The quality of piano education in international schools in China has been affected by an increasing number of piano students and piano teachers experiencing heavy teaching loads. The research questions in this qualitative case study included both teachers' and parents' perceptions of the quality of teaching and learning in piano classes at multicultural international schools in a suburban district of Beijing. The 4 principles of the Suzuki method provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through interviews with 10 experienced piano teachers, 10 selected parents of K-12 piano students, and observations of 3 group piano classes, 8 individual lessons, and 3 student recitals. All data were coded and analyzed using the Suzuki principles of character, use of the mother tongue, parental involvement, and positive environment. Findings indicated that school leaders, teachers, parents, and students need to understand each party's expectations to build and maintain a healthy relationship and positive learning environment as promoted by the principles of the Suzuki method. A professional development program, Piano Teaching in a Beijing Suburb: 21st Century Effective Piano Teaching, was created to engage and support local piano teachers' needs and to improve their understanding of various eastern and western teaching approaches, traditional and functional piano teaching, and effective teaching strategies to better prepare them for teaching in diverse classrooms. Implementation of the project might affect social change and benefit the local international community by providing a professional development model for all piano teachers to help international piano students during their transitional years in China.

The purpose of this study was to gather information about professional musicians’ development and use of functional piano skills in their careers. An online questionnaire was distributed to (N = 393) faculty members, professional performers, and private music instructors from different regions and institutions. The survey gathered information about their careers, piano training, use of functional piano skills, and proposals for the piano training of undergraduate music majors in their field. In total, 109 musicians completed the study: faculty members (n = 43), performers (n = 38), and teachers (n = 28). The results of this study showed that faculty members, performers and teachers generally performed similar musical activities, had comparable piano training, used similar piano skills, and agreed with each other about their suggestions for undergraduate piano training. There were, however, subtle differences among the three groups in the frequency with which they used functional piano skills. Professional musicians regularly transposed melodies, sight-read accompaniments, and played scales. They never improvised accompaniments, practiced and memorized piano solos, devised modulations, composed, and accompanied groups. In addition to the three skills that all professional musicians used, faculty members also played by ear, played chord progressions, and accompanied soloists regularly, performers regularly transposed accompaniments, harmonized melodies, and accompanied soloists, and teachers read open scores and transposed accompaniments frequently. Generally, professional musicians thought that piano skills were important to their careers, and many would have liked additional training on accompanying. Although most piano skills were learned outside of collegiate piano classes, participants in this study, regardless of the frequency with which they used these skills, thought that music majors should receive piano training on five skills: playing chord progressions, playing scales, sight-reading, harmonizing melodies, and reading open scores. Many participants indicated that practicing and memorizing piano solos were skills that should receive little training in collegiate piano classes. It is suggested that creating a group piano curriculum that effectively develops the functional piano skills valued and used by professional musicians becomes a priority for group piano teachers and researchers working on the preparation of professional musicians. / text