About

Wendy Stevens writes music for every level and age of student, but especially enjoys writing music that connects with where children are, not where adults want them to be. Helping teachers remember what it’s like to be a child or a teenager again and experiencing that childlike wonder, excitement, and creativity is one of her life’s passions.

Wendy received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy and Masters of Music in Theory and Composition from Wichita State University where she studied with Pulitzer Prize Nominee Walter Mays. She graduated summa cum laude and taught theory at Wichita State University. She has served as a church musician, president of her local association and in many music teaching organizations like MTNA, KMTA, and WMMTA. Wendy is a nationally certified teacher of music (NCTM) and a member of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

Wendy enjoys giving workshops throughout the country. Her piano and choral compositions are published with Concordia Publishing House, Augsburg Fortress, Hal Leonard, Willis Piano Music and ComposeCreate®.

Diane Hidy made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1991 and was the first woman to become a Fellow of the American Pianist Association. She attended the Juilliard School and earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California where she studied with John Perry. She also earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory where she was a student of Leon Fleisher.

Diane has an extensive library of 50 recordings of standard piano teaching repertoire and co-wrote the piano method, Piano Town.

Diane enjoys teaching students ages 5 to 85. She enjoys teaching all levels of students from brilliant amateurs to those who just want to enjoy music for the rest of their lives. More on Diane can be found on Diane’s website

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Dr. Jason Sifford is a freelance pianist, teacher, and composer with a wide range of abilities and interests. He teaches at Cornell College (Iowa), maintains a private teaching studio in Iowa City, and is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician, lecturing on such diverse topics as classical performance practice, jazz pedagogy, technical development in young pianists, composition, and music technology. He also appears regularly as a music director and theater musician.

As a composer, Dr. Sifford is primarily interested in didactic literature for the piano, and his catalog includes several solo collections, a baroque suite, and arrangements of popular and traditional songs. His music is featured in the state syllabi for Iowa and Minnesota, the bulletin for the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). Dr. Sifford holds degrees from Missouri State University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Michigan. More on Jason can be found on his website.

Jeremy Siskind is the rare musician whose imaginative albums land on “best of” lists while his ground-breaking instructional books populate “best-seller” lists. A top finisher in national and international jazz piano competitions, Siskind is a two-time laureate of the American Pianists Association and the winner of the Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition. A sought-after educator, Siskind has published more than 20 instructional books, including Playing Solo Jazz Piano, with an introduction by Fred Hersch, and the ground-breaking Jazz Piano Fundamentals series. Many of his works are available at Jeremy’s website.

Besides Siskind’s own YouTube channel, which boasts over 18,000 subscribers, Siskind is frequently seen teaching on digital platforms like Tonebase, Open Studio, and Piano with Jonny, as well as presenting webinars and in-person lectures for the Frances Clark Institute, the Music Teachers National Association, and the Imagine Solutions Conference. Siskind helps to guide education and pedagogy surrounding improvisation and composition. Siskind spreads peace through music in places like Lebanon, Tunisia, and Thailand with the non-profit organization, Jazz Education Abroad. Jeremy Siskind is a Yamaha Artist.