Not many non-music majors get a chance to show off their solo performance skills, let alone perform at a public recital, but SDSU piano studio gives them this chance.
Mark Stevens, director of Piano Studies at SDSU, believes that giving students the chance to perform in a public setting is important. He wants to give his non-majoring piano students an opportunity to perform solo.
Many non-music majors who take lessons do not have an opportunity to perform by themselves. Their opportunities usually entail performing in ensembles or groups, not solo. There are very few spots for pianists in ensembles because an ensemble may feature five or more of each instrument, but only one pianist.
“If you are not a piano major there’s no place for you to play except for your final exam and that seems like a shame to me,” Stevens said, who earned his doctorate in piano studies from the University of Oregon. “So we are going to feature the studio in concert where they all get to play a formal recital.”
On Monday, March 25, the piano studio program at SDSU will be putting on a formal recital. The event is open to the public and people who attend can listen to the pieces the students have been working on for the past few months. Stevens said his students are excited to get a chance to showcase their hard work.
“I missed performing and I’m happy we get a chance to do it before we graduate because, otherwise, I probably won’t get a chance to do it again,” Alyssa Renken, a senior piano student, said.
Typically, a student majoring in piano studies will go on to perform, collaborate and teach after college, but non-majors usually don’t get a lot of chances to perform again. Stevens’ students are excited to have this opportunity many other colleges do not offer.
Stevens has been growing the piano studio for the past four years that he has been here and his students appreciate his enthusiasm, support and expertise he shares with them.
In the past three-and-a-half years, the program has “exploded with growth,” Thomas Tiegs, a junior piano student, said.
Tiegs has been taking lessons with Stevens since his freshman year and has gone on to receive an honorable mention at South Dakota Music Teachers Association competition, a collegiate-level piano competition.
Students take one lesson a week from Stevens and attend a class weekly. Along with that, many of his students aim to spend at least an hour a day practicing piano.
Jordyn Post, a senior piano student, said she finds that Stevens’ recommendations of pieces has allowed her to branch out and find new types of music she would not have played before. She said many teachers from elementary school to high school tell you exactly what to play, but Stevens allows them to choose what they want to play.
The opportunity of choosing their own pieces allows them to grow in their musical knowledge and helps the students connect to their pieces on a more personal level. They get to choose a piece that stands out or means something to them, or they personally like the sound of.
The program is different here, the piano students said, and they attribute that to Stevens. They say he brings enthusiasm, talent, and passion to the program. He helps students to grow their skills and to deepen their love of music.
Students have seen the program grow in the past four years. Stevens’ teaching style has drawn students in, making the piano studio the largest it has been since he got here, they say.
The recital will feature a variety of pieces that the students have been working on for months. It is an opportunity to hear music, see a live performance and see what the performing arts are about.
Whether you can attend the recital or not, Stevens encourages students on campus to check out the Performing Arts Center in the future.
“This is just one example of 100 different opportunities in music that they can find if they come over here, and not only to make music but to come hear music, to hear theater and to see dance,” Stevens said. “There’s stuff going on in this building five nights a week and it’s this amazing resource for the whole campus.”