1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,960 Everybody deserves good teaching, whether it's a beginner or extremely advanced. 2 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,680 It's not like I teach the talent so much. 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:15,200 I teach the person and the talent together. 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:19,240 I always say the person is just as important as the talent. 5 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:23,320 I'll teach anybody who wants to work hard as a mission. 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:29,440 And a person needs to realize that failures can be very helpful unless you quit. 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,280 You have to put yourself up and keep going and you'll be successful. 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,800 Discouragement is always followed by some kind of encouragement. 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,880 The most important thing is to have a good attitude and positive attitude to help students 10 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:43,880 not be so self-critical. 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:49,120 You want to be better, right? 12 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,000 That's why we practice every day. 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,280 And it can be stressful. 14 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,000 Maybe we will have competitions coming up or any reasons, right? 15 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,720 Because interlocking is just like conservatory. 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:05,320 But with Kunrad, we're always, yes, of course, we work hard, but he wanted to make sure that 17 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:08,240 we have a balance. 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:13,600 Our studio class, he wanted to make sure that we are all not too stressed. 19 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,240 And it's all about the balance. 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:19,920 Hello piano enthusiasts. 21 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,080 Welcome to the PianoPod with me, Yuki Misong. 22 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:29,800 They were diving deeper into the second installment of this season's ninth episode with extraordinary 23 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:35,480 artist and educator, Dr. Michael Kunrad, who served as a distinguished faculty member 24 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:40,160 at the renowned Interlochen Arts Academy for 46 years. 25 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:46,000 In case you missed our captivating part one conversation, exploring his teaching methods 26 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,060 and philosophy, don't worry. 27 00:01:48,060 --> 00:01:53,560 You can catch up on all the excitement on your favorite podcast platform right now. 28 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,600 A warm welcome to all our new listeners. 29 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,420 This podcast is your all access pass to the captivating world of piano. 30 00:02:01,420 --> 00:02:06,280 In each episode of the PianoPod, I interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting 31 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,340 new ground in the industry. 32 00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:12,520 Please rate the show and review it on your favorite podcasting platform because every 33 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,760 rating review will help people find my show. 34 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:20,480 And as for our faithful listeners, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your 35 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,060 loyal listenership. 36 00:02:22,060 --> 00:02:27,200 Since 2020, we've been exploring how to make classical music resonate in fresh ways with 37 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:28,680 today's audience. 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,120 To keep bringing you these episodes, my show relies on your support. 39 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,360 Every contribution aids in covering essential podcast expenses. 40 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,240 So click the PayPal link in the show notes or visit the pianopod.com to donate. 41 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,780 I'll personally mail you the PianoPod's logo sticker as a token of gratitude. 42 00:02:46,780 --> 00:02:53,440 So my friends, here is part two of the PianoPod's season four, episode nine, featuring Dr. Michael 43 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:54,440 Coonrod. 44 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,720 Please enjoy the show. 45 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,920 What's great about being a teacher is I'm a teacher too. 46 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:05,280 And I learned from my students quite a bit. 47 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:11,680 I think it's a reciprocal relationship that I love about with my profession. 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,480 So any lessons you learn from students? 49 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:15,480 Yes. 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:16,480 Oh, yes. 51 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:17,480 Yeah. 52 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:18,480 I learned a lot from students. 53 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,880 I learned to listen to what they're saying. 54 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:27,000 I mean, if something's bothered them in life or they can't do something, they worked hard, 55 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:28,000 they can't do it. 56 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,000 I listened to them. 57 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,760 Now, if they didn't do something because they didn't practice, well, they're out the door. 58 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,040 I don't like that at all. 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,120 They really try hard, but they didn't make so much progress. 60 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:39,120 Discuss what it is. 61 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,240 And so they have to tell me these things. 62 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:42,240 Let's see. 63 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,720 It's important to be available between lessons. 64 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,680 I mean, if you're having less than two hours away, you can't expect to have the teacher 65 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:49,680 be with you all the time. 66 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:54,600 But here or in the neighborhood, you can get involved with the students' lives. 67 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,400 I have a colleague who goes to somebody's tennis match whenever possible. 68 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,480 I try to do that for my grandson. 69 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,580 There are other interests. 70 00:04:02,580 --> 00:04:06,640 If people have balance in their life, they're not just playing the piano constantly, and 71 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,200 that's all they're doing. 72 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,440 I mean, it takes a lot of time and effort to do that. 73 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,080 But if you just do that, you're a little bit one-sided. 74 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,360 I'm grateful for my University of Montana training at an undergrad school because I 75 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:24,160 studied liberal arts, French literature, English literature, British writers, art history, 76 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,240 anything that had to do with creativity. 77 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:28,900 It helped my music. 78 00:04:28,900 --> 00:04:35,480 So it's important to not be so self-centered or just focus on total piano, although they 79 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:40,440 have to be taught that you have to practice a lot more than you really are. 80 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,920 If you practice more than six hours, you're likely going to hurt yourself or else you'll 81 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,520 get brain fog. 82 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:47,520 That's tough. 83 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,640 And it's different for different people. 84 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:55,180 Some students with small hands can strain more easily, so you don't want them to practice 85 00:04:55,180 --> 00:04:58,560 too many hours or in the wrong way. 86 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:03,600 The teacher really needs to supervise how they're practicing. 