The Frances Clark Center
Collegiate Connections:
Call for Participation
at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2027
Collegiate Connections: Call for Participation
Celebrating collegiate groups and their innovative projects
Collegiate Connections, a professional engagement initiative for students and faculty, supports the innovative work of emerging leaders, scholars, and artists. The program provides opportunities for collegiate groups and classes to submit term and annual projects. Selected groups will be featured in two events in Spring 2027:
- A national Collegiate Connections online webinar, Friday, April 23, 2027, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM EDT.
- The online event of The Piano Conference: NCKP 2027, June 11-13, 2027.
The program aims to foster a greater sense of community and peer connection through this forum for the exchange of ideas and dialogue from across the country and beyond.
Selected projects may also be included in various Piano Inspires digital and publishing spaces, such as Inspiring Artistry, From the Artist Bench, Discovery Page, Piano Magazine and Piano Inspires Kids. In addition, university and faculty mentor names of all proposal submitters will be recognized in an upcoming issue of Piano Magazine, on PianoInspires.com, and in other Frances Clark Center communications.
The Proposals Submission Portal will open in late October 2026. The deadline for project proposal submission is Monday, March 15, 2027. Please see below for submission information. Selected collegiate groups will be notified in April 2027 and will be featured as presenters for the Collegiate Connections webinar and The Piano Conference: NCKP 2027 online event. Registration for both the webinar and online conference (registration, with scholarships available) will be required for all presenters.
Please join us as we explore and amplify the dynamic work of the next generation of piano educators and trailblazers.
Call for Participation
We invite collegiate groups in pedagogy, repertoire, and related performance classes along with their faculty to participate. Submitted projects may cover a wide range of topics such as creative teaching, lecture and musical presentations, community engagement, and business entrepreneurship. We welcome group proposals; note that proposals by individual presenters will not be considered. Selected projects are presented at the conference.
Other suggested topics include but not are not limited to the following:
- Advocacy and community impact
- Business and entrepreneurship
- Collaborative performance
- Creative music making
- Early childhood education
- Higher education
- Independent music teaching
- International topics
- Neurodiversity in music learning
- New professionals
- Performance practice
- Research
- Teaching adults
- Technology
- Wellness
Proposal Requirements
- Presenter names; faculty mentor; university affiliation(s); and primary contact email address
- Exact title of proposed presentation
- An abstract of the project, not to exceed 350 words.
- Format of proposed project (presentation, performance, creative project, etc.).
- Short bio(s) (35-50 words) of the presenters.
- Digital photo(s) of the presenters. Color headshot preferred; 300dpi. File named by presenter (Last First). Max file size of 6 MB.
The deadline to submit a Collegiate Connections proposal is Monday, March 15, 2027, at 11:59 PM PDT.
The call for Collegiate Connections proposals is not yet open.
Please check back soon.
Proposal Submission Steps with Oxford Abstracts
- Select the “Click Here to Submit a Proposal” button.
- Create an account with Oxford Abstracts and verify your email.
- You will be automatically directed to the proposal submission form.
- Complete and submit the proposal submission form. From your automatic email confirmation, select the prompt to view your submission in your account.
- After viewing your submission, select “Continue” to be directed to your account homepage. If you have submitted multiple proposals, they will be viewable here.
Terms and Conditions
By submitting a proposal, all group members and faculty mentor agree to the following:
- Primary Contact: Faculty may submit proposals on behalf of their students, or a student may serve as the primary contact.
- Availability: Prior to proposal submission, proposers must communicate with all co-presenters and the faculty mentor regarding their interest and availability.
- Submission Restrictions: Projects that are commercial in nature are not eligible for review.
- Acceptance: The primary contact will be notified of final program decisions by April 2027, and completion of an acceptance form will be required.
- Communication: The primary contact is responsible for communicating all emails and information to all co-presenters.
- Live Event Registration and Attendance, Webinar: Presenters for all selected proposals are expected to register for and attend the Collegiate Connections live webinar event on April 23, 2027 and The Piano Conference: NCKP 2027 online event.
- Change of Schedule and Cancellation Policy: The event schedule and format is subject to change without notice, including modifications to modality, duration, and timeframe, for reasons such as health and safety, and other reasons as deemed necessary.
- Photograph and Video Usage Consent: With your consent, photographs or recorded video of this event may be used and reproduced as part of The Frances Clark Center’s teacher training resources, without compensation to you. In addition, the Frances Clark Center reserves the right to use the photographs and videos in any of its print or online publications and advertisements. All photographs, digital images, video files and other formats are the property of The Frances Clark Center.
Questions? Contact [email protected] for assistance.