Innovating for the Future
In-Person Summit and Conference: July 23-26, 2025 | Online: June 7-8, 2025
The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025
Community. Creativity. Impact.
2025 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Awards & Gala
The Frances Clark Center will recognize select members of our community as recipients of the 2025 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award. Their extensive contributions to the field of piano pedagogy are extraordinary. Their influence and impact on the profession are demonstrated across the country and internationally, exemplifying outstanding dedication to the field of music and piano teaching.
The Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor and is presented on behalf of The Frances Clark Center to individuals who have made substantial and enduring contributions to the field of piano pedagogy and to the work of the Center. It was previously named National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy Lifetime Achievement Award.
At The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025, join us for a Gala champagne reception and awards ceremony on Friday, July 25 at 6:00 PM CDT to celebrate our 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award winners and Outstanding Service Award Winners.
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Questions? Email conference@francesclarkcenter.org.
2025 Lifetime Achievement Awards
Barbara Fast, David Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Oklahoma, served as Director of Piano Pedagogy and Piano Area Chair, where she coordinated group piano and taught piano pedagogy. She received OU’s 2020 prestigious David Ross Boyd Professor Award for excellence in teaching, and OU’s Regents Award for Superior Teaching. Additional awards include OMTA Teacher of the Year and OU’s Irene and Julian Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts. Dr. Fast co-founded the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3) in 2000. She is a frequent clinician on teaching piano, group piano, and practicing and the brain. A culmination of her lifelong interest in effective learning, teaching, and practicing resulted in the book iPractice: Technology in the 21st Century Music Practice Room (Oxford). Currently she serves on MTNA’s Board as VP for Membership and on the Editorial Board of the Piano Magazine.
“For my entire teaching career, Frances Clark’s pioneering legacy and revolutionary pedagogy has served as inspiration for me and thousands of other teachers. Likewise, the Frances Clark Center’s commitment to fostering innovation and student-centered learning continues to galvanize the teaching profession around the world. I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected to receive this prestigious award.”
– Barbara Fast
Susanna Garcia is Professor Emerita at the University of Louisiana – Lafayette School of Music, where she held the Louisiana Board of Regents Girard Endowed Professorship. In 2024, she received the SPARK Lifetime Faculty Achievement Award from the College of the Arts in recognition of her work.
Garcia is the co-developer of eNovativePiano: Multimedia Resources for Developing Musicianship Skills, a sequenced multimedia curriculum for piano instruction. The program features instructional videos, video animations, original compositions, and pedagogical editions of standard piano works. In 2021, eNovativePiano was honored with the MTNA/Frances Clark Award for Keyboard Pedagogy.
She performs regularly with pianist William Chapman Nyaho as the Nyaho/Garcia Piano Duo, showcasing works outside the traditional canon as well as performing standard repertoire. Their recent release, Five by Four, includes contemporary music for piano duo, including four world premiere recordings. They have edited three piano works by African American composer Thomas H. Kerr Jr. (1915–88) for publication by Piano Education Press in 2024–25.
Garcia is a course leader for the Frances Clark Center’s Online Teacher Education Course, Piano Teaching Through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy and on the MTNA Representation and Advocacy Committee.
“I have always held the Frances Clark Center in high esteem for its significant contributions to the field of piano teaching and learning. As a very young child I learned from the Look and Listen series, one of the first publications to bear Frances Clark’s name. With this amazing recognition, I feel as though I have come full circle. I am deeply grateful for this award and for the opportunity to contribute to the Center’s work.”
– Susanna Garcia
Dr. Gary Ingle was named CEO Emeritus of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Following his retirement on June 30, 2024 after twenty-eight years as its CEO. A frequent speaker and panelist, he has addressed audiences in all fifty states and Puerto Rico, as well as music groups in Canada, South America, Europe, Great Britain, Africa, and Asia.
Dr. Ingle has held volunteer leadership positions globally. For eighteen years, he was President or Chair of the Board of the National Music Council of the United States, the longest tenure since its founding in 1940. He served on the Executive Board and as Executive Vice President of the International Music Council as well as President of the Music Council of the Three Americas. He was a founder and chair of the Forum (now Commission) for Instrumental and Vocal Pedagogy of the International Society for Music Education.
In March 2024, Dr. Ingle received the MTNA Achievement Award, its highest honor.
“I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful to have been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Frances Clark Center Lifetime Achievement Award. To be recognized with the Center’s highest honor is a privilege beyond measure. This recognition is truly humbling, and I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the entire Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy community for this incredible distinction.
