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Rochelle Z. Klein, M.M., NCTM

Professor Emeritus

Pictured is Rochelle Klein.

Contact Information

Education

  • B.Mus. and Teacher Certification, University of Michigan
  • M.M., Duquesne University
  • Toward M.Ed., Humanities, University of Pittsburgh
  • Post-graduate, Carnegie Mellon University, Southern Methodist University: eurhythmics, piano pedagogy

Courses Taught

  • Piano/Theory/Sight-Singing Fundamentals, I, II
  • Private Piano I-VI
  • Piano Class
  • Musicianship
  • Music Theory
  • Foundations of Musical Theatre Techniques I, II
  • Music Reading for Stage Managers
  • Rehearsal and Performance
  • Music Appreciation
  • Arts and the Human Experience I, II
  • Methods of Music and Art
  • Music Education
  • Internship

Background

Noted for her convincing and passionate piano interpretation, Rochelle Klein, professor emeritus, is also a singer, a certified music educator and a seasoned program manager. As pianist and music director, Klein has performed at Legendary Steinways, Tuesday Musical (five-time guest artist), Piano Day Pittsburgh, music centers, conferences and several regional theatres. At Carnegie Hall and other venues, Klein has sung in symphonic choirs under Maestros Frübeck, Honeck, Cecatto and Ehrling. As a chamber singer, chorister, or solo pianist, she has been heard on WQED-FM, WWJ-AM and at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Her projects have won grants from NEA among others, and her scholarly work has been published in several journals.

The recipient of Point Park University’s 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award, Klein created or renovated many courses: piano, sight singing, theory and musicianship for COPA’s musical theatre program and applied music minor; music methods for the School of Education, and arts/humanities for the University core. For 20 years, she coordinated the music and arts unit — crafting curricula, mentoring faculty, facilitating master classes and spearheading community partnerships.

Before coming to Point Park, Klein served as faculty at California University, as Chicago Young Audiences’ inaugural program director and as a school music teacher.

Professional Certifications

  • National Certified Teacher of Music, piano
  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Instructional II Music
  • Best Practices Online Teaching Certification, The Learning House
  • Technology Institute for Music Educators, Level 1

Professional Memberships

  • Pittsburgh Concert Society, board of directors
  • Zohar Chamber Singers, founding soprano
  • Music Teachers National Association
  • College Music Society/Northeast District
  • Dalcroze Society of America

Selected Artistic Works

  • Pittsburgh Symphony Pops, contributing director: Hamlisch-Page Student Choir; Student Chorale; All-Star College Chorus
  • The Time of Your Life, music director/pianist, Pittsburgh Playhouse
  • There's a Place for Us: Musical Theatre Resources in the Pittsburgh Area, DVD author/pianist
  • Fiddler on the Roof, Once Upon a Mattress; music director/pianist, Jr. Open Stage Players

Selected Performances

  • Legendary Steinways, piano soloist and clinician, University Club, Pittsburgh.
  • Piano Day Pittsburgh, piano soloist, Pittsburgh Playhouse and Market Square.
  • Love is Here to Stay, A Tribute to Robert Page, Mendelssohn Choir and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
  • Composer's Concert, guest artist; Scholarship Winners Concert, collaborative pianist; Tuesday Musical, Pittsburgh.
  • Singing City, Music of the Spirit Festival, Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
  • Carmina Burana, Univ. of Michigan Choir, Rafael Frübeck & Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, New York.
  • Zohar Chamber Singers, Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival/broadcasts, WQED-FM and Comcast Live On Demand.
  • The Unicorn, Gorgon and Manticore, actress, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre and Cantata Singers.
  • Carousel scene, music director/pianist and presenter, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.
  • Intelligent Tutoring Systems Conference, pianist, Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Pages from a Diary, collaborative pianist with Karen Dryer, CD/performance, Tuesday Musical, Pittsburgh.
  • Illinois Music Teachers National Association, piano soloist, Don Isaaks master class, Music Institute of Chicago.
  • Outreach & engagement performances: Family Hospice & Palliative Care; Weinberg Terrace; Art Institute of Chicago.

Selected Publications

  • Author, "Dalcroze Eurhythmics with Annabelle Joseph," Dalcroze Connections, Vol. 3, No. 2.
  • Author, "Louis Nagel, The People's Pianist," Clavier Companion.
  • Author, "Growing Up with the Symphony: Reflections of a Pittsburgher," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Author, "Musica Instrumentalis" (poem), Teaching Artist Journal.
  • Author, "The Value of Analysis," Music Theory: Explorations and Applications.
  • Author, "The Value of Analysis" (thesis directed by Robert Shankovich), annotated by David Carson Berry in A Topical Guide to Schenkerian Literature: An Annotated Bibliography.

Research Interests

  • Piano performance and pedagogy
  • Music fundamentals; musical theatre song literature; score analysis
  • Music and arts education
  • Mindfulness and movement

Selected Awards

  • Distinguished Teaching Award, Point Park University
  • National Endowment for the Arts, chamber music panel grant, Young Audiences of Chicago
  • Illinois Arts Council grants, Young Audiences of Chicago
  • Stellar Music Teacher, Online Course Evaluations
  • Edwina Uhl Babst award, University of Michigan