Happy Birthday, Marvin Blickenstaff!

Written By Curtis Pavey
Marvin Blickenstaff

THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate one of our own—Marvin Blickenstaff—who was born on May 19, 1935. A world-renowned music educator and pianist, Blickenstaff’s career as a leader in the field of piano pedagogy has spanned nearly six decades.

Marvin Blickenstaff through the years.

Blickenstaff grew up in Nampa, Idaho and credits his teacher Fern Nolte Davidson with helping him to establish a love of music—and the piano—as a child. After completing high school, Marvin spent two years in Austria serving his church, before moving to Oberlin, OH to complete a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Following another short trip abroad, Marvin enrolled in the piano class of Béla Böszormenyi-Nagy and quickly received a Master of Music degree from Indiana University.

Marvin Blickenstaff and Sara Ernst.

In 1969, Blickenstaff was appointed to the faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he taught for nearly ten years. Among his many students were Jane Magrath, Karen Zorn, and Joel M. Harrison. In 1978, Blickenstaff moved to Goshen, Indiana, where he served as Professor of Music at Goshen College for over twenty years. While serving as a professor at Goshen College, Blickenstaff continued to maintain a robust performance schedule while also developing the Goshen College Piano Workshop, presenting at the International Workshops in Europe, and serving as an Associate Editor at Keyboard Companion and Clavier Companion.

Following his tenure at Goshen College, Blickenstaff moved to Philadelphia where he continues to reside. From 2000-2013, he served as the President of the Board of Trustees for the Frances Clark Center and has taught at the New School for Music Study since 1999.

Throughout his life, Blickenstaff has traveled throughout the world including New Zealand, Switzerland, and Austria, to perform and present workshops to teachers. Blickenstaff received one of MTNA’s highest honors—the MTNA Achievement Award—in 2009 and the Frances Clark Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. He was also inducted into Steinway & Sons’ Teacher Hall of Fame in 2019.

In 2023, the Frances Clark Center established the Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence in honor of his legacy as a pedagogue. This division of The Frances Clark Center encompasses inclusive teaching programs, teacher education, courses, performance, advocacy, publications, research, and resources that support excellence in piano teaching and learning. To learn more about the Institute and to donate, please visit this page.

Marvin Blickenstaff and Jane Magrath.

The Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence

In 2023, the Frances Clark Center established the Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence in honor of his legacy as a pedagogue. This division of The Frances Clark Center encompasses inclusive teaching programs, teacher education, courses, performance, advocacy, publications, research, and resources that support excellence in piano teaching and learning. To learn more about the Institute, please visit this page. We invite you to make a donation in honor of Marvin’s 88th birthday (May 19).

OTHER RESOURCE YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Sources

http://people.goshen.edu/~lonhs/MarvinBlick.html 

https://www.nsmspiano.org/faculty

A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff and his Pedagogical Legacy
Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator. A performer of works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching at the piano and the harpsichord. He is currently based in the Cincinnati area and maintains a private piano studio.
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