[My] second year at [the Blind] school was a whole different story. I was relaxed, and I was even happy to be there… Main feature was my music instruction. For the first time, I got formal lessons, learning little exercises and classical pieces. I took to it right away… You could see how important the piano was to me, even at age eight… I wanted to be a great musician, and, early on, I understood who the great musicians were. I could hear them.