Every musical phrase has a purpose. It's like talking. If you talk with a particular purpose, people listen to you, but if you just recite, it's not as meaningful.

I listen to kids play a lot.

One must always practice slowly. If you learn something slowly, you forget it slowly.

Any gifted child can potentially get in real trouble because of the way they are handled.

This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in five or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development.

In difficult times, people just like to hear music. They like to be moved by what they hear. And music speaks different languages.

When you play a concerto with a small orchestra, you don't feel it is as important as Carnegie Hall. You try to work out all the little problems. Once that's all done, trust comes in.