Piano Discoveries at Ole Miss
June 13-19, 2010

Piano Discoveries Camp is sponsored in part by funding from the Department of Music, the Division of Outreach and the Yoknpatawpha Arts Council.

Forms | General Information (PDF) | Download Brochure (PDF)

2009 Camp Participants

The Summer Piano Discoveries Camp at Ole Miss offers students the opportunity to study piano and make new friends in the charming environment of beautiful Oxford, Mississippi, the home of renowned writer William Faulkner. This Camp is designed to both encourage and challenge piano students from the 7th through 12th grades in a wide range of musical activities while leaving time for some fun recreational adventures. Campers will be placed in groups according to age and ability and will receive private lessons, daily master classes, and classes incorporating keyboard literature, music theory, technique, sight-reading, music computer technology, keyboard mechanics, keyboard skills and ensemble playing. Evening performances will include faculty and guest artist recitals culminating in a student recital at the end of the week.

What makes us different?

To begin with, no one can deny the charm and hospitality offered in the small city of Oxford, Mississippi. Home to writers, artists and musicians of all genres, Oxford possesses its own unique appeal for many and the University, fondly referred to as Ole Miss, has become almost as active during the summer months as during the regular school year. In addition to our new state-of-the-art facilities, campers and parents will have the opportunity to get to mingle with the faculty and staff during the opening orientation and at the closing reception. Students will be introduced to new concepts in piano playing, develop listening skills, hear quality musicians in concert and be challenged to take their musicianship to the next level. Students wishing to take supplementary lessons on harpsichord, organ, marimba and xylophone will be able to do so for an additional charge. The activity schedule will vary from day to day to expose students to a wide variety of piano discovery.

We hope to see you in June!

Eligibility: Students entering the 7th-12th grades and who play at an intermediate level of skill or higher are eligible to attend. Students who have completed grade 12 and have not yet entered university are also eligible. Opening day placement auditions are designed to assign students into one of four groups based on age and ability for daily master classes and other class activities throughout the week. The Camp faculty rely on the judgment of the student’s applied piano teacher to decide whether the student is playing at an appropriate level for our Camp. Some examples of minimal repertoire requirements would be J.S. Bach Inventions, Clementi Sonatinas, Mendelssohn Songs Without Words or Debussy Arabesques.

Cost: The cost of attending Piano Discoveries is $450 for resident campers. This includes room & board, tuition, all recreational activities & concerts and a Camp T-shirt. The cost for commuters is $375 which includes everything except housing and meals (lunches will be provided). A non-refundable $75.00 registration fee (applied toward tuition) is required at the time of application. Tuition should be paid in full by May 21, 2010 in order to guarantee a place for the student. Refunds will not be made after this date. Late registrations will be subject to a $40.00 surcharge and enrollment will be capped at 40 students. Please check with your local Music Teacher Association Affiliate for available scholarships for summer study. MTNA and NFMC affiliates have been very generous in sponsoring deserving students as have some local music clubs and symphonies. A limited amount of Camp scholarship funding may also be available for those students in need.

Lessons: One 30-minute private lesson with an assigned teacher is included with tuition. Additional lessons may be requested with a specific teacher at a rate of $25 per half-hour. Please do not include fees for additional lessons with your tuition payment. Extra lesson fees will be collected at the camp orientation and should be made payable to the teacher(s) of choice.

Facilities: All classes, lessons and concerts will be held in the Music Building located at the entrance to campus directly across from the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Evening recitals will take place in Nutt Auditorium which houses two nine-foot Steinway D pianos. Campers will be housed in Ole Miss dormitories and will be supervised by four trained counselors during the entire week.

Recreational Activities will be scheduled throughout the week to give students a break from the rigorous curriculum. Among the activities will be a pizza party and movie night; a double-decker bus tour of Oxford and a steel drumming session. Board games and television will also be available at the end of each day’s activities.

Registration

To register for Piano Discoveries, please complete the following forms and return then to Piano Discoveries Summer Camp, The University of Mississippi Dept. of Music, PO Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848.

Registration Form
Medical Form
Parental Consent Form
Discoveries Camp Contract
Supplemental Lesson Form
 

UM Piano Camp Faculty

A native of Nova Scotia, Ian Hominick, has studied under the tutelage of the renowned virtuosi Jerome Rose and Earl Wild, having served as assistant to both Earl Wild and Tchaikovsky Competition silver medalist André Laplante. Before joining the piano faculty at The University of Mississippi in 1999, Dr. Hominick taught on the faculties of the University of Newfoundland, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, De Paul University and Lake Forest College in Illinois. An active soloist, adjudicator and teacher, he maintains a busy schedule of concerts and master classes across the United States and Canada. The Charlottetown Guardian commented that Hominick has “an exceptional ability to pull music out of each pianist in a very individual way.”

