Born in Brooklyn, New York, Aaron Copland was inspired by a piano recital that he heard at the age of 13. From that point on, he thought earnestly about a career in music. At the age of 14 he began piano lessons, being taught by one of his sisters. He soon demanded and received more formal training. By 1916, Copland knew that he wanted to be a composer. He was accepted as the first student at the newly established music school for Americans in France. There he studied composition and orchestration with Nadia Boulanger. Supported early in his career by Serge Koussevitzky, Copland employed folk elements in many of his compositions, among them Billy the Kid (1938), Appalachian Spring (1945), and Rodeo (1942). Copland exerted enormous influence on the development of younger American composers by sponsoring concert series, festivals, artistic colonies, and competitions.
