Lori Rhoden maintains an active schedule as a performing artist, clinician, teacher and adjudicator. She has performed in China, Korea, Canada, and throughout the United States. In 2011 she completed the Southwest China Piano Pedagogy Project as a USA Fulbright Specialist grant recipient. She has been a piano faculty member at the MasterWorks Festival since 2002, and the Piano Program Director for MasterWorks since 2006. She has been a piano instructor twice for the Yamaha Passport to Music program onboard Crystal Cruises. Rhoden has collaborated frequently with clarinetist Elizabeth Crawford, including performances on the recordings “Instant Winners” and “Instant Winners Volume 2” on the Albany label. She has released two solo albums: “Shall We Gather,” a recording of hymns and spiritual songs, and “Christmas Joy,” both available online.
A passionate teacher, Rhoden is Professor of Music Performance and Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy and Group Piano at Ball State University, where she teaches piano, piano pedagogy, and group piano. She has presented conference sessions and/or research posters for the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) national conferences, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and state and local music teacher associations. She has been a member of the Research Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and been published in American Music Teacher, Clavier and Keyboard Companion.
Rhoden completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Pedagogy/Performance at the University of South Carolina, Master of Church Music degree and Performer’s Certificate at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Bachelor of Music Education degree and Certificate in Piano Performance at Florida State University. She has studied piano with Maurice Hinson, Charles Fugo, Leonard Mastrogiacomo, Carolyn Bridger, Leonidas Lipovetsky, and Karyl Louwenaar Leuck. An active member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), she has served on various national committees and is a past-president of the state affiliate Indiana Music Teachers Association (IMTA). She has served on the IMTA Board of Directors since 1999 (currently as chair of the state collegiate chapters) and has been honored with both the IMTA Teacher of the Year and Distinguished Service awards.
