Wristen receives service recognition award

calendar icon25 Aug 2023    

Lincoln, Neb.--Brenda Wristen, professor of piano and piano pedagogy in the Glenn Korff School of Music, received an Outstanding Service Recognition Award by the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, a leading event for piano teachers with an international audience, held in July in Illinois.

“I am delighted to join with other dedicated piano teachers in contributing to the Frances Clark Center’s mission of advancing piano teaching, learning and performance,” Wristen said. “Not only are the organization’s high-quality programs principal venues for sharing my own work and research, ‘Piano Magazine’ at the many resources provided on the website are invaluable sources of information and inspiration for me and my university students. The connections formed with other professionals through regular participation in the work of the organization are irreplaceable. I am honored to receive this recognition and look forward to many years of continued service to the organization.”

Wristen has been a member of the Wellness Committee for 22 years, including serving as chair for eight years. She is also an appointed member of the initial editorial board for a new research-based journal for the organization titled “Journal of Piano Research.” She has frequently authored articles for their journal, “The Piano Magazine,” and presented at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Her graduate students have also served as interns to the organization helping in grant preparation, recruiting and various organizational capacities.

Wristen’s presentation at this year’s conference was titled “Stacking Engagement Layers to Enhance Group Piano Instruction.”

“Keeping all students continuously engaged and maintaining appropriate pacing are central challenges when teaching piano in groups,” Wristen said. “This session introduced and demonstrated a new instructional framework that allows group piano teachers to foster individual student mastery within group activities while prioritizing holistic musical experience.”

At Nebraska, Wristen is the founder and director of the Community Piano Experience, an outreach program offering beginning and intermediate class piano instruction for adult recreational pianists. Wristen is also currently president-elect of the Nebraska Music Teachers Association and will begin her term as president this October.

For more on Wristen, visit https://go.unl.edu/wristen.