In April of 2023, the Former Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Zevia Soda, Paddy Spence, had his first-ever music lesson with Elizabeth Babor. He’d always wanted to learn piano but his two children, both music lovers, gave him the additional push to start. In this interview, he talks about how his past experience in public speaking helped him with his first piano recital and provides advice on how as a beginner, you can still enjoy music to its fullest potential.

Can you talk a little bit about your musical background? What inspired you to take classes at PCM?
I always had the aspiration of learning music, but viewed it as a future plan of mine. But my two children are both very musical, and I finally got inspired and started taking classes last April at PCM. I had never taken an instrument and didn’t know how to read music but now it’s one of the most enjoyable things that I do.

You were the chief executive of Zevia Sugar-Free Sodas. Can you talk about that experience?
I’ve been an entrepreneur in the natural and organic food and beverage space for the last 30 years and was Chief Executive of Zevia for 12 years. One of the things I love about that industry is it’s always continuing to evolve so there’s constant learning which I get a lot of pleasure in. And that’s what I like about piano too, there’s no endpoint. You can go as far as you want, you can stop, or you can leave it aside, and come back to it. I’ve met a lot of PCM’s adult students who played as kids, left their instruments for a long time, and then returned.

What has your experience at PCM been like so far?
I started in April 2023 and my teacher, Elizabeth, is incredible. She has a tremendous amount of experience, so we’re learning traditional pieces but also, I have childhood friends who play guitar and bass so she’s teaching me to jam with them. They’re completely different styles of playing, but I’ve found playing in a band is a lot easier because you just need to think about the rhythm and basic chords and Elizabeth has been giving me tools such as chord inversions so I can advance myself in that area.

It’s also been great to meet other students and interact with them. And in the last recital, we had many different instruments and it was amazing to see these folks displaying their craft. Music allows for the sharing of talent and knowledge.

Your two kids are quite musical, do you guys ever play together or talk about music?
My kids love music and are great at it so I have to pick my time, but yes, we get to play together, and it’s a blast. My older daughter, who’s 14, plays electric and upright bass. So we’ve had the opportunity to play and it is so much fun.

How do the skills you gained from being an entrepreneur show up in music and vice versa, how does what you’re now learning in music show up in other areas of your life?
In May, I got the ability to dip my toe in the water of performing and did my first recital, which was incredible. I found that performing music is very similar to public speaking because when I’m speaking publicly, I always make a mistake. I don’t stop and apologize, I just continue and I kept that mindset when performing in May which helped me play through and maintain my composure.

Another thing that transfers over from business is the idea that the technical component is one thing and the way you deliver it is another component and very important. In terms of the opposite, it’s fascinating because as a beginner, I am always struggling to keep up. When I’m playing with other people, I’m acutely aware of my shortcomings. At the same time, one of the neat things about music is it’s not about just being the best, it’s about playing with feeling. You can absolutely take that mindset into the real world because we often get intimidated by what we think is our lack of credentials and the reality is we’re all just human beings. I love that musicians are accepting of other musicians’ levels. You never hear someone say, oh, I played with a guy and they weren’t that good. So similarly, if you take that perspective into the real world and think we’re all just learning the instrument, you can get along much better in the world.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I love PCM. All the faculty have been fantastic, and the recitals are great. It’s one of the most fulfilling things that you can do as an adult because there is no endpoint. And I love reading about older individuals who are continuing to enjoy and play music. So it’s been a great discovery for me, and I feel like I’m just getting started.