Music Skills Specialist Suzuki and Traditional Piano; Coordinator: Suzuki Piano
HCD Music
Hartt Community Divisionjordao@hartford.edu
Roberta Jordão began her studies in piano at the age of six at her hometown Music Conservatory in Petrópolis, Brazil. She received both her Bachelor’s degree (with the academic distinction Magna cum Laude) and her Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). There, she studied under the tutelage of Miriam Grosman, researching and writing about Chopin’s and Liszt’s piano Pedagogy and technical approaches. In 2001, she furthered her studies with Victoria Melki and Dana Ciocarlie at the “École Normale de Musique de Paris” in Paris, France.
From 2007 to 2011, Jordão attended several courses in Argentina with Maestro Jordi Mora (former disciple of Sergiu Celibidache), studying under his guidance the Phenomenology of Music—and in Morges, Switzerland, with pianist Elizabeth Sombart, studying the same principles applied to piano pedagogy.
In 2011, following her interest in performing and teaching piano technique through a natural approach, she went to London, England, to study under Professor Peter Feuchtwanger, author of a renowned book of exercises intended to develop the most natural way of playing the piano.
After receiving her first Suzuki training in 2011, Jordão started working as a traditional and Suzuki piano teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she taught for five years. During this time, she also received Piano and Teaching Strategies training from Books 1 to 4, as well as enrichment courses such as Music Reading with Caroline Fraser. While living in Argentina, Jordão was a member of the directive board of the Suzuki Association of Buenos Aires, organizing and participating in many Suzuki Festivals promoted by the Association. In 2017, she also participated as both a teacher and student at the Suzuki International Festival in Lima, Peru.
In 2016, she was invited to play several recitals in the prestigious series “Música no Museu” in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jordão is now the recipient of a Talent Award Scholarship from the University of Harford, where she studies under the tutelage of Maggie Francis and Luiz de Moura Castro, pursuing a Graduate Professional Diploma Degree in Piano Performance.
As a Suzuki teacher, I believe that with practice and perseverance every student has the potential to develop musical abilities and achieve excellence in playing. With the right orientation and a nurturing, loving environment, the process of learning music will also help to instill a noble and sensitive heart in students, inspiring them to be better human beings - which for Suzuki represented the very essence of music teaching.
A natural technique, free of unnecessary tension, and the ability to produce a beautiful sound are also very important elements of my teaching. Listening to good music is the key to develop a refined ear, which will help the student to achieve a good sonority at the instrument. "Beautiful sound, beautiful heart," as Suzuki said.
Finally, I believe in the importance of getting parents involved in their children’s learning process and appreciating each of their accomplishments. These are important tools to make students motivated, and represent an essential element of my teaching approach.