At first glance, music, Scrabble, and the legal profession don't have obvious connections. But having been actively involved in all three for many years, I find there is more in common among them than I had first imagined. Whenever someone expresses surprise that all three pursuits can figure prominently in one person's life because they are so "different" from one another, my response is: "Not really!"

Lynn Cushman Photo by Helen R. Cushman

My family loved the arts, and I was introduced to classical music at a young age. As a toddler, I heard a family friend playing the piano—and I knew that I just had to do that, too! After champing at the bit for several years, I started piano at age 8 (these were pre-Suzuki days, at least in the United States!) and flute at 11, studying both instruments through high school. I loved them both, but flute "won out" because there seemed to be more opportunities to play with other people in bands, orchestras, and the like. There was also something about the sound of the flute itself, growing out of the breath, that was hauntingly beautiful, almost magical, to me.

I majored in music and minored in literature, graduating from Queens College, CUNY, in 1968. I then entered Juilliard as a master's degree candidate in flute. At Juilliard, I was dazzled by the level of performance and raw talent among the other students and grew tremendously during my time there. Among other things, I really learned how to listen to a sound and how to blend in and fit into a musical group. I learned about intense competition and how to survive and thrive in that kind of atmosphere.

After graduation, I taught flute privately and in local music schools, freelanced a bit, and performed for 10 years with a woodwind quintet, the Pentaphonic Winds. Working with four other people over that length of time on our own creation was a very enriching experience, both musically and personally.

I loved working as a musician, but began to crave the involvement with words and concrete ideas that I had had throughout my school years. Then in 1980, I came across a world I had never known existed—that of Scrabble clubs and tournaments. I had been fascinated by this game of words and logic since childhood but never had the time or opportunity to fully explore it. I found my way to the Scrabble world through a friendship with another Juilliard graduate, pianist Maris Brody Greenwald, the only other person I knew up till then who was as passionate about the game as I was. After we had played Scrabble together a couple of times, Maris excitedly informed me of her discovery that there were so many others who liked to play that there was actually a thriving subculture to play in. What serendipity, what great stuff! I eagerly delved in. Scrabble seemed a natural complement and contrast to my musical life. It was more about thought; music was more about feeling—but both were beautiful and unlimited in the kinds of creativity they allowed.

As a Scrabble player, I studied high-probability word lists and learned board strategy, trying it all out in the super-competitive club and tournament scene across the country. I achieved and maintained a ranking as one of the top players in the country, several times making the "Top 50" list (out of thousands). I found that Scrabble had some of the same structure and beauty as music—12 tones, 26 letters in the alphabet; 100 tiles on the board, 3 octaves on a flute—arranging them all to make something beautiful and satisfying.

"Scrabble was more about thought; music was more about feeling—but both were beautiful and unlimited in the kinds of creativity they allowed."

I enjoyed using the logical part of my brain so much that I eventually decided to go to law school. It was not a snap decision, because my sense of identity was very much tied up with being a musician; how could I move to a field that I viewed as less "creative" and therefore less worthy than music? As it turned out, however, Scrabble helped me to make this decision. Although Scrabble players' occupations run the gamut, a fair number of them, in fact, are attorneys or are engaged in other professions that require linear thinking at their core. Since I found Scrabble so satisfying, why not use that part of myself to make a living? I grappled with the idea for a while and ultimately decided to take on the new set of challenges and make the change.

I graduated from Brooklyn Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1987, and went to work as a litigation associate with a large downtown firm. As a lawyer, I learned how to really focus on an idea and how best to express it, as well as to keep in mind the exact topic at hand at all times. I enjoyed thinking about the different results and possibilities that could ensue from various actions and responses, the "what ifs." I am also grateful I had the opportunity to work with some of the mentally sharpest individuals I have ever known. I found that my training in music served me well in this field, that focusing on a legal idea was similar to focusing on a sound or musical goal and that both engaged that part of one that dealt with issues of "what exactly are we talking about and trying to achieve?" or "Here's what this is all about!"

In fact, as a lawyer, I found there was more in common among music, Scrabble, and the law than I had imagined. All required commitment and discipline, with a willingness and ability to shift focus almost kaleidoscopically to see a piece or passage, a case, a claim, a board position, in more than one light. And its opposite applies: in the crunch, one had to play the piece, make the play, present the argument as though it was the most natural thing in the world, as if it and only it could be true. A good performance in any of these endeavors was highly satisfying, and sometimes a real "high."

In the past few years I have stopped practicing law full-time, but remain focused on piano and Scrabble. I practice, teach, and listen. I study words and play Scrabble competitively and I am happy to have had the background I have in these three areas that have given me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.

Lynn Cushman (M.S. flute,'70) lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her boyfriend and two cats. She practices yoga and also enjoys theater, movies, and travel.