Degree Programs: Keyboard
Degree Programs | Graduate | Keyboard | Percussion | Strings | Voice
Degrees offered include
:
Bachelor of Music in
Bachelor of Arts in Music
Keyboard students in all degree programs receive:
- weekly hour private lessons
- weekly memory class
- weekly piano ensemble and/or chamber music
- accompanying experience
Performance
Performance is integral to all Nazareth College music programs. Students perform each semester in studio recitals and semester juries, and may audition annually to play a solo recital. Through the department's faculty and guest concert series, students have exposure to a wide variety of music as well as the opportunity to perform in annual masterclasses. In addition, all piano students perform collaboratively with fellow students in semesterly studio recitals. Sophomore and senior solo recitals are required for performance majors; a senior solo recital is required for music education and music therapy degrees.
In addition, a wealth of extra curricular performance experiences include community masterclass performances and recital performances and faculty/student outings to RPO and other community concerts, Nazareth piano graduates have been awarded scholarships and teaching assistantships for graduate piano study and are employed as teachers and performers in public school, collegiate, community, and church settings.
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with an Emphasis in Pedagogy
This degree prepares students to assume a leadership role as an independent professional musician and for entrance into a graduate degree program in piano performance and/or pedagogy.
Piano related course include:
- Keyboard Literature I and II
- Keyboard Pedagogy I and II
- Piano ensemble and/or chamber music
- Studio Teaching I and II
- Accompanying
- Group Piano Techniques
- Organ and/or harpsichord
Additional courses benefiting independent, community-based musicians are conducting and voice, included in the basic music core, and child development, a liberal arts elective. In addition, a wealth of extra curricular performance experiences include faculty/student outings to RPO and other community concerts, masterclass performances and community recital performances. Nazareth piano graduates have been awarded scholarships and teaching assistantships for graduate piano study and are employed as teachers and performers in public school, collegiate, community, and church settings.
Keyboard Faculty
All Nazareth piano faculty are professionally active performers and pedagogues.
PIANO
Beverly Smoker, Coordinator, DMA University of
Iowa
Bonnie Choi, DMA, University of Michigan
James Douthit, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Gary Fisher, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Joshua Massicot, MM, Eastman School of Music
Stephen Kennedy, MM, Wichita State University
Don Kot, MM, Cleveland Institute of Music
Kevin Nitsch, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Brian Preston, MM, Eastman School of Music
HARPSICHORD
Bonnie Choi, DMA, University of Michigan
ORGAN
James Bobb, MM, Eastman School of Music
Listen: Mozart Sonata in F Major
Keyboard Recitals
2008-2009
Sunday, September 7 |
3:00 PM |
Faculty Recital |
Friday, October 3 |
9:30 AM |
Keyboard Forum |
Sunday, October 26 |
3:00 PM |
Nazareth Colelge Piano Scholarship Recital |
Friday, November 14 |
4:00 PM |
Piano Studio Recital |
Sunday, November 16 |
4:00 PM |
Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra |
Tuesay, November 18 |
12:10 PM |
Piano Studio Recital |
Wednesday, December 3 |
7:00 AM |
Holiday Cheers |
Sunday, January 25 |
3:00 PM |
Faculty Recital |
Sunday, February 1 |
3:00 PM |
Faculty Recital |
Friay, February 13 |
7:30 PM |
Faculty Recital |
Sunday, February 15 |
3:00 PM |
Faculty Recital |
Sunday, March 8 |
3:00 PM |
Faculty & Guest Recital Linda Boianova, piano |
Facilities
Nazareth music students have two primary recital spaces available to them for solo and 
chamber performances. The beautiful Linehan Chapel in the Golisano Academic Complex will house our Steinway B piano. Wilmot Recital Hall now has two Steinway D pianos, one a particularly beautiful instrument recently selected from the New York City Steinway factory.
