B.M. Keyboard

The Piano Department at California State University Northridge has a seventy-year history of excellence. As one of the premier piano departments of the greater Los Angeles area and a leader of its kind in the California State University system, the piano area continues to attract serious and highly qualified students from the United States and from abroad. All piano students, beginning with their freshman year, are taught by members of the faculty and not by teaching assistants. The students greatly benefit from the faculty’s individual attention and from a supportive, encouraging atmosphere in the department.

CSUN piano graduates have gone on to pursue graduate and doctoral degrees at such schools as Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Yale, New England Conservatory and Indiana University, to name just a few.  The piano curriculum in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy prepares students for a variety of professional activities. During their course of studies at CSUN, piano majors are given an opportunity to develop their skills in solo performance, as well as with chamber music, accompanying and piano ensemble. 

Our piano students are given ample performance opportunities at weekly studio class in MUS432/L, and during master classes by visiting artists.  The Chamber Music and Piano Ensemble classes culminate in end-of-semester public performances. Additionally, the CSUN music department holds a yearly concerto competition, and over the years many piano students have performed concertos with the CSUN Symphony Orchestra as a result of winning the competition.

Piano Degrees

The Piano Area of the CSUN Music Department offers the following undergraduate degree programs:

• Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance
• Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy

The acceptance and placement in one of these degree programs are determined by the quality of the audition and by the goals and interests of the student.

Courses offered in the piano area include Applied Piano, Keyboard Literature, Master Class, Functional Keyboard Skills, Piano Accompanying, Piano Ensemble, Chamber Music, and Piano Pedagogy.

Piano Pedagogy

All piano majors are required to take two semesters of pedagogy courses  Those students seeking a B.M. degree in piano pedagogy take four semesters of pedagogy. Descriptions of the four courses in piano pedagogy follow.

Pedagogy 1 (MUS 461A/L)

Foundations and principles of piano pedagogy. Emphasis on the development of methodology and standards in piano teaching and the development of practical teaching strategies. Supervised practice teaching is provided.

Pedagogy 2 (MUS 461B/L)

Presentation and analysis of intermediate and advanced procedures for piano instruction. Supervised practice teaching is provided.

Pedagogy 3 (MUS 478A/L)

Study and analysis of intermediate and advanced piano literature, business procedures, and pedagogical and technological aids for the piano teacher. Application of literature, teaching aids, and software in supervised and individual and group teaching situations, in a variety of settings and at various levels of advancement.

Pedagogy 4 (MUS 478B/L)

Application of literature, teaching aids and software in supervised group teaching situations, in a wide variety of class piano settings and at various levels of advancement. Study and analysis of piano literature, pedagogical and technological aids for the piano teacher to use in group settings.

Edward Francis Piano Resource Collection

The Edward Francis Piano Resource Collection, housed in Cypress Hall Room 239, is one of the most comprehensive collections of piano teaching materials in the country. The collection began when the family of the late Edward Francis, a CSUN alumnus and piano faculty member, donated his extensive library. The collection has been augmented by generous donations of music and books from other CSUN alumni, former faculty members, and friends of the piano area. Included in the collection are:

• Standard Solo and Concerto Performance Repertoire
• Standard Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire
• Pedagogical Materials and Supplementary Teaching Materials
• Collection of Piano Music by Black Composers
• Books on Piano and Piano Pedagogy

Organ & Harpsichord Degrees

The Organ Area of the CSUN Music Department offers the following undergraduate and graduate degree programs:

• Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance
• Bachelor of Arts with an Organ Emphasis

Acceptance into one of these degree programs is determined by the quality of the audition and by the goals and interests of the student.

Courses offered in the Organ Area include Applied Organ, Organ Literature and Masterclass in Church Music. Organ students also take course offerings in the Piano Area (for example, Functional Keyboard Skills) and the Choral Music Area (for example, Choral Conducting and Choral Literature), among others.