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Student Successes

Recent Accomplishments

  • Nasim Moattar, accepted presentation, Empowering Young Musicians to Overcome Performance Anxiety
  • Trevor Thornton, accepted panel presentation, Designing Your Life: Perspectives and Tips from Emerging Piano Professionals
  • Nathaniel Maxwell, accepted performance, Piano Sonata No. 1, II. Theme and Six Variation by George Theophilus Walker
  • Savannah Self, accepted performance, Suite: The Life of the Machines by Władysław Szpilman, and accepted poster, From Sight to Sound: Exploring Eye-Tracking Research for Pianists
  • Lynnae Eades, accepted poster, Teaching Lead Sheets to Developing Pianists for Contemporary Worship Music
  • Samuel Pang, accepted poster (online), A Glimpse into Piano Education in Singapore: Perspectives of Studio Piano Teachers
  • Gui Lopes Correa, Anna Dunbar, and Savannah Self, accepted poster, Beyond Injury: The Benefits of One-Hand Piano Repertoire
  • Samuel Pang, accepted poster, Aural Abilities in Sight-reading: A Literature Review
  • Lynnae Eades, accepted poster, Teaching Lead Sheets to Developing Pianists for Contemporary Worship Music
  • Anna Dunbar and Gui Lopes Correa, accepted presentation, Piano Portraits of Brazil: Pedagogical Pathways to Choro, Baião and Bossa Nova
  • Brooke Ballard, Gui Lopes Correa, and Anna Dunbar, accepted presentation, Beyond Injury: The Benefits of One-Hand Piano Repertoire
  • Trevor Thornton, accepted presentation (co-presented), Keep on Swimming: Building a Daily Practice Habit for Our Students and Ourselves
  • OU Collegiate Chapter hosted the symposium and its 150 guests at Catlett Music Center; President Anna Dunbar served on the planning committee
  • Brooke Ballard, Gui Lopes Correa, Anna Dunbar, Savannah Self, accepted plenary, Beyond Injury: The Benefits of One-Hand Piano Repertoire
  • Trevor Thornton, Katrina Kahlhamer, accepted group piano teaching videos, Teaching Masterclass with Barabara Fast
  • Shara Sun, accepted split session, O Canada! Piano Pieces Inspired by Nature from the Great White North
  • Nasim Moattar, accepted split session, Empowering Young Musicians to Overcome Performance Anxiety
  • Katrina Kahlhamer, accepted networking session, Graduate School
  • Brooke Ballard, accepted performance, Sonata in E Major, Op. 109 by Beethoven
  • Nathaniel Maxwell, accepted performance, Piano Sonata No. 1, II. Theme and Six Variation by George Theophilus Walker
  • Anna Dunbar, accepted lightning talk, Celebrating Choctaw Heritage: Charles Shadle’s Choctaw Animals
  • Fisher Neufeld, accepted lightning talk, Martha Mier: Exploring Collections of American Music for Piano Students
  • Samuel Pang, accepted poster, Intersections: Piano Variations and Practice Know-How as Teaching Strategies for Piano Technique Development
  • Shara Sun, accepted poster (co-presented), Keep Calm and Carry On: Building Resilience in the 21st-Century Piano Studio
  • Nathaniel Maxwell, attending, Decoda Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina  
  • Trenton Paris, winner, OMTA Category A Piano Competition 
  • Brooke Ballard, winner, OMTA Category B Piano Competition 
  • Nathaniel Maxwell, alternate, OMTA Category C Piano Competition 
  • Qishan Shi, alternate, MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition 
  • Yuxiao Kang, winner, OU Concerto Competition Graduate Division 
  • Adam Schulze, winner, OU Young Artist Competition 
  • American Musicological Society 2025: Holden Meech, accepted research paper, Stalin Prizes: State Sponsored Awards and European Decolonization.
  • Lynnae Hurst, Katrina Kahlhamer, and Samuel Pang, accepted proposal, winner, Collegiate Connection of the Frances Clark Center, Designing Interactive Piano Events for the Community: Observations from Two Approaches
  • Anna Dunbar, awarded Overall Outstanding Graduate Student Award by OU Graduate Student Senate
  • Samuel E. Pang, published poster, MTNA E-Journal (April 2025)
  • Research in Music Education 2025 (UK): Samuel E. Pang, accepted poster, A Glimpse into Piano Education in Singapore: Perspectives of Studio Piano Teachers
  • California Association of Professional Music Teachers: Nasim Moattar, accepted presentation, The Music of Richard Cummings, October 2024
  • North Texas International Piano Symposium: Gui Lopes Correa, accepted presentation, Echoes of Brazil: Incorporating Brazilian Styles into the Piano Studio, October 2024
  • Emily Barr, invited rotation, Gamed-Based Learning: Engaging Activities for Gen Z and Alpha Students in the Collegiate Group Piano Classroom
  • David Mach, accepted poster, Unveiling Ortmann: A Guide to Kinesthetic Awareness through Physiology
  • Melody Tanaka, accepted poster, Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes
  • Mimi Zhang, accepted poster, Ding Shande: China’s Pioneering Composer