87 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,200 Sometimes I will watch somebody practice to see what they're doing. 88 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:11,280 Other times I'll have students watch me practice to see what I do because practicing means 89 00:05:11,280 --> 00:05:14,120 something different in the learning process. 90 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,640 You always say, well, don't just run through something. 91 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,880 But at the end, you can run through things three times in a row. 92 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:20,880 That's very helpful. 93 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,960 I learned that from Conrad Wolff, my dear teacher from Peabody. 94 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,760 He wrote the book on Archer's novels teaching and taught me great things. 95 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,000 And he said, one of the best things is just go through a piece three times in a row, like 96 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,200 seeing a movie three times. 97 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:34,200 You know what's coming up. 98 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:38,800 But at the beginning, you'll break things apart in Schmerg method. 99 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,680 One little thing I learned from the student is stretching my fingers. 100 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:44,120 I'm going to show this to you. 101 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,320 It looks like a contortion. 102 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,920 I do it every day and I get my students to do it every day. 103 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,960 It's to stretch the webbing between the fingers. 104 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,520 So B. Can you see that? 105 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,720 D and a perfect fifth with two and three. 106 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:08,280 The elbows to go out and go down and then slowly twist it. 107 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:09,280 So it's the opposite. 108 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:13,880 The elbows in the fifth fingers down and the thumb down. 109 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:18,000 You just go back and forth. 110 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,400 Kind of like I don't know if people know what silly putty is. 111 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,280 You know, if you stretch it slowly, it moves. 112 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:26,600 If you start fast, it snaps. 113 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,480 You don't want to snap. 114 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:29,480 And then you do it with. 115 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,560 Well, I can't do it here because I don't have the fourth finger. 116 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:38,680 The left hand's three, four back and forth. 117 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:48,200 So be mindful of the elbow way out and then in and in and four or five. 118 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:56,420 I mean, if a small hand can't do it, go to a perfect fit for the perfect fourth. 119 00:06:56,420 --> 00:06:57,420 Thank you. 120 00:06:57,420 --> 00:07:03,360 All these practical tips to philosophical topics in terms of teaching. 121 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:27,960 So now let's switch gears and chat about your life as a pianist and recording artist. 122 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:55,560 I mean. 123 00:07:55,560 --> 00:08:23,960 First of all, how did you discover the love for music? 124 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:28,520 As you grew up in the musical home, what was the turning point for a young Michael 125 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,800 Coonrub to start developing a passion for becoming a pianist? 126 00:08:32,680 --> 00:08:37,000 That's really an interesting subject because I like many things. I was never adamant about 127 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,840 playing sports in groups. I like individual sports like tennis and swimming, skiing, 128 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:49,000 but we're talking about age five and six. I remember my parents said, 129 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:54,280 if you're not going to practice, we're not going to give you lessons. Oh, no, I want to play piano. 130 00:08:54,280 --> 00:09:00,680 So my teacher arranged the theme from Zorro. That's a show that I liked as a kid. I still remember it. 131 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:10,040 I liked it because you could do this at the end. 132 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:20,920 That inspired me to practice a little bit more. I mean, I liked nature. I was in Arizona. I was in 133 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:27,800 the frog and toad stage. Although in Arizona, it was in the snake and lizard stage and scorpion 134 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:34,840 stage. I liked critters. I liked hiking out in the woods. I always liked that. Back down in Montana, 135 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,480 up here where there's a lot of pine trees, I just dearly loved being out there and lying in the 136 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:45,000 grass or the pine needles. It's one of my favorite smells is pine needles warmed by the sun and hearing 137 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:51,160 the trees, the wind blowing the leaves and the trees. It sounds a little bit like the whoosh of a 138 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:57,000 pedal when you lift it. So I had cap guns when I was a kid, but I've never wanted to be a hunter. 139 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:04,520 Just got my cap guns as a kid. As I said before, it's interesting how the early teenage years, 140 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:13,240 all of a sudden the fire in the belly starts. For me, I guess I was 10 years old and I loved the 141 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,680 Rachmaninoff C sharp minor prelude. Everybody knows that of course. 142 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:26,040 But my teacher said it's too hard. And so I took that as a challenge. And so I went and learned it 143 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:33,160 and memorized it and played it for the class in school. And so I think that's a lesson for us all 144 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:38,040 to realize if kids have a passion to learn something, we need to listen to that. If it's 145 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:43,480 something that's way beyond them, I think it's wise to say, well, just put that on the piano 146 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:48,360 and we can do that someday. But here's two pieces that are very much like that. For example, 147 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:53,160 instead of doing Rachmaninoff, you could do Kabalewski and try to meet them halfway. 148 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:59,400 Don't be discouraging. Don't be negative. Always be kind of positive. But that piece was, 149 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:08,040 I was able to do it. And then another experience I remember was being with my grandparents in 150 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:13,320 Missouri. And I went to the small town store and I found this copy of Rachmaninoff second concerto, 151 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,960 which everybody loves. And I was just fascinated with it. And I started practicing that 152 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:23,080 and incessantly. And then by the time I was a sophomore in high school, I was able to play it 153 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:28,120 with my high school orchestra. So that created, that was it. Then I started practicing a lot. 154 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:33,320 The senior year in high school, I got up at five in the morning and practiced two hours before 155 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,400 breakfast. And I go to high school and then I go to the university afterwards and practice 156 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:44,440 two, three hours, then come home, do homework. I wanted to do it. I wanted to do it good right away. 157 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:48,840 And my mother would say, you know, you just can't do it overnight. I said, yeah, I want, 158 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:55,400 it's time to waste him. I'm interested to see how that passion is developed in others. And