The work and legacy of Frances Clark have been an enduring source of inspiration throughout my career as the Chief Executive Officer of MTNA, and to be named a recipient of an award bearing her name is a privilege I cherish. This recognition not only celebrates the contributions I have made over the years, but also honors the collective efforts of music teachers, students, and colleagues who have shared this journey with me.
Throughout my career, I have always believed in the transformative power of music and its ability to shape lives. I have been fortunate to work alongside so many passionate and dedicated individuals like Frances Clark, Louise Goss, and the leaders at The Frances Clark Center who share this belief, and I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had to contribute to the field of keyboard pedagogy.
As I reflect on the path that led me to this point, I am reminded of the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and the ongoing pursuit of excellence, which Frances exemplified and taught throughout her long and distinguished life and career. I am proud to be part of a community that is dedicated to advancing the art of teaching and learning, and I am inspired by the work of all those who continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in keyboard pedagogy and music teaching.
Once again, thank you for this remarkable honor. I am proud to be associated with such a distinguished organization, which has had an immeasurable impact on keyboard teachers, students, and the broader music teaching world. I look forward to continuing to support the mission of the Frances Clark Center and contributing to the future of music teachers in meaningful ways.”
– Gary Ingle
William Chapman Nyaho is a recitalist and lecturer dedicated to promoting music by composers of African descent. He serves as Vice President for Representation and Advocacy at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and is a board member of the Frances Clark Center. Previously a piano faculty member at Pacific Lutheran University, he teaches privately in Seattle. Chapman Nyaho’s publications include the five-volume anthology Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, published by Oxford University Press, as well as CD recordings featuring works by composers of African descent.
“I am deeply honored to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award from The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. My work began as a labor of love, driven by a passion to make music more inclusive and to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures through piano pedagogy. Being part of such an esteemed organization over the years, and now receiving this recognition, is profoundly humbling. This honor inspires me to continue championing the transformative power of music education and its ability to unite people across cultures.”
– William Chapman Nyaho
Craig Sale is Senior Editor for Piano Magazine and Director of Online Courses for The Frances Clark Center. He served as Associate Editor for Clavier Companion/Keyboard Companion beginning in 2000. He is the editor for the highly praised book, The Success Factor in Piano Teaching by Elvina Pearce (Frances Clark Center), author of Piano Interval Workbook (Hal Leonard), and co-author of The Music Tree: Activities 3 and The Music Tree: Activities 4 (Alfred). He has served on the Board of Trustees for the Center since 2011. For thirty years he served as Director of the Preparatory and Community Piano Program at Concordia University Chicago, where he created a Certificate in Piano Pedagogy curriculum and taught the university courses in piano pedagogy. He has presented workshops for piano teachers across the United States, including presentations at MTNA and NCKP.
“My pedagogy studies with Frances Clark and Louise Goss in the early 1980s were the most formative of my professional life. Every ounce of the work I have done over the years with piano students and piano teachers has been inspired by my experience with these great mentors. To receive the Lifetime Achievement Award is such a great honor—a great way to say, “Job well done.” I humbly accept this honor, and I acknowledge that the work it celebrates is simply the natural outgrowth of my dedication to the continuation of a legacy devoted to excellence in the teaching of music at the piano created by Frances and Louise.”
– Craig Sale
2025 Outstanding Service Awards
David Cartledge is Director of Graduate Studies and Professor of Piano at Indiana University, where he won the Trustees Teaching Award. Indiana Music Teachers Association’s Teacher of the Year in 2020, he champions innovative pedagogies, and student-centered learning. He regularly gives master classes and presents at conferences.
“The Frances Clark Center and its leadership never cease imagining the future of piano pedagogy. My amazing colleagues on the NCKP Teacher Education in Higher Ed committee have provided me with a real motivation to give back to the profession. I am humbled by this recognition of my small contribution to the cause.”
– David Cartledge
Linda Cockey, DMA is Professor Emerita at Salisbury University and is a frequent presenter on musicians’ health topics. She first served on the initial NCPP’s Committee and continues as a member of NCKP’s wellness committee. She is currently an active writer, pianist and teacher.
“The Frances Clark Center has been a hub for pianists and piano teachers to expand their education and to meet and work with so many wonderful colleagues from both near and far. As a DMA student and young faculty member, I was fortunate to have been able to attend and participate in so many conferences that have been packed full of wonderful opportunities and pedagogical ideas. I continue to be fortified and marvel at how the Center continually expands the opportunities available for piano teachers and their students. It is an honor to be selected to receive this award from such an organization that has given me so much.”
