Person of the Week: Jennifer Lin

March 5 -- Jennifer Lin, a 14-year-old pianist, was one of the guests at this year's TED Conference in California focusing on technology, design and entertainment.

At one point, Jennifer asked another guest to pick five musical notes at random that she would use to compose music — on the spot.

"I'm gonna have a moment to think," she said, before launching into her song.

"I'm selfish, I do it for myself," Jennifer said of her piano-playing. "I like listening to myself play and also comparing myself to others and trying to perfect what I'm doing to better myself. That's something that is actually, like, driving you."

Jennifer lives with her parents in Alhambra, Calif. She is a freshman in high school and she draws really good cartoons. But her priority is piano. She is in the latest generation of extraordinary, young talent, following in remarkable footsteps — the violinist Gil Shaham, who was a huge star while he was still a teenager; Sarah Chang, famous at 12; and the violinist Midori, a success at 14.

Family Crucial to Success

"I wonder all the time where it comes from, but I don't know if it's discoverable," said Joseph Polisi, president of the Juilliard School, which teaches some of the great young artists.

He said to be born with ability is never enough — it takes family to instill hard work.

When asked why so many of these young artists are Asian, Polisi said: "I think that mix currently of family, tradition and respect for a type of genre of music certainly does exist in China, Japan and Taiwan, Korea of course. That's a tradition we see less in America today."

After watching a tape of Jennifer playing piano, Polisi was impressed. "Every time I see a young person here at Juilliard or on this tape or in concerts all around the world, that excitement is always there," he said. "To see the ability of these young musicians and their dedication and their future is just life-affirming."