PAA Piano Master Class with Bethany Cothern

We are excited to have Clinician Bethany Cothern with us for a piano Master Class! Your teacher
will need to submit a copy of your music via email to Ms. Cothern, by February 17.

Bethany Cothern, owner of BC Piano Studios in Chattanooga, TN, holds an MM in Piano
Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Louisville. With almost fifteen years of teaching
experience, she has enjoyed teaching students ranging in age from age 3-83, as well as seven
years experience teaching group class piano for undergraduates. She has held several adjunct
positions, including teaching Music Appreciation at Lee University.

From 2019 to 2021, Bethany studied with global musician wellness leader Dr. Barbara Lister-
Sink at Salem College, where she fully “re-trained” her piano technique and earned an MM with
an emphasis on Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique. This unique approach to the piano
empowered her to play with clear movement sequences. The Lister-Sink Method is a research-
based piano technique originally intended to rehabilitate professional pianists dealing with
repetitive strain injuries. It prioritizes muscle efficiency; optimal skeletal alignment; no
accumulation of muscle tension; and a sense of deep listening that ensures a beautiful sound.

While at Salem College, she attended a workshop with pianist and pedagogue Marilyn Lowe –
who brought Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory philosophies of sound-before-sight-before-
theory to piano pedagogy. This way of learning is said to be the most natural way of learning, as
it parallels the language learning process.

Bethany has held active participation and officer positions in local, state, and national music
teacher associations, and regularly presents her ongoing research on health, body awareness
and injury-prevention topics. In March 2024, she has the honor of co-presenting on the effects
of joint hypermobility (aka double-jointedness) on developing pianists at the Music Teachers’
National Association (MTNA) 2024 National Conference in Atlanta, GA.