I usually 159 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:04,280 ask them, it's a pinpoint milestones in my life. Yeah. But everybody has that sort of, you know, 160 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:10,840 moment where, oh, you realize, oh, I better practice more because I like it and I love it. 161 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:17,720 You know, I love the way it makes me feel afterwards. Yes. But also students will say, 162 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:23,960 oh, I practiced for three weeks. I don't feel like I got better at all. And we have to counsel them. 163 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:30,840 We don't see gradual progress. We see all of a sudden they're there. And then all of a sudden 164 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:38,280 we're there. You don't notice it gradually. But also if you have different goals, yearly goals, 165 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:43,880 monthly goals, weekly goals, daily goals, to say, I'm going to spend 15 minutes on this passage of 166 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:49,320 our measures, then you get better. And you don't get better by just running through things. You 167 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:54,040 have to address the issue and you have to just say, well, what technique is this that we use? 168 00:12:54,040 --> 00:13:02,360 Is it rotation? Is it arm? Is it wrist? Hmm. Yeah. Okay. So where were we? No, it's great. But now 169 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:10,120 who was your mentor? We are so very lucky if we have at least one person who believed in us. And 170 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:16,680 for me, it was Lushen Hutt, a Dutch pianist who was 10 years old when the Germans invaded Rotterdam. 171 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:22,520 And he has really vivid memories of that. I think in his later life he was a hoarder. 172 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:27,240 He saw a kerosene lamp that he liked in a garage sale. He'd buy seven of them. 173 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:34,200 I mean, it had to do with him growing up and he didn't have food. He didn't have wood for fires. 174 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:40,280 Can you imagine growing up during that Holocaust? It was terrible. But he would tell me, 175 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:47,880 if you can make a few special moments, then you're successful. And so he said, 176 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:53,800 I'm capable of doing that. So that just stimulates me to believe in what I'm doing. 177 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:58,920 And the other person was Conrad Wolff. I spoke about him earlier, a biographer of Archer Schnabel. 178 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:04,440 I learned some great things. Like the line is the most important. You got to keep a line going 179 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:09,320 because the sound decays with every note. You have to make sure you keep on going. And there's a way 180 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:14,040 of doing that that sometimes makes it just as linear as a violin, a string instrument. 181 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:20,440 But I was playing Schubert B-flat Sonata for the Liszt Society and he was there. And he had to catch 182 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:25,400 a bus train. He had a commitment. So he was there for the first movement. And he wrote me a little 183 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,840 note, which I still have. And it says, I'm furious I have to leave, but I want you to know you're 184 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:36,120 doing everything right. So that made me really love Schubert's music. 185 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:42,760 Which you have the entire CD dedicated to Schubert. 186 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:50,760 Two CDs in that, 150 minutes. It's just that that music fits my personality. Beethoven's great. 187 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:56,920 Beethoven often is very, very aggressive. I mean Schubert's dramatic is also, but in a more elegant 188 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:06,040 style, elegant way, except maybe the wander fantasy as well, Beethoven-esque. But in the rest of my 189 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:12,520 life, I would like to spend time with Schubert's music. And my dear colleague, we both love the 190 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:18,120 music of Schubert. And she asked to help her know how to play the fantasy in F minor. And I wanted 191 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:40,440 to do the bronze piano quintet for two pianos. And so we did both those together. 192 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,760 I want to know a little bit more about your musical career. Any memorable performances 193 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,680 that you experienced that you can share with us today? 194 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:54,920 Well, in 1994, I was granted a sabbatical leave. And so I was asked to play a concert at the Chopin 195 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:02,840 Academy Music in Poland, and also in Poznan, another town. And so I played George Crumb's Christmas 196 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:09,880 Suite, George Walker's first piano sonata, really important works of the 20th century in America. 197 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:16,040 And so that's what they wanted. And Poland is really interested in 20th century, 21st century 198 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:22,200 music now, a leader. And so they want to know what American 20th century music was all about. 199 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:27,320 So I went there and I played, I gave a masterclass, I showed them how the Christmas Suite was 200 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:34,040 conceived, and I played it for them. That was really a wonderful experience for me. Also, I 201 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:40,200 played Chopin's third scherzo for one of the Polish teachers who's a renowned Chopin expert. 202 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:46,200 Remember, the main thing she said was Chopin wanted his music in time, play it in time. 203 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:52,680 And that resonated with me because I don't really care for self-indulgent music. It's not elegant, 204 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:59,800 it just draws attention to, oh, I'm so musical. But you can create the respect for one's playing 205 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:05,960 by promoting the composer and not going overboard. That's what I like about Schubert. It can be just 206 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:14,040 so gorgeous, but if you stray from the tempo, too much rubato, too much retard, it seems to lack 207 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:19,080 the elegance. So I learned that from her. That was one experience. The other two influences were 208 00:17:20,120 --> 00:17:27,000 memorable experiences were playing these concertos. One was the Kenji Bunch concerto for the left 209 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:34,920 hand alone that I commissioned. And I was so very lucky that when I lost my finger, colleagues, 210 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:43,240 friends, family collected $30,000 for me to commission music for the left hand alone. And so 211 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:49,240 I played Kenji's music before I saw him in Maple Mound. He was the guest composer. 212 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:56,200 He was the guest composer. And I had played his music. And there's a lot of jazzy rhythms, 213 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:04,040 not jazz like in Gershwin or Duke Ellington. It's just syncopated and really attractive to 214 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:11,160 general audiences as well as my colleagues. When I selected Kenji to be the composer, 215 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:17,720 my colleague said, oh, I was hoping you'd choose him. So I premiered that with our 216 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:22,520 semi-professional orchestra in town of Traverse City, the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. 217 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:28,760 And I played an encore of the Danny Boy for my left hand. So it was very touching to see 218 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:37,320 that I had made lemonade out of the lemons. It's amazing that you are continuing to perform 219 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:45,640 despite of, you know, life's curve balls. But yeah, it's great. The third thing was playing 220 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:52,760 the Chaconne in D minor by Bach, but for the left hand alone, my Brahms. And the ironic thing was, 221 00:18:52,760 --> 00:19:01,160 I learned that three months before I lost my finger because I loved it. But like three weeks 222 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:07,000 after the amputation, I was teaching at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Maieri, Italy. 