The Chicago College of Performing Arts is proud to announce that four Roosevelt students have been selected to present at the “Collegiate Connections” webinar for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. These four students (Justin Gjata, Boqian Jing, Anna Pastrana and Kyungmin Yang) will present their selected proposal titled, “Diversifying Soundscapes from Beginners’ Teaching Methods.” The students will perform in Mikowsky Hall, with the webinar streaming on Friday, April 26, 2024, from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Central/11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. Register for the webinar.
The four students are currently completing their second semester of a yearlong piano pedagogy course sequence at CCPA. Their accepted proposal showcases their “professional growth as teachers, scholars and pianists,” according to their faculty mentor, Dr. Yeeseon Kwon.
Justin Gjata is a senior student at CCPA and studies in the studio of Dr. Winston Choi. On top of classical music, Justin enjoys dabbling in jazz and improvisation. Boqian Jing is also a senior and is currently studying Piano Performance with minors in composition and philosophy. Boqian is particularly interested in minimalism and the use of polyrhythm and polytonality in music. He also explores those concepts while teaching piano and music theory. Anna Pastrana began her musical journey at Moscow Stasov Music School, earning numerous accolades and awards. She continued her studies in Chicago while winning competitions and honing her skills. She is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree. Kyungmin Yang is in his junior year and has performed as a chamber, collaborative and solo pianist in various venues. He is studying piano performance with Edward Auer and Junghwa Moon Auer.
Dr. Kwon is delighted by the news, saying, “I am so proud of the CCPA undergraduate piano pedagogy class, who were among the four Collegiate Connections proposals selected nationally for a showcase of their group presentation.” Dr. Kwon serves as the program director of core studies and associate professor at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She is Director of Institutional Engagement at the Frances Clark Center, Column Editor for Books, Materials & Music for Piano Magazine and Vice President of the College Music Society.
The Collegiate Connections from the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy is a national professional engagement initiative for students and faculty, and supports the innovative work of emerging leaders, scholars and artists. The Collegiate Connections event will highlight the outstanding projects of pedagogy and collegiate groups and foster global community engagement among group collegiate cohorts and faculty. The program aims to foster peer connections and collaborations through the exchange of ideas, scholarship and dialogue from across the country.
