Dr. Wright-Ivanova’s Piano Pedagogy Page
As the Coordinator of the Piano and Collaborative Piano program at Keene State College in New Hampshire, Dr. Wright-Ivanova loves to teach and share her passion for the piano with her students.
Keene State's Music Department provides top, conservatory-trained faculty to teach and mentor our student pianists in Nationally-accredited Performance, Education, Composition and Technology undergraduate B.M. and B.A. degrees.
Under the direction of Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano students graduate from Keene State College with a robust and varied skill set, with extensive training in both solo repertoire and collaborative piano skills.
The piano program holds regular studio classes, fostering a sense of community while tailoring the program to the needs of the individual student. Our student pianists collaborate with other departments, playing for Theatre and Dance productions and working with multimedia and film in departmental recitals.
To learn more about Keene State, visit the Music Department website - https://dept.keene.edu/music/disciplines/piano/
Keene State College undergoes a capital campaign with Steinway & Sons from 2018-2024 AND becomes the 1st All-Steinway school in New Hampshire as of Fall 2024!
The campaign was spearheaded by the Keene State Advancement office, Marilyn Shriver, Dr. Wright-Ivanova, and Dr. Heather Gilligan, with generous support from the KSC upper administration and Keene community.
All pianos acquired were made possible by the following Donors:
- Putnam Foundation: Steinway Model D Concert Grand Spirio-r Piano, Model A Grand & Boston Grand
- Kingsbury Fund: Steinway Model A Grand
- Hoffman Family Foundation: Steinway Model O Grand
- Melinda Treadwell & Elise A. Morrisette
- Keene Endowment Association
- KSC Music Department
- Kirsti Sandy
- The Therrien Family
- Family of Margaret P. Hanrahan
- Douglas Company: Two Boston Upright Pianos
- Charles ’67 and Christine Zoulias: Two Boston Upright Pianos
- Peter Challan & Margaret M. Gilligan: Two Boston Upright Pianos
- Anonymous donors
Spotlight: MTNA Student Chapter
It is vitally important for piano students to perform for other students and faculty. This real-world experience will help with so many facets of performance, and the Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA) is a great resources for festivals, learning opportunities, master classes and concerts for all students.
Here's a shot from their field trip to Boston in 2019, where Keene State students experienced a performance at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a visit to New England Conservatory, along with a special tour of the Leonard Bernstein Library Collection.
Collaboration with University of FRANZ LISZT/Weimar, Germany, Keene State College & Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music
In Fall 2018, as part of a desire to establish strong collaborations with international institutions, in addition to strengthening relations with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Dr. Wright-Ivanova organized a multi-faceted visit of two German Professors from the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar (Kathrin ten Hagen; violin, and Christian Wilm Müller; piano & chamber music) to Keene State’s Music Department.
These two professors brought three students from Weimar to Keene who were in a pre-formed Piano Trio (piano, violin, cello) named the ‘Belvedere Trio’. They came to Keene in order to create several opportunities for learning and networking. This young Trio had already won several awards in Germany and abroad. This was a full-day residency with three parts.
Prof. ten Hagen taught several of the KSC students in violin and chamber music performance. Prof. Mueller taught three KSC pianists. The three German students had a one-hour session with Dr. Joseph Darby, who gave them a lecture on Shostakovich, before they performed the Shostakovich Piano Trio for him in order to receive feedback. I personally worked with the German violin student on her private repertoire, as well as the piano student in private lessons.
The Apple Hill String Quartet and Director Lenny Matchewski gave lessons to the German students, and a Public Master Class to the German students in the afternoon that was open to the public on KSC’s campus (Alumni Recital Hall). Dr. Rebecca Hartka gave a cello lesson to the German cello student, and in the evening we all travelled to hear the students perform on Apple Hill’s campus. It was a wonderful Residency that had a lasting impact on the KSC students. In addition, this collaboration instigated a relationship between Apple Hill and the University in Weimar, which led to some German students attending Apple Hill’s Summer Residency last year.
Celebrating Diversity: Castle of our Skins Residency
Dr. Wright-Ivanova is committed to celebrating BIPOC, Latinx and diverse composers and interdisciplinary artists by assigning this repertoire to her students.
As one example of this commitment, Castle of our Skins came to Keene State College in 2019 through a Redfern Arts Center Residency. KSC Music Department students heard lectures about Celebrating Black Artistry through music by Artistic Director Ashleigh Gordon, and benefited from hearing a wonderful evening concert, private lessons, a masterclass and a Student Composer's Reading. Please see https://www.castleskins.org for more information on how to foster cultural diversity and curiosity in music students today.