Student News
- Julia Browman, a senior and student of Dr. Beverly Smoker stayed at Osaka university for 6 months studying Japanese Culture class in the Spring of 2008. She also went to Osaka College of Music and took Koto and piano lessons through their community school.
-
Adrian Catucci, M.S.Ed. 06' has just graduated from Nazareth College this summer.
-
Mary Holzhauer, BM '06 (piano performance), is accepted for a teaching assistantship and master's program in piano performance at Ithaca College.
-
Leticia Kalweit, BM'06 (piano performance) senior in piano performance was selected as one of the winners for the 2006 Nazareth College Concerto Competition. She performed with the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra on April 1, 2006 at 7:30 pm in Linehan Chapel at Nazareth College. Leticia is working as an independent piano teacher in Rochester, New York.
-
Michael McNeill, B.M. 04' (music theory), gave a piano recital at Wilmot Hall, Nazareth College on Sunday, April 29 at 3:00 pm., 2007. He is a graduate student at the Longy School of Music.
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Steven Smith, B.A. 08' has joined the Nazareth College ITS as a Web Developer for the Web & Academic/Digital Technologies team. Steven worked in the User Support Center while he was a student and recently has been helping Marketing & Communications with projects related to the Web site.
-
Kayoko Takahashi, BM 04' (music therapy) earned the Masters of Music Degree in Music Therapy at Florida State University, December '07.
Keyboard News 2008
The addition of a new state-of-the art Roland electronic piano lab and a new Steinway Model L grand piano greatly enhanced teaching and learning in the piano area. Practicing is more fun!
Piano students practiced and performed Honors, Performance Degree, Senior and Studio recitals. They collaborated in a recital of Beethoven’s Bagatelles Op. 33, 119 and 126, a recital for the Sisters of St. Joseph and a Holiday ensemble program at the Friendly Home followed by dinner at Aladdin’s. Other ensemble highlights included a Family Weekend piano quartet performance of Brasileira from Milhaud’s Scaramouche and a rousing performance of Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance for two pianos, twelve hands. Piano master classes were given by Thomas Rosenkranz from the University of Hawaii and Yin Zheng from Oakland University in Michigan. Performing students included Tasha George-Hinnant (student of James Douthit), Kristina Klodnicki (student of Beverly Smoker), Matthew Locke (student of Kevin Nitsch), Kristina Knowles (student of Beverly Smoker) David Pacific (student of Brian Preston) Leigh Steinman (student of Beverly Smoker) and Stephanie Tommasone (student of James Douthit). Nazareth College piano students also enjoyed outings to hear Jon Kimura Parker perform Ravel’s G Major Piano Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and to the New York State Music Teachers State Conference in SUNY Binghamton. where they joined Nazareth College piano faculty members. Gary Fisher is president of NYSMTA, Brian Preston participated in the Pedagogy Panel presentation Understanding Music through Narrative, James Douthit and Beverly Smoker presented Skills for Success: Pedagogical Strategies for Pre-Collegiate Music Students.
The Nazareth keyboard faculty hosted Rochester area piano teachers for its fourth annual
Nazareth Keyboard Forum presentation: Reviewing the New Federation Syllabus: Evaluations, Teaching Tips And Performances. They also collaborated in a program of solos and ensembles to inaugurate the annual Robert Hobstetter Piano Scholarship Recital. Our annual Summer Piano Pedagogy Workshop co-sponsored with the Rochester Piano Teachers Guild and NYSMTA District 12 was held on June 23-24 with Ingrid Clarfield as the featured clinician. We hope you will join us for next year’s workshop, June 22-23, 2009. It will be followed by a Piano Camp for high school students.
Keyboard Forum
Music Teachers National Association
New York State Music Teachers Association, Inc
Contact
To request more information, please download the Keyboard Studies Form
Beverly Smoker, Coordinator
Department of Music
Nazareth College
4245 East Avenue
Rochester, New York 14618-3790
Tel: (585) 389-2696
Fax: (585)-2939
Email: bsmoker5@naz.edu
Nazareth College
4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
