Benefits of Musical Study

Music is inherent to each of us, and the ability to express this aspect of our humanity is a wonderful gift we can give to ourselves as well as bestow upon our children.

Numerous studies have shown that children who are involved in music tend to score higher on standardized tests and perform better in school. The discipline required in learning to play a musical instrument helps with concentration, while the artistic aspects helps one think more creatively. The music student's development of hand-eye coordination assists in the learning of other motor skills.

Everyone knows that sports builds character but music lessons can help students succeed when they enter the job market. Making music not only allows an outlet for expression but builds self-esteem and maturity through the setting of goals. Music study teaches self-discipline and builds concentration and persistence toward working through specific goals.

Needless to say- music study can bring a lifetime of joy and fulfillment through creative self-expression, - not to mention, it's fun!

Tuition and Fees

Monthly fees are based on tuition for three separate semesters: spring, summer and fall. Private lessons are normally 45-60 minutes in length. An annual enrollment deposit of $50 ($40 for adult students) reserves a lesson time for the fall and covers all music, materials and misc. fees.

Mrs. Sallee's Training

Mrs. Sallee began her musical training in 1967 at the age of six and continued her formal studies through 1986. In 1979, she began her study in piano with Dr. Ed Gates at the University of Oklahoma. Five years later, she graduated with a double major in piano performance (BM) and vocal music education (BME) and was selected as the Outstanding Senior in the College of Fine Arts. That same year she won the Piano Concerto Competition and was awarded a full scholarship to study for a summer at Westminster Choir College in Princeton.

In 1983, she spent a year in Vienna, Austria as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, studying at the Hochschule fur Musik. She later returned to OU to obtain her masters degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. During her study, she was one of six graduate students in the nation selected to perform and teach at the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

If you are interested in more information about Sallee Piano Studio, please contact Mrs. Sallee to schedule an interview.

Civic Participation

Mary is an active volunteer and arts advocate in her community. For four years, she served on the Norman Arts Council and presently serves as a Commissioner on the Norman Park Board. As a Rotarian, she serves as pianist and District Polio Chair for her club where she has held perfect attendance since joining in 1996. For seven of those years, she was the official pianist for the International Rotary Assembly in San Diego, CA. In 2008, she was awarded "Humanitarian Volunteer of the Year" by the United Way of Norman as well as the OKC Ladies Music Club "Musician of the Year" for two years in a row.

Take Time to Find a Qualified Teacher

We've all had experiences where the right teacher led us in the joy and enthusiasm of learning, while the wrong teacher led us into a sense of apathy and frustration.

Consider interviewing with several teachers to examine their training, studio policies and to see if their teaching philosophies are compatible with your own. Do not base your decision on the least expensive teacher or the most convenient. These skills are intended to last a lifetime and are worth your investment of time, energy and money.

Philosophy

Sallee Studio aims to develop well-rounded musicians, building an appreciation for all styles of music. Students receive a foundation of fundamental skills that incorporate harmonization, theory, ear training, composition and improvisation.

All students are encouraged to sing and expand their musical literacy by taking part in a weekly listening assignment that culminates in a test at the end of the semester. This not only fine tunes their ears to the elements of music but exposes them to great works of the masters. They also learn to discern the different periods and types of musical style.

All pre-college students are encouraged to perform twice a year, in both formal and informal settings. Adults are encouraged to attend ‘piano parties’ and provide an audience of support for those who wish to perform.

Teaching Experience

Mrs. Sallee has been teaching professionally in Norman since 1986. For two years, she served as a graduate teaching assistant for the OU School of Music. For four years, Mrs. Sallee served on the adjunct piano faculty at Oklahoma Baptist University where she taught class and private piano. In 1990, she opened Sallee Studio in downtown Norman, where she employed up to three teachers on her staff. In 1996, she began composing music for her students and is currently published by four major publishing companies. In the summer of 2000, she downsized her studio to teach at home, allowing more time for her composition projects.

Professional and Performing Experience

As a composer, Mrs. Sallee has over 55 solos and collections of piano music published by Alfred, Willis, FJH and Carl Fischer Music not including those she has self-published under Acoustic Press. Mary also writes vocal and choral music and has been published by Alliance, Carl Fischer and Walton publishers. In 2000, she released a CD of original music for voice and piano entitled: Every Time I Feel the Spirit. As a recipient of various choral commissions, her compositions have been featured on various concerts and conventions, both in and out of state.

Mrs. Sallee is also active as a clinician and adjudicator for composer competitions across the country. She has presented pedagogy workshops on teaching as well as musical showcases of her music publications for four national conferences and various associations across 13 states. She has also served on the piano faculty of the International Piano Camp in Manitoba, Canada.

As an active member of the Music Teachers Association, Mary has served in various leadership positions, serving on the State Board of OMTA for over 15 years. She has served as president of the Norman Area MTA, the Central Oklahoma MTA as well as state president of OMTA. In 2004-06, she served on the National Board of MTNA representing the South-Central Division.

For fifteen years, Mary was a performing member of the Sallee-Hatley Piano Duo who concertized throughout the state. For many years, the duo was featured annually at the Tulsa Performing Art Center's Brown-Bag-It Series as well as the Tulsa Bernsen Concert Series and the OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville.

Mary also performs as a dinner/jazz pianist. Since 1998, her jazz combo has been featured throughout the metro for church, civic and private events, including Norman's Jazz in June, the "Winter Wind" Series and the "Lunch and Listen" Series at the West Branch Library which she started in 2016.

For over 25 years, she has free-lanced as a church choral musician and accompanist. Mary presently serves as pianist at First United Methodist Church in Blanchard, OK where she plays for both traditional and contemporary services. For seven years, she served as Pianist and Composer-in-Residence at Westminster Presbyterian Church in OKC and two years at McFarlin Memorial UMC in Norman where she has been a member since 1990. She has also served as pianist for a variety of Baptist Churches in the area.

Mary's choral experience includes singing several seasons with the Canterbury Choral Society and the Windsong Chamber Choir, both which commissioned her to write choral works for them to perform. Recently she has sung with the Norman Singers and free-lanced as an accompanist and conductor for civic and honor choirs including Circle the State With Song. For several years, she served as a dance accompanist for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute as well as the choral accompanist for the Fall Adult Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.