About Susan….
About Me…
I am a Professional Pianist and Musician. I have over 35 years of experience teaching piano, accompanying, and performing, both professionally and privately.
I am American and currently living in Germany. I studied at the University of Alabama School of Music in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. While living in Tuscaloosa, I worked as a Piano Teacher at the University of Alabama Community Music School. I speak German and have two (2) degrees from the University of Alabama (USA), including a music degree in piano performance and an engineering degree in civil engineering. I worked as an engineer for Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG in the US and Germany for more than 15 years. During this time, I served as a manager in the engineering department for more than 5 years. I have been living and working in Germany since 2018. I opened my private piano studio in Germany in 2021.
Music is my Passion, and I love to share the gift of music!
The University of Alabama, School of Music, Tuscaloosa, AL USA
My Education
The University of Alabama, School of Music
Moody Music Concert Hall
photo courtesy of The University of Alabama School of Music
B.M. (Bachelor of Music),
Piano Performance
Graduation May 2007
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
https://music.ua.edu
Master of Music credits
in Piano Performance from The University of Alabama and Music Education from The University of Florida
Extended Music studies at The Juilliard School
Julliard Extension at The Juilliard School
New York, NY
https://www.juilliard.edu/stage-beyond/juilliard-extension
B.S. (Bachelor of Science),
Civil Engineering
Graduation May 1999
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
https://eng.ua.edu
Professional Certifications & Associations
Music Teachers National Association (MNTA); www.mtna.org
Lean Manufacturing Expert Certification, The University of Kentucky; https://www.engr.uky.edu
Registered Environmental Manager #660965208
My Piano background …
I started playing piano at the age of 6. From age 13, I began to study advanced piano performance at the college level*. During summers and in private, I studied at the University of Alabama until I graduated from High School. Throughout high school, I competed in competitions and won awards for classical piano performance.
I studied piano performance on scholarship at the University of Alabama under the instruction of Amanda Penick and performed on her weekly television program, The Pianist at Work. I received a Bachelor of Music (B.M) in Piano Performance from the University of Alabama in 2007. I have Master of Music course credits in Piano Performance and Music Education from The University of Alabama and The University of Florida respectively.** I am enrolled and pursuing extended music history and piano education courses at The Juilliard School. I studied German Language (B2-C1 level) at the Goethe Institute in Germany and hold German Language Certifications from the Goethe Institute.
*at Snead State Community College under the instruction of piano professor, Dr. Melinda Kitchens Brooks.
**In addition, I hold a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama, two (2) Lean Manufacturing Expert Certifications from the University of Kentucky College of Engineering.
