Part 2: CUTV News spotlights music educator Dr. Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi

New York, NY – Any pianist can play the notes, but music is when you feel the soul of the person playing it.

“When I am very sad or when I am very happy, I go to my piano and play in the dark,” says. Dr. Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi.

Dr. de Bottazzi has been a music teacher on Long Island for over 40 years, instructing thousands of piano students along the way. A virtuoso concert pianist in her own right, Dr. de Bottazzi holds doctorates in music from the Buenos Aires Conservatory in Argentina and the Juilliard School in New York.

“Sometimes when I play that piece my hand touches God. I don’t know how to describe it. God has blessed me with a wonderful talent and He’s given me a wonderful life.’

A child prodigy, by the time she was four years old, Dr. de Bottazzi was performing in concerts. After a terrible car accident at age 23, she fought back to resume her career, but it wasn’t until she discovered teaching that she truly began to touch lives with music.

“I believe in trying and that’s what I teach my students," says Dr. de Bottazzi. "I like to instill in my students the idea that they can. I have a sign on the wall that reads, ‘Yes I can.’”

Dr. de Bottazzi’s youngest student is three and her oldest student is 82. It’s a testament to the role music can play in a person’s life, literally no matter what their age.

“I want to teach people who really want to learn,” says Dr. de Bottazzi. “When I die I want to have the feeling that I have touched the lives of people before I left. The best way to touch the lives of people is through music.”

For more information on Dr. Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi, visit www.anamariabottazzi.com