Other Piano Pedagogy Workshops

The following workshops can be modified or expanded in length to suit multiple day seminars or one-credit courses in piano pedagogy at colleges and universities. Dr. Haroutounian can also arrange a day in combination with workshops for private or small group pedagogy/performance lessons where she works with piano teachers seeking questions about repertoire or technique they are working with in lessons as well as in their own piano skill development. Contact Dr. Haroutounian for discussion of fees for workshops, seminars, and coursework.

Palette of Touches

This workshop presents a variety of 5 legato, 6 staccato, and 5 chordal touches that can add tonal color to student repertoire. The workshop introduces the touches, explains the technical tools to produce them and shows how they are used in student literature at elementary and intermediate levels. Participants learn how students can apply touch symbols to their scores as they choose how to color their pieces. This workshop can include student performances in a master class setting. 1 ½ hour.

Assessment in the Studio

In our studios, there is no question that we see and hear progress in performance, listening, theory work, and general musical understanding with our students. How can we communicate this effectively to parents? How can we set concrete goals for each student, with specific assessment to check student achievement? How are we doing as teachers? This interactive seminar asks participants to discuss student assessment ideas as well as self-assessment or our own teaching through videotaped lessons. (1- 1 1/2 hours)

Contemporary Repertoire: A Springboard for Composition

Yes, there is contemporary literature beyond the Festival Bulletin. Teachers will explore repertoire that plays with different contemporary compositional ideas that can be used as a basis for guiding students into improvising and composing. Contemporary literature becomes "user-friendly" in this active workshop where participants play with contemporary sounds found in beginning to intermediate literature. This expanded hands-on workshop not only presents contemporary literature that is fun to teach but will also include partner improvisation and composing that will provide teachers with a simple way to include creative "play" and composition in their studios. Participants will receive a useful list of contemporary literature and effective ways to expand on ideas from this literature through composition. (2 hours)

What did the Judge Say? The Impact and Benefit of Constructive Criticism

How can we develop effective adjudication critiques that avoid biting criticism and mundane generalities? An active participation in the judging process throughout, with shared comments and taped and student live performances. (1-1 1/2 hours)