Events set for piano teachers, students

The Piano Teachers’ Day Out will bring area instructors to campus Friday, Oct. 12, for sessions that address the topics and trends in keyboard studies. An event tailored to students, the Piano Day Camp, will be Saturday, Oct. 13.

Friday’s schedule, which begins with registration at 9:30-10 a.m., will conclude when the event’s two featured clinicians, Linda Christensen and Philip Pfaltzgraff of Wayne State College, present a public recital at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The duo will present a program titled “Two Sides of the Pond.”

Christensen heads the music department at WSC, where she teaches private piano, group piano, piano pedagogy and music technology. In addition to the recital, she will present a session about using technology such as Facebook and iPads in piano instruction. Pfaltzgraff, the staff accompanist at WSC, will present a session titled “Playing What’s NOT on the Page.”

Also heavily featured during the events will be the CSC keyboard ensemble and the music department’s two pianists, Dr. James Margetts and Brooks Hafey. Margetts, the events’ organizer, teaches courses in applied and group piano and oversees the piano studio operations curriculum at CSC. Hafey joined the department this fall as the staff accompanist. He coaches student musicians and accompanies the choral ensembles.

The day camp on Saturday, Oct. 13, which is open to all pianists in kindergarten through 12^th grade, will begin at 9 a.m. and end before noon. The participants will be grouped according to age and ability level into four supervised teams. Teams will rotate into age-appropriate activities that include music theory, ear training, keyboard harmony, improvisation and ensemble playing. The students also will get a hands-on introduction to band and orchestra instruments during a “instrument petting zoo.” The event is sponsored by CSC’s collegiate chapter of the Music Teachers National Association.

Registration cost for the Teachers’ Day Out is $30 per participant and includes two meals. The fee for the Piano Day Camp is $10 per participant.

Registration the morning of the events is allowed, but Margetts is encouraging participants to sign up in advance. For more information or to pre-register, contact Margetts at 308-432-6319 or jmargetts@csc.edu.