musicians. And we all laugh a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to learn more about Andrew\u2019s musical projects, you can check out <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/ozarks_krezmer_orkestr_springfield\/write_review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, his book <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.melbay.com\/Products\/22195BCDEB\/first-lessons-native-american-flute-how-to-sit-on-a-rock.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Lessons Native American Flute: How to Sit on a Rock<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or his personal work site, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/napashamusic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Napasha Music<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andrew Bishko is an incredibly talented musician and an important part of the Musical U team. Learn more about his background and his love for music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":1932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open Sans","_ml_wooPriceFontSize":0.9,"_ml_wooPriceFontWeight":"400","_ml_wooPriceLineHeight":1.27,"_ml_headingColor":"#000","_ml_headingFont":"Merriweather","_ml_headingFontSize":2.02,"_ml_headingFontWeight":"700","_ml_headingLineHeight":1.47,"_mlglobal_userfontcolors":{"headingColorUser":[],"titleColorUser":[],"metaColorUser":[],"bodyColorUser":[],"wooPriceColorUser":[]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,285],"tags":[256,253,257,254,255,258,259],"class_list":["post-1928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-musical-u-news","tag-accordion","tag-andrew-bishko","tag-heartwinds","tag-klezmer","tag-native-american-flute","tag-the-ozarks-klezmer-orkestr","tag-thru-the-wall"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet the Team: Andrew Bishko - Musical U<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Andrew Bishko is an incredibly talented musician and an important part of the Musical U team. 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