"Our participants were all extremely happy with the adjudication and the positive feedback they received. We had nothing but positive comments this year, and we have you to thank for helping us to achieve a successful festival."
- Whitecourt Rotary Music Festival, 2013

"The Executive/Committee members of the Leduc Music Festival Association wish to sincerely thank you for adjudicating the Senior Piano discipline in our recent festival. The positive and encouraging attitude you had helped to make the festival a good experience for the youth of our community! Your expertise and wisdom contributed to the valuable educational and performing benefits for our young musicians!"
- Leduc Music Festival Association, 2010

"On behalf of the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts I wanted to thank you for adjudicating at our festival. Your professionalism, enthusiasm and flexibility were greatly appreciated, and our students, parents and teachers were very pleased with your feedback. We appreciate you sharing with our participants your wealth of knowledge and advice on how to further improve, and we look forward to inviting you back again in the future. Once again, a sincere thank you for helping make the 2009 Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts a success!"
- Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts, 2009

"It is with tremendous enthusiasm that I endorse Sylvia Shadick-Taylor as a piano clinician. Sylvia’s approach to teaching piano repertoire is inspirational for students and music educators alike."
Read entire letter

Linda J. Purves, B. Mus.
Music School Director
Mill Woods Music Ltd. 
July 2007

Master Classes

2017	Music Conference Alberta | Red Deer, AB Canadian Music
2014	Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association
2008	Leduc Area Music Teachers’ Assoc.
2006	Registered Music Teachers Leduc and area, AB
2005	Registered Music Teachers St. Albert, AB
2004	University of Florida International Master Class Series

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Clinics

2020	From See to Sound to See –This concert explored how visual artists "see" music and how composers "hear" visual art. It featured works by Alberta composers and visual artists that were created specifically in response to each others' works. –Composers included Allan Bell, Heather Hindman, Linda J. Purves, Charles Stolte and Ilkim Tongur. –Artists included Karen Cantine, James Lavoie, Sunita LeGallou and Brenda Malkinson Concordia University | Edmonton, AB Effective, Efficient and Enjoyable Practice Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2019 2017	Contemporary Notation and Sounds in Canadian Piano Repertoire University of Saskatchewan | Saskatoon, SK Effective, Efficient and Enjoyable Practice Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2016	Style Elements Part 2 Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2015	Style Elements Part 1 Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2013	Creativity and Communication in Music Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2011	Contemporary Music Concordia University | Edmonton, AB
2009	Soundplay Strathcona Teachers Association Sherwood Park, AB
2008	New Approaches to Technique Edmonton, AB

Piano Technique: This involves a discussion of methods available to avoid physical tension and how to simplify common technical difficulties, including suggestions for introducing technical exercises to beginners.

Through years of experience and analysis, I have been able to adopt and teach a technical approach which creates a full, warm, natural tone at the keyboard with easy technical facility and without physical tension. This, in turn, has lead to an in-depth understanding of tonal colour production and an awareness of how to use and produce various articulations.

Soundplay: A session to develop creative interpretation and explore sound imagery in music.

This highly fun session presents ways to enhance the musician’s ability to communicate the composer’s intent to an audience. Those attending the session will be involved in creative exercises, both musical and otherwise, which provide tools to promote expression for both students and professional performers. These sessions can be geared to students of all levels, teachers or performers.

Collaborative Piano: How to truly assist the artist and the music. This is a discussion of the listening, technical and psychological skills needed by a pianist to make an artist feel truly comfortable on stage both musically and otherwise.

Other specialties:

• Ornamentation
• How to choose phrasing, dynamics and ornaments in the Baroque period
• Understanding the specific elements which define different periods of music

