Tonal Music Theory Review for Teachers, Composers, and Arrangers
Date
February 12-May 3, 2024
Course Number
7114a
Credits
3 Graduate Credits*
Tuition
$1,125 is due in full with registration. A $15 Early Bird Discount will be applied until January 14.
Course Description
An online refresher course of basic and chromatic theory. Candidates who need to brush up on their knowledge of theory before registering for a course in arranging should consider this elective. Theory Review will also serve as residency electives for students seeking a master of music education degree at VanderCook.
*Students enrolled in the MMEd degree program at VanderCook may register for this course at the 500-level through the student portal. Please contact Dean Sinclair at [email protected] if academic advising is needed.
Instructor
Dr. Olivia I-Hsuan Tsai is a Professor of Piano at VanderCook College of Music and an internationally acclaimed pianist, scholar, educator, and arts leader. Known for championing culturally diverse repertoire, she actively expands the pedagogical canon through cross-cultural programming, with a focus on music of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Tsai frequently presents at major national and international conferences, including the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), College Music Society (CMS), and Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA).
As a soloist, Dr. Tsai has performed with the Qingdao Concert Hall Orchestra, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Highland Park Strings. Her extensive chamber music career spans North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, with prominent festival appearances at the Aspen Music Festival, Musicorda Music Festival, Portugal’s Algarve Music Festival, and Brazil’s Oficina and Curitiba Music Festivals.
Passionate about scholarship and community engagement, Dr. Tsai authored Schubert’s Piano Trios (Scholar’s Press, 2014) and was named Guest Professor at Lanzhou Northwestern University in 2017. In 2018, she co-founded the Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation DBA Concert In Allcorners, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting music of diverse cultural influences through educational outreach, concerts, and community programming in schools, libraries, and artistic spaces.
Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Tsai moved to the United States in 1993. She earned both her Bachelor of Music (with High Scholastic Achievement) and Master of Music in piano and bassoon from Indiana University as an Emma E. Claus Scholar. She later earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she also taught in the Preparatory Department. Her early accolades include top honors in the Buckeye Piano Competition, Graves Piano Competition, and Taiwan’s Young Artist Series.