Canadian Musician November / December 2019 | Page 53

CM: I wanted to talk about lessons from profession-
als and how it may differ from, say, the Royal Con-
servatory of Music or your local music store. You’ve
taken lessons from professionals; do you offer them
as well?

LI: I do teach, but my teaching is very specialized
and specific. If someone wants to learn how to play
guitar, I wouldn’t be the right person. You’re start-
ing from the beginning and there are many qualified
teachers who do just that and do that very well. If
someone wants to expand their playing and is inter-
ested in the music that I’m interested in and the style
that I play, then yes, that’s the kind of teaching that I
do. With professionals and a program, each one has
pros and cons. To me, it’s just like researching a sub-
ject. You can’t read one book and know everything on
that subject; you need to read many books by differ-
ent authors then you make up your mind and make
it your own. It’s very important to make sure all your
theory is under your belt. That’s what programs are
great for. The reason to study with a pro is because
they do something that you like and want to incorpo-
rate in your thinking.

CM: Moving to your Ph.D., why did you decide to
pursue it?
LI: For me, the fire was lit when I realized that there
wasn’t much written about my culture. Because of my
family’s ties with Armenian music, I have full access. I
was born and lived in that scene and I played with all
the Armenian singers. I thought it was interesting that
nothing was written about it in a scholarly way. There
are articles but they just scratch the surface. I have
access to all this info and I love learning and explor-
ing, so for me, it was a natural progression.

CM: Did you feel an obligation to your culture to do
this research?

LI: The obligation was towards me as an Armenian
musician. Is it enough that I just play this music? Is it
enough that I just talk about it? I’ve started writing
about it and it’s been great; the feedback has been
great.

CM: To many, a Ph.D. is a means of launching a career
in the industry, though you’re already successful.
Why the shift to academia?
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 53