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As soon as I touched the keys, I was stunned at the colors. I was able to create so many different sounds, and control the piano at all times."

Torok's CDs include three highly acclaimed recordings of the complete works of Emmy and Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Norman Dello Joio for Albany Records (www.dellojoio.com). She studied in New York and Philadelphia, was on the faculty of New York University, and now maintains a busy concert schedule in addition to her teaching responsibilities at Moravian College. Torok has been featured on NPR and PBS.

Seventeen Grand
Years

usic teacher, performer, composer, and clinician Melody Bober spent her summer traversing the Eastern seaboard on a Workshop Tour of music retailers. Though Bober thoroughly enjoys meeting new people on the road and sharing a wealth of knowledge about piano instruction, it is always a joy coming back to her own Yamaha grand piano at her Minnesota home.

"I've played and taught on that piano for 17 years and it still sounds great," Bober says. As soon as I played it, I knew it was the piano I wanted to play for the rest of my life. I instantly fell in love with it for its touch; full, rich sound; and clarity on both high and low levels."

For two decades, Bober's been active in music education, formerly as a public school teacher and now as a private piano instructor with nearly 50 students - and her Yamaha grand has been an integral part of the journey. Since 1996, she's composed exclusively for FJH Music, one of the nation's best-selling and most exciting educational piano catalogs. Bober has written and arranged more than 300 compositions for educational and sacred purposes, and will have extensive input into FJH's newly established sacred music library.

Bober's husband, Jeff, fields numerous
e-mails from clinic attendees. "One teacher wrote to say she'd been teaching for 50 years and attended countless workshops, and that she'd never been to a better one than Melody's," says Jeff. "They're very educational, informative, entertaining, and fun. She just has a way with students and teachers. And," he adds, "many of Melody's private students come early to their lessons and stay late. I sure wish I'd had a teacher like Melody when I was young. I would have stayed with my organ lessons, that's certain," he laughs.

Bober graduated with highest honors with a degree in music education from the University of Illinois and later received a master's degree in piano performance. Details of her Summer 2002 tour will be posted at www.fjhmusic.com.

Melody Bober