I was there [in school] the full time with one teacher, and the student body was never more than 10 or 12 students of all ages.

At the end of the elementary program, I then had to move onto high school. Simultaneously, my parents moved to Attica to a suburban area not far from the well-known Attica State Prison. Then I would take the school bus which was a very short distance away, where I was involved with a much larger community.

At school there were some programs in music. I did take piano lessons, and we had a piano at home. I got very interested in that.

Even today, the bigger the city, the better. That's why I live in New York.

I learned from books that I picked up. That was something that just came out of nowhere but continued to be an attraction. So there was a continuum of my interest in the arts and involvement in creating that was strong enough that it later blossomed into much more.

When life closes a door, God opens a window.

It [piano lessons] wasn't a priority, but it was an interest and through that I became acquainted with classical music, which was a main interest at the time.