September 2019 Instructor of the Month:

Mary French

1. What instruments do you play and teach?

I play and teach piano, voice, guitar, and ukulele, and I have been organist for Lillington Baptist Church for a few years. I play trombone and assorted folk instruments.

2. How long have you been teaching lessons at Dunn School of Music?

over 4 years

3. Who are your favorite musical artists?

Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, Cecilia Bartoli, Beverly Sills, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Queen, and Metallica.

4. What are your other hobbies, besides music?

I read, play word games on my tablet, study web design, and write poetry.

5. Favorite food?

Almost any vegetable...I like traditional Korean and Filipino dishes, but I also like East Carolina BBQ.

6. Do you have any pets?

Not of my very own, but there are some adorable big doggies that belong to friends that have a place in my heart.

7. What is your favorite song you have ever played/sung?

I am working on some Chopin Mazukas now and learning a new etude. I enjoy singing Deh rendetemi from La Stellidaura vendicante by Francesco Provenzale, and I like anything by Joni Mitchell. Both Sides Now is one.

8. Why did you choose music as a profession?

I think it chose me. I grew up with music. My mother, a singer, was on the faculty at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa when I was a child. I sang and played piano at an early age and studied with the head of the piano department at various universities where my mother taught. Everyone assumed that music would be extremely important in my life as it has been everywhere I’ve lived, including S. Korea and the Philippines.