223 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:14,520 And I played that, you know, with a bandaged right hand. And I also, in subsequent years, 224 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:18,200 in subsequent years, I did the Kenji Bunch concerto with the second pianist. 225 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:24,600 Those were memorable experiences for me. Now that you mentioned about your finger, 226 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:30,920 you know, so let's talk about your finger injury first, before we are getting into your recording, 227 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:37,160 you know, CD albums that I have here with me today. But I know you mentioned that it happened 228 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:47,960 about eight years ago, 2015. 2015, I was 65 years old. And it was a Memorial Day. Well, 229 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:54,760 Memorial Day weekend. Yeah, so very memorable to me. You're taking your students somewhere, 230 00:19:54,760 --> 00:20:00,760 right? It was before graduation. And I wanted to have one last get together. So we had dinner and 231 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:06,600 then they wanted me to take them to Interlochen's property, which butts up to our fence. And so we 232 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:11,800 have 12 acres. So I hiked over there and I jumped over the fence. And I don't know how it happened, 233 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:18,760 but I was wearing a padded glove. But I had my father's big ring on that finger. And so when I 234 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:23,800 jumped over the fence to try to find a way for them to get through the fence, they got hung up 235 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:31,560 and the other side was 10 inches lower. I didn't realize that. And so I'm here to tell you that 236 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:37,240 shock happens instantly. Not shock like putting your finger in a light socket. It's just you 237 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:43,400 completely lose strength. You can't believe it. Didn't believe very much, but I was holding it up 238 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:48,200 like that when I was holding. And so they got found a hole in the fence and they pulled me 239 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,240 through it. We went to the house, which is only a football field away. My wife drove me to the 240 00:20:53,240 --> 00:21:00,840 hospital and they called an orthopedic surgeon and people were saying, oh, we can fix this. It'll 241 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:07,400 be okay. It'll be okay. But it's pretty mangled. And he said, you know, if you cut it off, we can 242 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:12,680 suture it on again. But when you mangle all those nerves, there's only about 10% chance you'll be 243 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:17,800 able to have the finger. He said, because you have insurance and you're a pianist, we're going to try 244 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:24,680 everything. So in the middle of a rainstorm, thunderstorm, they flew a jet helicopter up from 245 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:31,880 Ann Arbor University Hospital to pick me up. And they had to take me in a gurney to try to find the 246 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:37,240 helicopter. And we went all the way down there and my wife didn't go because she needed the car. So 247 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:42,440 she went home and then drove the next day. And so they got me there. So within four hours of the 248 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:47,480 injury, five hours of the injury, they did a three hour surgery. It's supposed to have been some kind 249 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:57,240 of innovative Chinese experimental surgery. And then they put my hand in a plastic billowy hot 250 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:02,920 plastic thing with a hair blower going through it to try to get the blood flowing. They even 251 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:08,440 put leeches on the end of my fourth finger to see if, you know, they still use leeches. 252 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:14,840 Really? Oh my God. But they didn't sense anything of interest. So it didn't work. So after three days, 253 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:20,760 it was obvious that it wasn't working. So I just say, okay, take it off. So I'm really grateful 254 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:27,080 that they took the whole thing because if it was just half, it kind of hit my way. So there's two 255 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:32,680 things I remember instantly. Number one, I'm really grateful it didn't happen to a student. 256 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:39,000 I mean, I've had a career of performing. I have five CDs. Well, four, one is two. And then, you 257 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:45,720 know, I'm 65. I'm 73 now. I've had a good life, but to have it happen as a teenager would be 258 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:51,320 horrible. And the second thing I was grateful for is happened with the weakest finger. If I would 259 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:55,000 ever strain my hand, it was always the fourth finger because the fourth doesn't lift very far. 260 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:03,640 My colleague says, you know, you sound better now. I don't know if I can believe him, but 261 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:09,240 I do know that when I was a kid, I was really adamant about substituting. 262 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:21,560 You know, substituting every finger to make it legato. I avoided the bites against it. So finally, 263 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:28,360 I realized it's more constricting than just playing the tone. So a good tone can be produced by your 264 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:34,120 finger or a pencil. I don't have a pencil, but it's a matter of... 265 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:43,240 I mean, you can... In other words, it's not so good to... 266 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,480 Unless you're an organist, you have to do that. But... 267 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:57,480 So there's two with octaves. It's hard to play 5-4 with octaves. I play 5-3. 268 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:13,800 But if you play 5-5, it works. So I do a lot of 5-5 for octaves and having strokes to make... 269 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,960 You know, like a marimba, you play with a certain pressure, it comes out a nice tone. 270 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,200 That's how I adapted. 271 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:28,520 You mentioned about shock. I can't imagine the shock, right? But then tell us about the 272 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:34,520 process of recovery, because that's another phase after you've really seen the shock, 273 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:41,160 you sense the shock. Now, next phase would be physical and emotional recovery process. 274 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:45,960 And how did you maintain, even through then, how did you maintain your passion for music 275 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:47,240 and stay motivated? 276 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,280 Well, I was really lucky that I played the Chaconne of D minor in my Aurelion Festival 277 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:59,400 back in the day going, and it was successful. And they liked it. And one Italian man, he came up 278 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:04,680 and he kissed my hand and they're very, very emotional over there. And so I got a lot of 279 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:12,760 feedback that way. I also realized that my colleagues were building this incredible fund 280 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:18,280 for a left-hand concerto. I mean, these things that happened wouldn't have happened otherwise. 281 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:23,960 So I can't say I'm grateful to lose a finger, but it turned out okay. And I subsequently 282 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:30,120 found out I can play with both hands. Like on the dedication recording, that with nine fingers. 