As a pianist, it is vital to me to continue to thrive in the exercise of my profession and to this end, it is essential not to loose touch with the driving force that once inspired me to take up this profession.

My goal as a musician is to be able to concentrate totally on the emotion of the music and my interpretation. To achieve this goal, it is important to be physically and mentally in balance and there must also be a harmonious balance between me as the artist and my instrument.

Only when the piece of music feels tailor-made, I have the feeling to keep the playfulness in my pianoplaying. That is what I was seeking to achieve by working on the Integrated Practice System. For me being able to practice in a pleasurable, down -to-earth fashion is something great to aspire to.

Finding the right balance is important to me in my own life too.  And on all fronts: between work and my private life, specialization and the wider world, but also between thought and action, routine and adventure.

When my children were young, with my teaching job at the Conservatory, I had little time for practicing and performing as well.  Yet, this was a very formative period in terms of my professional development.

I found enormous pleasure in trying out all sorts of different things.  That is how I discovered that an unconventional and even non-musical approach to practicing sometimes brought about exciting, unexpected results.  Over a period of time, I realized that this was a way I could make what I considered a meaningful contribution to the profession.

This gave birth to the Integrated Practice System.

At that time I was also in a position to look at my profession and at musical education from a different perspective.  This resulted in my devising a plan for the Personal Instrument Project and publication of an article entitled Music and Silence in the magazines Oktaaf and Arco.  I also developed a course of mental training for music students.

Today I am very fortunate in seeing others benefit from my toolbox of exercises and instructions.  It gives me a great sense of fulfilment.