  • Brooke Ballard, accepted poster, The Piano Works of Kevin Olson
  • Guilherme Lopes Corea, accepted poster, Echoes of Brazil: Incorporating Brazilian Styles into the Piano Studio
  • Anna Dunbar, accepted poster, Guided Didactic Technique Materials–How to Utilize the Body for Pianistic Playing
  • Meldy Tanaka, accepted poster, Eastern Soundscapes: The Piano Music of Naoko Ikeda
  • Emily Barr, accepted presentation, Musical Globetrotting: Character Pieces from Around the World for the Intermediate Pianist
  • Shara Sun, accepted presentation, The Ukrainian Canadian Identity: Dissonance as Storytelling in Larysa Kuzmenko’s Piano Works
  • Anna Dunbar, Guilherme Lopes Correa, and Marissa Mathia, accepted presentation, Musical Friends: Developing Musicianship & Collaborative Skills in Elementary Pianists
  • David Mach, accepted presentation, Painting at the Piano with Science: The Physiology of Tone Color
  • Nathaniel Maxwell, attended and performed, Borromeo Music Festival (Switzerland) and the WYWOP Wind Festival (Austria), June-July 2024 
  • Holden Meech and Trenton Paris attended and performed, Atlantic Music Festival, July 2024 
  • Zhengying Zhong and Zehao Liu, winners, OU Concerto Competition Graduate Division 
  • Tatiana Stratenco and the Triptych Trio, second place, NASA FLEX Competition 
  • Brooke Ballard, winner, Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition, January 2024 
  • Qishan Shi, winner, MTNA South Central Division Young Artist Piano Competition, November 2023 
  • Qishan Shi, third prize winner, American Prize Competition, August 2023 
  • ISME 2024 (Helsinki, Finland): Yuru Ma, accepted workshop, From Anxiety to Artistry and a poster 20th-Century Piano Repertoire by Chinese Living Composers for Advanced-Level Students and accepted poster, 20th-Century Piano Repertoire by Chinese Living Composers for Advanced-Level Students
  • Katie Ostrosky, accepted presentation, Exceptional Learners in Focus: Strategies for Students with ADHD, Inclusive Teaching Track
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, accepted presentation, Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre.
  • David Mach, accepted poster, Unveiling Ortmann: A Guide to Kinesthetic Awareness through Physiology
  • Meldy Tanaka, accepted poster, awarded Honorable Mention, Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, invited presentation, Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre
  • Emily Barr, invited presentation, Let’s Play: Concept Based Learning Through Musical Games
  • Emily Barr, accepted poster, Musical Globetrotting: Character Pieces from Around the World for the Intermediate Pianist
  • Yasmin Fainstein, accepted poster, Juan José Castro: Tango and Beyond
  • David Mach, accepted poster, Exploring the Rhythms of Mexico: Veinte Piezas Faciles by Manuel Ponce
  • Shara Sun, accepted poster, The Ukrainian Canadian Identity: Dissonance as Storytelling in Larysa Kuzmenko’s Piano Works
  • Meldy Tanako, accepted poster, Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal’s Sunda Seascapes
  • Mimi Zhang, accepted poster, China’s Pioneering Composer: Ding Shande
  • Meldy Tanako, accepted poster, awarded the James Brewer Memorial Award for Best Student Presentation, Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, accepted demonstration, Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre
  • Emily Barr, accepted split session, Pandas, Gorillas, and Parrots, Oh My!: Illuminating Karen Tanaka’s Children of Light
  • Janelle Crane, Elise Eastin, Amanda Howe, Liana Muzik, and Shara Sun, accepted split session, Leading with Lead Sheets: Strategies to Establish Relevant Skills for Young Learners
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, accepted split session, Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, attended and performed in the Lindlar Piano Festival in Germany, July 2023
  • Marissa Mathia, attended the Amalfi Music Festival, July 2023
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, awarded the Hwaen Ch’uqi Prize, Ohio International Piano Duet and Duo Competition, March 2023
  • David Mach and Mimi Zhang, performed as the Echo Duo, MTNA Stecher and Horowitz Two-Piano Competition
  • Marissa Mathia, winner, Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition
  • Mimi Zhang, awarded first prize, Orbetello International Piano Competition online division
  • David Mach, awarded second prize, Orbetello International Piano Competition online division
  • MTNA 2023 National Conference (Reno): Katie Ostrosky, accepted poster, Piano Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs and Self-Efficacy in Teaching Students with Neruodevelopmental Disabilities
  • Emily Barr, invited webinar, Frances Clark Center’s Inspiring Artistry series on Karen Tanaka’s “Crested Ibis,” December 2022
Dr. Ham teaching a lesson in her office.
Dr. Murphy and Dr. Ernst in Pedagogy Resource Library.

