Guitar Lessons in Honolulu, HI

Instruments: Piano Synthesizer Music Keyboard

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
I was captivated by harmony and melody when I was around 2 years old. My mother had ballet academies and there was always classical music playing in the house. My grandmother, and her mother before her, and her mother before her were accomplished pianists in their own right so it was only natural that music would be a big part or my life. I studied with many different teachers over the years; each one inspiring different aspects of my love for music. It was my college composition professor and piano teacher, John Haek, who helped me find the subtle techniques that would open up new worlds of understanding for me as a pianist, a composer, and teacher.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Truly connected finger legato and even voicing of chordal passages has always presented some vexing challenges for me as a pianist. Each finger has its own strength and weakness respectively. Being able to actively control the pressure applied to the individual notes when using nearly all ten fingers is a life-long study in and of itself!! But I just keep trying!

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
Of all the accomplishments I have achieved in nearly 50 years of study and performance, I am far and away most proud of my students. When they achieve an important milestone, or occasionally win a competition, or have a great live performance, that is when I feel the most proud and deeply grateful for my life in music.

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Many of my piano and composition students have moved on to achieve beautiful things in their own musical careers and lives. One of my most dedicated students is finishing her Graduate studies in Piano Performance at University of Edinburgh back home in Scotland. However, a number of my students pursue piano and the study of music simply for their own edification and enjoyment; forgoing the academic or concert stage trajectory. The most successful musicians do it because they love it. Accolades are nice, but personal understanding and achievement is what is ultimately most important.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I sometimes make a light-hearted joke that the piano found me! I was in love with the sound, the timbral diversity, and the almost infinite tonal complexity of the piano from the second I discovered an old upright at church when I was 3. I knew then the piano would be part of my life forever! Being able to play all the parts at the same time was a huge bonus!! After 48 years of playing I am thrilled to say I am only now beginning to truly understand what the instrument is capable of!

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