Piano Performance & Pedagogy Studies
The Ohio University (OU) Piano Pedagogy Program is one of the country’s most active and highly regarded programs. Ohio University offers several degrees that emphasize piano pedagogy, including the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano performance and pedagogy. Our programs promote high performance standards and offer stimulating coursework, supervised teaching, and research activity.
Students gain valuable teaching experience through their work with pre-college children, university students, and adults in both group and private learning environments. Group instruction takes place in one of two state-of-the-art piano laboratories that include Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos, SmartBoard technology, and other instructional software. Our students participate in professional organizations including the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA (recipient of the 2015 Benjamin Whitten MTNA Collegiate Chapter of the Year Award) and the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
Graduates of Ohio University’s piano pedagogy program hold faculty positions at colleges and universities, and our alumni serve as independent piano teachers and studio owners/operators as well as leading contributors to the music publication industry.
Competitive graduate assistantships are available.
The Keyboard Faculty
The Ohio University keyboard faculty is nationally and internationally recognized in the field, are prominently featured in research publications and in international lectures and workshops, and present recitals throughout the United States and abroad. Our faculty is committed to providing the highest-quality educational experiences, mentoring student teachers closely throughout their time at OU and beyond.
Dr. Paul Barte, organ and harpsichord
Gail Berenson, piano and piano pedagogy (emerita faculty)
Dr. Christopher Fisher, piano and piano pedagogy
Dr. Sean Parsons, jazz piano
Emely Phelps, piano, collaborative piano, chamber music, piano literature
Curriculum
The following is a sampling of courses offered as part of the piano pedagogy curriculum:
Piano Pedagogy I
Piano Pedagogy II
Group Piano Pedagogy
Practicum (supervised teaching)
Directed Readings in Piano Pedagogy
Independent Study in Piano Pedagogy
Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar
Ohio University is home to the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar, a summer workshop event that features the OU piano faculty and a visiting artist/clinician. The seminar provides piano teachers and students with valuable professional enrichment opportunities through a series of energizing workshops, presentations and performances. Participants have opportunities to share ideas and engage in dialogue with clinicians and with one another through round-table discussions and informal conversations. The event is held on the Athens campus of Ohio University in the scenic hills of southeast Ohio. For more information, visit: www.oupianopedagogyseminar.com.
Piano Pedagogy Resource Center
The Ohio University School of Music Piano Pedagogy Resource Center houses the latest in teaching materials and technology. The Center includes a collection of teaching methods and materials, standard intermediate and early advanced teaching repertoire, duet/ensemble literature, audio, video and software resources, educational tools, journals/periodicals, and a variety of books related to piano teaching and playing. The facility serves as a hub for research and exploration for our students, faculty, and regional piano teachers.
Athens Community Music School
The Athens Community Music School (ACMS) provides Ohio University pedagogy students with a wealth of teaching opportunities as well as the chance to observe qualified, seasoned teachers in action. ACMS offers a variety of piano-related programs including private instruction, adult group piano classes, and a group piano preparatory program for children. Most pedagogy students teach through ACMS as a means of supplementing their income.
Recent Internationally Renowned Piano Pedagogy Visiting Lecturers
Nancy Bachus (Independent piano teacher and author)
Bruce Berr (Independent piano teacher, composer, author)
Marvin Blickenstaff (New School for Music Study)
Sylvia Coats (Wichita State University; author, Thinking as You Play)
Brenda Dillon (RMM specialist; author, Piano Fun for Adult Beginners)
Robert Duke (University of Texas-Austin; author, Intelligent Music Teaching)
Randall Faber (co-author, Piano Adventures)
Barbara Fast (University of Oklahoma)
Pete Jutras (University of Georgia; editor, Clavier Companion)
Gayle Kowalchyk (Keyboard Editor, Alfred Music Company)
E.L. Lancaster (Senior Vice-President and Keyboard Editor-in-Chief, Alfred Music Company)
Peter Mack (Cornish College of the Arts/Steinway Artist)
Jane Magrath (University of Oklahoma; author, The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature)
Christopher Norton (Internationally celebrated composer)
Robert Pace (Columbia University; author, Robert Pace Piano Method)
Mary Craig Powell (Independent piano teacher, author, and international Suzuki trainer)
Barbara Lister Sink (Salem College; author, Freeing the Caged Bird)
For more information, contact Dr. Christopher Fisher at [email protected] or visit www.ohio.edu/music.
