How have students at Eastman changed over the years? 
Eastman has always attracted achievement-oriented students who often have visions and dreams that are not always realistic. Graduate students usually have a good foundation on which to build a career, especially those who earn an undergraduate degree from Eastman, which offers a broad-based education that will help them when they apply for jobs and face competition in the music world. 
 

Times have changed. The one thing that all students suffer from now is a lack of space, or what some of my colleagues refer to as a lack of free time. I prefer the image of a lack of space because it better describes the jam everyone feels in this world of fast technological change. Advanced students are under more pressure than ever, especially doctoral candidates. I hope that all people will find more space in their lives for peaceful reflection and thought. 

What is your approach to teaching?
When students play I hear and see a combination of technical and musical problems; as we work on resolving these problems students become fluent and comfortable playing anything, not just a handful of studied pieces. I focus on what I call motion and emotion – the relationship between physical motions, technique, and human emotion, interpretation, while taking into consideration the inherent properties of the piano.

I try to teach students to play the four basics of piano technique – scales, arpeggios, chords, and repeated notes – in a balanced way without excessive strain or pain. This concept grew from my training as a dancer, when I learned to understand my body and to figure out what caused stress or pain. It is a process of guiding students to observe, diagnosis and treat, and trust so that each one  becomes independent. Some people think I teach a relaxation method, but this is not true, although pianists who have tendonitis or some kind of overuse problem consult with me.

I spend a great deal of time helping each pianist to develop a distinct sound or style in the same way that signatures are distinctive and recognizable. It is one thing for students to listen as they play, but it is quite another to learn how to produce magical sounds using the vocabulary and language of color, inflection, and nuance. I believe the relationship between composer, instrument, and performer grows and changes over time.

Part of my job is to open students to combining technique and music making. I also devote time to helping them find employment after they graduate, because the future of music depends on how well they succeed in their musical careers. 

Which 20th-century works should students play?
David Burge’s book, 20th Century Piano Music, has a good list of music to start with. Music of the 20th-century, and now the 21st century, is the music of our time and we should play and teach it all, regardless of which works ultimately become classics. Commissioning and performing new music is an exciting part of my life. It is wonderful to work with composers, and I encourage my students to do so. Just this season I premiered a piano trio that was written for me by Lorenzo Palomo.

Do you teach only college-level students?
I teach students of all ages. The Chautauqua Institution, for example, attracts extraordinarily talented junior high and high school students, some who have prodigious gifts. 

At Chautauqua I combine traditional teaching with more innovative and holistic concepts for the precociously gifted. I designed the program to try to understand each student's special talents and career goals. Having been a prodigy, I believe that I understand the joys and the problems of being talented at any age.