The development of piano pedagogy in Taiwan, with portraits of eight important teachers

The purpose of this study is to trace the evolution of piano pedagogy in Taiwan, to identify the trend of various time periods, and to survey the teaching and contributions of eight important Taiwanese piano teachers in Taiwan's musical development. An examination of Taiwan's overall musical development and current piano education system are included in the first two chapters to provide the context for the subject. The final chapter includes an evaluation of the current Taiwanese piano pedagogy and music education system as well as suggestions for future success.;The third chapter, which discusses the development of piano pedagogy in Taiwan and eight important teachers, is organized chronologically. General characteristics of each time period are followed by a discussion of the most influential teacher(s) of that era. For each teacher, a brief biographical sketch precedes interviews with the teacher and some of his/her students; a brief concluding summary highlights the characteristics of each teacher.;The early trends of piano pedagogy in Taiwan were initiated around the year 1940 by a group of Japanese-trained Taiwanese pianists who taught primarily finger strength and offered limited music knowledge. The arrivals of the Japanese pianist, Azusa Fujita, the Austrian-American maestro, Robert Scholz, and the Chinese pianist, Wu Emane, in the early 1960s raised the level of playing to include better technique and more sensitive interpretation. Beginning in the 1970s, a new generation of European-trained Taiwanese pianists helped to develop the current piano pedagogical trends, which include the teaching of modern pianism and inspiring an in-depth understanding of Western musical style. With Taiwanese pianists continuing to return from their studies abroad, the new trends truly took root in the 1980s. Today, Taiwanese piano students have a command of piano technique and interpretation and a breadth of repertoire increasingly similar to those of students in Western countries.