Douze Notations was Pierre Boulez’s first published piano work. Throughout the piece, the number twelve is significant: there are twelve movements, each with twelve measures, and the piece makes intermittent use of twelve-tone techniques. Boulez’s precise attention to detail is apparent on every page of the score. In learning to perform this demanding composition, the pianist must confront several challenges. And I offer practical strategies for approaching them, including re-notations as a tool for learning selected movements.

As a musician born and raised in Taiwan, I was surrounded from a young age by Taiwanese folk songs. At the age of 8, I learned my first piece composed by a Taiwanese composer, Ma Shui-Long, and have been in love with his compositions since then. Ma Shui-Long’s compositions show influences from multiple cultures that demonstrate Taiwan’s makeup. He often adopts folk melodies and Chinese pentatonic scales while applying western influenced harmonizations in his works. Among his solo piano works, he has written original compositions and charming folk tune transcriptions that range from early intermediate to advanced.

With my year-long experience serving as a volunteer for music therapy sessions at the Nordoff-Robbins Center at New York University, I saw first hand the desire and needs to attend musical events that are friendlier for autistic children. Designing the sensory friendly recital for autistic children is challenging, but with detailed consultation with a certified music therapist, we were able to successfully put together a recital that accommodated the special needs of many autistic children.

The “Hidden Voices“ project seeks to explore, document and make public the piano music by black women composers currently held in the Helen Walker-Hill Collection at the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The main focus is to provide pedagogical information and to assign levels of difficulty to the music in that wonderful collection. Many recordings and articles have bee generated to support te collection.

Many musicians often feel relatively uncomfortable approaching new music, especially those that are not yet performed or recorded. However, new music is not that different from the music we have known for a long time. In this research, I identify common issues that musicians often encounter, and provide practical approaches to each. I also discuss how to appreciate and understand new music as listeners.

This topic is designed to help young musicians to have healthy relationships with their collaborative pianists who are often more experienced. Aspects covered including effective and professional communications, healthy boundaries, prior preparation, score study methods, and positive rehearsal results. Depending on the session length, Q&A and a real-time experiment could be conducted.

As a musician who came to the US at 18 years old, I have learned and experienced a lot both professionally and personally. This topic is intended to share my experience and personal stories to those who might consider studying abroad. Topics could include but not limited to: language and musical preparation, school choices, financial challenges and possibilities, cultural shock, individualism, and resources exploration.