Piano Pedagogy Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Pre-Conference Seminars

Piano Pedagogy: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Wednesday, July 29, 2:00 PM-9:30PM

Pre-Conference Keynote Address
NCKP: the Big 3-0
Presented by: Sam Holland
Our executive director will look back at 30 years of piano pedagogy conferences - our collective aspirations, successes, and challenges. With a light touch, including photos and quotations, we will celebrate our accomplishments and consider our course from now until 2039.

NCKP 2009 will present six pre-conference seminars running concurrently on Wednesday, July 29. With the exception of Technology Immersion Track I: How to Shine Online, registrants are free to attend sessions from more than one seminar.

for Independent Music Teachers... Connecting the Dots: Pedagogy and Performance - The Perfect Marriage
NCKP Committee on Independent Teachers, Annie Lin, Chair
Sessions offered by the NCKP Committees on Collaborative Performance and on Special Needs Students
Annie Lin, with degrees from the University of Southern California, is an active collaborative pianist and has recorded more than 100 CDs for BPC Recording. She is an author, and co-founder of the Brandeis Piano Conservatory in Richardson, TX.

Coach the Team!
presented by: Jean Barr, Jody Graves, Alexandra Nguyen
Do you find yourself incorporating chamber music and accompanying in your private piano studio, but lacking confidence in coaching instruments that you do not play? This presentation will provide practical coaching techniques for the piano teacher and will equip you with helpful approaches to address bowing, breath, intonation, etc., with confidence.

Jean Barr is Professor of Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music. She received Eastman's Eisenhart Award for Teaching Excellence (1994), the Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Rochester (2004), and the MTNA 2008 Achievement Award.

Jody Graves maintains an active schedule as a performer, master teacher and clinician. She is the pianist with the acclaimed Sapphire Trio, and has served as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department. Dr. Graves is an Associate Professor at Eastern Washington University.

Alexandra Nguyen is Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is an active performer. Previously, she served as Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Eastman School of Music, with part-time appointments in the Piano and Chamber Music departments.

Keyboard Functional Skills for ALL Pianists
presented by: Doug Ashcraft and Nelms McKelvain
Even highly developed pianists struggle with functional skills, sightreading and accompanying. Douglas Ashcraft and Nelms McKelvain will share techniques they use with their teenaged piano majors at Idyllwild Arts Academy, bringing the "real world" into the piano studio. Come with your own experiences to share!

Douglas Ashcraft is currently serving as Dean of the Arts and member of the piano faculty at Idyllwild Arts Academy. He also teaches for the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California and Millikin University.

Nelms McKelvain is on the faculty of the Idyllwild Arts Academy where he has served as Music Department chair and Dean of the Arts. He studied at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, the University of Texas, and the University of Southern California where he received his doctorate and served as assistant to John Perry.

Avoiding "Festival Syndrome"
presented by: Nancy Sicsic
Festival syndrome occurs when students spend the majority of their lesson time preparing for one or two yearly events. Learn how this can be avoided, and how to created interest in music rather than blue ribbons.

Nancy Sicsic is passionate about the Alexander Technique and its many applications for making music. Having received a master's degree at Rice University with John Perry, she is currently teaching the Alexander Technique on the Graduate Music Faculty at the University of Toronto.

Survivor Skills 101: Performing Musicians of the 21st Century - Addressing Your Audience
presented by: Steven Hall and Annie Lin
Explore and expand the horizons of developing a multi-faceted pianist. Investigate ways to inspire students to re-invent the traditional piano recital setting. Eliminate the "elitist" stances before the first note to develop a closer, personal connection with the audience.

Steven Hall has performed as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the major music centers of the United States, Europe, and Taiwan. He is the President of BPC Recording and co-founder of Brandeis Piano Conservatory in Richardson, TX.

Annie Lin, with degrees from the University of Southern California, is an active collaborative pianist and has recorded more than 100 CDs for BPC Recording. She is an author, and co-founder of the Brandeis Piano Conservatory in Richardson, TX.

Visually Impaired Students and Piano Teaching: Getting Started
presented by: Elizabeth Bauer, Scott Price, and Lisa Zdechlik
The NCKP Committee on Special Needs Students will present information for teachers who wish to serve our visually impaired students. The session will include videotaped teaching demonstrations and information on resources, teaching strategies, and teaching materials (including Braille music resources).

