Meet Dr. Eden Brown, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Frances Clark Center

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Meet the newest member of The Frances Clark Center team, Dr. Eden Esters Brown. Brown joins the Center as the next Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with the completion of Dr. Leah Claiborne’s term in this role. Brown is a nationally-recognized expert in culturally responsive music teaching and her work considers this through the principles of access and equity. A recent recipient of the 2026 Community Impact Grants, Brown has developed Project OpenKey, which provides group piano lessons to students of underserved backgrounds. In addition to her work on the community level, Brown will write and explore culturally responsive piano pedagogy within Piano Magazine over four issues.

In the Summer 2026 issue of Piano Magazine, the first article of The Culturally Responsive Piano Teacher series was published titled, “Building an Inclusive Studio through Cultural Competence.” In the article,¹ Brown shares about her early experiences at the piano, detailing the ways in which her training was focused on classical piano music and how this training limited her exploration of other musical influences that surrounded her including jazz, R&B, and other genres. This formative experience led to her research in culturally responsive music teaching (CRMT), which considers ways teachers can honor each student’s unique background, culture, and experiences to make music lessons accessible and relevant.² In her article, Brown cautions that assigning repertoire by a diverse group of composers is certainly necessary, but not the only way in which music teachers can learn to welcome a diverse group of learners.³ Brown calls on each teacher to examine ways in which the cultures of their students and their own culture(s) influence their teaching strategies, the learning environment, and their musical values. 

Over the next year, readers of Piano Magazine will learn more about culturally responsive music teaching and its potential to transform their own studios. Read the first article in the series by clicking on the link below:

The Culturally Responsive Piano Teacher: Building an Inclusive Studio through Cultural Competence

The Center welcomes Dr. Brown and her vision to transform the piano education community. Dr. Jennifer Snow, Frances Clark Center President and CEO, stated “We welcome Dr. Eden Brown to the Center in this critical role. Her scholarship, educational experience, and passion for advancing the profession will build in effective and positive ways on the work that has been done so far.”

Notes

1. Eden Esters Brown, “The Culturally Responsive Piano Teacher: Building an Inclusive Studio through Cultural Competence,” Piano Magazine 18, no. 2 (Summer 2026): 8-13, https://doi.org/10.70760/m2n8p5v1 .
2. Brown, “The Culturally Responsive Piano Teacher,” 11.
3. Brown, “The Culturally Responsive Piano Teacher,” 10.

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