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The purpose that God gives for us is just like, you should just exude that it's the

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easiest just to be yourself, really.

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I mean, and unfortunately, I think in our craft, a lot of people are striving to be,

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you know, the next competition winner or the next Argerage or whatever.

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And there's no way that you're going to do that, because you need to just be yourself.

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And so once I sort of became free of the mindset that I needed to fit on this very narrow path

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of becoming X, Y or Z that's been presented to me, I felt incredibly free and completely

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easy to be authentic because there is no one else for me to be.

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In our sixth episode of the season titled Healing Heritage and Musical Transformation,

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Exploring Resilience Advocacy for Diversity in Wellness and Music Education, we are thrilled

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to welcome the acclaimed Yamaha artist, recording artist and wellness advocate, Dr. Artina McKay,

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renowned for her dynamic interpretations and dedication to amplifying underrepresented

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voices in classical music.

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Artina has inspired audiences worldwide through her performances and thought provoking engagements.

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In this conversation, I asked her about the progress we have made in diversifying piano

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literature and programs since the surge of conversations about inclusion following the

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Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

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I do think that we are doing better.

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Now when I ask the questions, people have one or two that are like, oh, you know, those

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are unfamiliar.

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And we still have a lot of Bach Chopin Liszt Brahms showing up in competitions.

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But I think as we, you know, podcasts like this, teachers like you, myself keep talking

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about it, more and more people are like, oh, you know, I really need to find something

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that's underrepresented or even just something that represents myself, which is not usually

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Bach Beethoven or Brahms.

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So most people kind of fall into a category where they're not being seen and heard.

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So I think we are doing better.

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Dear TPP friends and listeners, don't miss this captivating conversation.

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Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19th at 8 p.m. Eastern time on the Piano Paws YouTube

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channel or catch that episode on your go-to podcast platforms.

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Join in and let Artina's inspiring story ignite new perspectives on your own musical path.