Beth A. Bauer received her Doctor of Music Education degree from Indiana University. She teaches pedagogy courses at Wheaton College and coordinates the music for special learners program at their Community School of the Arts. Her work with students with special needs has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

Scott Price chairs the piano department at the University of South Carolina where he is Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy. Dr. Price is creator and editor-in-chief of the on-line journal, "Piano Pedagogy Forum," which received the 2008 MTNA Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award. His work with autistic students has been featured on national television (Dateline NBC) and at the national conventions of the MTNA and the NCKP.

Lisa Zdechlik is Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Group Piano at the University of Arizona. She holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma, San Diego State University, and the University of Northern Colorado. Her research involves the interaction between music analysis and performance and the applications of current technologies to music learning.

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For Pedagogy Students and Young Professionals ... Career Strategies: Brainstorming for Success
NCKP Committee on the Pedagogy Student, Linda Holzer, chair

Frances Forever!
presented by: Natalie Gibson, Rebecca Pennington, and Aline Schmidt
Frances Clark revolutionized piano pedagogy. Her ideas continue to transform today's teachers. This presentation details the impact of her philosophies on the experiences of three young teachers, including areas of reading, rhythm, teacher preparation, and presentation of new pieces.

Natalie Gibson holds degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory and Ohio University. She joined the faculty of the New School for Music Study in 2007. She enjoys working with students of all ages, including those with special needs.

Rebecca Pennington received the DMA degree in Piano Performance from the University of Kansas in 2007. She served as Director of the KU Community Music School and the KU Keyboard Skills Program and now teaches at the New School for Music Study.

Aline Schmidt earned a BM degree at the University of Sao Paulo in her native Brazil. In the U.S. since 2005, she received an MM degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Penn State University and currently teaches at the New School for Music Study.

How I Made $100,000 My First Year as a Piano Teacher
presented by: Kristin Yost
Discover the secrets to financial success in piano teaching! Join us for a candid talk by Kristin K. Yost on her extraordinary success one year out of graduate school. This will be followed by a panel discussion in which two other piano teaching entrepreneurs will join Ms. Yost.

Kristin K. Yost is the founder and executive director of the Centre for Musical Minds in Frisco, TX. She earned the BA in music from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and the MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University.

Panel Discussion of musical entrepreneurs
Panelists: Stephen Reen and Wendy Kuo

Stephen Reen was one of five recipients of the 2001 MTNA group piano teacher award. He teaches early childhood music and movement classes and group piano classes to children and adults. Reen holds three degrees in Piano Performance: the DMA from Indiana University and BM and MM from SUNY- Buffalo.

Wendy Kuo holds an MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston. She is a creative and experienced teacher who enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities, and is the co-founder and co-director of the Orpheus Academy of Music in Austin, TX.

Are We Having Fun Yet? Reflections on Building the Career You Want
Facilitators: Linda Holzer, Sylvia Coats, Martha Hilley, Janice Thompson, Kristin Yost
Gather with colleagues and friends to share ideas about what it means to be a piano teacher. Using a flexible small-group discussion format, we'll consider such questions as: How do you define professional satisfaction? How do you strike a balance between personal development and professional development? A great chance to learn from each other!

Sylvia Coats is professor of piano pedagogy and class piano at Wichita State University. She authored Thinking as You Play: Teaching Piano in Individual and Group Lessons, published by Indiana University Press, and formerly chaired the MTNA National Certification Commission.

Martha Hilley is professor of group piano and pedagogy at the University of Texas at Austin. She has presented on the international, national, state, and local levels. Hilley is co-author of Piano for the Developing Musician and Piano for Pleasure.

Linda Holzer is professor of piano at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. An active soloist and chamber musician, she performs nationally and internationally. As an author, she has been published in Piano & Keyboard, Clavier, and American Music Teacher magazine.

Janice Meyer Thompson has enjoyed a richly diverse musical career as soloist, collaborative artist and master teacher nationally and internationally. She is professor of piano and director of piano pedagogy programs at the Arizona State University School of Music, Tempe.

All participants in the Seminar for Pedagogy Students and Young Professionals are invited to a complimentary pizza party during the dinner break.

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For Collegiate Pedagogy Teachers ... Transformative Feedback: Exploring New Ways to Assess Student Teachers
NCKP Committee on Internship Teaching, Yu-Jane Yang and Midori Koga, co-chairs

Yu-Jane Yang is Director of Keyboard Studies and Professor of Piano/Piano Pedagogy at Weber State University (UT). She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan and is a frequent presenter, performer, and competition adjudicator nationally and internationally.

