“Music, Music, Music!”
How does Dr. Robert Pace fight burnout? With his piano—and sometimes, a bulldozer.
By Laurie Herr
Friday, May 02, 2008
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As a renowned composer, pianist, and music educator (he founded the Robert Pace Method of Keyboard Instruction, used by piano teachers worldwide), Dr. Robert Pace believes in the healing power of music. And he uses it every day at home with his wife Helen, who has Alzheimer’s. “Helen and I start our day with a song, and we have music to pick us up throughout the day,” says Pace, professor emeritus at Teachers College, Columbia University. “We always have a few songs or some music before we go to bed.”
The soothing sounds aren’t just for Helen. “I also go to the piano for at least one half hour each night (it may be 2:00 A.M. before I can get there) and make music just for me,” he explains. “Afterward I feel refreshed, as if the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.”
What else he does: With over 200 acres of farm land to tend, Dr. Pace copes with his wife’s illness through hard work. “I get on the tractor and mow a field or get on the bulldozer and do some grading. There are trees to saw up for firewood, which is a good activity to keep you in shape.”
What he’s learned: “I feel burnout is essentially a state of mind,” says Dr. Pace. “I need to remain active intellectually and learn new things.” That leads to another challenge: “There is so much to do, but never enough time.”
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