Expert Lectures on Music Study, Piano & Autism at Crane School on Feb. 5 & 6

POTSDAM, NY (02/02/2012)(readMedia)-- Dr. Scott Price from the University of South Carolina will be visiting SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music on Feb. 5 and 6 to host an event, while presenting four lectures about piano and music study and how people with autism can master them both.

Price will begin his visit by holding a masterclass with Crane pianists in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Monday, Feb. 6, Price will present several lectures throughout the day, beginning with a general discussion about "Music Study and Autism" at 9 a.m. in the Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall. At 11 a.m., he will present "Contemporary Issues in Educating Individuals with Autism" in Marie A. Schuette Hall Room A311, followed by "Piano Study and Autism: A Basic Teaching Vocabulary" at 1 p.m. in the same room. Price will wrap up the day with a presentation about "Piano Study and Autism: The Next Step" in Wakefield Hall.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impaired communication and emotional detachment.

Price is one of the foremost leaders in the U.S. for working with students with special needs at the piano. He currently serves as an associate professor of piano, piano pedagogy and coordinator of group piano at the University of South Carolina School of Music. He is also the creator and co-editor of the online piano pedagogy journal "Piano Pedagogy Forum," has recorded 13 compact discs of educational piano music for Alfred Publishing Company and has published education compositions. His teaching interests include teaching students with disabilities, children and teaching keyboard improvisation to students at all levels. Dr. Price is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and pedagogy.

All of the lectures are free, and the public is welcome to attend. This visit is sponsored by the Crane Piano Pedagogy Program and Music in Special Education.

To find out more about the other events on the busy Crane School of Music events calendar, visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011-12.

-www.potsdam.edu/crane-