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Pamela Pike is Editor in Chief/Chief Content Director of the Piano Magazine. She serves as the Barineau Professor of Piano Pedagogy at Louisiana State University. As an award-winning author, Dr. Pike has published over three dozen scholarly articles, and her book, Dynamic Group-Piano Teaching: Transforming Group Theory into Teaching Practice, is published by Routledge. Dr. Pike has presented papers and workshops at conferences throughout Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, and North and South America. |
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Andrea McAlister is Director of Digital Content and Senior Editor for Piano Magazine. She is Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Dr. McAlister is in frequent demand as a clinician and has recently presented lectures on the language of teaching and educational technology at the MTNA Conference and the International Society for Music Education Conference. |
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Craig Sale, NCTM, is Senior Editor of the Piano Magazine and Director of Online Courses. Before retiring, he was Director of the Preparatory & Community Piano Program at Concordia University Chicago, where he also taught courses in piano pedagogy. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a Professional Teaching Certificate from The New School for Music Study, where he received his pedagogical training from Frances Clark. |
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Steve Betts is Vice President for Undergraduate Studies at Southern Nazarene University. He has also taught at California Baptist University and Louisiana State University. He is a Senior Editor for The Piano Magazine: Clavier Companion and has written educational materials for the Frances Clark Library for Piano Students. He has recorded for Summit Records and Crimson Heart Records and his research has been published in Clavier Companion, The Journal of Research in Music Education, and The American Music Teacher. |
Column Editors
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Linda Christensen received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma, studying under E.L. Lancaster, Jane Magrath, and Ed Gates. After 20 years of teaching group and private piano at the collegiate level, she left academia to pursue employment in the music industry, working as the Director of Education for JoyTunes, Institutional Sales Manager for Jordan Kitt's Music, and her current job as a part of the Piano Team at Roland. Dr. Christensen is in high demand as a presenter at state, national, and international conferences, focusing on integrating technology into music lessons. |
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Vanessa Cornett is the Director of Keyboard Studies and Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis - St. Paul. The former Senior Editor for Clavier Companion, she now oversees the magazine's column on musician wellness, Healthy Playing, Healthy Teaching. She publishes and presents frequently on topics related to performance psychology, mindfulness, and anxiety management. |
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Artina McCain is Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis. Dedicated to promoting the works of Black and other underrepresented composers, McCain also curates Black Composers Concerts for multiple arts organizations and is an American Prize winner for her solo piano recordings of these works. Artina McCain is a Yamaha Artist. |
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Nicholas Phillips, serves as the Recording Editor for the Piano Magazine. He is Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has performed in solo recitals across the United States and abroad, is an active recording artist, and is a regular presenter at national and international conferences. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Suzanne Schons, PhD, NCTM, is the Music Editor at the Piano Magazine. She teaches music courses at the University of St. Thomas and piano lessons at K&S Conservatory of Music in Minnesota. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Helen Smith Tarchalski teaches in her independent studio in Maryland and on the faculty of Anne Arundel Community College, and has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy. She is a graduate of Peabody Conservatory and holds the MTNA Master Teacher Certificate. Her students have been featured performers with the National Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Terrace Theater. |
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Jerry Wong has gained critical acclaim for performances as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist on the MSR Classics label. His masterclasses have led him to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan, as well as throughout the United States. Wong holds the position of Associate Professor of Piano and Co-Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in Australia. |
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Richard Zimdars has performed, lectured, broadcast and taught master classes in Europe and North and South America; released eight compact discs; published translations on the master classes of Liszt and von Bülow; served on national Fulbright screening committees; directed the 2011 American Liszt Society Bicentennial Festival; received acclaim in the major newspapers of London, New York, Boston, Cologne, etc. His University of Georgia students hold college positions in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and South Korea. He currently serves as Poetry Editor for the Piano Magazine. |
Editorial Board
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Alejandro Cremaschi is Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research areas include pedagogical technology and Latin American music. He has recorded for the labels IRCO, Ostinato, Marco Polo and Meridian Records. His pedagogical edition and publication of Alberto Ginastera’s Doce Preludios Americanos for piano was published by Carl Fisher in 2016. |
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Barbara Fast, Piano Chair and Director of Piano Pedagogy, coordinates the group piano program and teaches graduate piano pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma. An active workshop clinician, she co-founded the Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy (GP3) Forum. She is the co-author of iPractice: Technology in the 21st Century Music Practice Room. |
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Rebecca Grooms Johnson, Ph.D., NCTM, is a nationally respected leader in the field of piano pedagogy. She is an independent teacher and has taught extensively at the university level. Active in the Music Teachers National Association, she has served as President of the Ohio MTA, National Chair of MTNA's Pedagogy Committee, and national Certification Chair. |
