Piano-Playing Police Officer
To what degree a musician pursues their craft depends more on the individual than on outside factors, such as time, finance, or opportunity. Some are content to tinker playfully with their instrument before letting it collect dust; others devote their lives to developing their musical skills, forging careers as professional musicians.
And then there are those whose need to make music manifests later in life, after a nonmusical career has been chosen, as in the case of NY City Police Officer Chris Yip. There’s a sudden, undeniable urge to create, to be a maker of music. In these instances, it’s as though a vacancy has existed. Something has been missing, and music turns out to be the complementary element.
Yip always had an interest in the piano, but it wasn’t until he was 22, after he had graduated college and started working for the Chinese-American Planning Council, that he began to take lessons. After only six months, his teacher left the country, and Yip did not seek out a replacement. Instead, he continued to practice on his own, without the knowledge, oversight, or encouragement of a teacher. He learned to sight read but didn’t perform publicly, and his dedication slowly waned.
Several years later, Yip decided to make a career change. He joined the New York Police Department as a police officer in the 88th precinct in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. While on patrol three and a half years ago, he heard the sound of pianos undulating from the nearby Brooklyn Music School. It was like a calling, as though the pianos were summoning him, wanting Yip to resume his practice. Inspired, he again signed up for weekly lessons, and started playing for two hours a day.
In February, Yip gave a performance, his first, at the Brooklyn Music School, in which he played strictly classical music, including solo pieces by Bach, Haydn, and Mendelssohn, as well as “Concerto in F,” by Gershwin. Half the event’s proceeds were donated to the Chinese-American Planning Council, for which Yip still serves as an active volunteer.
He performed without his department-issued gun on his hip because he is right-handed, and didn’t care to display his bulky firearm, distracting the audience. Although Yip is fulfilled by his complementary pursuits, they don’t particularly overlap or share any common cause. None of his policing skills benefit his musicality, nor does his piano playing help him as an officer of the law. Perhaps this is the reason music making is so important to Yip; his day job requires him to help others, while his music is an entirely personal, individualized pursuit.
It’s nice to imagine him backstage after a long shift of protecting and serving, removing his holster, temporarily hanging it up, and stretching his fingers in preparation for the next act: playing.
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