Piano Pedagogy Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Workshops on Technology

Each registrant for the main conference will have the opportunity to attend up to three workshops on technology presented by leading experts. You may indicate your preference for workshops on the registration form. Each of the workshops on this page will be presented once during the conference. For those of you that want to "have it all", each of these sessions will also be presented in Technology Tracks I and II of the Pre-Conference Seminars.

(Biographies and photos of all technology presenters are located below).

Opening Up Students' Ears with Digital Recording
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!

MIDI - My Invisible Duet Instructor
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.

The World at Your Fingertips: Distance Learning Tools for Piano Instruction
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.

With the Right Tools, Any Student Can Learn to Improvise!
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.

Keyboard Ensemble Expedition
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.

Opine, Define, and Assign Online: Creating Blogs, Wikis, and Forums
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?
Stella Sick, Jocelyn Morrow, and 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
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
Alejandro Cremaschi, Susan Capestro, Michelle Sisler, Stella Sick, Jocelyn Morrow, and 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.

Presenter Biographies

photo 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.

photo Susan Capestro, founder of WholeOctave.com, the interactive web space for keyboard enthusiasts, has taught piano, composition and electronic music for over 25 years. Also a composer and ASCAP awards winner, Capestro has penned a collection of art music as well as music for documentaries, corporate videos and educational software. She has presented varied conference sessions for music teachers and performed with both symphony and jazz musicians. When she's not with students, writing magazine articles or blogging, she keeps busy with WholeMusicLessons.com, showing others how to teach jazz and classics synergistically. Capestro holds degrees from Ithaca College and Northwestern University.

photo Alejandro Cremaschi is an Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Praised as an intelligent and sensitive pianist, he has played in numerous cities worldwide. 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, and has published articles and reviews in Keyboard Companion, Clavier, Piano Pedagogy Forum, EPTA's Piano Journal, Journal of Technology in Music Learning and American Music Teacher. Cremaschi has recorded for the labels IRCO, Marco Polo and Meridian.

photo 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.

photo Shana Kirk is a performer and IMT 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.

photo 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.

photo 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.

photo Jocelyn Morrow, 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.

photo Stella Branzburg Sick received her early music education in Novosibirsk, Russia, at the Music Prep School (satellite of the Novosibirsk State Conservatory). Upon coming to the United States, she went on to earn her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and a DMA from the University of Minnesota, where she was a recipient of Elinor Bell Fellowship. Currently Stella is an adjunct assistant professor at Hamline University, and she maintains a private studio in Maple Grove, MN. Since 2004, Stella has been the Managing Director of the Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition.

photo 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.

photo 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 the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Jennifer teaches piano, collaborative piano, and pedagogy. She has presented at various conferences including MTNA national and state conferences, EPTA, ATMI, the WPPC, and has written for Keyboard Companion and RCME Music Matters.

photo Kathleen Ann Theisen, winner of numerous awards, 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. An adjunct professor of piano at Western Connecticut State University, she has written for Keyboard Companion and maintains a private teaching studio in Greenwich, CT.

photo 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.