In college I majored in piano performance and music education. I often practiced for long hours—sometimes from morning till midnight—to prepare for exams, juries, and occasional public performances. Upon graduation I taught piano to many students privately and publicly. Piano has always been closely linked to my identity as a musician and teacher. During my graduate studies, however, I was introduced the concept of bimusicality in ethnomusicology (Hood, 1971). Akin to second language acquisition, bimusicality refers to the mastery of a musical idiom other than that associated with one's own culture. Applied in music education, it suggests that music teachers should be acquainted with multiple musical idioms as a prerequisite for licensure.
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