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
Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy
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
Linda Boianova, DMA, Eastman School of Music
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
Dianne Maynard-Christensen, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Kevin Nitsch, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Brian Preston, MM, Eastman School of Music
Sarah Rhee, DMA, Eastman School of Music
HARPSICHORD
Bonnie Choi, DMA, University of Michigan
ORGAN
Dianne Maynard Christensen, DMA, Eastman School of Music
Listen: Mozart Sonata in F Major
Keyboard Recitals
2009-2010
Sunday, September 27 |
7:00 AM |
Prism Concert |
Friday, October 2 |
9:30 AM |
Keyboard Forum |
Sunday, October 25 |
3:00 PM |
Linda Boianova and Friends Lars Kirvan, cello |
Saturday, October 31 |
4:00 PM |
Piano Masterclass: Andrey Pisarev |
Friday, November 6 |
4:00 PM |
Piano Studio Recital |
Tuesday, November 17 |
12:10 PM |
Piano Studio Recital |
Friday, January 22 |
7:30 PM |
The Chopin Bicentential Recitals I |
Sunday, January 31 |
3:00 PM |
Romantic Pleasures: music of Chopin, Schumann and Liszt |
Friday, February 12 |
7:30 PM |
The Chopin Bicentential Recitals II |
Tuesday, February 16 |
12:10 PM |
Studio Recital |
Sunday, February 28 |
3:00 PM |
Old, New, Borrowed, Blue Sophia Gibbs Kim, flute |
Tuesday, April 20 |
12:10 PM |
Studio Recital |
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.
Masterclass with Andrey Pisarev
Russian pianist from tghe Moscow Conservatory, Andrey Pisarev gave a masterclass for our piano majors at Nazareth College with students Tasha George-Hinnant, Elaine Vuong and David Pacific on October 31, 2009.
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.
-
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 Forum
Music Teachers National Association
New York State Music Teachers Association, Inc
Keyboard News 2009
The Nazareth College Department of Music piano area is pleased to announce the inauguration of The Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy. Already approved by the National Association of Music Schools and the New York State Board of Education, this 15-credit graduate program provides specialized investigation into piano methods, teaching philosophies, the literature for the instrument, developmental theories and piano technique. Comprehensive strategies for teaching, choosing instructional materials and repertoire, understanding the business aspects of studio teaching, pursuing current topic research, along with teaching observation and feedback, and portfolio outcomes for MTNA certification are included in the curriculum. You can learn more at
naz.edu/dept/music/degree/keyboard.cfm
Nazareth piano students continue active development as performing musicians. David Pacific (piano performance) played the Ginastera Sonata No. 1 in a master class with Douglas Humpherys here at Nazareth. Elaine Vuong (music therapy), Jessica Jarvis (music therapy) and Julia Broman (music history) performed in a master class with Michael Salmirs. Piano students were prominent in this year’s Music at St. Andrews recital and several students performed Honors, Performance degree and Senior recitals. Piano Ensemble students contributed a piano quartet arrangement of Faure’s Dolly Suite to the annual Family Weekend recital and continued the traditional Holiday program at the Friendly Home.
Our members of the piano faculty were busy as well this past year. "Is Music in My Student’s Future" was the topic for the fifth annual Nazareth Keyboard Forum presented by keyboard faculty to area piano teachers last October. More recently, June 21 – 27 was a particularly active week for faculty. Gail Berenson, immediate past president of MTNA, was the featured clinician in our annual Summer Piano Pedagogy Workshop co-sponsored with the Rochester Piano Teachers Guild and NYSMTA District 12. The Pedagogy Workshop was followed by an open house celebration of our Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy. The week culminated with the first annual Nazareth College Summer Piano Camp, attended by a lively group of piano student from as far away as Albany.
Facilities for pianists continue to improve here in the Wilmot Music Building. In addition to our two Steinway D's in Wilmot Hall, we now have a beautiful Schimmel concert grand for Linehan Chapel. We have also acquired a Steinway B for James Douthit’s new studio in the former Admissions House, four Steinway uprights and a Petrof upright.
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