We are so pleased to share with you our workshop agenda.  We believe that you will find this stimulating and will come away with new ideas, new contacts, and new collaborations.  Click here if you would like to download the schedule.

New for this year - please note the Tuesday evening reception gala at the home of Dr. Jane Magrath.  

Dennis Alexander Edward Gates

Mary Craig Powell Karen Beres

Bill Moore Steve Betts

Jane Magrath Nicole Biggs

Barbara Fast Jeongwan Ham

Stephanie Leon Shames

Every Child Can
This session will present some of the jewels of the Suzuki philosophy/method that can be applicable and helpful to all piano teachers. Topics will include the parental role in instruction, the use of good psychology, the importance of the beginning of instruction, emphasis on proper use of the body, ear development and the importance of listening to music. DVDs of children’s lessons will be used for demonstration of a number of the areas discussed.

The Joy of Teaching Creatively
In his session, Powell will stress the value of helping students utilize their right brain in learning at the piano. Creative ideas will be given for working with areas such as dynamics, tone, phrasing, tempi, and voicing, as well as concepts of the character of the music. The use of DVDs for demonstration will enhance the presentation.

Teaching Techniques for Teachers
Did any of your teachers with whom you studied piano tell you that you were not successful at a particular skill and yet they offered no specific way to help you improve that problem? In other words, they did not tell you HOW to improve. This session will look at discovering some of the “hows” of teaching successfully. DVD examples using young children in lessons will help promote better understanding.

MARY CRAIG POWELL currently teaches piano in her home studio in Columbus, Ohio. Recently retired from the Conservatory of Music facultyof Capital University, she has taught piano at both the college and preparatory levels for almost fifty years. Her international reputation as a Suzuki teacher has given her extensive invitations throughout the world to train teachers and teach children. Ms. Powell is author of Focus on Suzuki Piano and contributed to another book entitled Teaching Suzuki Piano. Currently she serves as the chairman of the International Suzuki Piano Committee which recently finished revising and re-editing all the Suzuki piano books. In recognition of her contribution to Suzuki instruction, she has received the “Excellence in Teaching” Award and the “Excellence in Suzuki Teacher Education” Award from the Suzuki Association of the Americas

Playing Your Best When it Counts: Mental Skills for Musicians
This session provides a broader understanding of the psychological and emotional aspects of music performance. Although mental skills make up just one part of the whole performance picture, they are often the part least understood and yet may be the most important in playing your best when it counts.

Integrating Performance Psychology into Your Teaching
This session provides specific strategies and exercises for integrating performance psychology into your studio classes and individual lessons.

DR. BILL MOORE is a performance psychology consultant working with musicians, athletes, performing artists, and business professional helping both individuals and groups perform at optimal levels when it counts. He has written books in performance psychology for athletes, coaches, and musicians. Dr. Moore’s unique blend of experiences as a professional tennis player, intercollegiate coach, and performance psychology specialist has help to develop his reputation as a leading authority in his field. Dr. Moore was Keynote Speaker at the MTNA 2011 National Conference in Milwaukee, WI. 

Motivation Styles in Piano Study and Performance
What are some of the theories of motivation and excellence, and what makes our students tick? In this session we investigate various aspects of motivation, unpredictability, creativity, personal truths, and our art.

Haydn’s Keyboard Music: Imagination, Humor, and Surprise
What is the magic behind Haydn’s keyboard music, and what are some movements and musical passages permeated with his unique imagination, humor and sense of surprise? Review performance practice considerations and discuss various sonata movements and other works for teaching and performance.

JANE MAGRATH is well known as an author, clinician, and pianist. Her book The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature has become a classic reference work for pianists throughout the country. She currently has more than thirty-five volumes published with Alfred Publishing, and her music editions are used widely throughout the U.S. and abroad. Frequently in demand as a clinician and teacher, during the last twenty years she has performed and given presentations in over forty states including Alaska, and on three continents. Dr. Magrath is Regents’ Professor and holds the Grant Endowed Chair at the University of Oklahoma where she is Director of Piano Pedagogy.

Efficient Practicing and Memorizing: Applications from the Research
Practicing is the cornerstone of all musicians’ lives. Memorizing music for performance is a skill that all pianists must acquire. Specific suggestions for efficient practicing and memorizing based on a synthesis of current research in music education, music psychology, sports psychology and music cognition will be presented.