283 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:34,440 And there's three left-hand pieces on it, the Chaconne, the Scriabin left-hand eight, 284 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:39,720 and my Danny boy. But everything like the symphonic eight, the Schumann, 285 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:47,160 I have to confess that I can't play first inversion chords that well. For example, 286 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:54,040 in A major, the first inversion C sharp, E, A, but you know, you don't want to do one, two, 287 00:25:54,040 --> 00:26:00,360 three, five, good stretches the hand. It's, it's, it's a strain. I can do that if it's really slow, 288 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:07,080 but ordinarily I just leave it out because that's the note you voice out anyway, 289 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:13,560 instead of playing. Cause you got a lot of tonic notes anyway. 290 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:19,720 So I can play many things, but I can't play Chopin etudes or list pieces, which is okay. 291 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:25,080 I've done enough of that in my life. I want to focus on the composers that I just mentioned, 292 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:32,280 Bach, Schumann, Brahms. They tend to be cordial. Rachmaninoff might be difficult because there's 293 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:37,800 a lot of fast scales in Rachmaninoff. But I think that's the thing. I think that's the thing. 294 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:44,200 So Rachmaninoff might be difficult because there's a lot of fast scales in Rachmaninoff. And, 295 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:52,360 you know, just interested in playing beautiful music. My colleague, Hamin Kim and I, we played 296 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:58,920 the recital and we did overture to Candide by Bernstein arranged by my good friend, Chip Miller. 297 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:07,560 That was really fun. I can do that. There's not too many scales. 298 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:22,600 But then we did the Schubert fantasy in F minor that has some scales in it, but mostly chords, 299 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:30,120 broken chords. I can do fugues. And then the really difficult part was the Brahms piano 300 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:37,400 quintet. It used to be a quintet, string quintet. And then Clara said, let's make a two piano 301 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:42,760 sonata of it. And then finally, he arranged it for piano quintet. That's its final form. But the 302 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:48,680 piano sonata is definitely fine. My colleague who's a violist says, I like the two piano versions 303 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:57,400 better. Yeah, there's some few notes. There's a lot of fast notes, but a lot of octaves and chords. 304 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:03,800 And so that satisfies me because I have some balance in my life, in my retirement. For decades, 305 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:09,000 I've wanted to build a diorama of my home city of Missoula, Montana, in the middle of the Rocky 306 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:15,640 Mountains with a train running all around it. And you're building right now. That's right. So 307 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,760 I spent five hours a day on that. We did that recital. We're going to be in Ducs de Moire, 308 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:29,080 play for church, for church choir. I work with the Boy Scouts as an adult leader. That keeps me busy. 309 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,600 And for anybody who's retiring, I would give advice, don't retire unless you have a project, 310 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:39,800 something to do. You want to go back to work doing something else. But I wanted to be retired. They 311 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:45,000 even asked me at Interlochen, could you come back and teach piano lessons for people whose major is 312 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:52,680 something else? And I said, no, no, I really want to be retired. What advice do you have for other 313 00:28:52,680 --> 00:29:00,520 musicians facing, I wouldn't say similar, but very difficult life's setbacks right now due to 314 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:07,560 life's unexpected curveballs? What kind of advice do you have for them? Well, I feel a little 315 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:12,120 self-conscious for saying certain things like this is the world's worst thing, but, you know, 316 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:17,960 I could have lost an arm or a leg or people come back from war or automobile accidents. I mean, 317 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:24,280 compared to that, this is nothing. I can still play with both hands. But still, it was shocking. 318 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:29,720 I would say, count your blessings. There's many really good things that have happened to me 319 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:34,360 because of that. And I'm grateful. So many wonderful students who keep in touch. 320 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:41,080 The collection of money for the guest artists, for Interlochen students and faculty. 321 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:47,640 Stay positive. I mean, I'm really lucky. I have a wife of 52 years, three wonderful children, 322 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:55,320 four grandchildren. You know, I'm really fortunate to have some good things happen to me. 323 00:29:55,960 --> 00:30:03,160 Pokey Huang. So we talked about he was the one who introduced me to you, but he was practicing 324 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:11,320 your Danny Boy on the left hand. Yes. And then I remember seeing one video clip that he was 325 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:17,480 practicing on Instagram or something. Anyway, can you tell us about the arrangement? So did you 326 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:25,640 compose or arrange pieces before that, before your injury? Or is there something new? Ironically, 327 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:33,560 ironically, about 25 years ago, when I was playing bagpipes as part of my balancing act, 328 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:39,000 I really loved Danny Boy because it's one of the most beautiful songs ever written. And so I 329 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:46,120 arranged it for two hands. It was for a Kayleigh, which is a Scottish party, but I lost it. And then 330 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:51,880 all of a sudden this finger thing happened. And I thought, Oh, it's really, I bet I could do that 331 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:56,680 for a left hand alone. And it took me a long time to figure out how I was going to do it. 332 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:03,560 Because I wanted to have counterpoint in it as well as the melody. And then the arrangement, 333 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:09,640 I'll send it to you if you're interested. It's not easy. You have to really work hard at voicing 334 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:14,200 because you have to play the melody like it's a voice, but then you might have the melody. 335 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:28,760 So I arranged that and it's been a nice encore to play. And I played it for the assembly 336 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:35,080 at Interlochen when I was my last week there. I played it in the Malfe Coast Festival and I 337 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:44,440 finally recorded it on the CD you have. The dedication CD, yes. 338 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:51,400 We're going to talk about your recordings now, but where can we get these CDs? 339 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,960 Everything except the dedication is on Spotify or YouTube. 340 00:32:55,960 --> 00:33:00,680 And then dedication, if they wanted this CD, should they contact you? 341 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:05,320 Yeah, they can write to me. email. 342 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:11,160 kuhnrodmm at interlochen.org. 343 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:18,600 Now I will list that in the description so that my audience can reach out to you and then get the CD. 344 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:27,240 So speaking of CDs, so I have all five of them, but actually this has two of them inside. So 345 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:33,880 five CD albums here with me. I want to particularly know 50th anniversary favorites. 