CMFAA User Profile

Mary has adjudicated both online and in person Festivals and an example of her style of adjudicating can be seen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FH9fMedzrifg2Gy96
For Online adjudicating, Mary enjoys doing video feedback where she highlights positive aspects of the performance and demonstrates improvements on the piano.
For In Person adjudicating Mary is very flexible on the type of feedback based on the time requirements of the Festival. When there is time, Mary enjoys doing a mini workshop with students, but if there are time constraints she can be specific in her written comments. For all Festival classes, it is very important to Mary that each student is congratulated for their performance (regardless of how it went that day) and encouraged to continue their study of music. In her verbal feedback Mary likes to talk to each student individually and give both positive and constructive feedback. Depending on the age/level of the student and the performance presented, Mary will choose to address some of the following topics: Musical Expression, Accuracy, Tempo, Rhythm, Technique, Interpretation, Stage Presentation and Stylistic Elements.
Mary is comfortable adjudicating all ages and levels in piano due to her extensive teaching experience at the Merriam School of Music where she is the manager of the Enriched Studies Program. Mary has been teaching piano for over 25 years and many of her students have achieved significant awards/scholarships and pursued music post secondary. Mary enjoys teaching a wide variety of music genres including classical, jazz and pop and is comfortable with both in person and online teaching. An exciting by-product of the recent pandemic is that Mary's studio now includes students from across North America. Through the Enriched Program, Mary teaches group and private lessons as well as masterclasses and workshops.
As a faculty member at Merriam Music, Mary is currently the Head of School Programming and has also held the positions of Piano Department Head and Director of Examinations for many years. As Director of Examinations, Mary was integral in the development of the Keyfest Curriculum and Examination System for all instruments and levels. She co-wrote the Examination Syllabus for piano and implemented the Keyfest Examiner Training Program.
As a clinician, Mary runs seminars on Performance Technique and Injury Prevention. She studied at the Golandsky Institute in New York City where she acquired in depth training on piano technique and coordinate movement. Mary is active as an adjudicator for Music Festivals in Canada and can also be seen performing as a collaborative pianist for instrumentalists and singers throughout the GTA.