Alice Kay Kanack

Nicknamed “Mozart’s Mother” by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki in 1984, Alice Kay Kanack has spent 40 years researching, teaching, and writing about how the creative process works in the brain. With the Alfred Publishing Company, Alice published five books in the Creative Ability Development series while her newest works, Improvising String Quartets, Basslines & Fantasies and Playing From the Heart have been published through Creative Ability Development Press. She is currently the Executive Director of The Kanack School of Musical Artistry and the Vice Chair of the nonprofit organization, Creative Ability Development, Inc. As the founder of the Creative Ability Development(CAD) movement, she tours internationally, speaking and demonstrating her methods through live performances and workshops. Before the pandemic she led the development of a new CAD program at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, was the keynote speaker for the SAO Conference in Canada, and led pedagogy workshops for the Teachers College at Columbia University and the Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Center. Steven Doane, Professor of Cello, Eastman School of Music and The Royal Academy of London wrote, “Alice Kanack is an educator of true originality and inspiration, who has been at the forefront of the movement to encourage creativity through musical improvisation in young musicians. At her music school and through her training programs she encourages students of all ages to include improvisation skills in daily practice, as an organic part of one’s musical development. I’m inspired by her continuing exploration of the pedagogical potential of this movement.” She currently lives in Rochester, NY with her two children, Daphne and Alexander.