The mission of the Frances Clark Center is to extend the influence of her inclusive and revolutionary philosophy of music education at the keyboard. In so doing, the Center will conduct research, develop and codify successful methodologies and applications, and disseminate its work in the form of publications, seminars, and conferences that focus on improving the quality of teaching.
"Every child can know the joy of making music at the piano." -- Frances Clark
Our goals are to:
- enhance the quality of music-making throughout life
- educate teachers who are dedicated to nurturing lifelong involvement in music-making from the earliest to the most advanced levels
- develop methods and materials that support an artistic and meaningful learning experience for all students regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.
What specific things does the Center do to fulfill its mission?
Since its incorporation as a 501c3 organization in 2000, the Center is directing its energies into four major project areas:
- The New School for Music Study--an innovative community music school and teacher training center in Princeton, NJ
- Keyboard Companion--a quarterly journal for piano teachers with a dedicated website www.KeyboardCompanion.com
- The National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy--a biennial meeting of 750-1000 keyboard music educators, researchers, and industry leaders representing all fifty states and over a dozen other nations
- Publications that are clearly supportive of its mission including A Piano Teacher's Legacy: Selected Writings of Richard Chronister, Conversations with Frances Clark, a two-volume set of video recordings that feature interviews with Dr. Clark, as well as historical publications of the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy (1979-1994). For a complete listing, please visit our online store.
Future projects include updating and reissuing the 30-page booklet Parents Are Important People by Frances Clark, a guide for parents on successful music study for their children, publication of research reports and monographs, and a series of documentary instructional video tapes based on the recorded legacy of Dr. Clark.