Ken Thompson
Advanced Piano Coach
Kenneth Thompson is a recipient of the Texas Music Teachers Association’s (TMTA) Pre-Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Leadership in Education Award from Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW). He received a BM in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music where his teachers were Nelita True and Anton Nel. He has been featured in articles about music business and the study of music in USA Today and on MSN.com.
Mr. Thompson has performed extensively as a chamber musician and soloist. He developed a Music of the Americas program that he performed in Atlanta’s prestigious Spivey Hall and at concert series in Texas and Florida. He also performed frequently as orchestral pianist with the San Antonio Symphony. Feeling a calling to teach, Mr. Thompson turned his attention to the development of pre-college advanced pianists.
Mr. Thompson’s piano students have performed more than 120 complete solo recital programs and performed more than 40 times as soloists with orchestra including many performances with the San Antonio Symphony. He has had several students perform in New York at Carnegie Hall and has had two students perform on National Public Radio’s hit show “From the Top”.
Mr. Thompson’s students have gone into music programs at some of the world’s top music schools including the Juilliard School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, and Oberlin Conservatory. His students have won top prizes in every pre-college piano competition in Texas. He and his students have been interviewed and performed several times on Texas Public Radio. Several alumni students have gone on to achieve Doctorates in Piano Performance, teach at major universities and perform as soloists all over the world.
Mr. Thompson has given workshops to music teacher’s associations throughout Texas and he wrote and co-authored two articles for American Music Teacher Magazine. In 2024 he will do a series of pedagogy workshops for University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory.
In 1999 Mr. Thompson founded the Musical Arts Centers of San Antonio, Inc. (MACSA). MACSA has over 49 teachers and staff and over 1200 students at its two locations in San Antonio. He serves MACSA as CEO and leads its “ Professional Development Sessions” for teachers. He is featured on Episode No. 38 and Snapshot No. 1 of the “Music Studio Startup” podcast with host Andrea Miller and on the Piano Parent Podcast with host Shelly Davis.
Mr. Thompson’s teachers include: Nelita True, Anton Nel, Anna Haun, John Weems, Carolyn True, Christopher Wallace, Betty Nolting, Nancy Wilson, Jean Barr and Stephen Hughes. He lives in San Antonio with his wife, Lina (a DNP Oncology Specialist), and his son Bryce (a composer and cellist).
USA TODAY ARTICLE: https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2024/01/23/san-antonios-premier-music-academy-celebrates-25th-year-of-elevating-the-arts/72328281007/