Collaborative piano and chamber music experiences constitute vital and essential elements of piano students’ experiences and professional training at UMKC Conservatory. The rich resources of the Conservatory allow for not only pairings with excellent student partners, but also coaching with outstanding artist-faculty, culminating in both on- and off-campus performing experiences. For questions, please contact Dr. Karen Savage, Professor of Collaborative Piano and Chamber Music Coordinator (Piano/Strings/Winds/Horn mixed groups) at ksavage@umkc.edu.

Degrees

Master of Music: Performance – Collaborative Piano emphasis
The Master of Music with Collaborative Piano emphasis provides lessons, coached experiences in both instrumental and vocal collaborative piano literature and topics in preparation for a wide array of professional roles and situations, and interactions with the Conservatory’s talented students and renowned faculty. Students will present a final collaborative piano recital. Specific required courses that form the backbone of this degree emphasis include individual weekly collaborative piano lessons; collaborative piano literature courses in strings, winds and brass, and vocal literature (students choose from a menu of advanced literature in art song and opera), the advanced accompanying course, lyric diction, and chamber music. Students fully focus on guided experiences in the vast literature and experiences within the rich resources of the Conservatory, playing in lessons, studio classes, and recitals through assigned partnerships, where they receive additional coaching from other faculty.

Master of Arts: Music –Collaborative Piano emphasis
The Master of Arts with an Area of Concentration in Collaborative Piano allows students to pursue a concentration in Collaborative Piano with focused lessons, classes, and coached experiences in both instrumental and vocal collaborative literature and topics, interacting with the Conservatory’s talented students and renowned faculty. In addition to core courses, students have 8 elective credits to explore additional areas of interest. By the end of the degree, students will present a culminating final project which could entail a recital or lecture-recital of works for collaborative piano.

Collaborative Piano courses available for all piano majors:

Undergraduate Courses:
CONSVTY 111          Introduction to Collaboration for Pianists I
CONSVTY 112          Introduction to Collaboration for Pianists II
CONSVTY 303K       Piano Accompanying (Ensemble)
CONSVTY 305A       Principals of Chamber Music

Graduate Courses:
CONSVTY 5503       Advanced Accompanying for Pianists
CONSVTY 5571       Collaborative Literature for Piano with Strings
CONSVTY 5572       Collaborative Literature for Piano with Woodwinds/Brass
CONVTY 5305A       Principals of Chamber Music
PIANO 5502             Applied lessons in Collaborative Piano 
CONSVTY 5564       History and Literature of Chamber Music

Additional graduate courses, recommended for those interested in Collaborative Piano:
CONSVTY 5577        Advanced Vocal Diction                                
CONSVTY 5566A     Advanced Vocal Literature (French)                
CONSVTY 5566B     Advanced Vocal Literature (German)                
CONSVTY 5566C     Advanced Vocal Literature (Nationalistic Art Songs)
CONSVTY 5566D     Advanced Vocal Lit. (20thC American/English Art Songs)
CONSVTY 5548       Opera Literature                                                 
CONSVTY 5547       Opera History