BARBARA FAST, Keyboard Area Chair and Professor of Piano Pedagogy, coordinates the group piano program and teaches graduate and undergraduate piano pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma. She co-founded the biennial Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy (GP3) National Forum, meeting in 2010 for the sixth conference. She also has performed in chamber settings in England, Russia, Japan and Korea, as well as presented lecture recitals and master classes throughout the United States

Interpreting Chopin’s Piano Notation
Tempo, rhythms, dynamics, phrasing, pedaling, fingering, ornamentation, and more. Chopin's meticulous notation is a treasure trove for interpretation.

EDWARD GATES, Frieda Derdeyn Bambas Professor of Piano at the University of Oklahoma, teaches undergraduate and graduate piano performance as well as graduate seminars in piano literature. Hailed as "a splendid pianist" by The New York Times, he has performed in solo recitals and chamber concerts in the United States, China, and Britain. He has given workshops and master classes across the United States and in Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China.

Theme and Variations: A Vehicle to Artistry
The many sets of theme and variations in the classical repertoire present a wealth of artistic challenges contained within one work. Explore the pedagogical possibilities for use with your students along with an overview of selected variation sets for use in the piano studio.

KAREN BERES recently completed her ninth year on the keyboard faculty of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she coordinates the group piano program and teaches piano pedagogy and secondary piano. She was one of six campus-wide recipients of the 2008 Excellence in Teaching award at UNCSA. Dr. Beres, a member of the CanAm Piano Duo, remains active in chamber music performance and workshop presentations across North America. Recent projects include a commissioned work for duo piano and percussion by David Maslanka which she has performed throughout the country.

Selected Piano Duet and Duo Literature correlated withJane Magrath's The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature
The pedagogical duet and duo literature offers many avenues for developing sight reading, musicianship, performance, and ensemble skills. This session explores these possibilities using repertoire from all ten levels of the Magrath Guide.

STEVE BETTS is Professor and Chair of the School of Music at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, OK. He has served on the faculties of Louisiana State University and Wichita State University and for fifteen years operated an independent piano studio in Wichita, Kansas. Currently he is a managing editor for Clavier Companion magazine and has presented at national conventions of the Music Teachers National Association and Music Educators National Conference. His articles have appeared in Clavier Companion, The American Music Teacher, The Journal of Research in Music Education, and Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education. He is the lead author of the Time to Begin Activities Book and co-author of other publications for The Music Tree, part of The Frances Clark Library.

Piano Genealogy
Connections exist in the piano world between the great composers and pianists of the past, and ties are passed from teacher to student. This presentation explores geographic “schools” of piano of the past and the influence of prominent teachers who have made major contributions to the piano field. The “royal” lines of piano that connect to the great composers and pianists such as Beethoven and Liszt will be explored and displayed through a computer genealogy program.

NICOLE BIGGS, NCTM, made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2006 and is a winner in the 2010 Oklahoma/Israel Young Artist Competition and the 2010 Yamaha In-Residence Fellowship. Her published articles this year include American Music Teacher, the Piano Pedagogy Forum, and the CMS Newsletter. She has performance degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of North Texas. Nicole teaches applied, group, and piano pedagogy at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Piano Recital
Dr. Ham’s program celebrates over 200 years of Chopin and will feature well-loved works of Chopin by professional and amateur alike. Works include the Fantasie-Impromptu, Op. 66, Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2, Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31, Ballade No. 1, Op. 23, selected mazurkas, Polonaise-Fantasy, Op. 61, and the Grande Valse Brilliante, Op. 34, No. 1.

JEONGWON HAM has won numerous competitions including the Bartók/Kabalevsky International Piano Competition, Epinal International Piano Competition, Paul Hindemith Piano Competition, Artur Schnabel Piano Competition, and the Simone Belsky Piano Competition. She has performed in Europe, Asia, and the United States and currently is on the piano faculty at the University of Oklahoma.

Piano Recital
Professor Shames’ program will consist of the Rachmaninoff Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39.

STEPHANIE LEON SHAMES joined the University of Oklahoma School of Music Piano Faculty in 2005 teaching chamber music and collaborating in performances with faculty and students. She has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and performed at international festivals and venues throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.