A History of the Goshen College Piano Workshop and Academy
The seed for a Goshen College piano workshop was planted in the beginnings of the Goshen College Piano Preparatory Department in the late 1960s. In 1966, associate professor of piano Kathryn Sherer joined forces with John O'Brien who was then teaching in a private studio in Elkhart (In.). Together they set up group lesson activities along with private lessons for 10 young students who were enrolled in the budding program.
Statistics are scarce from those beginning years, but we know that by 1973 there were five teachers registered for a 3 1/2 week pedagogy course and 37 teachers for the five-day workshop. Most of these came from neighboring states, but some came from as far away as Virginia, Montana, and Ontario, Canada. In addition to the teachers, there were 14 students enrolled for the summer. Special guests and clinicians for that year's workshop were Carol Rosenberger, Frances Clark and Louise Goss.
As word of the program spread, there was interest from teachers in outlying areas to come with their students during the summer to learn from the Goshen experience. In the first few years this was done by informal arrangement, but by the summer of 1970, Kathryn Sherer recognized this event as an ongoing annual "piano workshop."
Clinicians and Staff of Past Workshops
Year
Guest Clinicians
Goshen College Staff
1973
Carol Rosenberger
Frances Clark
Louise Goss
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Veronica Roth
1974
Elvina Truman Pearce
John O’Brien
Mary K. Oyer
1975
Elvina Truman Pearce
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Doyle Preheim
Veronica Roth
1976
Marvin Blickenstaff
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Philip Clemens
1977
Louise Goss
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Bettie M. Norman
Veronica Roth
1978
Elvina Truman Pearce
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
1979
Joseph Banowetz
Marvin Blickenstaff
Celia Weiss
Mary K. Oyer
1980
Nelita True
Marvin Blickenstaff
Laura Jane Fuller
Kathryn Sherer
Celia Weiss
1981
Enid Katahn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Celia Weiss
1982
Nelita True
Sr. Marjorie Delaplane
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1983
Eloise Ristad
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
James Goldsworthy
1984
Jane Magrath
John Owings
Marvin Blickenstaff
1985
Joan Conway
Maurice Hinson
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1986
Wolfgang Rubsam
Christopher Leuz
Mary Jo Schmidt
Larry Rast
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
David Mosley
1987
Arthur Becknell Donald Walker
Marvin Blickenstaff
Mary Jo Schmidt
Douglas Bomberger
Mary Louise Hooley
1988
Seymour Bernstein
Marion Hall
Kathryn Sherer
Mary Jo Schmidt
Mary Louise Hooley
Lon Sherer
1989
Barbara English Maris
James Goldsworthy
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1990
Anne Farber
Fernando Laires
Virgil Smith
Karen Taylor
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1991
Malcolm Bilson
David Breckbill
Andrew Trechak
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1992
Nelita True
Cathy Albergo
Jeffrey Jacob
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1993
Elvina Truman Pearce
John O’Brien
Sam Holland
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
Chris Thögersen
Lon Sherer
1994
Marilyn Neeley
Judith Bettina
James Goldsworthy
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
1995
Brian Ganz
Douglas Bomberger
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
1996
Jane Magrath
Paul Barnes
Karin Edwards
Yat-Yee Chong
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Arlene Steffen
1997
Phyllis Lehrer
Douglas Bomberger
Martha K. Smith
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Kathryn Sherer
1998
Marilyn Neeley
Anne Farber
Robert Vandall
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Kathryn Sherer
1999
Robert Duke
Catherine Rollin
Marvin Blickenstaff
2000
Nancy and Randall Faber
Marilyn Houser Hamm
John Owings
Karen Zorn
Yat-Yee Chong
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
David Gross
Matthew Hill