Education - Studies
- ARCT (Pedagogy), The Royal Conservatory
- ARCT (Performance), The Royal Conservatory
- Licentiate Diploma (Performance), Western Board of Music
Teaching
- Marathon Conservatory of Music
Paul McLean Schmalz teaches piano, theory, and composition privately to all ages and levels of students in his studio in Calgary, Alberta. His students have achieved outstanding results in many festivals and exams, and he encourages them to participate in ensemble work, attend live piano recitals, and create their own music at the Tree House Composition Camp. Many of his puplis share their listening, practicing, and composing activities in the annual Marathon Conservatory Newsletter.
Paul studied in Calgary with Mary Munn and Betty Lou Beatty for grade 10 piano, with Peter Turner for the Associate Diploma in Teaching from The Royal Conservatory, and with Edwin Gnandt for both the ARCT in Performance and the Licentiate Diploma in Performance from the Western Board.
He has given lectures on the business of teaching piano at Rockyview College, and collaborated with Edwin Gnandt on a workshop discussing advanced repertoire for The Conservatory. In Whitby, Ontario he presented a workshop on "Pacing for Exams."
Besides examining for an average of four weeks for the past several years Mr. Schmalz has been an adjudicator for the Yamaha Music Festival in Calgary and has led master classes at the studios of Betty Lou Beatty, Ron Proctor, and Marion Parrot, all distinguished teachers in the Calgary area.
Paul is currently the organist, pianist, and worship leader at St. James Anglican Church in Calgary. In addition to giving solo classical piano recitals he has been a choir conductor in Jamaica and a composer and performer of Christmas musicals. He has performed original worship music and recorded his own pedagagical piano repertoire.
Paul Schmalz served on The APTA festival committe and is the creator of the Marathon Conservatory Piano Method Flashcards and the composer of the Branching Out series of piano books, Timber Timbres, and Timber Grooves. He is also the developer of supplementary study materials including practice charts and resources for all levels of technical requirements.
Professional Affiliations
- Alberta Piano Teachers' Association