"Music should always be a natural part of existence" - one of my favorite quotes from my interview with Steve and Amy in this week's episode of Gaining Proficiency! They were an absolute delight to chat with not only as a married couple thriving in the music field, but also as individual artists and master teachers in their areas. Amy is currently the Assistant Professor of Musicology (in addition to some administrative roles, and "being superwoman", according to Steve!) at Salem College, and Steve currently teaches computer music for non-music majors, music theory, and aural skills at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. We talked at length about the impact of music had on their early lives as kids (including rock and roll and Landis Fest), their experience of living apart as a married couple, what it was like for Amy to realize that classical piano performance wasn't how she wanted to spend her career, Steve's words of wisdom for people going through the swamp of a graduate degree after years away from school, and the beauty of trusting the process. Not only are these two close friends of mine, but they are also a tremendous inspiration for me as a musician and person. Steve and Amy, I love you both and am so happy I know you! This interview is such a breath of fresh air!Steve can be contacted at www.slandismusic.com and Amy can be contacted on Twitter at @dr_amy_zigler, or on the Salem College School of Music website.Thank you again for support this podcast! Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to us on iTunes and/or Google Play Music to stay up to date with updates, announcements, and new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month!