Accompanist is the old term. Collaborative pianist is the new one. Accompanist implies a mostly subservient role, whereas collaborative pianist gestures toward a more equitable relationship between the soloist and pianist, no longer a mere follower. Degree programs that prepare collaborative piano skills are growing rapidly in higher education since their inception five decades ago, encouraging a wider range of pianists to pursue an intentional career path. Becoming a seasoned collaborative pianist takes time, however. Little empirical research has investigated the preparation process. What is it like for collaborative piano majors to accumulate collaborative skills and practical knowledge? How is collaboration defined and experienced, and how helpful do students find their programs? Without understanding student experiences, the artistic well-being of collaborative pianists is at stake, and so is the field’s own ability to do its work. This qualitative study examines lived experiences of collaborative piano students in conservatory and university degree programs. As researcher, I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews exploring topics including, but not limited to, professional identity, attitudes and dispositions, competencies and skills, struggles and challenges, power dynamics as well as teamwork with four recent graduates in the United States. It seems that issues of professionalization, an unclear definition of “collaboration,” and a lack of student agency are central to all lived experiences. An examination of these phenomena would contribute to the growth of the field, empowering its ability to do its job more efficiently and sustainably.

Antônio de Sá Pereira é um dos pioneiros da Pedagogia do Piano no Brasil. Seu tratado Ensino Moderno de Piano (1933) aborda a técnica pianística cientificamente e abrange questões diversas como a leitura à primeira vista e o desenvolvimento da audição crítica do aluno. Esta obra refere-se pela primeira vez no Brasil à fisiologia dos movimentos pianísticos, sistematiza o emprego da técnica de peso do braço na execução, aplica estratégias racionais de estudo e visa ensinar o aluno a pensar e a ouvir por conta própria. A pesquisa analisa o tratado relacionando-o com as principais teorias que o fundamentaram. Ao mesmo tempo aponta seu pioneirismo em relação ao meio musical brasileiro da época, o grau de originalidade de seu conteúdo e a atualidade das ideias que defende. A obra é circunstanciada por dados biográficos de Sá Pereira, material documental e bibliográfico. Sá Pereira consegue através de um trabalho de síntese e objetividade, tornar acessível e compreensível uma visão da técnica até então praticamente desconhecida no Brasil. Embora haja grande afinidade entre suas ideias e as dos principais teóricos da época, a adesão de Sá Pereira aos princípios que norteiam a moderna técnica pianística não é dogmática, pois Sá Pereira encontra o equilíbrio entre a abordagem técnica que utiliza o peso do braço e a técnica de dedos. Ao considerar que ambas se completam, demonstra uma visão atual da técnica pianística. Mais do que um tratado de técnica pianística, o Ensino Moderno de Piano buscou transformar e modernizar o ensino pianístico praticado no Brasil. / Antônio de Sá Pereira was a renowned scholar and a pioneer of Piano Pedagogy in Brazil. His treatise on piano teaching and technique, Ensino Moderno de Piano (Modern Piano Teaching -1933), encompasses several related subjects such as sight reading and critical listening. This is the first time a Brazilian work describes the physiology of piano playing movements and systematizes the use of the arm-weight technique. The work also applies rational strategies toward practice in order to teach the students to think and listen by themselves. This thesis analyzes Ensino Moderno de Piano relating it to the theories on which it was based and pointing out its originality in the context of related Brazilian works on piano technique. This thesis also verifies the modernity of its ideas. Biographical, documental and bibliographical data on Sá Pereira contextualize the treatise. Sá Pereiras work synthesizes the modern piano technique theory using an accessible and objective language. At that time, arm-weight technique was a barely known subject in Brazil. On the other hand, Sá Pereira does not follow the principles of Modern Piano Technique in a dogmatic way. Although there is great affinity with his ideas and those of the great theorists of the period, Sá Pereira still finds a balance between the two different types of piano technique approach the arm-weight and the finger technique. He considers them complementary to each other, a contemporary perspective on piano technique. More than a treatise on piano technique, the work Modern Piano Teaching aims to transform and to modernize piano teaching methods employed in Brazil.

