Thank you to Yeeseon Kwon, Director of Institutional Engagement at The Frances Clark Center of Piano Pedagogy, for this insightful article on the year ahead for the Peer Connections and Collegiate Connections programs. Interested in attending a Peer Connections event? Register for our first event on October 10, 2025 at 11:00 am Eastern by clicking here.
What a summer of opportunities, celebrations, and innovations for Peer Connections and Collegiate Connections! The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Online in June showcased the winning 2025 Collegiate Connections group presentations for an international audience, after their featured live presentations in April.
Collegiate Connections is a professional engagement initiative for students and faculty that 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 to be showcased in an online national event. This is a unique opportunity for selected groups of students to have their class projects featured by The Frances Clark Center in a live webinar event.
As the new academic year launches, consider your coursework and areas of research, scholarship, literature and performance, community partnership projects to explore with classmates, peers, and advising faculty. Be sure to submit a group proposal this year for consideration and practice the art of collaboration and share your innovative work!
There was a wonderful presence of new professionals at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 In-Person in July, where the level of professional engagement and community was off the charts! Be a part of Peer Connections this year and attend these quarterly professional and community engagement events for young professionals to meet and begin building a broader professional network.
Wherever you are in your professional path or a course of study, we can share ways to advance your professionalism, discuss strategies for fostering professional well-being, and ways to get involved in opportunities at The Frances Clark Center. This is a welcome and inclusive space to discuss and learn from one another on relevant topics developed by a global network of peers.
We invite you to the first Peer Connections event this fall and to continue the thoughtful reflection and energy from the 2025 Summit on Sustainability and Innovation during The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 In-Person in July. Hear from Summit participants as they share the bold, forward-thinking ideas they developed to reimagine the musician’s role in creating a more sustainable and innovative future. From fresh approaches to education and performance to community-driven change, these “big ideas” are designed to inspire action and spark new possibilities.
Register here for the first Peer Connections gathering on Friday, October 10, 2025: Peer Connections— Musician as Change Agent: Reflections from the 2025 Summit on Sustainability and Innovation. Whether you attended the Summit or not, please join us as we connect, reflect, and envision your own path as a change-making musician.
I look forward to your participation in the 2025-2026 Peer Connections events and your group participation in the Collegiate Connections program. Best wishes to your school year, and I look forward to seeing you in these virtual spaces!
Dr. Yeeseon Kwon is the Director of Institutional Engagement at The Frances Clark Center of Piano Pedagogy.
MORE ON PEER CONNECTIONS AND COLLEGIATE CONNECTIONS
- PAGE: Collegiate Resources
- DISCOVERY BLOG: The Piano Conference – Perspectives of New Professionals by Janna Peña and Anthony Ty
- WEBINAR: Peer Connections: Wellbeing in the Professional Life with Jess Johnson, Midori Koga, Paola Savvidou and Yeeseon Kwon
- WEBINAR: Peer Connections: Belonging in Professional Spaces with Leah Claiborne, Ross Salvosa and Yeeseon Kwon
- EVENT: Peer Connections – Musician as Change Agent: Reflections from the 2025 Summit on Sustainability and Innovation