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Description
The purpose of this thesis is twofold: first, to compare the generational similarities and differences of female piano teachers; and second, to discover if and how a former generation of teachers has adapted their studio practices to the twenty-first century. This study is specific to female piano teachers who (a) taught piano lessons between of January 1, 1970, and December 31, 1979, and were between eighteen and forty years of age during the decade, or (b) taught piano lessons between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2009, and were between eighteen and forty years of age during the decade. The study includes, but is not limited to, the following: demographics of teachers and their students; business procedures used in the private studio; choice of musical materials and teaching aids; and technological changes within the piano studio. Comparisons were made in thirteen areas. Significant similarities were in the areas of student demographics and repertoire. The average student of both generations was female and between eight and ten years of age. Teachers from both generations incorporated a through mixture of repertoire from all musical periods and did not intentionally incorporate music by women composers. Although there were similarities between the generations, there were significant differences in education, professional involvement, teaching methods, and lessons and rates. When the two generations were compared, the younger generation possessed half as many bachelor's degrees in piano as the older generation did in the 1970s. During their respective decades, the older generation taught six to ten students weekly, while the average teacher of the younger generation taught one to five students weekly. The older generation charged $2.00 more for private thirty-minute lessons than the younger generation, but the younger generation charged about $2.50 more for forty-five-minute lessons and about $4.00 more for hour lessons. Approximately one-fifth of the older generation adapted to the twenty-first century through the use of websites. The older generation's use of computer programs, keyboards, and MIDI disks exhibited elements of modernization. Each generation favored a different published teaching method. Because the younger generation had not yet incorporated transposition, composition, and creative exercises into their lessons, the older generation reflected a more comprehensive approach to teaching. A majority of the older teachers indicated they were not the sole provider for themselves or their families. Approximately 47% of the younger teachers were not the sole financial providers for themselves or their families. When both generations were between eighteen and forty years of age, twice as many teachers of the older generation had the responsibility of children who lived with them.
