At Christmas time, our thoughts turn to home. Home. Such a simple word: a noun of four letters, equal part consonant and vowel, easy to pronounce and yet almost impossible to define. Because to define anything brings in other words which must then also be defined, creating a spiral nest of definitions, each one seemingly…

As a professor of music at a music school, one topic that is near to my heart is the question of whether the study of music is a viable choice for young people entering college. When I was a student entering music school as a composition major, I had a wonderful introduction to the subject…

I first realized that I had been a serial monogamist all my life while having a discussion with my wife early in our marriage. While we were dating, I was a jazz pianist who doubled on electric bass for fun and to make money, but it was clear that piano was the true musical passion…

In every young musician’s development, there are giants in the landscape, central figures whose polar influence helps transform a soft lump of unrealized possibility into a stronger and more viable form that can move forward with focus, discipline, and a sense of purpose. Some of these giants forge this transformation with force of personality, some with fear…