“I am delighted to feature some of my current and recent students from the Florida State University College of Music. Please return to this page again, as these features will continue to rotate and update with their exciting news!

 

As the third-largest music program in higher education, the FSU College of Music’s comprehensive curricula embrace all traditional areas of music and world music study from the baccalaureate to the doctoral level. As one of the leading music institutions in the world, our College enjoys an international reputation. On average, over 40 states and 30 foreign countries are represented in our student population. I am particularly pleased to showcase this diversity in the students featured here.

 

In the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ‘Treat people as though they were what they ought to be, and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.’ As teacher, my challenge is twofold: to inspire, and to enable. Each day is an unfolding of this mission–imparting to my students an irresistibly pressing artistic goal, believing for and with them that they will attain it, and equipping them to achieve it as they learn to apply and refine their skills of technique and musical discernment through patient hours of practice.

 

Genuinely happy for each other’s successes, my students support and help one another, knowing that they will benefit immeasurably more when they invest in the value of those around them. I love to remind them that there is nothing to prove, but everything to give. This is as true for my teaching as it is for their playing, as the results we achieve will always speak for themselves. The training we accomplish stems from a musical tradition that is greater than any one of us, and I consider it a high calling to impart the values and training I received to future generations of gifted pianists. I find particular exhilaration in communicating ageless principles of musical artistry as well as the physical ‘tricks of the trade’ – I am continually thrilled to witness students of diverse backgrounds successfully absorb and apply these principles to the music they perform. The journey we travel together is one of rugged problem-solving, courageous risk-taking, and determined effort towards progress in an ever-expanding language of musical vision.

 

While we endeavor to teach all that we know, it is ultimately what we are that we reproduce. The personal example I set before my students, as a mentor, teacher, musician and pianist is my most serious undertaking, especially in the behind-the-scenes, every-day studio and classroom work that we routinely accomplish together. Towards that end, my greatest professional calling is to live out daily what I endeavor to inspire in the professional lives of those entrusted to me: an unwavering posture of excellence, honesty, and deep sincerity, both on and off the concert stage.

Come see what my students are accomplishing on their journeys!”

​

- Heidi Louise Williams, D.M.A.