My whole thing is not just to play music for people, but to make them part of the evening.

You mustn't underestimate an audience's intelligence.

Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together. Music is truly an international language, and I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can.

There have been studies that clearly state that children who are exposed to arts education at a young age will in fact do markedly better in their SAT tests

Let's say music is needed for only 43 seconds of film. You have to score it so it is an entity, so it won't bother anyone when it ends so quickly. Or if a song runs 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but the titles run a minute longer, you have to arrange that song so it doesn't get repetitious.

My show business career doesn't mean I can't write a symphony. It just means I was never asked to write one.

From the time I could play the piano, I remember trying to write tunes. They were in my head, and I would just sit down and start noodling. Next thing I knew, I had written a melody.