From an interview with Aldo Ciccolini by Fulvio Paloscia published in "Repubblica" (2012)
"When I was admitted to teach accompaniment courses for the performing arts in Naples, I asked for permission to be addressed informally by the students. And not to be called maestro. It was scandalous at the time, but I succeeded. Even with absolute fidelity to the written text, which I do not compromise on, personality is something you cannot renounce. Every human being is unique and unrepeatable, and if you put one hundred pianists next to each other, none of them will ever resemble one another. This is where one must start. I have always been convinced that students should not be insulted or humiliated. Instead, they must be given trust, helped. Because it is not through anger that results are obtained. The teacher who struts about ostentatiously displaying superiority is ridiculous. Their task is equal to that of a parent: to hold the child's hand so they do not fall, until the moment comes when they will let go of the grip and begin to run. I teach young people how to teach themselves."