Stacy Rodgers is associate professor and head of keyboard studies and accompanying at the University of Mississippi. A Texas native, he holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin. Major teachers in performance and pedagogy include Lita Guerra, Jean Barr, Amanda Vick Lethco, Harris Crohn, Louise Bianchi, and David Karp. Mr. Rodgers is active in pedagogical research and teacher training, and heads The University of Mississippi’s Community Music School. He is a founding member of the Oxford Piano Trio, and performs extensively in piano duo with his wife, Diane Wang.

Diane Wang, a native of the San Francisco Bay area, received degrees from Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin. Her major teachers include Sidney Foster, Harald Logan, and Béla Siki. Miss Wang has performed throughout the United States as well as in China and Mexico. As a collaborative pianist she performs regularly with the Sarah Isom Trio and Grace Trio, as well as the Wang–Rodgers Piano Duo. She is currently coordinator of the keyboard musicianship curriculum and instructor in piano at The University of Mississippi.

Adrienne Park has performed extensively in chamber music recitals and new music festivals in Europe, Canada, and the United States. She has performed with such artists as Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Shauna Rolston, Steve Reich, and the percussion group Nexus. She currently performs in the Divadi Duo with percussionist David Carlisle. Ms. Park was on faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada as the collaborative pianist for six years and is currently on faculty during the summer master class sessions. She has been on faculty at the University of Mississippi as a staff accompanist since 2001 and maintains an active piano studio in Oxford.

Warren Steel Organ & Harpsichord
David Carlisle Marimba & Xylophone

Guest Artists

Paul Kenyon performs extensively throughout the southwestern states and across the United States. As both a soloist and a collaborative artist he has been acclaimed for his creative programming and effective communication. Born in upstate New York, Paul Kenyon earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from Michigan State University where he studied piano with Deborah Moriarty and Ralph Votapek. Dr. Kenyon also holds degrees from Mansfield University and Bowling Green State University, with additional studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His principal teachers have included Jerome Rose and Angeline Schmid.  For six summers, Dr. Kenyon has performed at the Colby Piano Institute in Waterville, Maine, where he coached with the internationally renowned pianist, Anthony di Bonaventura. Dr. Kenyon is a member of the music faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University where he has taught piano and music theory since 1991, and now serves as chair of the music department. He also performs as pianist for Trio Point Loma, a resident faculty chamber ensemble.  Before moving to San Diego, Dr. Kenyon taught piano at Western Michigan University and Wright State University.

Concert: Tuesday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Workshops on Gospel Music & Alexander Technique: Wednesday, June 16

Judith Fairchild holds a Master Teacher Certificate from the American Music Scholarship Association and has taught piano independently in Memphis, Tennessee for 21 years. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1967, received her M.M.E from George Peabody College in Nashville in 1975, and completed the coursework for the D.M.A. at the University of Memphis in 1996. She received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Tennessee Music Teachers Association in 1999. Her students have performed in Carnegie Hall and have been soloists for the Kansas City, Paducah, KY, and Richardson, TX, symphonies. Her students have also been winners in many regional competitions as well as the MTNA Composition Competition. She has attended the Mozarteum Sommerakademie in Salzburg and the Cours pour Pianistes in Paris. In addition, with her 30 years of church music experience, she has made three recordings and arranged four volumes of her sacred keyboard music. Her articles on piano pedagogy have been published in several keyboard magazines.

Presentation: Friday, June 18 at 1:00 p.m.
Session 1: Are you a Type A or Type B pianist?
Session 2: The Love Story of Schumann's Life and Works

Camp Events

Sunday, June 13	Placement auditions/ Opening orientation for students, parents and faculty
Monday, June 14	Faculty Recital
Tuesday, June 15	Double-decker bus tour of Oxford; Guest Artist Concert with Paul Kenyon
Wednesday, June 16	Paul Kenyon Gospel Music & Alexander Technique Workshops Pizza & Movie night
Thursday, June 17	Steel Drumming
Friday, June 18	Guest presentation by Judith Fairchild Session 1: Are you a Type A or Type B pianist? Session 2: The Love Story of Schumann's Life and Works Student Recital
Saturday, June 19	Check-out from dormitory

If you have any questions, contact Ian Hominick at ihominic@olemiss.edu or (662) 915-1282.

Please note that there are no auditions to be admitted to this Camp, but we do ask that all campers play at least at an intermediate level. Campers will be divided into master class groups according to age and ability based on the Placement Auditions and the discretion of the Camp Director. Please do not send a request to be placed into any specific group.