Jillian Beacon

Jillian began her study of piano at the age of seven in Calgary, Alberta where her early love of music was cultivated by the efforts of her cherished teachers, Grace Ann and Hrvoje Peric. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music from the University of Calgary in 2012, graduating with the Fine Arts Silver Medallion for highest academic achievement in the Department of Music. Jillian pursued a specialization in Integrated Studies during her time at U of C, completing advanced study of both piano performance and composition under the direction of distinguished professors, including Marilyn Engle, Dr. Allan Gordon Bell, Dr. Laurie Radford, and Dr. David Eagle. Under the guidance of Mr. Peric, Jillian apprenticed as a teacher at the early age of fourteen and established her own private studio a few years later. Since then she has continued to maintain an active studio of piano students of all ages and has supervised the musical development of over one-hundred pupils in her career so far. Jillian specializes in guiding beginners through an original approach based on ergonomic keyboard patterns, movement training, and ear-playing, and draws on her training in composition to create original pedagogical works to facilitate the technical and musical development of her students. Jillian also obtained a Masters Diploma in Piano Pedagogy Research and a Masters of Arts in Music, specializing in Piano Pedagogy. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Method Practitioner and offers workshops on musician pain and injury prevention as well as private rehabilitative training for pianists experiencing pain as a member of the University of Ottawa Centre for Musicians' Wellness. She is in the final stages of completing a Ph.D. in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa conducting research on postural coordination of pianists. She currently maintains her piano studio in Ottawa, Ontario.