Patricia PludePatricia Plude has extensive teaching experience in the fields of musicianship, music theory, and piano. Holding advanced degrees in piano performance from The Peabody Institute and the San Francisco Conservatory, she is devoted to teaching musicianship and improvisation as well as promoting and performing new music. With significant experience also in arts administration, Patricia is the immediate past Executive Director of The Walden School, a non-profit summer school and festival for young musicians interested in improvisation and composition, and current Director of The Walden School Teacher Training Institute. Patricia Plude has performed with San Francisco Contemporary Players, Earplay, and Alternate Currents, all Bay Area new music ensembles, and she has served as a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Department and Chair of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Composer Commissioning Program. She has lectured at state and national music conferences on topics such as "Releasing the Music Within" and has published articles that advocate learning music through the active process of its creation. Pat is certified to teach InterPlay®, a philosophy and practice of improvisation based in creativity, community, and change, and is a former member of the dynamic San Francisco performing group, Wing It!, an ensemble dedicated to mounting fully improvised performances combining dance, storytelling, and music. Believing that the arts offer significant opportunities for both the expression of human spirituality and the deepening of one’s personal faith, Pat also serves as the Minister of Worship Arts for First Mennonite Church of San Francisco. |
