Department of Music, piano pedagogy
Texas A&M-Commerce
Libby Vanatta
Welcome to the website! I am excited to share information about myself, the degrees at Texas A&M-Commerce, my research interests, and the incredible work being done by my pedagogy students. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions. I would love to connect with you and exchange ideas!
If you want to know more about me, keep scrolling down this page for my complete biography. I encourage you to also explore the tabs at the top of the page to find out more about the pedagogy degrees we offer, the Piano Academy, our musicianship project, and all the other exciting things happening in Commerce!
I hope to hear from you soon!
pianist, teacher, and collaborative artist
Pedagogy Philosophy
The field of piano pedagogy is broad and dynamic, encompassing a wide variety of topics. It is easiest visualized as an umbrella under which resides a large number of subject bubbles.
These bubbles include but are definitely not limited to average age instruction, preschool instruction, recreational music making (adult instruction), group instruction for all age levels, collegiate class piano, collegiate proficiency programs, professionalism, business principles, learning styles, teaching strategies, literature review at all levels, performance anxiety, musician wellness, and psychology of music.
My belief is that every pianist should have a strong base of knowledge regarding all aspects of the pedagogy field. This better prepares individuals to accept unexpected opportunities that may present themselves throughout an unpredictable career.
In my career, I had to recreate myself many times to fit the needs of new musical environments and communities. Prior to teaching at A&M-Commerce, I was fortunate to teach at four other universities, gaining experience in a variety of areas (class piano, private lessons, preschool classes, summer camps, theory, ear training, administration, music theater, and opera coaching). As a result, I have a wide pool of experiences that makes me a better teacher and mentor to my students.
Bio.
Libby Vanatta, a native of Middle Tennessee, joined the music faculty at Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2010. She currently oversees the piano pedagogy degrees, coordinates the class piano curriculum, and serves as director of the Piano Academy at TAMUC. An active accompanist in Commerce, Ms. Vanatta has also performed throughout the country at conferences, competitions, and in guest artist recitals as well as at international festivals. Passionate about chamber music, she seeks out opportunities to collaborate with musicians of all kinds, including with her piano duo partner, Luis Sanchez.
Ms. Vanatta joined Music Teachers National Association as a collegiate member while taking her first piano pedagogy course as an undergraduate student and has been a member ever since. Designated a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, she continues to be active in the organization and currently holds three positions: Advisor to TAMUC Collegiate Chapter, Treasurer for Hunt County MTA, and Awards Director for Texas Music Teachers Association. Ms. Vanatta won the TAMUC Collegiate Chapter Advisor of the Year in 2016 from the TAMUC Student Organization Activities Committee. Previous positions held include College Chapter and Member chair for Texas Music Teachers Association, Certification Chair for Mississippi Music Teachers Association, Vice-President for Membership for the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League, Advisor to the University of Illinois Collegiate Chapter, and President and Vice President for the Decatur Area Music Teachers Association.
Ms. Vanatta has presented at the 2019 TMTA state conference on the importance of musicianship skills in the teaching of repertoire, at the MTNA Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy Symposium as moderator for the networking sessions on grad school (2019) and independent teaching (2020), as part of the 2019 Tau Beta Sigma’s Women in Music lecture series, and at the 2013 TMTA state conference along with Luis Sanchez on the versatility of using duets to teach other piano skills. Through her encouragement and guidance, students in her piano pedagogy classes have given presentations or posters at conferences including the TMTA state conference and MTNA collegiate symposium ten times to date.
As coordinator of the Hunt County Composer Festival, Ms. Vanatta has brought in noted composers to meet area students and interact with collegiate piano majors. Previously featured composers include Phillip Keveren, Timothy Brown, Dennis Alexander, Mike Springer, Jennifer Linn, and Mona Rejino.
Ms. Vanatta is also a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs, National Guild of Piano Teachers, and Sigma Alpha Iota international music fraternity where she has served as Graduate Performance Awards Director, Regional Officer, Province Officer, and held offices in alumni and collegiate chapters.
An active adjudicator, Ms. Vanatta has judged for many events including state solo and ensemble competitions, ensemble festivals, sonata/sonatina festivals, Piano Guild auditions, NFMC festivals, and MTNA state syllabus events. She served as examiner during the summer of 2013 for the International Piano Performance Examination Committee in Taiwan. In addition to administering piano examinations throughout Taiwan, Ms. Vanatta also participated in a charity concert given in Tainan.
Libby holds a Master of Music in piano pedagogy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Science in piano performance from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Posts
& Articles
This section contains items of interest regarding pedagogy at A&M-Commerce as well as the pedagogy world in general. In addition to my contributions, you will find wonderful items posted by my pedagogy students. Enjoy!
