Events set for piano teachers, students this week

On Friday, Oct. 8, an event titled Piano Teachers’ Day Out will be at CSC’s Memorial Hall.

Piano Teachers’ Day Out will feature a series of workshops and clinics aimed at providing private piano teachers with new instructional ideas and materials.

Two guest artists, Dr. Margaret Perry from University of the Pacific, and Ruriko Osawa, a doctoral candidate from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, will assist Margetts with the event and will also present a free duo-piano concert that is also open to the public at 6 p.m. that evening in the Chicoine Atrium of the Sandoz Center at CSC.

On Saturday, Oct. 9, the same parties will host a Piano Day Camp for Young Pianists from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in Memorial Hall. At this event, area piano students are invited to participate in interactive sessions with guest clinicians and CSC students, including an introduction to the instruments of the band and orchestra titled “Instrument Petting Zoo.”

Registration for Piano Teachers’ Day Out is $20 per teacher, and includes both lunch and dinner between sessions. The cost to register for the Piano Day Camp is $5 per student, payable at the door on the day of the camp. Proceeds from both events will be used by the CSC chapter of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) to provide opportunities for future music education training to its student members.

The events coincide with the forming of the Panhandle Piano Teachers Alliance, a new initiative by the CSC music department to provide greater support for rural music education.

To sign up for information on the Panhandle Piano Teachers Alliance, interested teachers and others are invited to contact Margetts by phone at 308-432-6319 or by e-mail at jmargetts@csc.edu.

To request more information on either Piano Teachers’ Day Out or the Piano Day Camp for Young Pianists, parents or teachers may contact the CSC Music Office at 308-432-6375 or e-mail Margetts at the address listed above.