10:00 a.m. CAMTA BuSINESS MEETING
11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program
Derek Kealii Polischuk, Professor of Piano and Director of Piano Pedagogy, Michigan State University
"The Sound of Understanding: Piano Teaching and Neurodivergent Brilliance"
The Sound of Understanding explores the transformative potential of piano teaching for students with autism, drawing on real-world experiences and research-based strategies. Dr. Derek Polischuk shares insights from his work with neurodivergent pianists, illustrating how musical instruction can become a vehicle for connection, self-expression, and growth. This session offers practical tools for piano teachers seeking to create inclusive, responsive studios where students with autism can thrive. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of autism, an appreciation for diverse ways of learning and communicating, and new approaches to teaching that honor the individuality of every pianist.
BIOGRAPHY
Derek Kealii Polischuk is professor of piano and director of piano pedagogy at the Michigan State University College of Music. Originally from San Diego, Polischuk studied with Krzysztof Brzuza before attending the University of Southern California, where he received the Doctor of Music Arts degree in Piano Performance with distinction under the tutelage of Daniel Pollack.
Polischuk’s 2013 solo piano recording “Terra Incognita” for the Blue Griffin label has received international critical acclaim. Colin Clark of Fanfare Magazine wrote, “The Schubert receives an excellent performance from Polischuk. Shadings are perfectly judged, and Schubert’s sense of timelessness is superbly judged, finding the pianist testing the boundaries of what constitutes too much without actually transgressing. The playful F-Minor offers pure joy.” Lawrence Consentino wrote, “Polischuk hits every chord with a sweet weight. Every now and then, a set of notes tumbles down like flecks of snow breezed from a crow’s nest, with no evident human touch. With a warm but not ingratiating touch, he lets the music resound as if it were coming from inside your mind… ‘Terra Incognita’ is a thought-provoking mix of sensual pleasure and deep reflection.” Of Polischuk’s recording “Latin American Music for 2 Pianos” with pianist Sarkis Baltaian, James Harrington of American Record Guide wrote, “I cannot imagine anyone listening to this and not being drawn in.”
An enthusiastic supporter of the education of musicians at every age, ability and background, Polischuk has been a clinician at conferences around the world, including the Music Teachers National Association, the National Group Piano and Pedagogy Conference, the Multidisciplinary Research in Music Pedagogy Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the DOCTRID Conference in Ireland, the ABLE Assembly at Berklee College, and at universities and conservatories across China. Polischuk serves on the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy’s Committee for Teaching Students with Special Needs, the Advisory Board of the Orange County School of the Arts Pianist Program, the Board of Directors of the San Diego Musical Merit Foundation, and is President of the Michigan Music Teachers Association.
Polischuk is a founder and director of the “Celebrating the Spectrum” Piano Festival for advanced pianists on the Autism Spectrum. Polischuk’s book “Transformational Piano Teaching,” described by Dr. Alice M. Hammel of James Madison University as “a world of piano pedagogy where anyone and everyone is welcome and included in the art and joy of playing the piano” and Stewart Gordon of the University of Southern California as “a landmark in the field of piano pedagogy” is available from Oxford University Press. At Michigan State University, Polischuk has been the recipient of the Curricular Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Award, the MSU College of Music Excellence in Diversity Award, and the Teacher-Scholar Award, given in recognition of exceptional skill in teaching.