SU pianists attends the World Piano Padagogy Conference

Pianists from the Southern University Department of Visual and Performing Arts attended the 6th Annual World Piano Pedagogy Conference during the week of October 24.
Four instructors and six students joined multi cultural pianists from around the world in attending the Orlando, Fla. conference, said Myrtle E. David, a SU instructor attending the conference.
Lectures, interactive sessions and teaching demonstrations accompanied new and unknown repertoire from Brazil, China and Slovenia.
Conference students performed in concerts on Wednesday and Thursday nights and Beethoven: 9th Symphony was performed with soloists, choir and seven pianos on Friday night.
Piano and keyboard manufacturers, publishers and retailers set up conference exhibitions. A college fair and a piano life video library were also available.
David said she has attended the conference since its beginning. She said it is geared to pianist, university professors, conservatory presidents and individual piano studios. This was the first year it was open to students and included a student agenda according to David.
The six SU students attending the conference were winners of the April 2000 Debose National Piano Competition-Festival, which is hosted yearly by SU.
Judy Guilbeaux James, one of the instructors who attended the conference, said this opportunity was special to her.
James said she was attending SU, as an engineering student in 1975, when David overheard her playing a piano in Debose Hall. She said David told her to change her focus from engineering to music so she did.
“It is because of her that I am in music today and it is with her I attended my first world conference. I consider it an honor,” James said.