ABSTRACT
I entered the High School of Music and Art in the fall of 1954. It was a stimulating, creative environment, unlike any I had been exposed to previously. The school was a true melting pot of different cultures and social classes. Children who hailed from ethnic ghettos studied side by side with those who came from privileged upper middle-class families. Our talent was a great equalizer, at least in principle. Personally, I was intimidated by the presence of my articulate and sophisticated peers who seemed so sure of themselves.
