Hazel Ann Ghazarian Skaggs (August 26, 1920 - March 4, 2005)
was an American author, composer, and music educator who specialized in piano pedagogy.
Skaggs was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
to Seeran Bardezbanian and Hagop Ghazarian. She married Paul Skaggs.
Skaggs earned a pedagogy diploma from the
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...
; a B.A. and M.A. in psychology from
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
; and an artist diploma from the American College of Musicians. She also studied at the Universities of Colorado, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Her teachers included Dr.
Clarence Adler
Clarence Adler (1886-1969) was an American musician from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a pianist, and a soloist for many leading orchestras in the United States and abroad. He was the private music instructor for composer Aaron Copland.
Adler was ...
, Howard Goding,
Ernst Levy
Ernst Levy (18 November 1895 – 19 April 1981) was a Swiss musicologist, composer, pianist and conductor.
Life
Born in Basel, Switzerland, Levy studied with Egon Petri and Raoul Pugno.. Entry: "Ernst Levy".
David Dubal describes him as an "un ...
, and Gladys Ondricek.
During her years at New England Conservatory, Skaggs wrote short stories for the
Boston Post
''The Boston Post'' was a daily newspaper in New England for over a hundred years before it folded in 1956. The ''Post'' was founded in November 1831 by two prominent Boston, Massachusetts, Boston businessmen, Charles Gordon Greene, Charles G. Gr ...
. She contributed to ''The Art of Teaching Piano'' (edited by
Denes Agay), and wrote many articles for music journals (see below).
Skaggs was a deacon in the Armenian Presbyterian Church and enjoyed folk dancing as a hobby.
She belonged to and held office in several professional organizations:
*
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
(ASCAP)
*National Guild of Piano Teachers (national chair 1964-1992)
*Piano Teachers Congress of New York City (president 1975-1979)
*Professional Music Teachers Guild of New Jersey (Board of Directors 1987).
The Professional Music Teachers Guild of New Jersey established the Hazel Ghazarian Skaggs Memorial Piano Competition which continues today. The Piano Teachers Congress presents Hazel Ghazarian Skaggs Awards to outstanding students.
Skaggs’ music and writing were published by the Boston Music Company,
Carl Fischer Music, Century Music Publishing Company, Schroeder & Gunther Inc.,
Summy Birchard, and the Willis Music Company.
She composed some songs for soprano.
Her articles and compositions for piano included:
Articles
*“A Hypothesis and a Look Inward” (Piano Quarterly)
*“A Plea for the Transfer Pupil” (Music Journal)
*“Decentralization in Music is Necessary!” (
The Etude
''The Etude'' was an American print magazine dedicated to music founded by Theodore Presser (1848–1925) at Lynchburg, Virginia, and first published in October 1883. Presser, who had also founded the Music Teachers National Association, moved h ...
)
*“Group Piano Teaching” (Journal of the American Liszt Society)
*“How Can We Save the Beginner?” (Music Journal)
*“Is the Make Up Lesson Necessary?” (Music Journal Anthology)
*“Teachers Are Not Born” (Music Journal)
*“What About Student Recitals?” (Music Journal)
Piano
*''Flight to the Moon''
*''Impressions of Snow''
*''Little Blue Lady''
*''Little Girl from Mars''
*''Merry Cricket''
*''Petite Ballerina''
*''Phantom Waltz''
*''Polka Dot Clown''
*''Prelude and Fugue''
*''Sonata''
*''Spring Showers''
*''Thumbs Under (exercise book)''
*''Toccatina''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaggs, Hazel Ghazarian
American women composers
1920 births
2005 deaths
American writers
American music educators
People from Boston
New England Conservatory alumni
Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni