In my teens, I'd conduct the Beethoven Fifth, ecstatically, furiously, as it roared from the speakers of our hi-fi. My sister listened to Johnny Mathis and the Beatles. I pretended to be above her music. Secretly, I loved it.

I began taking piano lessons when I was six. Nobody had to tell me to practice. Later—I'm not sure when or how—I began to compose. I have notebooks crammed with melodies I jotted down during those years.

I studied at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division when I was a teenager, with a wonderful piano teacher, Henrietta Wendt. I also studied theory and composition during my years at Juilliard. At Baldwin-Wallace College I wrote and performed music for the theater, and played in vocal and instrumental recitals and concerts. I received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1969.

During the 1970's I played and sang original material in clubs, worked as an accompanist, and served as music director for the stage. I also developed a passion for teaching, and for many years now have enjoyed developing and refining my own educational approach.