Ann M. Gipson

Division Chair, Piano
Director of Piano Pedagogy Studies
Associate Professor of Piano
Music
Walsh Performing Arts 133

a.gipson@tcu.edu | 817-257-6312

Education

BM, Piano Performance, Eastern Illinois University, 1982
MM, Piano Performance and Pedagogy, University of Oklahoma, 1985
Ph.D. Music Education w/ an Emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, 1992

Courses Taught

Beginning Piano Pedagogy
Intermediate Piano Pedagogy
Class Piano I and II
Graduate Piano Pedagogy and Practicum I
Graduate Piano Pedagogy and Practicum II
Current Trends/Research in Piano Pedagogy
Lecture Recital
Internship in Teaching

Areas of Focus

Piano pedagogy and the process of teaching children and adults in both private and group settings.

Since 2005, Dr. Ann Gipson has served as Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Piano Pedagogy at TCU specializing in teaching piano pedagogy and group piano. In addition to teaching piano pedagogy, she teaches class piano and directs the Pedagogy Laboratory Program, a program of group and individual instruction for pre-college students. Prior to her appointment to TCU, she held faculty positions at Baylor University, Oklahoma Baptist University, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Delta State University, and the University of Kentucky.

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Eastern Illinois University and both a Master of Music degree and the Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied piano with Dr. Jane Magrath and piano pedagogy with Dr. Jane Magrath and Dr. E. L. Lancaster.

Her articles have appeared in Clavier, AMT, Keyboard Companion, Alfred Piano Rendezvous, and Piano Pedagogy Forum. She has served as a clinician and adjudicator in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Kentucky and has appeared on the programs of the MTNA National Conference and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. In addition, Gipson enjoys collaborative performing and has accompanied numerous choral festivals.

She has been an active member of MTNA since 1978, holding the state offices of Oklahoma state President, President-elect, and Vice president of Local Associations and Collegiate Chapters. At the national level, she was Conference Program Chair for the 2004 and 2005 MTNA National Conferences, and served on committees for Collegiate Certification and the RMM/Group Specialist Program.  She has served as MTNA President-elect, MTNA President (2009-2011), and MTNA Immediate Past President. She served as the co-chair of the Committee on Collegiate Pedagogy Teaching for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and currently, she serves as the certification chair for the Fort Worth Music Teachers Association.

Gipson was named a Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellow, 2011-2013, was selected as the 2017 OMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association, and in 2018 received the Distinguished Service Award from Music Teachers National Association. In 2019 she received an Outstanding Service Award by the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and in 2020 received the Outstanding Collegiate Teacher Award by Texas Music Teachers Association. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda national music honor society and holds the MTNA Professional Certification with the designation, Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM).

Presentations:

  • “Developing the Language of Music Through Creative Activities.”
  • “Steps to Musical Success: Let the Hearing Come First.”
  • “Impressions of Music: Developing Skills to Play Impressionist Pieces Through Sequenced Literature.”
  • “Tools of the Trade: Practical Skills for a Lifetime of Musical Enjoyment.”
  • “Motivating Piano Students with Familiar Music.”
  • “Group Piano Teacher or Zoo Keeper? Taming the Animals in Your Piano Class.”
  • “Turning Play into Play: Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation in Music Students.”
  • “Nurturing Resiliency in Music Students.”

MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Distinguished Service Award (2018)

OMTA (Oklahoma Music Teachers Association) Distinguished Teacher of the Year (2017)

Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellow (2011-2013)

TCU College of Fine Arts Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award (2022)

TMTA (Texas Music Teachers Association) Outstanding Collegiate Teacher Award (2020)

NCKP (National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy) Outstanding Service Award (2019)

Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, Professional Certification through MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) since 1998.

Music Teachers National Association

Texas Music Teachers Association

Fort Worth Music Teachers Association

Pi Kappa Lambda

Past President, MTNA National President

Past President, OMTA State President