News & Events
Guests and Special Piano Events 2011-2012
| Sept. 15, 2011 | Jonathan and Stephanie Shames Piano Duo Recital |
| Oct. 11, 2011 | Jeongwon Ham Solo Piano Recital |
| Oct. 25, 2011 | Andrew Cooperstock Solo Piano Recital and Masterclass |
| Feb. 23, 2011 | Joel Schoenhals Solo PIano Recital |
|
National Honors!
Nicole Biggs, DMA graduate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, was awarded a Yamaha In-Residence Fellowship by the college Music Society recently. She currently is preparing a tour of Israel as winner of the Young Artists Competition of the Oklahoma-Israel Exchange Program.
Current Activities in the OU Piano Pedagogy Program
During summer 2011, we wished several graduate students well as they began new teaching positions in various locations around the country. Dr. Nicole Biggs joined the piano faculty at Bowling Green State University in OH; Janci Bronson joined the faculty at Iowa State; and Angela Triandafillou joined the piano faculty at the New School for Music Study in Princeton, NJ where OU doctoral student Sara Ernst is Administrative Director. Several other 2011 graduates opened independent studios. Congratulations to all of you and all others who are starting new jobs or changing positions!
Thanks to the OU Graduate and Undergraduate Students who helped at the 2011 Seminar for Piano Teachers held at OU in s June. We had record attendance and a stimulating time during the three-day event held every two years. We welcomed guests from Korea to California to Pennsylvania to Oklahoma - great camraderie! You can view photos of the event online here!
The OU School of Music MTNA student chapter won the MTNA "Student Chapter of the Year" award for 2009 which was presented at the 2009 Atlanta conference in March. The chapter also won the same award in 2007. In March 2011 the OU Chapter joined with the Univeristy of Michigan chapter for a presentation on "Teaching the Music of Franz Liszt" at the MTNA National Conference in Milwaukee. The OU School of Music MTNA Student Chapter recently initiated a new blog. Check it out to see us in action and to learn of some of our projects!
So many of our alums influence the profession that we are hesitant to mention the contributions of some of them at any one time, knowing that inevitably we aill leave someone out. But one mention we so want to make at this time. We're bursting with pride that Dr. Ann Milliman Gipson is currently Past President of Music Teachers National Association! Ann, you have graced the profession with so much integrity, master teaching and good will. Thank you for your service and influence on our profession now and in years to come! Ann is currently director of piano pedagogy programs at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX.
The Ruby Grant Piano Pedagogy Resource Center recently was given a major gift of piano teaching, biographical, and historical books from the library of longtime OU piano faculty member Dr. Digby Bell. Dr. Bell was known for the most scholarly of work, and his library is quite extensive. A large portion of these books are now housed in the Center for all to study or browse! Sincere appreciation goes to OU alumnus and faculty member at Oklahoma Baptist University, Dr. Carol Bell for this generous gift.
Current piano pedagogy graduate students have the opportunitity to take a course in "Performance Psychology for Musicians" taught at OU by Dr. Bill Moore. This popular course supplements the current piano pedagogy offerings and deals with such aspects as trust in music performance. The course is offered every fall semester. Access Dr. Moore's coaching for performance handout from his keynote presentation at the GP3 Conference on the MTNA website.
Doctoral student Hector Landa and his piano trio won first place in the OU Graduate Student Research and Performance Day presentations in the Social Scienes and Arts Division. Congratulations Hector!
The Donna Turner Smith Competition in piano is held every two years on the first Saturday in March. The first prize award is around $3500 for a OU student who will be enrolled in piano the following year. Incoming students are invited to participate along with currently enrolled students. The next competition will take place in February 2012. For information, please contact Dr. Barbara Fast at the University of Oklahoma.
Pedagogy students and faculty teach on two new Clavinova piano labs and supporting technology equipment for use in the piano pedagogy classes and group piano program. Included in each piano lab are 16 keyboards, a teacher console and lab controller, a SMART board, a data projector, a document camera and other technological equipment.
GP3 (Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Conference) is one of the three most significant conferences in piano and piano pedagogy in the US,. The first three conferences were held at the University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006. The conference since rotated to the University of Oklahoma (for the fourth and fifth conferences), and in 2010 rotated once again to the University of Texas. Dr. Barbara Fast co-founded the National Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum which was held for the first time in 2000. Thanks to Dr. Fast for her leadership in this important conference for our field.
With the revitalization of the north campus arts centers, music majors in the practice rooms look out onto plush campus grounds. The practice facility is conveniently located close to the new patio with umbrellas and outdoor furniture for breaks and lunches directly in front of the Fine Arts Dean’s Office.
Recent performers and lectures for the OU piano community program at OU have included Nobuyuko Tsujii, Spencer Myer, Marvin Blickenstaff, Gail Berenson, Phyllis Lehrer, Joel Schoenhals, William Westney, E. L. Lancaster, Lisa Zdechlik, Michelle Conda, Sylvia Wang, Sheila Paige and Dennis Alexander.
We continue to develop the Ruby Grant Piano Pedagogy Resource Center as a research center in piano with the addition of new computers, software and keyboards as well as musical scores, compact discs, and DVDs.