Students gain valuable teaching experience through their work with pre-college children, university students, and adults in both group and private learning environments. Group instruction takes place in one of two state-of-the-art piano laboratories that include Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos, SmartBoard technology, and other instructional software. Our students participate in professional organizations including the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA (recipient of the 2015 Benjamin Whitten MTNA Collegiate Chapter of the Year Award) and the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
Graduates of Ohio University’s piano pedagogy program hold faculty positions at colleges and universities, and our alumni serve as independent piano teachers and studio owners/operators as well as leading contributors to the music publication industry.
Competitive graduate assistantships are available.
The Keyboard Faculty
The Ohio University keyboard faculty is nationally and internationally recognized in the field, are prominently featured in research publications and in international lectures and workshops, and present recitals throughout the United States and abroad. Our faculty is committed to providing the highest-quality educational experiences, mentoring student teachers closely throughout their time at OU and beyond.
Dr. Paul Barte, organ and harpsichord
Gail Berenson, piano and piano pedagogy (emerita faculty)
Dr. Christopher Fisher, piano and piano pedagogy
Dr. Sean Parsons, jazz piano
Emely Phelps, piano, collaborative piano, chamber music, piano literature
Curriculum
The following is a sampling of courses offered as part of the piano pedagogy curriculum:
Piano Pedagogy I
Piano Pedagogy II
Group Piano Pedagogy
Practicum (supervised teaching)
Directed Readings in Piano Pedagogy
Independent Study in Piano Pedagogy
Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar
Ohio University is home to the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar, a summer workshop event that features the OU piano faculty and a visiting artist/clinician. The seminar provides piano teachers and students with valuable professional enrichment opportunities through a series of energizing workshops, presentations and performances. Participants have opportunities to share ideas and engage in dialogue with clinicians and with one another through round-table discussions and informal conversations. The event is held on the Athens campus of Ohio University in the scenic hills of southeast Ohio. For more information, visit: www.oupianopedagogyseminar.com.
Piano Pedagogy Resource Center
The Ohio University School of Music Piano Pedagogy Resource Center houses the latest in teaching materials and technology. The Center includes a collection of teaching methods and materials, standard intermediate and early advanced teaching repertoire, duet/ensemble literature, audio, video and software resources, educational tools, journals/periodicals, and a variety of books related to piano teaching and playing. The facility serves as a hub for research and exploration for our students, faculty, and regional piano teachers.
Athens Community Music School
The Athens Community Music School (ACMS) provides Ohio University pedagogy students with a wealth of teaching opportunities as well as the chance to observe qualified, seasoned teachers in action. ACMS offers a variety of piano-related programs including private instruction, adult group piano classes, and a group piano preparatory program for children. Most pedagogy students teach through ACMS as a means of supplementing their income.
Recent Internationally Renowned Piano Pedagogy Visiting Lecturers
Nancy Bachus (Independent piano teacher and author)
Bruce Berr (Independent piano teacher, composer, author)
Marvin Blickenstaff (New School for Music Study)
Sylvia Coats (Wichita State University; author, Thinking as You Play)
Brenda Dillon (RMM specialist; author, Piano Fun for Adult Beginners)
Robert Duke (University of Texas-Austin; author, Intelligent Music Teaching)
Randall Faber (co-author, Piano Adventures)
Barbara Fast (University of Oklahoma)
Pete Jutras (University of Georgia; editor, Clavier Companion)
Gayle Kowalchyk (Keyboard Editor, Alfred Music Company)
E.L. Lancaster (Senior Vice-President and Keyboard Editor-in-Chief, Alfred Music Company)
Peter Mack (Cornish College of the Arts/Steinway Artist)
Jane Magrath (University of Oklahoma; author, The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature)
Christopher Norton (Internationally celebrated composer)
Robert Pace (Columbia University; author, Robert Pace Piano Method)
Mary Craig Powell (Independent piano teacher, author, and international Suzuki trainer)
Barbara Lister Sink (Salem College; author, Freeing the Caged Bird)
For more information, contact Dr. Christopher Fisher at [email protected] or visit www.ohio.edu/music.