Midori Koga is Associate Professor of Piano and Pedagogy at the University of Toronto. Active as clinician and performer, she has presented at the International Society for Music Education Conference, the MTNA, and performed in Austria, England, and Spain as well as throughout the US and Canada.

Effective Teaching: A View from the Other Side of the Coin
Presented by: Marvin Blickenstaff
A veteran teacher of piano pedagogy, now in the position of hiring new faculty for a community music school, shares his impressions of effective video teaching tapes submitted by pedagogy students as they apply for faculty positions.

Marvin Blickenstaff was named Fellow of the Royal Toronto Conservatory in 2007 and was chosen to receive the 2009 MTNA Achievement Award. For the past ten years he has served as President of the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. He teaches at The New School for Music Study (Kingston, NJ) and in his home studio.

Competency Based Student Intern Assessment
Presented by: Robert Krout
One of the pre-eminent leaders in the field of music therapy discusses the national standards and criteria for assessing student internships in that discipline. How can these standards of assessment be integrated into a piano pedagogy curriculum?

Robert Krout is recognized as one of the country's foremost educators in the field of music therapy. A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, he was a keynote speaker at the 2005 World Congress of Music Therapy in Brisbane, Australia. He is currently on the faculty of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.

Criteria for Student Teacher Observation
Small discussion groups will determine the basic categories of assessment used for observing pedagogy student teachers. These criteria will be ranked from "most important" to "less important." The findings will be shared with the entire seminar.

Objective Student Teacher Assessment: New Tools for Student Teacher Observation
Presented by: Robert Duke
Video clips of student teaching will be shown. The teaching will be evaluated using the criteria formulated earlier in the small group discussions. Robert Duke will then lead the participants in teaching assessment using the SCRIBE Computer Program.

Robert Duke is the Marlene and Morton Meyerson Centennial Professor of Music and Human Learning, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Director of the Center for Music Learning at The University of Texas at Austin. His most recent book is Intelligent Music Teaching: Essays on the Core Principles of Effective Instruction.

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On Wellness ... The Healthy Pianist
NCKP Committee on Wellness for the Pianist, Brenda Wristen, chair

Technical Efficiency and Artistry: Having Your Cake and Eating It, Too!
Presented by: Carol Leone, Brenda Wristen, Gail Berenson, and Barbara Lister-Sink
The recent resurgence of interest in promoting healthful technique for the pianist has revived an active debate: technique or artistry? Are they mutually exclusive, or can the pianist balance both?

Brenda Wristen directs the Piano Pedagogy and Keyboard Skills programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has published her research regarding musician wellness and biomechanics of piano technique in numerous national musical and scientific venues.

Carol Leone is Chair of Keyboard at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. An international competition prizewinner and graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, Dr. Leone is active as a soloist, chamber musician, lecturer, and adjudicator. She is a leading researcher for the reduced-size piano keyboard action.

Barbara Lister-Sink won the 2002 MTNA-Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award for her video/DVD Freeing the Caged Bird. Currently Artist-in-Residence at Salem College, she has taught on the Eastman School of Music Artist Faculty and was keyboardist for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Gail Berenson is Professor of Piano and Co-Chair of the Keyboard Division at Ohio University, Athens. An active performer, passionate chamber music collaborator, and noted expert on musician wellness issues, she is co-author of A Symposium for Pianists and Teachers: Strategies to Develop Mind and Body for Optimal Performance. She is Immediate Past President of MTNA.

Increasing Performance Potential
Presented by: Carol Leone, Kathleen Riley, Barbara Lister-Sink, and Julie Jaffee-Nagel
This session will present innovative means for improving technical efficiency and enhancing performance, including use of the 7/8 piano keyboard for small-handed pianists, biofeedback, and remodeling of piano technique.

Julie Jaffee Nagel, Ph.D., graduate of The Juilliard School, the University of Michigan, and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, is known for her work on performance anxiety and music and emotion. Winner of the prestigious Nathan Segel award for her paper on Mozart and the Nathan Segel and Karl Menninger Award for her paper on Lucia di Lammermoor. Dr. Nagel is in private practice in Ann Arbor, MI.

Kathleen Riley, an internationally known clinician, presents workshops and lectures on technique and alignment and injury prevention and retraining. Dr. Riley teaches piano and conducts research in music pedagogy and injury retraining at New York University. She is a research consultant for Yamaha Corporation of America and Clinical Director of ProformaVision.

