Keyboard Studies
Students focus not only on technique and performance, but also on how to create compelling and innovative programs that engage a variety of audiences.
- Explore contemporary styles and techniques.
- Strengthen your collaborative piano skills.
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Experiment with early music performance on Longy’s collection of historic instruments, like the harpsicord.
Faculty
DONALD BERMAN, Chair, Keyboard Studies
Rieko Aizawa ‡, 2024-25 leave of absence
Wayman Chin ‡
Libor Dudas †
Gila Goldstein ‡
Adam Golka
Renana Gutman ‡
Hugh Hinton ‡
Brian Moll ‡
Eri Nakamura †
Jessica Xylina Osborne ‡
Matt Savage †
Noriko Yasuda*
Esther Ning Yau ‡
Andrius Zlabys
Karen Zorn, President
Harpsichord
Organ
‡ piano and collaborative piano faculty
† collaborative piano faculty
* no private studio
Keyboard Studies Spotlight
JONATHAN SHIN (AD 2019), Piano
“Longy helped me realize my vision of serving my musical community to the best of my abilities, which clarified what my ikigai, my purpose, for all the coming years should and can be!“
MATT SAVAGE, JCM/Piano Faculty
“This academic setting allows students to build long-lasting musical relationships, and find their artistic voices. Longy doesn’t just give students the seeds of creative ideas, but also the roots—and the right kind of soil for growing.”
Course Highlights
All-Embracing: Solo and Chamber Music from 1972-2022
Engaging with new music is an essential skill for all musicians. Survey music written in the last fifty years, which charted a path towards more inclusive and eclectic music-making and drew inspiration from far outside the mainstream of the Western Classical genre.
Diverse and Eclectic Collaborative Skills
Step outside of classical accompanying and bolster your collaborative skills in musical theatre, pop, rhythm and blues, gospel, acapella and choir rep, dance studio classes, and other varied genres.
Customize Your Curriculum
Create your own opportunities, find new audiences, and make a living in unexpected ways by customizing your curriculum from a catalog of project-based courses you can’t find anywhere else. Our faculty mentors and experienced career coaches will be there to guide you.
More Highlights
Studio Lessons:
Collaboration with a faculty mentor is the cornerstone of conservatory education at Longy. Together you will explore your unique artistic and professional goals while expanding technical and musical insight.
Chamber Music:
Georges Longy’s belief in the power of collaboration inspires the central role of chamber music in our conservatory. Students work closely with faculty coaches every semester and explore chamber ensemble playing through coursework, informal readings, and community engagement.
Keyboard Department Seminars:
Unlike traditional conservatories, the keyboard department seminars focus on performance projects that include the entire department, mindfulness practices, concerto playing, feedback practices, journaling, as well as masterclasses and visits from distinguished guests.
Pedagogy:
We believe that teaching should be a form of heightened, enlivened communication. Rather than focusing solely on acquiring technical skills, we seek to draw out your latent expertise and help you communicate authentically.
Collaborative Piano:
All collaborative piano majors engage in customized accompanying opportunities where they hone their collaborative skills with singers and instrumentalists. Some graduate pianists also have additional accompanying fellowships where they can further refine their abilities. Additional coursework explores the standard repertoire of instrumental and vocal literature.