– Linda Cockey
Dr. Andrew Cooperstock is Professor of Piano at the University of Colorado. An active performer and an advocate for American music, he has produced critically acclaimed recordings of works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, and others. Presentations in 2020-21 included talks and performances for Music Teachers National Association and The Frances Clark Center and articles for Piano Magazine, American Music Teacher, and the MTNA e-Journal.
Dr. Scott Donald, is the founder and co-owner of Studio A, a multi-teacher music studio and performance venue in Austin, TX. A native of South Carolina, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Furman University in Greenville, SC. He completed his Masters of Music in Applied Piano and Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education/Piano Pedagogy from UT-Austin. He currently serves as President for the Texas Music Teachers Association.
“Every teaching day starts with the premise as stated by Frances Clark that there is music in every child or every person. It is my job to meet that student where they are and take them on that journey. The impact of Frances Clark and Louise Goss on my life has been tremendous. Thank you to the Frances Clark Center for the important mission of maintaining the legacy of such visionary women. It is an honor to receive this award.”
– Scott Donald
Diana Dumlavwalla is on faculty at Florida State University’s College of Music as associate professor of piano pedagogy. She serves as an examiner for the Royal Conservatory and has performed and presented across three continents. Diana is currently President of the Florida State Music Teachers Foundation.
“For me, the activities of the Frances Clark Center have truly embodied the forward-thinking and inspiring impact of its namesake, Frances Clark. The Center’s broad and far-reaching endeavors, such as the online initiatives, publications, the New School for Music Study, and the NCKP Conference, continue to provide teachers worldwide with engaging opportunities to foster pedagogical discussion and create new pathways for teaching artistry. Participating in these pursuits has been a wonderful experience for me and I am profoundly humbled and moved to be a recipient of this distinguished award.”
– Diana Dumlavwalla
CEO of Lingraphica, provider of devices and software for people who have lost their ability to speak due to stroke; spent 10 years in the music business starting a band, recording studio and record label. Currently a student at the New School for Music Study.
Peter is an adult piano student at the New School for Music Study. A member of the school’s Advisory Committee, Peter’s volunteer activities include fundraising and promoting awareness of local community music events. He is a retired corporate financial services executive and a proud father of 2 adult sons.
“Music nourishes our souls, pleases us whether performing or listening, and touches the various emotions and feelings that lay within us. I am grateful for the piano instruction and training I receive from the New School for Music Study, and having access to a variety of resources offered by the France Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy to enhance my knowledge of music and piano performance. Being on this journey for many years I am only too happy to volunteer my time to advocate for this organization. To be awarded an Outstanding Service Recognition Award by the Frances Clark Center is an honor I will always cherish.”
– Peter Harisiades
Dr. Joel Harrison was President/CEO and Artistic Director of the American Pianists Association for over 20 years, retiring in 2021. He continues as Senior Artistic Advisor, overseeing the Awards and artistic programs. He was previously a faculty member at Davidson College and Mississippi State University. Joel holds degrees from UNC-CH, Indiana University and Northwestern University. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including recently being named Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor given by the State of Indiana.
Ivan Hurd serves as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has published articles in the Piano Magazine, American Music Teacher, MTNA e-Journal, and his research has been featured at several national and international conferences. He holds a DMA from the University of Oklahoma.
“It has been my honor to serve The Frances Clark Center since 2017 as a member of the Teacher Education in Higher Ed Committee and as a member of the 2025 NCKP National Planning Committee. The Frances Clark Center provides many varied resources that positively impact and inspire the teaching and performing community, helping to move us into the future. I am thankful to the Frances Clark Center for providing ample opportunities to present at NCKP, write for The Piano Magazine, and share research and teaching advice through their video series and education courses. I am indebted to the Frances Clark Center and am honored to accept this award.”
– Ivan Hurd
With performances described as “meltingly lovely” (Globe and Mail), and “with exquisite tone colors” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Midori Koga has been featured as chamber musician and conference presenter throughout the world. Internationally released recordings can be heard on the Albany, Equilibrium, Fleur de Son, NAXOS, Blue Griffin and Centrediscs labels. Koga currently serves as Professor of piano and pedagogy at the University of Toronto.