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Scott McBride Smith is the Cordelia Brown Murphy Professor at the University of Kansas. A recognized leader in music education, his philosophical and cognitive approach, combined with a sense of humor, has made him an audience favorite around the world. His numerous practical initiatives to improve today's piano lesson experience include the series American Popular Piano and the summer program International Institute for Young Musicians. |
Copy Editors
Rebecca Bellelo
Kristen Holland Shear
Design And Production
Studio Chartreuse
Staff at the Frances Clark Center
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Jennifer Snow, is the first full-time Executive Director-CEO for the Frances Clark Center. Snow is a former Vice President, Teacher Education for the Royal Conservatory and previously was a member of the keyboard faculty at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. She holds a doctorate degree from Northwestern University. |
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Rebecca Mergen Pennington currently serves as Admnistrative Director for the New School for Music Study. She has been a member of the faculty since 2007. Dr. Pennington has been a frequent performer in faculty recitals, contributed to teacher development through blog posts, teaching videos, and work at the NSMS Summer Seminar, and teaches the popular Piano Detectives Club class for kindergarten students. She holds a DMA and MM in Piano Performance from the University of Kansas, and a BM in Music Education from Concordia College. |
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Sara Ernst is Director of Teacher Engagement for The Frances Clark Center. She serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate pedagogy courses, Dr. Ernst coordinates group piano, directs the piano preparatory program, and teaches applied piano. |
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Shana Kirk is the Director of Digital Operations for the Frances Clark Center. Kirk leads all areas of digital operations and advancement for the Center including the internationally recognized publication the Piano Magazine, Teacher Education Webinars, teaching repertoire series Inspiring Artistry and From the Artist Bench, online Teacher Education Courses, and new initiatives. |
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Peter Park is the Senior Advisor for NCKP 2021: The Piano Conference. In addition to his work for the Frances Clark Center, he serves as Director of Professional Activities for The College Music Society (CMS) in Missoula, Montana. Peter is currently pursuing his Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential and has planned hundreds of events for various organizations, including multi-city/multi-country international conferences, domestic meetings, music festivals, and concert tours. |
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Anna Beth Rucker is the Manager of Operations and Corporate Relations for the Frances Clark Center and Associate Director of NCKP: The Piano Conference. She is a private piano teacher in Ann Arbor, MI and holds a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina. She previously worked as Assistant Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival. |
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Esther Hayter is the Communications Manager and Associate Director of Conferences for The Frances Clark Center. She teaches at the New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ. She received a Masters of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from Texas Christian University, where she studied with Dr. Tamas Ungar and Dr. Ann Gipson, and holds a Bachelors of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Washington State University, where she studied with Drs. Jeff and Karen Savage. |
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Morgan Murdock serves as Subscriber Support for the Frances Clark Center. She currently performs, teaches, and operates her own piano studio in Ketchikan, Alaska. Morgan earned a MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Samford University, and a BM in Piano Performance from the University of Idaho. She has enjoyed presenting at NCKP and MTNA conferences, teaching collegiate group piano classes, and collaborating in a 10-piano ensemble. |
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Owen Zhou is the Audio and Video Coordinator for the Frances Clark Center. He is a pianist and teacher based in Denver, Colorado. He received piano performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, and University of Colorado at Boulder. Owen made his New York debut in 2012 with the Scriabin Piano Concerto. He also runs an independent audio & video production business and is an avid skier in his spare time. |
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Trevor Thornton, New Professionals and Project Coordinator, is a Postgraduate Teaching Fellow at the New School for Music Study, where he completed the Comprehensive Practical Teaching Program in 2019. He holds degrees from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, where he studied with Dr. Robert Weirich and Dr. Diane Petrella. An avid collaborator, he has played for choirs and ballet classes with Princeton Boychoir, Kansas City Ballet, and Rutgers University. |
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Michaela Boros, Digital Support for the Frances Clark Center, is currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina studying with Scott Price, Sara Ernst, and Phillip Bush. Michaela works as Administrative Assistant and piano instructor at UofSC’s community music school, holds an accompanying assistantship, and is President of the university’s MTNA Collegiate Chapter. She has presented at NCKP and MTNA conferences, and won Runner-Up in the 2019 Piano Magazine Collegiate Writing Contest. |
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Peter Groch, Administrative Support for the Frances Clark Center, is a faculty member at the New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. He studied piano with Dr. Rochelle Sennet and Dr. Igor Lipinski, and Pedagogy with Dr. Chirstos Tsitsaros, Dr. Barbara Fast, and Dr. Jane Magrath. |
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Nathan MacAvoy, Administrative Support for the Center, earned a DMA in Piano Pedagogy and a MM in Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina following a BM in Music Education from Bob Jones University. He currently serves as adjunct piano faculty at Bob Jones University and Columbia International University and teaches locally in Columbia, SC. |
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Sarah Jenkins is the Advertising Coordinator for The Frances Clark Center. She is an adjunct faculty member at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the choir director and pianist for Lutheran Church of our Savior, as well as a private piano teacher and accompanist. Sarah holds a Masters Degree in Piano Pedagogy from Louisiana State University where she studied with Dr. Willis Delony and Dr. Pamela Pike, and she received first place in Piano Magazine’s 2020 Collegiate Writing Contest. |