346 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:40,520 And also we talked about dedication and also the life and the music of Albert James Fillmore. 347 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,000 So let's start with 50th anniversary favorites. 348 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:50,520 Okay, open the cover, the jacket and show us the picture of my mentor, Lucian Hutt. 349 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:54,040 Yes, which you mentioned about him. 350 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:59,640 I dedicated this with him in mind, a Dutch pianist who studied with Vronsky and Babin, 351 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:05,160 the famous piano duo team. And they had studied with Artur Schnabel. So I have that connection there too. 352 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:12,760 So now let's talk about the other album titled The Life and Music of Albert James Fillmore. 353 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:17,880 Could you share more about Mr. Fillmore, his background and your connection with him? 354 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:24,760 Additionally, what inspired you to undertake the production of this particular album? 355 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:32,840 Well, he's a dear friend, about 80 years old. And he had a cottage up here at Crystal Lake, 356 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:38,840 and he would come up to visit. And I knew him in like 1987 when he was composing these prelates 357 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:44,680 for piano. And he wasn't trying to do unique things in contemporary vocabulary. He called it 358 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:51,000 the Muse of Chopin. And he just loved the preludes of Chopin and decided to write them in the 359 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:57,080 different keys. And they're short, but they're not insipid at all. They're on wonderful harmonic 360 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,960 progressions. Some of them are very difficult, and some of them are good teaching pieces. 361 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:08,440 So those are C major to A minor to D major to B minor. My adult students really love them. 362 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:15,720 And so he had a cottage in Owasso where he was born, literally. And he also was Professor Emeritus 363 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:22,120 at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. But he never drove because his father told him, 364 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:29,160 you're accident prone, you don't drive. What a thing to put on a child. So he was always 365 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:34,600 bumming rides. So we would take him down to Detroit. If I'm in Detroit for a conference, 366 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:38,680 we'd come up and I'd take him to his cottage. So I would sit with him and watch him compose these 367 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:45,960 pieces. And he was somewhat of an anglophile. He loved William Blake, his poetry, and he wrote 368 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:53,800 songs, lovely songs. And so he passed away after living with us for a while. He was recovering from 369 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:58,440 hip injury and he was in a nursing home with people who needed extra help. But he didn't need 370 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:04,200 help. His mind was right there. So my wife took care of him for a half a year before he went down 371 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:12,920 to Detroit. He developed a staph infection in his hip and they couldn't, oh, I see he broke his hip, 372 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:16,760 but he had a staph infection. They couldn't operate until they got rid of the staph infection. 373 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:23,720 He never did. So he passed away from that. And I wish I had made this CD before he passed away. 374 00:36:23,720 --> 00:36:30,920 But I'm contending his legacy by bringing it to teachers in Michigan. I wish I could find other 375 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:37,400 ways of promoting it because my wife, desktop printed all the preludes and also this piece for 376 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:44,920 organ and orchestra variations on what love is this. And so it's a beautiful CD with a biography, 377 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:50,440 40 page biography that she wrote on his life. And she's the one to do it because she knew him 378 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:57,480 really well. They had the preludes and the orchestra piece and biography and children's choir 379 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:05,080 pieces and the songs by Robert de Vizzi. And it's a great anthology of music. And we did that. 380 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:13,720 Wonderful. Yes. Yeah. There's like a really chunk of book, sort of like a booklet inside of the album 381 00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:24,440 and talks about the legacy of the composer and also some anecdotes documented with his handwritten 382 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:34,520 letters. Sometimes you see and the photos from his childhood and the houses that he used to live in. 383 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:40,920 Interesting. He did study with Nadia Boulanger in 1939. He was over in Paris and they had, 384 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:46,120 because the Germans were invading France, they had to get out immediately on a ship. He was one of 385 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:51,320 the last ships out to come over here. And she always told him, just follow your heart, compose 386 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:56,600 what you want to compose instead of being forced into something. Wonderful man. And we miss him. 387 00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:06,520 I listened to the prelude. Very beautiful. In many ways, they are like many romantic literature, 388 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:12,520 the piano literature, the feature of romantic period, but also sometimes you can hear a hint 389 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:19,080 of impressionism as well. Yes. And Schumann, the F-sharp minor is very Schumann-esque. And the F 390 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:28,920 major is very Gershwin-like. My favorites are the E major, the B major, C minor, B minor, A flat major. 391 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,960 Yeah. I need to listen to them again, but thank you so much for sending me all these CD albums 392 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:41,320 to me. I'm enjoying listening to them. You have such a long career as a pianist and piano teacher. 393 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:45,160 So what's the secret to a long career in performing arts? It's not easy. 394 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:51,240 Well, it's my life. I mean, I love my wife and my family, of course, first and foremost. 395 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:59,880 But my reason for being is to play the piano and to share that with students and performances, 396 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:05,240 of course. And so I've known that ever since I was, well, I guess I said I had the passion when I was 397 00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:12,120 13 or 14, but I played the piano my whole life. I think that music should be shared, not just 398 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:18,520 playing for yourself, although it's good therapy to play these pieces for yourself. I've been 399 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:28,280 reliving the spin of Gretchen. And I said, no, why are you doing that? I said, well, because I love 400 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:34,200 it. I don't need to perform it anywhere, but I would like to share it with people. So human 401 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:41,400 interaction is really important to me when I give a concert, just like I tend to not like receptions 402 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:46,120 because you can't talk to one person for any length of time. I like to one-on-one visit. 403 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:53,560 I guess I've done it my whole life and I feel it's part of my heart. And I enjoy getting to 404 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:58,040 know the composers and seeing what's maybe in their heart. That's why I like teaching piano 405 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:02,520 literature because I did it from the point of view of the composer, showing the students how it was 406 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:06,760 written, how they must have been thinking structurally and harmonically. They just don't 407 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:15,000 wake up and do this great piece. They do rules that don't sound like rules, that sound creative. 