I began my life in piano teaching as a performer. My mother heard me picking out commercial jingles on my toy piano. So she signed me up with my first piano teacher.  My first piano teacher was in my neighborhood, and I remember getting bundled up to go to lessons.

I didn’t always want to practice as a child. But as you might guess, the more I played, the more fun practicing became.

My school district had a strong arts program. As a result, there were lots of opportunities to perform. First, I was asked to accompany the chorus in junior high school. Then the directors recommended me as an accompanist for solo and ensemble contest. In addition, I played for the high school choirs. To add to my musical activities, I started teaching piano in my parents’ basement.

By this time, I had become serious about my music and decided to study piano in college.