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Clinics

Ms. Shadick-Taylor is available for adjudicating, clinics, guest teaching, master classes and school presentations.

Areas of expertise include solo piano (all periods), collaborative piano/chamber music and vocal coaching.

"Sylvia Shadick-Taylor is well educated in musical style and performance techniques. She communicates with a genuine concern for each performer and provides lots of encouragement, communicating her ideas imaginatively and effectively. Her comments not only assisted the students but created an informative workshop for teachers as well. This performer and teacher is a great communicator!"
- Peace River North Festival of the Arts, Fort St. John, BC, 2013

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TESTIMONIALS

"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 and CLINICS


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

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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ADJUDICATION

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
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SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS

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.