My mission as a piano instructor is to infuse my love of music and my passion for piano into my students. I am very careful in my technical approach, but I also am realistic about the various goals of my students. I work with children and adults, beginner, intermediate, and advanced students, and teach classical, jazz, theory, composition, improvisation, memorization techniques, and playing by ear. For the students who are interested, structural and harmonic analysis of their pieces are provided, and creative ways to understand musical structures are employed. This facilitates comprehension and faster learning. My students would describe me as patient, kind, thorough, and creative. My students are motivated using positive reinforcement, the setting of realistic goals, and the specific means to achieve them. Students are given a carefully written weekly plan, and weekly interface with parents occurs, to clarify goals. For the younger students, this is often the first time there has been an expectation of them to commit. Many of my students have stayed with me over five years. Students who desire can participate in recitals.

Education:

• Independent piano study with Dr. Robert Roux, Chairman of Keyboard at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
• Independent piano study with Professor George Salzbury, Jazz Artist, Conservatory of Music at UMKC.
• Independent piano study with Professor Joe Utterback, Jazz Artist, University of Kansas.
• Independent piano study with Elizabeth Stern, acclaimed pedagogue.
• Letters of commendation from Rice and University of Houston professors.
• Scholarship recipient to the Sorbonne, Paris France.
• Continuing education at University of Houston in watercolor and aesthetic theory.
• Graduate of University of Kansas

Professional Experience:

Director, Piano Studio, St. Teresa's Catholic School
Provide oversight of the piano studio, as well as instruction, recitals, community events, and student community.

Staff Pianist, Methodist Hospital
Perform Christian, classical, original, jazz, and popular music for guests and recovering patients as part of The Patient Guest Experience Methodist TMCMH. Currently serving in this capacity.

Piano Instructor and Pianist
Teach classical piano, theory, technique, composition, improvisation, interpretation, and musicality in children as well as adults. Studio includes gifted students and special needs children. Jazz and other genres taught also. Host master classes and recitals. Home studio currently operative. Trained in Yamaha and Suzuki Methods, but prefer my own methods, which are a confluence of thousands of hours of observation, the synthesis of various approaches, and keen intuition about my students. Play concerts from time to time, and work as accompanist.

Variations on a Theme Piano Works
Composed a cycle of intimate variations derived from the Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg, The Mozart Piano Sonatas, smaller works by MacDowell, works by Sibelius, and others. There is enough music to record several new CD's.

Piano, Poetry, and Art: One Woman Show
Composed and performed 6 works for solo piano, which were presented with corresponding original watercolors, and were introduced with original poetry, in an elegant event/art exhibit featuring a one woman show.

Medea's Children, Musical
Music Director and Composer of a musical based on the mythological Medea, who abandons her children. The musical is set in modern America. The cast was comprised of blind, special needs children, and handicapped children. The play premiered at the Children's Museum of Houston, and was presented at the Houstonian, with President Bush attending. My co-composer was a Masters graduate of the Juilliard School of Music.

The Soul Garden, Illustrated Book of Poetry
Wrote, illustrated, and self published a book of 50 poems. Themes covered include Christ, creation, the cycle of life from birth to death, joy and suffering, and the creation of music and art.

Director of Education, Mars Music
Developed a successful retail music education center, managing over 30 instructors from Juilliard, Berkeley, Boston Conservatory, University of North Texas, the Moore's School of Music, Shepherd School of Music, and others. We provided lessons in most of the string, brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. Developed client base of about 300 student during the first quarter and created an accounting and studio management system to track tuition, coordinate room use, and teacher/student schedules. Worked with advertising department to coordinate specials and promotional events. Recruited schools and civic organizations for facility tours, hosted master classes, and performed outreach to special needs children.

Nelson's Odyssey: A Journey to Nobility
Composed challenging modern piano score; performed, produced, and directed televised segment on the life of Nelson Mandela which was aired on Channel 11. The original poetry was narrated by Jerome Gray. The segment was presented at the Rothko Chapel, and also at the Save the Children Benefit in downtown Houston.

Escaping Angst, CD for Solo Piano
Composed, performed, edited, produced album for solo piano consisting of ten "contemporary" classical piano music selections, with some jazz influences. Wrote companion poems, did the graphics, supervised production and duplication. Hosted successful CD release concert.

Contact Info:

annevollinkstudio@gmail.com
Cell: 281 658 0911
Studio: 281 240 7886