“When I first came to the United States from Canada, one of my first experiences was observing Frances Clark teach a group piano class, and I was inspired by her enthusiasm, love for the music and connection to the students. Since then, Frances Clark Center has not only carried forward her legacy of lifetime learning and growth but continued to transform to meet the challenges and opportunities of a changing world. I have been proud to be a member of the Frances Clark Center community and am now deeply honoured to receive this service award. Thank you, Frances Clark Center for everything you do to support and elevate our worthy profession!”
– Midori Koga
Barbara Kreader Skalinder is a faculty member of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music Academy. One of the coauthors of the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, she has given workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Formerly the Editor of Clavier magazine and a columnist for Keyboard Companion, Kreader Skalinder received her M.M. degree from Northwestern University, where she studied with Laurence Davis and Frances Larimer. She lives in Highland Park, Illinois.
“I first met Frances Clark in 1963 when she served as one of three judges at the MTNA Divisional Piano Competition in Chicago. Her forceful, all-seeing comments, written in her high-lettered, flowing manuscript, began to change the way I studied – and later, taught – music. In addition, she was the only judge who took the time to meet with and counsel those of us who had lost the contest. The Frances Clark Center carries on the path-breaking work of this strong woman, one who has encouraged all of us who teach music to say with pride, ‘I am a piano teacher.’ I am humbled and honored, all these years later, to receive this award.”
– Barbara Kreader
Pianist Heather Lanners has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Brazil. Professor of Piano at the Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University, she holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario, École Normale de Musique and Eastman School of Music. She is currently Recordings Editor for Piano Magazine.
“The unique professional opportunities we have in our lives not only shape our careers, but shape our philosophies as musicians, teachers and human beings. I feel exceptionally honored to be recognized by The Frances Clark Center, an organization that has been positively shaping teachers and students for decades!”
– Heather Lanners
Beverly Lapp studied piano with Marvin Blickenstaff at Goshen College and received her masters degree under the guidance of Frances Clark and others at Westminster Choir College. She holds a doctorate from Columbia University and was on the Goshen College faculty for 23 years before her current appointment as a seminary dean. She remains active as a musician and is secretary of The Frances Clark Center Board.
“The legacy of Frances Clark challenges us all to be persistent in ensuring our students experience learning that empowers them for their full lives.This teaching philosophy has impacted most everything I do as a pianist, teacher, and dean. It was my incredible good fortune to study pedagogy with Frances in graduate school, and it is now a great privilege to serve on the board that stewards her expanding impact. I am deeply honored to receive this award, and truly grateful to be part of the vibrant Frances Clark community.”
– Beverly Lapp
Jarrell McAlister is an Innovation Consultant for Progressive Insurance, specializing in bringing people together to collaborate on new ideas and align on a common vision. He has worked with a range of organizations from Fortune 500 companies to non-profits. He has served as Board President for LakewoodAlive, a Community Development Corporation non-profit, and is an active volunteer in his community. His winding career path includes canoe-builder, television producer, communications consultant, and even restaurant mascot.
“I am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to work with the Frances Clark Center, a remarkable organization constantly innovating the field of piano education. Their commitment to excellence and creativity has been truly inspiring, and I am grateful to be a part of their mission to enrich the world of piano education.”
– Jarrell McAlister
Acclaimed pianist and Associate Professor of Piano at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Spencer Myer’s close relationship with the Frances Clark Center has been highlighted by the inaugural “Piano Stories On Stage” recital, interviews on practice techniques and career navigation, and two installments of “From the Artist Bench”.
“I am deeply honored to receive this Outstanding Service Recognition Award from an organization as near and dear to my heart as the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. Since first meeting the inspirational Marvin Blickenstaff as a high school senior at his Goshen Workshop, the importance of fostering young talent and of developing our methods to impart this magnificent art form has stuck with me and driven me through my ever-developing teaching career. I am forever in debt to the open arms I have felt from the Frances Clark Center family since its inception, and believe so much in its continued flourishing.”
– Spencer Myer
I am in my 35th year as an adult piano student, having taken my daughter’s place when she left for college after 9 years of lessons at The New School for Music Study (NSMS). Marvin Blickenstaff has been my teacher for the past 20+ years.
I was fortunate to know both Frances Clark and Louise Goss. It was Louise who drafted me onto many committees. And no one could say “no” to Louise. I remember working on the 25th anniversary celebration of the New School and involving several community businesses in the celebration.
