Alicia Thompson is an Atlanta-based pianist and educator whose students have included the children of elected officials and well-known rappers, professional basketball players, and the like. Her teaching philosophy is rooted first and foremost in caring for each student, an approach that has created lifelong bonds between her and many of the families who have come to know her.

My conversation with this passionate musician and dedicated mother was both enlightening and surprising (did you know the link between Stevie Wonder and Chopin?), even though we grew up in the same house. And yes, I am the sibling in the title.