Connecting Canada - Chee Hyeon Choi

Chee Hyeon Choi

Chee Hyeon Choi is a Korean American pianist and educator who serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. An active clinician and presenter, Dr. Choi is frequently invited to give lecture‑recitals and presentations on piano pedagogy at national and international conferences, including the College Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations, the Gimhae International Music Symposium, Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth, and numerous university piano pedagogy programs. Most recently, she was invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Korean Piano Pedagogy Symposium. As a performer, Dr. Choi has appeared in both solo and collaborative settings at distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. She has also been featured as a soloist with the LaGrange Chamber Orchestra, the University of Louisiana Symphony Orchestra, and the Bradley Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she has served as principal keyboardist with the Heartland Festival Orchestra, the Champaign‑Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Choi’s teaching experience includes faculty appointments at Bradley University, Millikin University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees. While serving as Vice President and President‑Elect of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association, she was honored with the ISMTA 2020 Teacher of the Year Award. She is the founder and director of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Piano Institute and the UL Summer Piano Camp. Dr. Choi currently chairs the Louisiana Music Teachers Association Collegiate Faculty Forum and the MTNA Louisiana Competitions. She is also the recipient of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Rising Star Award.

Session #7: Navigating AI in Piano Pedagogy : Challenges, Possibilities, and Purpose

The field of piano pedagogy has changed dramatically over the past century. Compared to a time when private lessons were taught exclusively on acoustic pianos, using paper scores and pencils, today’s students have access to a vast array of digital tools. These include high-quality digital scores, platforms for sharing performances with wide audiences, music learning apps for theory study, and recording technologies. These are all available at their fingertips. Teachers also benefit from technology through streamlined processes such as festival registrations, studio recital planning, communication with parents, and promotion of studio events. As technology continues to develop rapidly, piano teachers are faced with an ever-growing number of resources to evaluate and incorporate thoughtfully into their teaching. Our mutual goals remain unchanged to provide students with the highest quality musical experience and lasting enjoyment in learning the piano. We would agree that we do not encourage students to rely on artificial intelligence (AI) for their individual piano practices. AI cannot replace the role of the teacher. AI cannot internalize musical growth, nor can it replicate the learning, discipline, and skill development that come from hours of deliberate practice. Although AI continues to develop and remains largely in an exploratory stage, we know it cannot fulfill the deeply human aspects of piano pedagogy. Piano teaching is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating humanism, psychology, neuroscience, kinesiology, technology, and much more. Because of this, AI may feel like a distant or even incompatible topic to piano teachers. Nevertheless, it is a relevant concern, as our students are growing up immersed in this technological era. We have a responsibility to help them understand why what we do as teachers remains meaningful and essential. Learning to play the piano requires time, physical engagement, and sustained efforts. These are qualities that stand in contrast to the instant answers and solutions AI can provide. While AI may appear to conflict with the values we uphold in music education, ignoring its presence could risk making our teaching less engaging or outdated. Instead, by understanding the functions and possibilities of AI, we can adopt select tools wisely to enhance efficiency, communication, and relevance for our students. This presentation will introduce several AI tools and features that can be selectively integrated into studio teaching as supplementary resources. Physical practice and individualized instruction remain central to piano pedagogy; AI is intended only to support learning, not replace it. By understanding what AI can and cannot do, we can better educate our students about the enduring value of effort, discipline, and musical artistry in this evolving digital age.

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