Bobby McFerrin

"I like the mystery of creativity, not kowing where I'm going, or what's going to happen when I get to wherever I'm going--that to me is incredibly beautiful. I grew up in a musical family and I learned all the theory of music. I went to music school, I was a composition major, I wrote everything down on the page, and now I'm doing the complete opposite--I'm simply walking on stage with wonder, wondering what's going to come out."

What artists inspire you?

"When I was very young, when I was about ten, eleven, twelve years-old, my biggest influences then were Fred Astair, Bach. When I got a little older, Picasso and Charlie Chaplin."

"I found Fred Astair's dancing just so full of joy, that's what struck me the most. And then Bach is so mathematically generated. So we have freedom, we have form, we have discipline, we have mystery, we have curiosity, we have experimentation...Those four individuals, I got a lot out of them."

Gawd! These are the issues that I believe should be a part of the learning experience.