I Would Never Have Become Music Director

The Academy Gave Me A Grounding In Discipline And Hard Work That Has Sustained Me Throughout My Life, And The Lessons I Learned There I Now Try To Impress On Young People.

From Toscanini I Learnt The Essential And Desperate Seriousness Of Making Music.

I Have A Theory That There Is Something Abnormal About Children Who Like To Practice Instruments They Are Either Geniuses Or, More Often, Completely Untalented. I Certainly Did Not Like To Practice, And The Teacher Who Hit Me, And The View Of The Park, Did Not Help To Improve My Attitude.

After About Six Months, I Told My Mother That I Wanted The Lessons To Stop, And She Was Intelligent Enough Not To Force Me To Continue. Besides, The Lessons Cost Money, Which Was Anything But Abundant In Our Household.

I Wanted To Get Away From My Past And Everything Connected With It.