Antônio de Sá Pereira é um dos pioneiros da Pedagogia do Piano no Brasil. Seu tratado Ensino Moderno de Piano (1933) aborda a técnica pianística cientificamente e abrange questões diversas como a leitura à primeira vista e o desenvolvimento da audição crítica do aluno. Esta obra refere-se pela primeira vez no Brasil à fisiologia dos movimentos pianísticos, sistematiza o emprego da técnica de peso do braço na execução, aplica estratégias racionais de estudo e visa ensinar o aluno a pensar e a ouvir por conta própria. A pesquisa analisa o tratado relacionando-o com as principais teorias que o fundamentaram. Ao mesmo tempo aponta seu pioneirismo em relação ao meio musical brasileiro da época, o grau de originalidade de seu conteúdo e a atualidade das ideias que defende. A obra é circunstanciada por dados biográficos de Sá Pereira, material documental e bibliográfico. Sá Pereira consegue através de um trabalho de síntese e objetividade, tornar acessível e compreensível uma visão da técnica até então praticamente desconhecida no Brasil. Embora haja grande afinidade entre suas ideias e as dos principais teóricos da época, a adesão de Sá Pereira aos princípios que norteiam a moderna técnica pianística não é dogmática, pois Sá Pereira encontra o equilíbrio entre a abordagem técnica que utiliza o peso do braço e a técnica de dedos. Ao considerar que ambas se completam, demonstra uma visão atual da técnica pianística. Mais do que um tratado de técnica pianística, o Ensino Moderno de Piano buscou transformar e modernizar o ensino pianístico praticado no Brasil. / Antônio de Sá Pereira was a renowned scholar and a pioneer of Piano Pedagogy in Brazil. His treatise on piano teaching and technique, Ensino Moderno de Piano (Modern Piano Teaching -1933), encompasses several related subjects such as sight reading and critical listening. This is the first time a Brazilian work describes the physiology of piano playing movements and systematizes the use of the arm-weight technique. The work also applies rational strategies toward practice in order to teach the students to think and listen by themselves. This thesis analyzes Ensino Moderno de Piano relating it to the theories on which it was based and pointing out its originality in the context of related Brazilian works on piano technique. This thesis also verifies the modernity of its ideas. Biographical, documental and bibliographical data on Sá Pereira contextualize the treatise. Sá Pereiras work synthesizes the modern piano technique theory using an accessible and objective language. At that time, arm-weight technique was a barely known subject in Brazil. On the other hand, Sá Pereira does not follow the principles of Modern Piano Technique in a dogmatic way. Although there is great affinity with his ideas and those of the great theorists of the period, Sá Pereira still finds a balance between the two different types of piano technique approach the arm-weight and the finger technique. He considers them complementary to each other, a contemporary perspective on piano technique. More than a treatise on piano technique, the work Modern Piano Teaching aims to transform and to modernize piano teaching methods employed in Brazil.

The Federal education system has 12 nationally accredited and portable qualifications issued by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) which cover three sectors; Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Schools. A mandatory minimum bachelor qualification together with education units, state registration and ongoing professional development is imposed for all classroom music teachers. In direct contrast, however, Australian studio piano teachers and school instrumental teachers may or may not have formal qualifications, registration with professional associations, or ongoing professional development. All teachers must be registered with State registration boards for Working With Children (WWC) but no monitoring controls exist for studio teachers. Qualifications are available from public examination boards, private enterprises and state Music Teacher Associations (MTAs) but these are not recognised within the national system and consequently have no status or portability, although they are used and recommended within the industry and higher education institutions as course prerequisites. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a National Accreditation System (NAS) for Australian studio piano teachers could be a viable system, adding unprecedented professionalism to the field and drawing upon the existing systems of government, private industry and educational institutions. In the thesis, current systems of accreditation, education and training available for classroom music teachers, school instrumental music teachers and other recognised professions such as lawyers, engineers, accountants, health professionals and sports coaches were reviewed as a comparative basis upon which to assess similar contexts for studio piano teachers. Results are combined with a survey of Australian piano teachers' perceptions, from which the study ascertained the extent to which studio piano teachers' needs were being catered for and met in available systems of accreditation and training.

Abstract Evaluative performances, such as festivals and conservatory examinations, frequently play a large role in formal piano study. Many teachers and parents assume that requiring students to participate in these evaluations will result in several benefits, including increased discipline and motivation, exposure to a balanced and rigorous music curriculum, and access to helpful feedback from expert adjudicators and examiners. However, not all students experience positive outcomes as a result of their participation in evaluative performances. Using a multi-method approach that incorporates grounded theory and narrative inquiry, this research provides insight into how beginning and intermediate piano students experience participating in festivals and examinations and what factors contribute to the quality of students’ experiences. Positive experiences with evaluative performances are characterized by positive emotional outcomes, meaningful music learning, and the development of a strong musical identity. The theoretical model developed through this research presents several important contributors to students’ positive experiences with evaluative performances, including students’ understandings, values, and goals related to music learning, and their abilities and inclinations as performers. The entire learning process must take place within a supportive relational context. When students have positive experiences with evaluative performances, their self-efficacy is heightened. They also experience self-determination regarding their music studies and their involvement in evaluative performances. The self-efficacy and self-determination that follow students’ success and positive experiences motivate further involvement in music study.

