Corbin Calloway
Piano Immersion Program
Hey there! I’m Corbin.
I’m a pianist and pedagogue who’s passionate about teaching smart, quirky, inquisitive kids. While I teach students ranging from absolute beginners through advanced/professional level repertoire, I get especially excited about working with kids early on in their musical development. Building technique and musical literacy from the ground up and seeing the lightbulbs go off along the way is one of my favorite aspects of teaching.
I get crazy excited about:
- Helping students play something they didn’t think they’d be able to play.
- Music theory. Yeah, I’m a nerd like that. It’s part of my mission to get my students excited about it, too!
- Board games, goats, and going to Vermont.
- Avant-garde pieces, especially ones that use extended techniques. You should see how excited kids can get about arm clusters and overtones!
- Composing new music to address specific challenges students are facing or to show off their strengths in performance.
- Students sharing random tidbits from their lives with me. I don’t talk down to my students; I try to talk to them like they’re friends – just with different interests, depending on their age! Connection leads to better learning, so I’m always happy to hear about their science project or new pet or most recent LEGO masterpiece.
- Seeing students’ hard work pay off when they get a great score in RCM exams, place in a competition, or take a bow after a great performance.
- Students making connections. “This rhythm is the same as the rhythm from that other piece!” “I think this sounds like it could be from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack!” “When I play these three notes down here, it sounds like an elephant stomping through mud!” etc.
Want some more details on me?
- I have a Bachelor of Music in piano performance with minors in piano pedagogy and music theory from Oberlin Conservatory, a Master of Music in piano performance from New England Conservatory, and a Graduate Performance Diploma in piano performance, also from New England Conservatory.
- I started playing piano when I was 3 (my mom was a piano teacher) and started teaching when I was 13. I’ve been teaching for (ahem) quite a few years now! Along with teaching privately for 20+ years, I taught at the Oberlin Conservatory Community Music Piano Lab, was on the faculty of the Rappahannock Summer Music Camp, and have adjudicated a number of piano competitions in the Washington DC area.
- My performance experience includes solo appearances throughout the East coast and collaborative work in locations including Boston’s renowned Jordan Hall with ensembles such as the Boston Philharmonic and Boston’s leading new music ensemble, Callithumpian Consort. Locally, I perform chamber music regularly with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra.
- My teachers have included Dr. Marjorie Lee, Robert Shannon, and Stephen Drury.