How long have you played the piano?
I don't know when I started, but before I was school-age, my mom taught me to pick out melodies by ear on the piano and harmonize them with simple chords.  Both my mother and father play piano, and my first lessons were with my mom!

What is your favorite type of music to play?
I love the technical challenges of classical music, but I also enjoy playing all types of music with my musical colleagues at church.

Do you write your own music?
No.  I have absolutely no imagination for new music.  I wish I did, though!

Who is your favorite composer?
That's a hard one!  I grew up listening to my dad play Chopin while I drifted off to sleep, so he is a favorite of mine.  I also love Rachmaninoff for his big, romantic sound (Brahms, too!).  I could listen to the piano concertos of Mendelssohn and Mozart for hours, and my most recent favorite is the famous Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, which my husband and I heard played live in Florence, Italy, last year!

How much do you practice?
Shamefully, not as much as I should!  I am both blessed and cursed with the ability to sightread well (play music at first glance), so playing new music comes pretty easily.  However, when I am preparing for a performance, I try to get in 1 or 2 hours a day.  My practice sessions are pretty intense and focused, so I get a lot done in a short amount of time.  (When I was in college, I tried to get in 3-4 hours a day.  It was easier then to fit it in, because it was my major, and I did not have an outside job taking up my time.  I was also motivated because my grades depended on it, and I performed at least once a month, with a major recital every year.)

Do you still take lessons?
No, but I would like to!  I have been searching for a local mentor for a long time now.  If you have a recommendation, let me know!