Music Education

At this year's conference, Lin participated in a forum called "Sync & Flow," along with co-presenters like psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Cornell University mathematics professor Steven Strogatz, story teller David Holt and owner Mark Cuban of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks – addressing an audience that included Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Steve Case and other luminaries.

After playing two brief pieces and discussing the nature of creative flow, Lin embarked on what some observers called the highlight of the entire conference. Having prepared a deck of index cards by writing a single musical note on each, she asked for a volunteer from the audience to select five at random. Her volunteer – none other than screen actress Goldie Hawn – complied, and Lin sat down to improvise a theme based on the notes.

What happened is perhaps best described by someone who was there. Red Herring weblogger James Daley detailed his reaction in a February 29 entry: "Biologists may write books about the complex neurological, chemical and electrical functions that occur in order for certain stimuli to produce complex human emotions," he wrote. "All I know is that as Jennifer continued to play the hairs on my arm stood on end. A buzz crackled through the audience as the beauty of her composition unfolded. Several people nearby had eyes that were moist with tears."

A video record of this memorable event can be viewed online by visiting www.ted.com and clicking on "Magic Moments from TED2004."

One of the people present at this remarkable display was a senior executive producer for ABC News, who immediately recommended Lin to Jennings as a candidate for "Person of the Week." Previous recipients of that honor have included First Lady Laura Bush, New England Patriots place kicker Adam Vinatieri, U.S. weapons inspector David Kay, radio personality Casey Kasem, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart and master architect Frank Gehry.

Lin lives with her family in Alhambra, CA, studies at the A1 Yamaha Music School in Monterey Park, CA. She has been a frequent performer in Yamaha's Junior Original Concert series, in which young artists present works of their own creation.

"Jennifer is a very talented and hard working young musician with a wonderful, supportive family," says Mike Morrell, Advanced Courses Director, Music Education, Yamaha Corporation of America. "She is one of the stars of Junior Original Concert, and we are very pleased that ABC has chosen her to be Person of the Week. The addition of a Yamaha Music School student to this elite group of people recognized globally for their contribution to society is an excellent example of the influence of Yamaha Music Education System on our culture."