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Piano


Southern Adventist University is honored to be the 100th All-Steinway School. As an All-Steinway School, Southern joins the now well over 100 colleges, conservatories, and universities that enjoy the same designation—schools who, like Southern, have more than 90% Steinway and Steinway-made pianos for their students, faculty, and guest artists to use for study and performance. All-Steinway Schools also feature pianos that are tuned and serviced by a Steinway-trained and certified technician.
All piano students at Southern practice on Steinway-designed and crafted Boston upright pianos and Steinway grands. Piano majors and minors have their weekly lessons on seven-foot Steinway B grand pianos. Public piano performances in the Dorothy Ackerman Auditorium are given on Steinway Ds—the Steinway nine-foot concert grand—including performances on our new D, whose inaugural recital was given in November, 2009, by the world-renowned Steinway artist, Yefim Bronfman.

Lessons, Majors, and Minors

Piano students at Southern study as piano majors, piano minors, or for personal enjoyment and enrichment outside of a degree program.

The School of Music offers a number of music majors for the pianist. The bachelor’s degree in piano performance is for gifted and experienced pianists whose career goals include graduate study in piano or a piano-related field such as chamber music, or who have a high level of performance and want to pursue a double major. For example, the piano performance degree is a popular degree with students preparing to enter professional schools for medicine or dentistry. Students may also pursue a music education, theory and literature, or general music degree, while choosing piano as their major instrument for performance. Students choosing the music minor typically want to continue focused study in the history, performance, and theory of music while pursuing another major.

All piano majors and minors study and perform advanced repertoire as they develop and improve their technique and musicianship.

Performance
Performance is the privilege we have as musicians to share the fruits of our labors with others. The gifts of music and music making are rich blessings from God, and when we share these with others, we honor Him through stewardship and service.

Southern piano students actively perform in solo recitals, as chamber musicians and accompanists, as part of the Wind Symphony, and as soloists with the Symphony Orchestra. The weekly Piano Performance Class provides valuable opportunity and experience for students to perform for each other and to share constructive comments among themselves. In addition, it gives additional time for the study and discussion of important piano-related topics such as piano literature. Each student strives to present the best possible performance within this friendly yet demanding setting.

Information about specific upcoming piano and piano-related performances may be accessed on our calendar of events.