Marlene Markard

I am a pianist, music educator, education innovator, and inclusion advocate.  I received my Graduate Certificate in Music Education and Autism, summa cum laude, from from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, my B.A., cum laude, in Music and English Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University, and my Music Certificate from the Mannes College of Music Pre-College Division.  I have studied piano performance in the pre-college divisions at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes College of Music.  My piano teachers have included Dalia Sakas, Jane Carlson, Solomon Mikowsky, Arkady Aronov, and Blanche Abram.   I have performed extensively as a soloist, duettist, and accompanist throughout Long Island.  

I teach students of all ages, levels, backgrounds, and abilities, including adults and students with a wide range of disabilities and exceptionalities.  For the last six years,  I have owned and operated a music studio, Markard Music, which offers early childhood music classes, music summer camps, and in-studio, in-home, and virtual piano lessons.  Since January 2019, I have been a member of the teaching staff at the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs (BIAESN), where I teach piano and general music to students with a wide range of disabilities.   I currently serve as the Director of the Beethoven Ensemble at the Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program and as a piano teacher at the Westwood Prodigy Program.  During summer months, I also facilitate summer music camps at the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton and the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.  From 2016-2018, I was on the faculty at the East End Arts School.  My students consistently receive perfect scores at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) festival and perform in recitals at least twice a year.     

In addition to being an artist and music educator, I also train other educators and education professionals by running professional development workshops and presenting my work at conferences like the ABLE Assembly at the BIAESN.  My professional development workshops focus on teaching educators, education professionals, and homeschooling parents how to use Universal Design for Learning (UDL), differentiated instruction, and adaptive strategies in their own teaching.  In 2019, I taught a graduate-level module at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. 

I individualize my teaching based on each student's needs.