Piano Pedagogy

Welcome!

We’re happy to know of your interest in the piano pedagogy program at Baylor. If you have any questions about the application/audition process or just want to know more, please feel free to directly email the Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy, Dr. Lesley McAllister.

The pedagogy program at Baylor University prides itself on facilitating a well-rounded education for the developing artist-teacher by providing supervised practicum teaching experience along with coursework, internships, observations, and research opportunities that cover a variety of levels and ages. The three pedagogy courses required of pedagogy majors and the two required of performance majors cover the teaching of preschoolers, children, older beginners, and intermediate and advanced students, as well as adults, seniors, and group piano classes. Our graduating students go on to teach and work in a variety of places and with a variety of students, including some who teach at the university level and others who own independent studios or teach at community music schools. We also have students who go on to work as collaborative pianists or in the music ministry.

Piano Pedagogy Library

The Audra O’Neal Music Collection in our piano pedagogy library contains more than 60,000 titles, some of which date from the 19th century, providing a rich resource for students working on projects or searching for teaching and piano literature resources. It is supplemented by current and richly diverse comprehensive collection of standard teaching literature by master and pedagogical composers.

Student Research Opportunities

Both graduate and undergraduate students have presented research posters and presentations at the Texas Music Teachers State Conference each year since 2015, and have presented research posters at such national conferences as the Music Teachers National Association conference (2012, 2016, and 2017), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (2015, 2017, and 2021), and the MTNA Collegiate Chapter Symposium (2019 and 2020). Three students have also given lightning talks and presentations at the MTNA Collegiate Chapter Symposium (2021, 2019, and 2017). Five members of our Baylor University collegiate chapter gave a presentation on “Meaningful Memorization” at the 2017 Music Teachers National Association conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

BUMTNA Collegiate Chapter

The Baylor University collegiate chapter of the Music Teachers National Association is active, having donated eight keyboards and established a nonprofit Piano Preparatory class at the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church in 2017. Our graduate student assistants are regularly recognized by the Baylor Graduate School as “exemplary student teachers” based on student teaching evaluations. Graduate students complete portfolio projects in their graduate pedagogy courses to become certified by MTNA as Nationally Certified Teachers of Music (NCTM), and since 2012, 25 students have gone on to earn the NCTM designation upon graduation.

Our Alumni

The pedagogy program has graduated a number of students who have gone on to earn doctorates in piano pedagogy and performance at universities such as the University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech University, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, University of Texas at Austin, University of Iowa, Florida State University, University of Kansas, and University of South Carolina, with assistantships offered at all eight schools; one of our graduates earned a Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of Cambridge, and another earned an Artist Certificate and Master of Early Music in Fortepiano at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Netherlands. Alumni serve on the faculty of several universities including the University of Cincinnati- Conservatory of Music, Ithaca College, Temple College, and others. Several students have earned additional master’s degrees in performance, collaborative piano, and music theory.

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