I now live in the same Life Care community as did Louise Goss. I currently help schedule faculty recitals and the Spring Student Recitals, for over 350 students, in our beautiful auditorium. I am constantly in touch with Rebecca Pennington for these plans.
Being part of the NSMS and the Frances Clark Center has been an important creative part of my life.
“I am in my 35th year as an adult student at the New School for Music Study, part of the Frances Clark Center. The knowledge, talent and dedication of my teachers are primary reasons I have returned year after year. A highlight for me was organizing and playing a recital at two of my 50 year reunions, in Amherst and Boston Massachusetts.”
– Carol Salas
Jeremy Siskind helps thousands of students each year pursue their passion for jazz piano through his active Youtube channel, innovative book series, and live classes. As a performer and arranger, Siskind has collaborated with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and soprano Julia Bullock, while recording acclaimed albums as leader of the “Housewarming” trio.
“As a jazz pianist, I often feel like an outsider in the piano pedagogy space. Not so at the Frances Clark Center. Because the Center pursues innovation and welcomes anyone interested in improving the art of pedagogy, my work on creativity has felt not only welcomed but central at the Frances Clark Center. Throughout my almost-decade working with the center, I have been thrilled to find an environment where jazz, composition, improvisation, and all things creative aren’t “ugly stepchildren” of traditional repertoire, but are elevated as equally worth studying, teaching, and learning. Bravo!”
– Jeremy Siskind
Bradley Sowash is a jazz pianist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, recording artist, author, and educator best known for his live online group jazz piano classes, widely acclaimed keyboard improvisation publications, and nine solo piano albums. In his spare time, he enjoys an active lifestyle on his family farm in southern Ohio.
“Thank you Frances Clark Center for this honor and for bringing together educators to improve our teaching methods at NCKP. Early in my career, I chose to help traditionally trained pianists incorporate improvisation into their teaching and playing. This led to invitations from NCKP to plan innovative creative initiatives, validating my contributions. Special thanks to Pete Jutras for running my Create and Motivate column in Clavier Companion, and to Sam Holland and Jennifer Snow for long supporting the integration of improvisation with traditional skills in piano education.”
– Bradley Sowash
Chee-Hwa Tan is the author of internationally acclaimed A Child’s Garden of Verses and other piano collections that synthesize emotion, story and sound. Her music is published by Piano Safari; with selections included in the Repertoire and Study series of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Canada, and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London. Ms. Tan has served as the Head of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, as well as on the piano pedagogy faculties at the Oberlin Conservatory and Southern Methodist University. A member of the Board of Trustees for the FCC, her other responsibilities have included host of the Asian Composer and Music Webinar for Piano Inspires, a faculty residency at NSMS, member of the NCKP Creative Committee, and contributions to Piano Magazine and Piano Inspires Kids.
“Throughout the different seasons of life, the NCKP Piano Conference has been ‘oxygen’ in my development as pianist, young professional, independent teacher, college professor, composer, lifelong hobbyist, and parent of musicians. With its resources, the Frances Clark Center provides a community where passion, creativity, vision, a love for learning, and compassion for people fuses with the power of all things piano. It has been my lifeline!”
– Chee-Hwa Tan
Leila Viss creates imaginative, tech-savvy resources for her Colorado piano studio and website. Viss led the 2014 Southern Methodist University Institute for Piano Teachers, spearheaded the 2015 NCKP Creativity track, presented numerous NCKP sessions, and wrote a regular column on music apps for Clavier Magazine for several years.
“Since 2003, The Keyboard Companion Magazine (now Clavier) has held a special place in my library. Each issue clarified my mission and elevated my teaching as an independent studio owner. In 2011, I attended my first NCKP conference, where I was introduced to a community of like-minded educators. This further deepened my passion for piano teaching and Frances Clark’s philosophy. Twenty-two years later, I am truly humbled and honored to be recognized for service profoundly inspired by the Matriarch of Piano Pedagogy.”
– Leila Viss
Steinway Artist Jerry Wong has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as soloist and chamber musician to great critical acclaim. His recordings can be found on the Albany, MSR and MOVE labels. He is Associate Professor and Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in Australia.
“From my earliest studies, I have the clearest recollection of Frances Clark’s well-known impact throughout the musical community. Her pedagogical legacy can be felt in all that the Center does and those of us fortunate enough to work together with the Center are the lucky ones indeed. What a privilege to receive this award and I eagerly anticipate our future endeavors together!“
– Jerry Wong
View past award recipients on our Archives page.