My "super teacher": Dorothy Taubman.(The Back Page)

As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a pianist. Nobody could understand why because there were no musicians in my family. The only music I remember hearing was on the radio, the sound of my parents always singing and whistling around the house or the inevitable sound of guitars, maracas and various forms of Cuban music that seemed to emerge from every cafe on the streets of my native Havana.

One of the happiest memories of my childhood was the day the "Three Wise Men"--Cuba's Santa Claus counterpart--loaded their camels with my first piano and delivered it to my house. It was a huge old upright, but, to my eyes, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was 6 years old.

My next longing was to find the most wonderful teacher in the world who could quickly teach me to make music.

This journey took much longer than thought. My parents were poor, so it took awhile to be able to afford piano lessons. Eventually, I graduated from the Conservatory in Havana; I won a Canada Council Grant to go to school at the University of Toronto, where I graduated with artist and licentiate diplomas. I then completed a master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy at Northwestern University. In addition, I studied periodically with several famous teachers. But I had not yet found "the one" I dreamt about when I was given my first piano.

This is why, when I heard in 1976 about this supposedly amazing Dorothy Taubman, I absolutely had to check it out. I already was a professional musician, and I was attending a piano workshop for children at the Manhattan School of Music in New York with my little daughter. Suddenly, the women seated behind me started talking about Taubman's remarkable teaching and her first upcoming public seminar at the Institute for Man and Science in Rensellaerville, New York. At intermission I asked them about the details and immediately changed my summer plans so I could attend. As I read the claims in the brochure, I concluded that this person would either be a fake or the teacher of my dreams.

The rest is history. After the two-week seminar, I knew Dorothy Taubman was the "super teacher" I had been searching for. I have studied with her for many years, and every time I see her, I feel I ...