On the quest to find my very own musical language, I studied European harmony, American jazz, improvisation, North Indian classical music, Turkish makam music and other styles. During my studies it became evident to me that all of these stand-alone styles are interconnected, as a result I began to look at music as a single vast universe with its own immanent laws. This idea informs how I teach music. When we explore a very specific musical culture we are exposed to an element of music which might be present in other types of music, but it has been refined in the context of this particular style or culture. Thus, we are able to explore it more comprehensively in comparison with the standard approach, where many ideas are just glossed over. When you study other musical cultures, you get to look at music from other perspectives and vantage points. Although you never really have access to the entirety of the universe, with every new perspective you broaden your understanding and, eventually, you start to see the bigger picture. And, let me tell you: the view is just stunning!