Educating Musicians About Wellness: Four Sample University Curricula
Presented by: Gail Berenson, Linda Cockey, Barbara Lister-Sink, Brenda Wristen
Each presenter will discuss content and materials they present in their classes on Musician Wellness at their respective universities.

Linda Cockey is Chair of the Music Department at Salisbury University (MD) where she teaches studio piano, group piano, music history, form and analysis, and wellness in performance. She holds the DMA from The Catholic University of American and is known for her research on musician wellness and on Johann Christian Bach.

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TECHNOLOGY IMMERSION TRACK 1
How to Shine Online: Create Your Studio Website Today!*
Alejandro Cremaschi, coordinator
Presented by: Susan Capestro, Jocelyn Morrow, Stella Sick, Michelle Sisler, Kathleen Theisen

During this hands-on pre-conference seminar, participants will actually build an attractive and professional-looking studio website that is ready to upload to the Web.

No previous experience is required!

Just bring your laptop computer and any photos or text you wish to use, and we'll supply the rest, including templates and a free webpage editor. We’ll teach you how to edit text, place images, add audio and video clips, and even spice up your site with calendars, maps, and other options. Our team of clinicians will provide one-on-one help during the seminar so that you can learn how to create your place in cyberspace!

Alejandro Cremaschi teaches at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Praised as an intelligent and sensitive pianist, he has concertized internationally and has recorded for the labels IRCO, Marco Polo, and Meridian. A specialist in Latin American piano music, technology in piano instruction and cooperative learning, he has been a presenter at numerous national and international conferences.

* There is an additional registration fee of $25 for this seminar. Class size is limited to 30.

Susan Capestro, founder of WholeOctave.com and WholeMusicLessons.com, has taught piano, composition and electronic music for over 25 years. Her compositions include a collection of art music as well as music for documentaries, corporate videos, and educational software. Capestro holds degrees from Ithaca College and Northwestern University.

Jocelyn Morrow is owner and director of Keyboards For Kids, Inc, an after-school enrichment provider. She runs 50+ group keyboard, guitar, and drum circle classes a week that include more than 750 students across the metro Denver area, utilizing an extensive web-based online enrollment system. Jocelyn also maintains a private studio in Golden, Colorado and is a frequent lecturer on group pedagogy.

Stella Branzburg Sick received her early music education in Novosibirsk, Russia. Upon coming to the United States, she earned degrees at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Minnesota. Dr. Sick teaches at Hamline University and maintains a private studio in Maple Grove, MN. Since 2004, she has been the Managing Director of the Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition.

Michelle Sisler is a private piano teacher in Owatonna, MN and the owner of Keys to Imagination, a resource for music teachers adding technology to their studios. She has presented technology sessions at MTNA, NCKP, and various state conferences. In addition, she has written for Keyboard Companion and Clavier.

Kathleen Ann Theisen is a versatile musician who has performed as a pianist and soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Norwalk Symphony, Boston Academy of Music, Colby Symphony, Concord Symphony, Taconic Opera, Dicapo Opera, National Lyric Opera, and the Dubuque symphony. She teaches at Western Connecticut State University and maintains a private studio in Greenwich, CT.

Opine, Define and Assign Online: Creating Blogs, Wikis, and Forums
Presented by: Susan Capestro
Imagine... your own news and editorial webpage…your own mini-wikipedia... initiating a public square online to discuss important issues! Interactive features - many free - are changing our world. See how easy it is to use these exciting avenues for Internet teaching, communicating with students, and networking with colleagues.

Ready to Launch Your Studio into Cyberspace?
Presented by: Stella Sick, Jocelyn Morrow, Kathleen Theisen
More and more piano studios have an online presence. What do these studios actually gain from having a website? How hard is it to set up a webpage? Do you really need one? Let us take you on a tour of contemporary studio websites, show you the benefits of having one, and even point you toward some basic free or inexpensive tools for getting your own website up and running!

From Stage to Big Screen in 50 Minutes: Videotaping and Publishing a Recital on the Web
Presented by: Alejandro Cremaschi
During this step-by-step session, Alejandro will take you through the process of videotaping a performance, transferring the material to a computer, editing it, and publishing it to YouTube, a free, online video service. No previous knowledge required! We will discuss and answer your questions about each of the tools used in this presentation, including the video camera, video and media formats, editing programs, and video websites.

