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Simone Parker

Adjunct Faculty, Intro to Music Theory, Piano, Alexander Technique

Simone Parker

Simone Parker joined the Austin Peay State University (APSU) department of music faculty as an adjunct instructor in 2012 and teaches piano, violin and viola at her independent studio, Sparkling Keys and Strings. Since Spring 2015, she has offered group and private sessions in the Alexander Technique. As a member of the faculty at the Madison Street Music and Arts Academy, she directs the Clarksville Youth String Orchestra.

Since 2014 Simone Parker is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), accredited through the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). In 2010, she was awarded the Excellence of Teaching Award from the APSU-Community School of the Arts. The award recognizes Simone Parker for her continuous and consistent dedication to realizing the very best from her students, teaching them that in music as in life, great endeavors bring great rewards.

In addition, Mrs. Parker regularly accompanies and performs with APSU music students and has been the music director at a local church. During the Summer, she presents various summer camps and has been actively involved with the APSU Piano Summer Camp.

In spring 2011, Simone Parker founded the Grace Note Youth String Orchestra, now the Clarksville Youth String Orchestra. The orchestra provides students the opportunity to play and perform in an ensemble from early on in addition to individual instruction/group lessons. The ensemble is divided into three divisions:

Mrs. Parker currently directs and conducts the ensemble, which is open to string students of all ages.

In the past, she has been on the faculty at the APSU Community School of the Arts, the Pennyroyal Arts Academy, and the First Clarksville Conservatory. She has also tutored Music Appreciation, Music Analysis, and Music Theory at the APSU Academic Support Center.

Training/Education

Simone Parker has a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) in Piano Performance and a Master in Music (with honors) in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Austin Peay State University (APSU). There, she studied piano and composition with Dr. Jeffrey Wood and piano pedagogy with Dr. Patricia Halbeck. Simone Parker has participated in Master Classes with Awadagin Pratt, John Roberts and Ilya Poletaev, William Bennett and the Claremont Trio. She has further studied accompanying with Dr. Mary Alice Domenica, Dr. Eunbyol Ko and Ann Glass. On the violin and viola, she has studied with Dr. Emily Hanna Crane, Alvaro Gomez and Douglas Droste.

Mrs. Parker continued her professional study with Sally Ahner, a certified Alexander Technique (AT) teacher, and graduated from a three year teacher certification process with the Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies Program. The Alexander Technique is a practical discipline to develop body and mind coordination and to create ease of movement and flexibility. To fund her AT studies, she has received the MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grant and Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award. In Fall 2015 she became a certified Alexander Technique teacher accredited through the professional organization Alexander Technique International (ATI)

During her graduate studies, Simone Parker has participated and won in many research based competitions. At the APSU Graduate Extravaganza, which showcases graduate research and creative activities, and the annual APSU Research Forum, she received first prize with her research and performance of "Five Pieces for Piano by George Crumb: Expanding the Colors of Sound." This composition, written in 1962, is a work that uses a variety of unusual techniques for piano played both inside and outside of the instrument. The research provided an overview over George Crumb’s life. With a demonstration of the variety of techniques employed, the research focused primarily on the pianist’s preparation for the performance and concluded with a life performance.

In Spring 2010, Simone Parker won the APSU Concerto Competition and performed the first movement of the Piano Concerto in G major by Maurice Ravel with the APSU Symphony Orchestra.

Simone Parker was a founding member of the Piano Trio at APSU. The ensemble focused on repertoire written for violin, clarinet and piano (Simone Parker) and has worked together for several semesters. In Spring 2010, the Trio participated in the first APSU Graduate Extravaganza, showcasing graduate research and creative activities. The ensemble won first prize in the creative arts category with their "Video Performance of Suite, op. 157b for violin, clarinet and piano by Darius Milhaud."

In 2008, Simone Parker was elected Presser Scholar, an honor award based on merit and achievement, and is part of the Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Gamma Beta Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Societies. In addition, she is currently a member of the following societies: Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Federation of Music Clubs(NFMC), and Alexander Technique International (ATI). She regularly attends the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) and has completed the Every Child Can! Suzuki Teacher Training. Previous memberships include: National Association for Music Education (NAfME, former MENC) and Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA)

As a native of Germany, Simone Parker speaks fluent German and English. While living in Germany, she has earned a Bachelor degree in International Business Administration from the Berufsakademie Mosbach - Bad Mergentheim. The degree was coupled with a student internship at an international renowned company. For more information please visit her website:  www.simoneparker.org

Email:  parkersa@apsu.edu
Phone: (931) 221-7818
Music/Mass Communication Building, Room 370