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Sylvia is available primarily as a piano adjudicator and is comfortable with all levels of students. Her adjudication style is known for its energetic, informative approach and her ability to make all ages of students feel comfortable and experience the joy of music. Sylvia is also available for lieder and chamber music classes due to her extensive training in these areas. In smaller centers where specialists are not available for each instrument category, she is able to offer some expertise with strings, voice and wind instruments. She has played violin since age seven and has also had training in voice, pipe organ and flute. Trained as a vocal coach, Sylvia has an extensive knowledge of vocal repertoire and diction. Sylvia is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association.
2023	Edmonton, AB — Concordia University — Master Class Barrhead, AB — Barrhead Rotary Music Festival Penticton, BC — Penticton Kiwanis Music Festival
2020	Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations CFMTA COVID-19 E-Festival
2019	Moose Jaw, SK — Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival Drumheller, AB — Drumheller and District Music Festival Association — Piano
2018	Lac La Biche and District Music Festival — Piano Sherwood Park, AB — Junior Piano Cold Lake, AB — Cold Lake Music Festival
2017	Calgary, AB — Calgary Contemporary Showcase Kamloops, BC — BC Provincial Music Festival Lethbridge, AB — Junior Piano Spruce Grove, AB — Junior Piano
2016	St. Michael, AB — Piano Kamloops, AB — Piano Fort McMurray, AB — Piano
2015	Unity, SK — Piano, Band, Winds Brooks, AB Kerrobert, SK Edmonton, AB — Alberta College Scholarship Competition
2014	Prince Albert, SK — Senior Piano Lethbridge, AB — Junior Piano
2013	Whitecourt, AB — Piano Terrace, BC — Piano Fort St. John, BC — Violin
2012	Saskatoon, SK Gordon Wallis Piano Competition Lyell Gustin Memorial Piano Scholarship Competition Ottawa, ON — Intermediate Piano Medicine Hat, AB — Senior Piano
2011	Edmonton, AB MacEwan Alberta College Conservatory of Music Fall Festival — Junior Piano Peace River, AB North Peace Performing Arts Festival Piano adjudication [all levels]
2010	Shuswap/Salmon Arm, BC — Senior Piano Leduc, AB — Senior Piano Lethbridge, AB — Junior Piano
2009	Red Deer, AB Whitehorse, Yukon — Intermediate and Senior Piano Calgary, AB — Intermediate Piano
2008	Grande Prairie, AB Camrose, AB — Senior Piano Vancouver, BC — Intermediate Piano Kamloops, BC — Senior Piano Barrhead and Lacombe, AB
2007	Penticton. BC — Provincials – Junior, Senior and Canadian classes Grande Prairie, AB — Senior Piano Coronation, AB — Piano and Strings
2006	Saskatoon, SK — Piano II Wetaskiwin, AB — Senior Piano and Strings
2005	Calgary, AB — Contemporary Showcase Victoria, BC — Junior and Intermediate Honours Piano
2004	St. Albert, AB — Piano II Vernon, BC — Registered Music Teachers Festival — Piano
2003	Kamloops, BC — Senior Piano
2001	Vancouver, BC — Junior Piano Athabasca, AB — Piano
2000	Grande Prairie, AB — Intermediate Piano
1999	Provost, AB — Piano
1998	Medicine Hat, AB — Senior Piano
1996	Vancouver, BC — Junior Piano Drumheller, AB — Piano
1995	Winnipeg, MB — Provincials – Junior Piano Regina, SK — Junior Piano Cranbrook, BC — Junior Piano
1994	Calgary, AB — Piano Plan C Stony Plain, AB — Piano Leduc, AB — Junior Piano Humboldt, SK — Piano
1993	Vancouver, BC — Music Festival Workshop – Junior and Intermediate Piano St. Albert, AB — Junior and Intermediate Piano
1992	Wood River, AB — Piano
1991	Moose Jaw, SK — Intermediate and Senior Piano
1990	Saskatoon, SK — Intermediate Piano
1989	Swift Current, SK — Piano Rosetown, SK — Piano
1988	Unity, SK — Piano
1987	Biggar, SK — Senior Piano
1986	Kindersley, SK — Piano Fort Saskatchewan, AB — Piano Vanderhoof, BC — Piano
1985	Meadow Lake, SK — Piano Lloydminster, SK — Junior and Intermediate Piano
1984	Swift Current, SK — Piano Rosthern, SK — Piano Medicine Hat, AB — Piano
1983	North Battleford, SK — Junior and Intermediate Piano and Organ Davidson, SK — Piano
1982	Meadow Lake, SK — Piano
1981	Fort St. John, BC — Piano

Listening to music: How to translate the language of music.
A presentation of how composers create specific visual and emotional clues in music.

Musical Fields: What careers are available with musical study and what the musician’s life can be like.

For more information or bookings please contact Sylvia directly.