Recent Graduates

  • David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, has been appointed as Music Director at Saint Anastasia Catholic Church in St. Augustine, Florida, in August 2024.
  • Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, has founded the St. Augustine Piano Academy in Florida, and received a Studio Launch Grant from Music Studio Startup in August 2024.
  • Amanda Howe, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Piano Instructor at The Perfect Fifth in Pennsylvania, August 2024.
  • Niayesh Javaheri, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the DMA in Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University with a Graduate Assistantship, August 2024. 
  • Catherine Jaroszewski, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Fine Arts Assistant and Piano Instructor at the Academy of Classical Christian Studies in Oklahoma, August 2024.
  • Marissa Mathia, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Collaborative Pianist at East Tennessee State University, August 2024.
  • Hannah Roberts, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Alabama, August 2023.
  • Liana Muzik, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Piano Instructor at West County School of Music, St. Louis, MO, August 2023. 
  • Janelle Crane, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the PhD in Piano Pedagogy Program at Florida State with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, August 2023.
  • Emily Gilbertson, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the PhD in Piano Pedagogy Program at Florida State with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, August 2023.

Teaching Positions

Our students influence piano teaching throughout the world! Representative universities where University of Oklahoma piano pedagogy graduates teach (partial list)

  • Southern Methodist University
  • University of South Carolina
  • Baylor University
  • University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
  • Texas Christian University
  • Louisiana State University
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Montana
  • University of North Carolina School of the Arts
  • University of Houston
  • Mississippi State University
  • Iowa State University

Henderson State University, AR
Southern Arkansas University, AR
University of Central Arkansas, AR
University of Arizona, AZ
Fullerton College, CA
Los Angeles Harbor College, CA
The Master's College, CA
Manatee Community College, FL
Georgia Southern University, GA
Shorter University, GA
Iowa State University, IA
Simpson College, IA
University of Northern Iowa, IA
Millikin University, IL
William Rainey Harper College, IL
Indiana State University, IN
Indiana Wesleyan University, IN
Sterling College, KS
Southwestern College, KS
Campbellsville University, KY
Louisiana State University, LA
Central Michigan University, MI
William Jewell College, MO
University of Missouri KC Conservatory, MO
University of Saint Thomas, MN
Delta State University, MS
Hines Community College, MS
Jones County Community College, MS
Mississippi State University, MS
University of Montana, MT
Mars Hill University, NC
University of North Carolina School of the Arts, NC
Syracuse University, NY
University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, OH
Ohio University, OH
Oklahoma City University, OK
Oklahoma Baptist University, OK
Oklahoma Christian University, OK
Oral Roberts University, OK
Rose State University, OK
Southern Nazarene University, OK
University of Central Oklahoma, OK
Temple Univerrsity, PA
Valley Forge Christian College, PA
Coastal Carolina University, SC
Bob Jones University, SC
University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Austin Peay State University, TN
Bethel University, TN
Bryan College, TN
Fisk University, TN
University of Tennessee Chattanooga, TN
Baylor University, TX
Stephen F. Austin University, TX
Southern Methodist University, TX
Texas Christian University, TX
Texas Women's University, TX
University of Houston, TX
University of Texas at San Antonio, TX
Utah State University, UT
University of Puget Sound, WA
Lawrence University, WI
University of Wisconsin Superior, WI
Red Deer College Alberta, Canada

Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs
 - University of North Carolina School of the Arts, NC
Dean of the Meadows School of Music
 - Southern Methodist University, TX
Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications
 - University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, WI
Director, Moores School of Music
 - University of Houston, TX

New School for Music Study, NJ
Park Cities Music School, TX
Suzuki Institute of Dallas, TX
Coppell Music School, TX

Birmingham, AL
Montgomery, AL
El Dorado, AR
Little Rock, AR
Maumelle, AR
San Diego, CA
Santa Clarita, CA
Hartford, CT
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
Jacksonville, FL
Panama City, FL
Chicago, IL
Urbana, IL
Lawrence, KS
Kansas City, KS
Topeka, KS
Baltimore, MD
Rockville, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Marshall, MI
St. Paul, MN
Madison, MS
Billings, MT
St. Louis, MO
Princeton, NJ
Bethany, OK
Broken Arrow, OK
Edmond, OK
Marietta, OK
Midwest City, OK
Norman, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Ponca City, OK
Shawnee, OK
Stillwater, OK
Owasso, OK
Tulsa, OK
Yukon, OK
Portland, OR
Greenville, SC
Myrtle Beach, SC
Fairfax County, VA
Dallas, TX
Irving, TX
Midland, TX
San Antonio, TX
Tyler, TX
Logan, UT
Seattle, WA
Madison, WI
Singapore
Taipei, Taiwan
Calgary, Canada

Dr. Lipinski teaching a lesson in his office.
Dr. Murphy teaching a graduate piano course.