Abstract Evaluative performances, such as festivals and conservatory examinations, frequently play a large role in formal piano study. Many teachers and parents assume that requiring students to participate in these evaluations will result in several benefits, including increased discipline and motivation, exposure to a balanced and rigorous music curriculum, and access to helpful feedback from expert adjudicators and examiners. However, not all students experience positive outcomes as a result of their participation in evaluative performances. Using a multi-method approach that incorporates grounded theory and narrative inquiry, this research provides insight into how beginning and intermediate piano students experience participating in festivals and examinations and what factors contribute to the quality of students’ experiences. Positive experiences with evaluative performances are characterized by positive emotional outcomes, meaningful music learning, and the development of a strong musical identity. The theoretical model developed through this research presents several important contributors to students’ positive experiences with evaluative performances, including students’ understandings, values, and goals related to music learning, and their abilities and inclinations as performers. The entire learning process must take place within a supportive relational context. When students have positive experiences with evaluative performances, their self-efficacy is heightened. They also experience self-determination regarding their music studies and their involvement in evaluative performances. The self-efficacy and self-determination that follow students’ success and positive experiences motivate further involvement in music study.

Piano instructors often have to work as a bridge connecting music from the past and the future. From a pedagogical viewpoint, contemporary works should be considered just as important as those in the standard repertoire. Yet, most piano instructors are skewed towards modern music and their teaching materials are focused on eighteenth and nineteenth century repertoire. It is essential for them to introduce various kinds of music from different periods and cultures in order to fully develop a student's musicianship. The purpose of this study is to compare two modern works that are designed mainly for pedagogical purposes: 32 Piano Games by Ross Lee Finney (1906-1997) and Amusements by Stephen Chatman (b. 1950). These compositions are intended for beginner and intermediate students and incorporate a number of contemporary elements and techniques. This study can help instructors and students understand how these elements are being used and the ways they have evolved over time. Most importantly, this dissertation can provide teachers with a distinct methodology that enables them to present modern pieces to beginning level students in a more approachable fashion, further providing theoretical and technical assets that will allow them to play advanced contemporary music in the future.

William Gillock, a 20th-century American composer and pedagogue, composed numerous works in the styles of different periods for early intermediate-level piano students. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce Gillock's pieces to teachers of early intermediate students and illustrate how they can be used as a bridge to the study of similar music from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Gillock's Little Suite in Baroque Style is compared with Handel's Suite in E Major, HWV 430; his Accent on Analytical Sonatinas (Classical) is compared with Clementi's Piano Sonatinas, Op. 36, No. 3, 5, 6; and his Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style (Romantic) is compared with Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, No. 3, 6, 9, 16, 18, and 24. Each work is examined to reveal its compositional and technical elements along with pedagogical concepts.

Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927) is a leading American composer, pianist, and educator. Although she composed many outstanding advanced-level piano works, she also believes that composing for other levels is a good discipline for composers. Her two collections Reaching Out and Travels Through Sound contain various contemporary techniques that are highly approachable for intermediate-level students. The purpose of this study is to provide a pedagogical guide to contemporary elements present in these collections, which are ideal for developing skills that can prepare intermediate-level students for more complex modern music. Diemer incorporates such contemporary features as complex rhythms and meters, non-traditional notations, and extended piano techniques, as well as non-traditional textures and forms. These techniques are presented in a compact and informative but not too complicated manner, so that intermediate-level students can master them.

As epidemiologic research demonstrates health concerns for hand problems among pianists, scientists are measuring historic piano keyboards and realizing that much of the piano literature was composed for and played on pianos with smaller keys compared to what is used on the modern piano. Having to play this literature on a larger keyboard is especially difficult for small-handed piano students and professionals. Fortunately, smaller keyboards are now available for use with standard pianos - and research shows that this ergonomic adjustment does reduce piano-related hand pain for small-handed musicians. Major universities are now offering this option to students, but only a few music schools possess these keyboards and not many people know about them. There are no known research studies to address people's awareness and attitude toward ergonomically scaled piano keyboards (ESPKs). The purpose of this study was to assess perception and attitude toward ESPKs and help to raise its awareness. To examine pianists' perception, two surveys was composed. First one was conducted on UNT campus in which ESPKs are available for their students, and the second survey was carried out on schools of music in the United States. The results reveal that substantial number of people already know about the existence of ESPKs, but they are not totally aware specific information about ESPKs. Subjects who are aware of ESPKs report significantly higher positive attitude compared to those have not known about ESPKs. Results from this study may have implications for health education initiatives within NASM schools of music.