Improv Exchange #4

Michelle Li is a pianist and teacher based in Atlanta, Georgia, who holds a Dalcroze certificate. When not at the piano or prancing across the Dalcroze classroom, she can be found behind a camera, tending to her orchids, belting songs on road trips, or hunkered down in the studio with a pile of books.

Katie Couch holds degrees in music performance and education from the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned the Dalcroze Professional Certificate and License from the Dalcroze School of the Rockies (now the Dalcroze School of Music and Movement). Katie is on the faculty of the Dalcroze School of Music and Movement, where she trains future Dalcroze teachers in improvisation, solfège, and pedagogy. Katie also volunteers for several committees of the Dalcroze Society of America, most notably serving as treasurer, chair of the publications committee, and managing editor of Dalcroze Connections.

Mary Dobrea-Grindahl, diplôme supérieur, is professor emerita at Baldwin Wallace university, where she enjoyed a multifaceted teaching and performing career for over thirty years. As a clinician, her workshops focus on applications of the method to the private studio and using eurhythmics to develop artistry; she also enjoys opportunities to introduce newcomers to the Dalcroze practice. Mary is the coauthor of Developing Musicianship through Aural Skills: A Holistic Approach to Sight Singing and Ear Training (Routledge), which pioneers a unique pedagogical method of teaching ear training and musicianship. Mary is passionate about bringing experiences in the arts to untapped communities and is exploring ways to use eurhythmics to develop reading literacy in children. She is a recipient of the prestigious Strosacker Prize for Excellence in Teaching and the Distinguished Faculty Leadership Award at Baldwin Wallace University.

Dr. Treviño is a pianist and Dalcroze Eurhythmics (DE) practitioner and researcher. She is a professor and coordinator of Programas Dalcroze at the Universidad Panamericana in México City. Alongside she is a professor at the Facultad de Música of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) in Monterrey, and director of her independent studio “Música Viva”. As active promoter of DE throughout Latinamerica, Elda Nelly frequently serves as guest lecturer, and clinician in DE and piano pedagogy. Up to the present she serves as a member of the publications committee of the Dalcroze Society of America in the US, and as a representative of the FIER in México. In addition, she is active as a collaborative pianist. Dr. Treviño holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Bachelor and Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Texas at Austin, Dalcroze Certificate and License from Carnegie Mellon Univeristy.