Contact: Amber Scarberry
Telephone: (502) 451-1831
Email: ascarberry@gistpianocenter.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROLAND HIRES GIST PIE TEACHER TO CONDUCT KENTUCKY EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS
LEXINGTON, KY., July 13 - Roland Corporation announced today that Lexington native, Beth Mankel, has joined their U.S. Piano Education Team. Owner and operator of “[Studio] 88” – Lexington’s largest group piano education facility, Mankel specializes in helping today’s piano students become well-rounded musicians. “We spend so much time preparing piano students for careers in classical music,” says Mankel, “even though we know that only a tiny percentage of them will actually be professional, classical pianists. At [Studio] 88, we emphasize classical training, but we mix in sight-reading skills, improvisation, orchestration and the ability to perform in an ensemble setting.”
Mankel received her piano performance degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1986. In 1988, she received her piano education certification from EKU and began teaching piano lessons in the Lexington area. Performing with her band, “The Beth Mankel Group” at venues all over town, Mankel understands the plight of “practical musicianship” – a perspective that’s hard to find in the piano education community.
“Beth takes her knowledge of music and technology and fuses them together so seamlessly that her students don’t even realize they’re on the cutting edge,” says James Harding, Director of Marketing for Gist Piano Center. “We know that students who participate in computer-assisted learning learn 60% faster than traditional students. It’s Beth’s unique understanding of this trend that caught my attention – and Roland’s.”
As her first “Roland Clinic,” Mankel will conduct a seminar for the American Choral Director’s Association’s state convention in Louisville on July 19th. Her presentation entitled “Using Technology to Fund Your Music Program” will focus on the roll technology has played in transforming today’s music classrooms and funding the next generation of music production. The program will be held at 11am at Louisville’s Highland Baptist Church. More information on this event is available at ACDA’s website - www.KYACDA.org.
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About Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of electronic musical instruments, including keyboards and synthesizers, guitar products, electronic percussion, digital recording equipment, amplifiers, audio processors, and multimedia products. With nearly 40 years of musical instrument development, Roland sets the standard in music technology for the world to follow. For more information, visit http://www.RolandUS.com.