Susan R. Osborn, D.M.A.

About Susan

Dr. Susan R. Osborn is the Director of the Bienen Northwestern Music Academy of Northwestern University, where she also teaches private and group piano. She also teaches Keyboard Skills for music majors of the Bienen School of Music. Osborn is in her 28th teaching season at the Interlochen Arts Camp.

Previous posts have included Roosevelt University (Keyboard Skills and Piano Pedagogy Classes), DePaul University (Class Piano and Pre-College Piano), The People’s Music School of Chicago, The Music Institute of Chicago, and The New School for Music Study.

Osborn is an active performer, adjudicator, and presenter in the field of piano pedagogy, both nationally and locally. Her numerous articles, workshops, and presentations of interdisciplinary topics have included titles such as “Teaching: What We Can Learn from the Actor,” “Imagery and Artistry: Using Architecture and Photography to Teach Music,” and “The Score Speaks: Teaching Interpretation to Growing Musicians.” Osborn has also presented lecture recitals on two-piano works of John Adams and Astor Piazzolla; ensemble music for teaching; and the genre of the nocturne. Included among her articles is “The Pedagogical Piano Works of Alexander Tcherepnin.”

In addition to her life in music, Osborn gives Chicago River Boat Architecture tours and is also an avid photographer.

Becoming a pianist is about much more than learning at the instrument. It is about bringing all of who you are to the instrument. I strive to understand the whole person, and to nurture each student both musically and individually, with the highest sense of excellence.