2013  IPPEC Examiner

Dr. Courtney Crappell 

Texas UTSA University
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Dr. Courtney Crappell, NCTM, is Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where he teaches piano, piano pedagogy, and class piano. In addition to his teaching activities, he coordinates the class piano program and maintains the music department¡¦s Piano Pedagogy Resource Center and Group Piano Teaching Laboratory. A native of south Louisiana, he earned his BM in Piano Performance at Louisiana State University and then traveled to the University of Oklahoma (OU) to complete his MM and DMA degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. During his graduate studies, he was a winner of the OU concerto competition and also a contributing recording artist for the CD accompanying the text, The Music Effect: Kindergarten, by Dr. Joy Nelson 

Dr. Crappell¡¦s research in piano literature, piano pedagogy, and ethnomusicology has been featured at international and national conferences and he is active as a clinician for state and local teachers in Texas. In 2008, he was invited to join the executive steering committee of the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3), and he also serves on the Committee on Collegiate Pedagogy Teaching for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). He has published articles and reviews in the Music Teachers National Association¡¦s journal, American Music Teacher, and the online journal, Piano Pedagogy Forum. He is also a regular columnist for the journal, American Music Teacher. In 2012, his article, ¡§Preparing Students for Vibrant Classical Sonatina Performances Using Rote Exercises,¡¨ won the Music Teachers National Association Article of the Year award. His current research focuses on exploring non-western pedagogical paradigms within the oral tradition and examining applications to piano study. An advocate for the seamless integration of technology in the teaching studio and classroom, Dr. Crappell has presented workshops for collegiate and independent music teachers introducing pedagogical techniques using digital keyboards, computer software, Internet utilities, and SMART Board technology. He is also co-creator and designer of the website findpianoworks.com. The site aims to systematically catalog piano teaching repertoire and anthologies in an effort to simplify the literature search process. The ongoing project is in its third developmental phase and is partially funded by the Charlotte Louise Dashiell and Lota M. Spell Endowment

Dr. Crappell is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association and serves as the Collegiate Chapters Chair for the Texas Music Teachers Association. Before joining the faculty at UTSA, he taught piano pedagogy and class piano at Oklahoma City University. As a graduate teaching assistant at OU, he taught courses in class piano, secondary applied piano, aural skills, music theory, and world music. He has maintained a private studio and taught pre-collegiate and adult students since 1998.