Event Title
Pedagogical Piano Works by Diverse composers
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Paper
Abstract / Program Notes
Students are more likely to believe that they will have success in a given activity when exposed to positive role models (Gibson, 2004). Further, role models of the same gender and ethnicity as students increase their likelihood of pursuing music either as a career or lifelong leisure activity (Quimby & DeSantis, 2006). To most aptly serve students, taught repertoire must encompass the same diversity that is reflected among students. While teachers seek to expose students to role models and diverse repertoire, finding and accessing the necessary resources can often prove difficult. This presentation will explore twenty solo piano pieces for beginning to early advanced students by female composers and/or composers of color. A lyrical and contrasting piece leveled 1-10 will be discussed with the Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature by Jane Magrath serving as a leveling guide. Descriptions will include distinguishable features, potential challenges, pedagogical benefits, resources for accessing scores, and brief excerpts of selected pieces. Lyrical works include the expressive Adagio in F Minor by Chevailer de Saint George, Lili Bouleger’s impressionistic D’un Jardin Clair, and Viola Kinney’s tender and nostalgic waltz, Mother’s Sacrifice. Contrasting repertoire includes Florence Price’s quirky, The Goblin and Mosquito, Samuel Coolridge-Taylor’s energetic, flashy, and full-sounding Take Nabandji, and Amy Beach’s playful and syncopation-filled Sliding on Ice, Op. 199,no. 1. Through the worthwhile exploration of diverse repertoire, teachers expand their knowledge of pedagogical literature, provide students with relatable role models, and encourage students to develop a gratifying and enduring relationship with music.
Biography
Jenna Klein is pursuing a PhD in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma where she studies piano with Dr. Jane Magrath and piano pedagogy with Dr. Barbara Fast. As a graduate assistant she teaches group and applied piano and is an adjunct piano faculty member at Southern Nazarene University. Jenna holds a MM degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Northern Iowa and a BA in Piano Performance and Contemporary Music Studies from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has presented for local, state, regional and national conferences.
Keywords
Pedagogical piano, composers
Pedagogical Piano Works by Diverse composers
Students are more likely to believe that they will have success in a given activity when exposed to positive role models (Gibson, 2004). Further, role models of the same gender and ethnicity as students increase their likelihood of pursuing music either as a career or lifelong leisure activity (Quimby & DeSantis, 2006). To most aptly serve students, taught repertoire must encompass the same diversity that is reflected among students. While teachers seek to expose students to role models and diverse repertoire, finding and accessing the necessary resources can often prove difficult. This presentation will explore twenty solo piano pieces for beginning to early advanced students by female composers and/or composers of color. A lyrical and contrasting piece leveled 1-10 will be discussed with the Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature by Jane Magrath serving as a leveling guide. Descriptions will include distinguishable features, potential challenges, pedagogical benefits, resources for accessing scores, and brief excerpts of selected pieces. Lyrical works include the expressive Adagio in F Minor by Chevailer de Saint George, Lili Bouleger’s impressionistic D’un Jardin Clair, and Viola Kinney’s tender and nostalgic waltz, Mother’s Sacrifice. Contrasting repertoire includes Florence Price’s quirky, The Goblin and Mosquito, Samuel Coolridge-Taylor’s energetic, flashy, and full-sounding Take Nabandji, and Amy Beach’s playful and syncopation-filled Sliding on Ice, Op. 199,no. 1. Through the worthwhile exploration of diverse repertoire, teachers expand their knowledge of pedagogical literature, provide students with relatable role models, and encourage students to develop a gratifying and enduring relationship with music.