408 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:23,320 If you analyze things, you know what's going on. Now, this question is for you as a music educator, 409 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:28,600 a piano teacher. So how has music education evolved throughout your teaching career and 410 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:31,240 what are the most significant changes you've observed? 411 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:39,720 The obvious things is the technology, the recording, and the cell phones. When I was a high school 412 00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:48,120 student, the present my parents gave me was a portable tape recorder. It was this big and it 413 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:54,920 was reel to reel and I used it a lot. It was portable, it was heavy and awkward, but I used 414 00:40:54,920 --> 00:41:00,200 it into graduate school and it was very, very helpful. Nowadays, you put higher quality in 415 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:06,040 your pocket, of course. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for all the change. But for students, 416 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:12,600 well, we can say that the focus has diminished just because of the media and television. 417 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:19,160 When I listen to movies from the 50s, there's these long swaths of speaking, but nowadays, 418 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:24,600 these very short periods, you think they can say one sentence and then they cut and then they 419 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:28,680 learn another sentence and that's not the rule. There are exceptions. There's some really great 420 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:34,840 acting in the dialogue or monologues and dialogues, but generally, there's less focus. 421 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:43,880 I mean, look at these clips between the TV shows or they're telling you all about the TV shows and 422 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:48,840 the movies. So you see half a second, you can go to this and you go to this and it just makes me 423 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:56,440 nervous. Just fast, fast, fast. But for students, I don't know, people are people. Maybe the styles, 424 00:41:56,440 --> 00:42:05,160 you know, the styles of clothing is so much different. I see really smart students, much 425 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:12,120 much smarter than me. I mean, a student, a very special student, Davis, he's going to Yale now 426 00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:18,760 and he can take so many different classes and he plays piano like I want to hear piano. He 427 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:25,080 hears the harmonies. He can play a fugue. He knows what chord structure is. He's the ideal student, 428 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:32,040 but he's a whiz at math and he takes different courses in economics. I think, what's he going 429 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:36,200 to do? There's so many things, paths he could follow. One thing I failed to mention before is 430 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:41,400 that I think students need to realize that you can't just follow one path and expect to do this 431 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:48,920 for the concert pianist. There's certain options that most of us take and most common one is 432 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:55,960 teacher. And if you're not people oriented and you don't really care to share with people, 433 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,840 what are you going to do? You're not going to perform all the time. It's hard to make a lot 434 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:04,520 of money playing. I play concerts, but I don't make money to live. I teach. So you have to really 435 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:10,600 enjoy people to be a teacher. So I can't tell the difference, so much the difference in people, 436 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:17,400 people are people. I mean, the language, I mean, the final language is everywhere in music and even 437 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:22,200 even interlocking, we just try to dissuade that. I don't hear it so much, but when you're in public, 438 00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:27,640 you hear these words that are offensive to me all the time. In that regard, I'm kind of old fashioned. 439 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:34,280 So how relevant is classical training in today's this very fast paced society? 440 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:40,120 I think that it can really encourage longer attention spans and more focus and more dwelling 441 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:45,560 on sensitivity. I mean, the ancient Greeks used to have music therapy. Some person just all they did 442 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:53,880 was sports and triathlons and football players and coaches today are just strong. That's their 443 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:58,760 reason for being. You need to balance that out with things that are more gracious and sensitive, 444 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:05,080 dance, music, art. You need to have, here's that word again, balance. It's important. It's so easy 445 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:09,720 to be just doing piano, piano, piano. That's all I'm doing in my life. My balance is getting out in 446 00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:15,960 the woods and hiking and camping and canoeing. It's mostly music, but I balance it with many other 447 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:23,240 things too. And then the Greeks, they knew the value of therapy. That can't be one sided. I'm 448 00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:30,280 hoping that that could be a model for kids these days. That's why I say balance is really important. 449 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:36,120 Balance can make, like if you go out in the woods and just lie in the grass and just relax and relax 450 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:40,760 and relax your muscles. Then when you get back to practicing, you're more relaxed and you actually 451 00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:44,840 practice better. And then that place like in unlocking allows you to do that because 452 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:51,720 surrounded by nature. That's so, so enriching as a young student, you know, to experience that while 453 00:44:51,720 --> 00:44:56,600 practicing. Then you get out in the nature and being able to. And they take walks because we 454 00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:03,000 live on 1200 acres and it's all wooded. They like to take walks, which is good. But I like to take 455 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:09,000 students out in the canoe, turn over the canoe. That's fine. You just get up and get the water out 456 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:15,400 and you've got to immerse yourself in it or take them out into a kettle. A kettle is a depression in 457 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:22,680 the land that we just have a glacier in it and carved it out. So there's a place that's emerald 458 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:29,080 green water. It's beautiful, but you have to get in the mud. I like to get hot and sweaty and hiking, 459 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:34,200 but I really like to get cleaned up even if it's a cold stream. That's the kind of nature I'm 460 00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:41,400 talking about. Wow. That's so nice. What is your thought on our duty or gift as classical musicians 461 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:47,240 to society at large? I don't like to be one sided and say classical music is the best thing in the 462 00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:53,640 world. Like PDQ Box says, if it sounds good, it is good. People like country music. I like it. It 463 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:59,880 reminds me of Montana, hip hop, jazz, and it's all sorts of really, really great music, good quality 464 00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:06,840 music. Oh, do you like hip hop too? Oh, sure. Oh yeah. See, if there's a Simon and Garfunkel from 465 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:13,000 the sixties, I love that. It's still prevalent. The Beach Boys, of course, the Beatles, high quality 466 00:46:13,000 --> 00:46:19,400 music. It's not just three chords. I think classical music has three chords, but it also has 467 