Simone Dinnerstein is a subtle yet powerful force. Confident enough as a child to tell her mother, “When I grow up, I want to be a solo pianist.” Although she had established herself as an accomplished pianist and teacher in New York City by the time she reached her mid-30’s, her childhood dream persisted.

So she rented recital space at Carnegie Hall and self-financed a recording of the Goldberg Variations. It was released by Telarc in 2007, reached #1 on Billboard’s classical music chart its first week, was the #4 seller on Amazon.com (overall seller – not just classical music) and appeared on a number of “Best of 2007” lists. Now squarely in the public eye, her success continues with additional recordings, including her latest released in January, and performances around the world.

Dinnerstein performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Madison Symphony Orchestra last month. She took the time to speak with us after her Saturday rehearsal.

What made you fall in love with Bach’s Goldberg Variations?

SD: I think it’s one of the greatest pieces of music written for keyboard’s repertoire. I think it has every element of what makes art great. I first heard it when I was 13 years old.

What can you tell us about the piano teachers you have studied with?

SD: I studied with Solomon Mikowsky from the ages of 9 to 16, so he was the teacher I had during the first set of years and he was very thorough, very tough. But also he really allowed me to be myself and be free musically. Maria Curcio came from a slightly different tradition than Mikowsky. She had a different approach, which was more to connect the technique to the music in a certain kind of way.

What do you feel makes a music teacher a GREAT music teacher?

SD: I think different stages need different kinds of teachers. I think when you are young and growing up, you need a teacher who is extremely clear and teaches about technique and about how to approach the piano physically, but who also is very inspiring as a musician and helps the student bring out the expression of the music.Later on, a really good teacher is helping the student think independently and be more responsible for being observant of what’s in the score. The teacher has the role of questioning the student’s interpretations and making the student make sure all their ideas are really strong and backed up in terms of how they play.

Tell us about your favorite student.

SD: I had one girl who studied with me when she was very young, at the age of six. She was incredibly musical. I remember at times thinking she was going to somebody else for lessons because I couldn’t understand how she could come to lessons and know how to play in that way just by herself. She was really wonderful to teach because she naturally felt how to play and had an ear for sound. She was like a sponge, you tell her something and she immediately absorbed it.

What advice would you offer struggling piano students?

SD: I think one of the main things is you have to be consistent about practicing. I always thought it was better if my students practiced less time each day, but practiced every day, than practiced a tremendous amount in one day and hardly at all the next few days. I think it’s hard to cram when you are a music student. It needs to become a consistent part of your life.I also encouraged my students to listen to a lot of music… and not just piano music but orchestral music, choral music, and music from other instruments. One of the great things about playing the piano is that the piano has the ability to imitate lots of different instruments. If you know what they sound like and you have that in your head it really opens up a whole world of sound to you.

What would you want to tell students about incorporating music into their everyday lives?

SD: It’s always a good idea if there can be a certain time of day to practice. Some children do better if they practice before they go to school and then others do better if they practice after homework. There always needs to be a time of day that is devoted to practicing; that’s a sacred time (for) just doing that.

As a parent, what are your thoughts on music education?

SD: It’s really important that children receive music education. I think that children should be receiving general music instruction when they are very little. I think it’s really great to bring children to concerts and it’s important to do so from when they are very young.