Website Walk-In Clinic
Presented by: Alejandro Cremaschi, Susan Capestro, Michelle Sisler, Stella Sick, Jocelyn Morrow, Kathleen Theisen
Get personalized assistance with your web site. Our team of experts stands ready to answer your questions and help you to take your website to the next level! In addition, if you started a website in our pre-conference technology track and would like more, individual help, bring your laptop. We'll work with you, using the tools introduced during the pre-conference workshop.

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TECHNOLOGY TRACK 2
Technology Immersion
George F. Litterst, coordinator
This immersion track provides both lecture and hands-on keyboard lab sessions. The sessions, described below, cover a wide range of important topics in piano pedagogy where the use of current technologies plays a crucial role.

George F. Litterst is a nationally-known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer. He works extensively with the Disklavier piano and is co-author of the intelligent accompaniment software program, Home Concert Xtreme, the electronic music blackboard program, Classroom Maestro, and the long distance piano teaching program, Internet MIDI. Author of nearly 100 articles on music technology, George is the Technology Editor for Clavier Companion and the co-author of the Random Access column in American Music Teacher.

Opening Up Students' Ears with Digital Recording
Presented by: Mason Conklin
Learn how to develop students' critical listening skills using digital recording technology that enables instant playback of performances. Discover how to incorporate software and hardware tools, such as MP3 recorders and digital pianos, into lessons that will help students teach themselves!

Mason Conklin teaches class piano and piano pedagogy at Iowa State University. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma.

Keyboard Ensemble Expedition
Presented by: Lisa Zdechlik
Join Lisa in the keyboard lab for an ensemble literature reading session: some old, some new. As you participate in this reading session, Lisa will focus on ways to incorporate ensembles into the private lesson, technologies for individual practice, rehearsal techniques, and strategies for encouraging musicality and critical listening in ensemble playing.

Lisa Zdechlik is Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Group Piano at the University of Arizona. She holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma, San Diego State University, and the University of Northern Colorado. Her research involves the interaction between music analysis and performance and the applications of current technologies to music learning.

The World at Your Fingertips: Distance Learning Tools for Piano Instruction
Presented by: Shana Kirk and Jennifer Snow
Long-distance teaching is no longer part of the "future" of piano teaching--it's here now! Join Jennifer and Shana on a tour of all the currently available and easy-to-use tools to extend your teaching across town or around the globe.

Shana Kirk is a performer and a private music teacher in Denver, CO. She works closely with music industry leaders, such as TimeWarp Technologies and Yamaha Corporation of America, to share the benefits of technology with the teaching community. She has written for Keyboard Companion and is the co-author of the Random Access column in American Music Teacher.

Jennifer Snow is an accomplished performer who has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist throughout Canada, the United States, Asia, and Europe. Currently on faculty at UCLA, Jennifer teaches piano, collaborative piano, and pedagogy. She has presented at MTNA national and state conferences, EPTA, ATMI, WPPC, and has written for Keyboard Companion and RCME Music Matters.

MIDI - My Invisible Duet Instructor
Presented by: Michelle Gordon and Kathy Maskell
Whether it's a method piece, a classical ensemble work, or the latest movie theme, there is a motivating MIDI file for your student! Join Michelle and Kathy as they review the best MIDI materials and demonstrate creative ways to enhance private lessons and speed up the learning process by using MIDI accompaniments.

Michelle Gordon is an IMT in Mattapoisett, MA. She has given presentations on Technology at NCKP and MTNA conferences and written articles and reviewed software for American Music Teacher and Keyboard Companion. She is co-author of the book, Studio Makeover-Technology Addition.

Kathy Maskell, NCTM, teaches class piano and music theory at Regis College, Weston, MA. Having held several positions in the Massachusetts MTA, she was their Teacher of the Year for 2006. Kathy has given music technology presentations for MTNA conferences and has written articles for Keyboard Companion.

With the Right Tools, Any Student Can Learn to Improvise!
Presented by: George F. Litterst
The lost art of classical improvisation need not stay lost! Start with an acoustic or digital piano, add user-friendly MIDI playback software and appropriate MIDI files. Then, sprinkle in some creative guidance from you, the teacher. In this environment, students at all levels will be ready and eager to create music spontaneously.

George F. Litterst is a nationally-known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer. He works extensively with the Disklavier piano and is co-author of the intelligent accompaniment software program, Home Concert Xtreme, the electronic music blackboard program, Classroom Maestro, and the long distance piano teaching program, Internet MIDI. Author of nearly 100 articles on music technology, George is the Technology Editor for Clavier Companion and the co-author of the Random Access column in American Music Teacher.

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