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:26,520 modulations and has structure to it. It can really elevate a person's mind and also hopefully 468 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:33,160 sensitivities to the sound. I mean, fugues, you know, the pendulum has swung so far. Renaissance, 469 00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:37,720 Baroque. Renaissance is kind of a classic time and you go to the Baroque and it got to be more 470 00:46:37,720 --> 00:46:43,000 romantic. And then you got these thick fugues no one could follow anymore. So went over to just 471 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:50,280 three chords with Gallupi and Tartini and then Haydn, Mozart. And then you get to Beethoven, 472 00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:56,440 which is you can't follow the gross fugue. I think you go back to, I mean, it's just always swinging 473 00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:02,680 back and forth. There's all different kinds of classical music. But of course, PDQ Bach said 474 00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:10,520 music was always, was once new. The old music was new at one point. Who's to say what popular music 475 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:18,200 is? Popular music was Brahms' raps, Hungarian raps, Liszt's raps, or Brahms' waltzes or Husserl's 476 00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:23,960 dances. That was a hard question to answer in grad school. What is popular music? How's it 477 00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:31,000 different from classical? Well, as we associate classical composers, it can be considered archaic 478 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:37,000 and old, 16th, 17th, 18th century. But when you perform it, it's there right then and there. It's 479 00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:43,160 not like going and seeing a museum and it's just stationary objects. It comes alive. I always say 480 00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:49,640 that we are recreative artists. We breathe life into the music. It's like taking cloning a dinosaur 481 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:56,760 and making it live again, if that would be possible ever. So it's not creative. We like to be 482 00:47:56,760 --> 00:48:03,560 creative in the way we recreate other person's music. Now, what's the next phase and next goal 483 00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:11,560 in your life? Well, I was so excited that my dear colleague, the collaborative pianist here 484 00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:17,720 of the second year, asked me to play a recital with her. We did three and that happened exactly 485 00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:24,600 when I played piano for almost 55 years. To tell you the truth, I'm a little tired of memorizing. 486 00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:32,200 And so I want to be more relaxed in my life and I've spent time building my HO scale model 487 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:38,680 railway, diorama of Missoula, Montana. That's a big function, but I don't do that all the time. 488 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:44,920 But I'm not getting out of music. I want to play chamber music. And so we did this two piano 489 00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:50,520 recital, a piano duet recital. We're going to do more of that. So those are two aspects in my life. 490 00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:56,760 Travel. I want to travel with my wife. We took our granddaughter and her friend, age 19, 491 00:48:56,760 --> 00:49:05,160 to Portugal and Spain, Barcelona. Wonderful. So lastly, any message, advice for young musicians 492 00:49:05,160 --> 00:49:11,480 and piano students? Try not to be so concerned with yourself, what you're going to do, because 493 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:16,280 along the way you're missing out with meeting friends and having a balance in your life and 494 00:49:16,280 --> 00:49:21,960 going skiing and doing other things that are more social. I see some students who 495 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:26,840 are phenomenally talented, but they don't know how to relate to other people. And I think, 496 00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:31,240 what kind of life are they going to have? They have to learn that it's not just all about me, 497 00:49:31,240 --> 00:49:37,560 me, me, me. So be careful with that. Have a positive attitude. Count the blessings you have, 498 00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:42,680 the good things in life. There will always be trouble things and you have to downplay that. 499 00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:48,600 My colleague, who's no longer living, said, accept the negative, dwell on the positive. 500 00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:55,880 Absolutely. Wow. Thank you so much for this fun, inspiring, what a rich conversation we had, 501 00:49:55,880 --> 00:50:00,920 Dr. Conrad. You're such a wonderful, wonderful host. It was just really a pleasure getting to 502 00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:07,080 know you and answering your questions. Oh, same here. But before I let you go, 503 00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:11,800 we have one more thing to do. It's called the piano pause rapid fire question. So this is the 504 00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:16,920 part of the show where I get to ask fun questions to each guest. Now here's a little twist. As silly 505 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:24,200 as these questions may sound, your answers may reveal who you truly are. So ready or not, 506 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:30,120 please answer them with the shortest responses as possible. No explanation is necessary. 507 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:37,320 Wish me luck. Okay. Yes. So let's start with easy ones. Level one. What is your comfort food? 508 00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:47,960 Italian lasagna. How do you like your coffee? I'm allergic to it. Oh, to coffee? Caffeine. 509 00:50:47,960 --> 00:50:56,040 Really? Oh, wow. Okay. Okay. So what do you drink in the morning? Water. Water? Sounds good. 510 00:50:56,040 --> 00:51:07,480 Cats or dogs? Dogs. Sunrise or sunset? Oh, sunset, particularly dusk. Oh, beautiful. Summer or winter? 511 00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:21,560 Spring. No, no. Okay. Summer. Paper book or ebook? Paper. Level two. What skill have you learned 512 00:51:21,560 --> 00:51:27,080 but haven't had the chance to? Build a model railway. Okay. What you're doing right now. 513 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:35,080 Yes. What is your word or words to live by? Balance in your life. What is the most important 514 00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:43,640 quality you look for in other people? Genuineness. Sincerity. Name three people who inspire you, 515 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:52,520 living or dead. Lushan Hut, David Holland, Conrad Wolff. Name one piece in your current playlist. 516 00:51:53,960 --> 00:52:01,320 Schubert B-flat Sonata. Level three. What do you believe in the key to a fulfilling life? 517 00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:07,080 Listen to my wife. Good answer. 518 00:52:07,080 --> 00:52:13,080 The last question. Please fill in the blank. Music is blank. Human interaction. 519 00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:21,720 Beautiful. Thank you. So that concludes this episode of the piano part. Thank you, Dr. Conrad. 520 00:52:21,720 --> 00:52:28,360 What fun it was. Oh, for joining my show today and sharing your stories, insights, and expertise. 521 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:35,240 So for listeners, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments. 522 00:52:35,240 --> 00:52:42,760 So for listeners, if you want to find out more about Dr. Conrad and his incredible work and legacy, 523 00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:55,640 please reach out to him via email at conradmm at interlocking.org. Right? Yes. Okay. And I will list 524 00:52:55,640 --> 00:53:01,240 that information in the description. You can listen to his recordings on all major music streaming 525 00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:07,080 services, Spotify and YouTube and so forth. And thank you to my wonderful audiences and fans for 526 00:53:07,080 --> 00:53:12,120 tuning in today. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review it on whatever podcasting 527 00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:16,680 platform you use. Remember to hit the thumbs up button and subscribe to my YouTube channel 528 00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:22,520 and follow the piano pod on social media to get the latest piano news via Facebook, Twitter, 529 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:27,080 Instagram, and LinkedIn. I will see you for the next episode of the piano pod. Bye everyone. 530 00:53:27,080 --> 00:53:31,880 Bye Dr. Conrad. Thank you so much.