A class piano course of study for music industry majors based on popular music and jazz

Abstract

Tens of thousands of music students enroll in group piano classes each year in colleges and conservatories in the United States. Degree programs related to Music Industry are attracting increasingly diverse student populations and in turn are requiring curricular and instructional modifications that better accommodate the needs of these students. The basis of this dissertation is the development of a series of contemporary class piano workbooks that focus on contemporary popular music and jazz in ways that optimize student learning, combining wide-ranging repertoire with assignments that encourage independent application of knowledge and skills. The workbooks illuminate how the piano is used in professional performance and recording; develop skills that can translate directly into professional music settings; and afford students opportunities to understand, learn, and play music that friends, family, and students themselves know and enjoy.