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Low-key piano major gets majors ready to teach

ACADEMICS

Shakespeare, law mix in new course Mock trials based on literature law ALI HAUSNER

Campus Reporter

HEATHER BROWN/THE DAILY

Katie Acone, piano pedagogy sophomore, enjoys time in Catlett Music Center playing the piano on Wednesday. Acone is one of two undergraduate students taking the piano pedagogy class. Piano pedagogy offers different areas to go into upon graduation.

Piano pedagogy program nationally renowned PAIGHTEN HARKINS

Katie Acone changed her major from zoology to piano pedagogy because she missed the experience of playing One well-hidden major at OU combines two aspects of piano all the time, she said. “I have a passion for music and art and what it means to piano into a neat package, which feeds off of the success of the nationally-renowned graduate program and grooms the next be a musician, what it means to express yourself through that medium,” Acone said. “I think it’s so important to teach generation of piano teachers. The piano pedagogy undergraduate program only has two … everyone.” To keep up with the rigorous major, Acone practices students, while the graduate program normally has about 35 students. The graduate program is known as being the No. about five to six hours a day for her solo repertoire, plays 1 program in the country, piano pedagogy professor Jane with ensembles and perform as an accompanist, she said. Acone decided she wanted to try piano pedagogy instead Magrath said. The program earned this status through the merit of the of piano performance because her current major is the professors, and it trickled down to the success of the students culmination of her three loves. “I love performing and I in the program, Magrath said. “I have a passion for music and art and love collaborative work and teaching,” she said. Magrath wrote the book what it means to be a musician, what it I love The piano pedagogy “ The Pianist’s Guide to means to express yourself through that major consists of about Standard Teaching and 70 percent music course Performance Literature,” medium.” requirements and about 30 which has become the KATIE ACONE, percent general education standard for piano teaching PIANO PEDAGOGY SOPHOMORE course requirements. literature worldwide, piano The major leaves the pedagogy professor Barbara students with three to four hours for free electives, according Fast said. The program didn’t earn its credentials overnight, Fast said. to the piano pedagogy degree sheet. Piano pedagogy is one of the alternates people take to Its national recognition is based off of the work that’s been done within the program for a little over 30 years since it first piano performance, which also is a demanding major. According to its degree sheet, music course requirements came to OU. “We try to lead. [Fast and I] are always very aware of where represent up to 65 percent of the classes. The rest are general education requirements. This degree allows seven to eight the profession is going,” Magrath said. While the graduate program is nationally ranked, the hours for free electives. Many of the students majoring in piano performance undergraduate program is relatively unknown because it’s not will decide to pursue piano pedagogy when they get their very well advertised on purpose, Magrath said. The performance standard within the major is very high, graduate degree, Magrath said. The decision to focus on piano pedagogy later on may which means that many students may audition for the program, but their playing may not guarantee them a spot. be reflective of a student’s playing level at the time of his The course work is very difficult because of the amount of or her audition or the stigma surrounding the coursework, Magrath said. coursework required, Magrath said. Another reason students may Fast and Magrath don’t advertise it for those reasons, but stray from pedagogy during the SEE PEDAGOGY PAGE 2 students seem to come to it regardless, Magrath said. Campus Reporter

William Shakespeare’s word will become law next semester in a new course that will feature a series of mockcourt cases as a major part of its curriculum. Twelve English and 12 constitutional studies undergraduates will have the opportunity to take a Presidential Dream Course called The Shakespeare Moot Court next semester. The course is based on using Shakespearian ideas to present legal arguments in mock trials. The course will pair the two groups of students together to research and argue a case to a panel of judges, but the students must disregard common law traditions and make arguments based solely off of the “Law of Shakespeare,” according to the course’s description. The class will focus on five Shakespearian plays. The students will use ideas from those plays to decide what is right in various social and ethical situations, like flag-burning, said David Anderson, English professor and one of two course instructors. The enrollment of the class was deliberately divided so half of the students bring a background in literature and the other half in law, said Andrew Porwancher, classics and letters professor and the course’s other instructor. “My primary goal for the course is for each group to appreciate that they have a lot they can learn from the other,” Porwancher said. The course is modeled after a graduate-level course composed of English and law students offered at McGill University that Paul Yachnin and Desmond Manderson created in 2002. Anderson took part in the class at McGill in 2003 and said it was the “best grad

AT A GLANCE ENGL 4013 Guest Speakers: Debora Shuger, UCLA English professor Paul Yachnin, Shakespeare scholar and English professor at McGill University Dympna Callaghan, professor of humanities at Syracuse University

class” he’s ever had. A n d e r s o n ’s m e m o r y of the course came up i n a c o nv e r s at i o n w i t h P o r w a n c h e r, a n d t h e y thought it was a great idea for a dream course at OU, Anderson said. “Shakespeare understood better than anyone that law and literature could illuminate each other,” Porwancher said. The students will spend most of the semester constructing their cases for the trials at the end of the semester, and a panel of judges will decide the cases, Anderson said. The mockcourt cases will be open to the public. Anderson said, President David Boren and Molly Shi Boren have expressed interest in sitting on the judges panel, although they have not committed. The course also will feature three speakers including Debra Shuger, UCLA English professor, and Paul Yachnin, Shakespeare scholar and English professor at McGill University, Anderson said. Both Anderson and Porwancher said they are open to teaching the course again, but for now the course will be offered only during the spring semester. Ali Hausner alihausner@ou.edu

Give dubstep a chance L&A: L&A columnist Brent Stenstrom argues music-lovers should open their minds to new and original music genres like dubstep. (Page 10)

Women’s basketball team starts season against Eagles Sports: Sooners kick off season with tune-up exhibition game against Oklahoma Christian at 7 tonight at Lloyd Noble Center. (Page 6)

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