Music Lesson Marathon: Piano

Make Music Day

Presented by

Piano Lessons: Monday, June 21

All lessons will be livestreamed on Zoom at this link.

9:00 AM EDT: Learning by Rote: Catchy and Fun Pattern Pieces for Beginners
Jenna Klein

Learning by rote eliminates reading challenges and allows impressive-sounding pieces to be learned with ease. In this workshop, you will learn to play beginner pattern-based pieces by rote. You’ll leave with these fun and memorable pieces in your fingers ready to be played!

Jenna Klein earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Contemporary Music Studies with a concentration in Music Therapy from the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she studied piano with Dr. Ruthanne Schempf. Currently, Jenna is Master of Music in Performance and Pedagogy student and Graduate Assistant in piano where she accompanies the University of Northern Iowa’s Concert Chorale. Since 2014, she has spent her summers working as a Piano Teaching Assistant at Interlochen Arts Camp. Jenna enjoys working with students of all ages and especially loves the creative, curious minds and personalities of elementary-aged children.

10:00 AM EDT
Gloria Patricia Pérez

Gloria Patricia Pérez is a piano teacher in Medellin, Columbia with 20 years of experience helping preschoolers, children, teenagers and adults, to know and enjoy the music through the piano, from elementary to university levels.

11:00 AM EDT: Major and Minor 5-finger Patterns for Beginners; Learning Triads and Perfecting Them!
Jane West [SITE]

Jane West is a pianist and music scholar, holding degrees from Tufts University in Historical Musicology, and Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Her recitals have been heard in the US, Poland, and Austria. Focusing on the students’ understanding of music at a broader level is at the cornerstone of Ms. West’s philosophy as an instructor. Teaching private piano for the past twelve years to students of all ages and abilities, she promotes both mastery of the keyboard and an informed musicianship by coupling the study of piano technique and repertoire with the literature’s historical narrative.

12:00 PM EDT: Do You Want to Tango? Learning the Basic Piano Performance Practices of the Art Form
Kacey Link [IG] [SITE]

I am a pianist, scholar, music director, vocal coach, educator, and owner of Kacey Link Piano, LLC. I have performed and lectured throughout the United States, Mexico, Argentina, France, and Switzerland. I have diverse interests and expertise in music and am equally comfortable playing Chopin etudes, Piazzolla tangos, and contemporary musical theater. As a pianist and scholar, I specialize in tango. I am the co-author of Tracing Tangueros: Argentine Tango Instrumental Music (Oxford University Press, 2016), which explores the history of Argentine tango and its creators. I contributed to the article titled “Tango: A Primer” for Chamber Music Magazine, Summer 2018, and review books in pre-and post-publication. I also frequently give tango concerts and lecture-recitals.

1:00 PM EDT: Getting from the NOTES to the MUSIC — Find Your Best Expression!
Alison Barr [SITE]

Ms. Barr is a seasoned and inspired teacher with forty-five years of experience in myriad settings. She currently owns and operates an in-home independent studio in Hanover, MA, where she teaches thirty five students of all ages and levels. She is proud to have been named “Teacher of the Year” by the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA.) Her teaching specializations include middle school, high school and avocational adult students. For 24 years, she maintained a multi-teacher studio in Brookline, MA. She holds the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Certificate in Piano. Ms. Barr has participated in, led and created innumerable professional growth opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. Ms. Barr’s studio houses a 1930 Steinway “M,” a Roland digital piano, a midi-interactive keyboard, a Mac desktop and various supporting equipment. Ms. Barr is also an accomplished flutist.

2:00 PM EDT: Beginning Piano for Children, Ages 5-7
Emilie Griffin [SITE]

Ms. Griffin recently earned a BM in Piano Performance with Emphasis in Pedagogy from Oklahoma Baptist University where she actively served as a choral accompanist, church pianist, music theory tutor, and piano teacher in the university preparatory department. Currently working toward a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy at Texas Christian University, Ms. Griffin is studying under the direction of Dr. Ann Gipson and Professor Harold Martina. She has experience teaching both group and private lessons for children, college students, and adults. Additionally, Ms. Griffin currently serves as the vice president of TCU’s MTNA Collegiate Chapter. An enthusiastic, encouraging, and dedicated teacher, Ms. Griffin strives to create a learning environment in which students will thrive. She believes that students should be equipped to reach their full potential, allowing them to become independent, life-long lovers of music.

3:00 PM EDT: Time to Begin: A Beginning Piano Lesson for Young Students
Scott Donald [SITE]

This session will cover the basics of a first lesson. Students will learn songs to play and sing at the piano and work with basic concepts such as High/Low, Loud/Soft, Long/Short, piano hands and Note Names.

Dr. Scott Donald is the owner of Studio A, an independent piano studio in Austin TX. He is a former summer faculty member at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. Most recently, Dr. Donald joined the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Center. He is also on the faculty of American Voices, a non-governmental organization with support from the US State Department that provides music instruction in countries around the world emerging from conflict or isolation.