Keyboard pedagogy and the future: lessons from human genome research: an interview with Barry B. Bittman, M.D. and Karl T. Bruhn

American Music Teacher, Oct-Nov, 2005 by Gary L. Ingle

GI: Karl, how do these findings directly impact MTNA's future?

KB: In a sense, the future has already happened. What we're doing now clearly impacts what will happen tomorrow. Too many people spend the bulk of their time trying to build a better yesterday. Every few hundred years a sharp transformation occurs. We cross a "divide." Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself--its worldview, its basic values, its social and political structure, its art and its key institutions.

The problem is recognizing the signs. People born after the transformation cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived and into which their parents were born. Today's fundamental changes are actually only beginning and are just about to present their full impact.

It's a fact that only 7.6 percent of American adults over age 18 have actually touched a musical instrument in the last year in contrast to 76 percent who have participated in some sort of physical activity program. It also comes as no surprise that the majority of keyboard students drop out. This research, if applied properly by a group such as MTNA, can change the world.

GI: Barry, your findings and research insights are nothing short of fascinating. Looking back, how has your impression of music making changed over the years?

BB: Forty years ago I played classical piano in New York City concert halls. The stress I sensed as a teenager was immense to say the least. I didn't handle the pressure well, and subsequently stopped playing piano in my mid-teens.

Over the years, I gradually and reluctantly returned to the instrument associated with so much distress in my youth. I began playing the piano after frustrating days. Yet, I also experienced a prevailing sense of emptiness and failure as I could no longer play the way I did as a youth. Despite these feelings, I progressively discovered that I could effectively de-stress myself at the keyboard.

Unfortunately most people cannot enjoy the piano on that level. The prevailing belief is that it takes years of dedicated work to really enjoy the instrument. I personally find this extremely disappointing.

In order to remove that barrier, we developed the "Clavinova Connection" to enable people who were convinced they were not musical to discover the power of music as an extraordinary tool for creative personal expression. The "Clavinova Connection" empowers each person to immediately experience success. It's enormously rewarding to watch a person discover their musical spirit, and fall in love with music making in a way that certainly becomes instrumental to their health and well-being. Helping a person move beyond their perceived obstacles is an inspirational experience. From a physician's perspective, I consider the "Clavinova Connection" an antidote to stress!

GI: Karl, you've seen so much in your lifetime. You've been a part of so many advances in the music products industry, and your dedication on many levels has inspired all of us. Your wisdom is a guiding light. Recently, many of our teachers have contacted me to find out how they can get involved with this program. What would you suggest as a first step?