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High School musical activities included singing in and accompanying the chorus and playing in the school orchestra, where I enjoyed performing the popular tunes of the day. While in high school I served as director of music at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. I also took accelerated theory courses at the Kansas City Conservatory (affiliated with the University of Missouri) and studied for two years there with Walter Cook. I toured Kansas City with a choral group featuring spirituals as well as master works on our programs. These early experiences formed my enthusiasm for the African American music of the past as much as they benefitted my musical formation. The wish to pursue music as a career was encouraged by awards from the NAACP, of which my parents were long-time members.

It was now time for me to enter college. This was the heyday of the Civil Rights movement, and it was an uplifting experience to be among other musicians who were aspiring to perform the masterworks of the piano. I won several top ratings at the state musical exams, and had my first recording experience with the Kansas City Symphony Hour broadcast.

Another important influence was Richard Canterbury, a wonderful teacher under whose tutelage I developed quickly. It was as a student of his that I performed with the Kansas City Philharmonic and Youth Symphony Orchestras. As a student at Kansas City Junior College I continued to develop my skills in piano performance and in accompanying and coaching vocal students. I learned about bel canto singing; my love of opera, lieder, and African American spirituals was further developed as I met and accompanied singers. It stood me in good stead when later in life I worked with singers at Vancouver Opera.

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