There is a particular kind of silence that arrives before music begins. It is not empty. It is expectant, alive with the feeling that something is about to change.
The first note I remember loving was not impressive because it was difficult. It mattered because it made me want to listen more closely. That feeling still guides the way I perform and teach.
Whether I am playing for a wedding, a private celebration, a student lesson, or a concert audience, I am always trying to return to that first sense of discovery.