About Dr. Roy

Omar Roy currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy and Coordinator of Group Piano in the School of Music at the University of South Carolina.

A strong supporter of independent music teachers, Dr. Roy is in demand as a clinician. He frequently presents workshops and guest lectures to music teacher organizations and universities, and is a regular adjudicator for festivals and competitions. His involvement with music teachers organizations has led to leadership positions and presentations at the state and national level, including the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Dr. Roy is also part of the administrative team for The Art of Piano Pedagogy – a growing Facebook group that acts as a resource and forum of discussion that reaches nearly 23,000 teachers located throughout the world – and its companion site, Sustain. 

While Dr. Roy is dedicated to teaching at both the college and pre-college levels, he also remains a committed and passionate performer, presenting both traditional and lecture performances. Recent engagements have included guest recitals, masterclasses, and lectures at universities such as the University of Arkansas – Ft. Smith, Oklahoma Baptist University, and the Western Alabama Music Teachers Association’s All State Music Weekend. His playing has also been heard on WQLN Radio’s Classics with Wally Faas.

Dr. Roy earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma where he studied Piano with Jeongwon Ham and Edward Gates, and Pedagogy with Jane Magrath and Barbara Fast. His research interests include practice efficiency, teaching strategies for students with special needs, sequenced repertoire assignment, and pedagogical applications of musical semiotics. Dr. Roy’s other teachers include Jerry Wong, Shirley Yoo, and Nathan Hess. Previous faculty appointments include the University of Alabama and Oklahoma City University.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy focuses on two core beliefs. First, that the goal of teaching is to create a self-sufficient learner. Second, that curiosity is the foundation for the learning experience. Whether we like it or not, we will eventually have our last lesson with every student that enters our studio. Sometimes we have a student for just a few months. In the most fortunate of circumstances, we have the privilege to work with a student for many years and witness the fruits of their dedication, effort, and – with younger students – their burgeoning maturity. Our duty during those intervening weeks, months, and years is to do what we can to instill a love for music and to equip them with the necessary tools to continue studying music independently.

In order to develop a student into a self-sufficient learner, a teacher must address both the practical and artistic aspects of music-making. On the practical side are the raw elements necessary to learning music; things like developing sufficient reading ability, technical facility, and an arsenal of effective practice techniques. The artistic side, on the other hand, addresses elements like interpretation and understanding of style.

The greatest artistic results are often the result of a practical and effective process of preparation. In other words, if the work process is effective, then the final artistic product will be satisfying. By contrast, when the process lacks focus, the result rarely achieves our artistic goals. Consequently, it’s incredibly important that we help students develop adequate music literacy, a healthy technique, and show them how to practice effectively. However, without instilling a burning sense of curiosity in a student, they are unlikely to make use of these tools.

It’s this curiosity that drives a student to engage with music on an intellectual level and explore the historical and theoretical context of the notes on the page. Curiosity creates a connection with a piece that results in a personal and nuanced interpretation. In turn, this curiosity creates a musical goal that guides the practical application of the tools necessary to realize their interpretation – all supported by thoughtful and sequenced repertoire assignments. Naturally, this philosophy has led to a detailed approach to teaching that has lent itself well to working with both neurotypical students and many students with special needs, including ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia.

Because I believe curiosity is integral to the learning process, much of my teaching involves discovering a student’s interests, and encouraging exploration and experimentation with different styles. For example, I frequently ask students to play pieces from one historical period in a different style. With less experienced students, this may only mean changing articulations, dynamics, or even modes. However, with advancing students, this entails broad and immediate changes in technique and sound, demonstrating their understanding of style and texture. More importantly, it gives the student an opportunity to “break the rules”, allowing them to explore the boundaries of different styles. Consequently, they find even more ways to enjoy music through experimentation – and experimentation is both fueled by and inspires curiosity.

Without curiosity as a driving force, the learning process can grow stagnant very quickly, and this is especially true with younger students who are just beginning lessons. Instilling that sense of curiosity early on in a student’s musical education is essential for them to develop into a self-sufficient learner. Once they leave our studio, there is no guarantee that they will ever return to the piano – however, if we’ve managed to inspire them to be curious, then that will manifest in a desire to continue learning music, and will be supported by all of the practical tools they’ve learned in order to satisfy that curiosity.