Another NY Times Notes from Music Camp is in, and this one concentrates on the man himself. Itzhak Perlman’s love for food (horrified by the steamed asparagus, legend has it, he made sure it was grilled with sea salt and olive oil from then on) and growth in conducting skills (he used to use a pencil to direct since he didn’t feel worthy of the baton) are discussed between accounts of his words of wisdom for students. He prompts students to critique their own playing and tries to bring out their individuality. Fellow instructor Patinka Kopec has worked with both Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman and shares that “Itzhak’s responses are always of an emotional nature, and Pinchas’s are always of an intellectual nature.” Combining and balancing the two is, perhaps, the ultimate method.