Margaret Miller Brown (April 22, 1903February 15, 1970) was a Canadian classical pianist and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. She performed in concert for more than 20 years, touring mostly in Canada and, in 1951, Europe. Concurrently, she taught at the Toronto Conservatory of Music for over four decades. She also traveled throughout Canada administering student examinations and adjudicating piano classes for various organizations.

Early life and education

Margaret Miller Brown was born on April 22, 1903, in

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attract ...

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...

, Canada. Hers was a musical family. She studied piano under Frank Welsman and Mona Bates in Toronto, and under Ernest Hutcheson in New York.

Musical career

Brown made her professional debut at the Toronto Conservatory of Music on March 1, 1927. She debuted in London at Aeolian Hall on June 15, 1936. On June 13, 1940, she premiered

Ulric Cole Frances Ulric Cole (September 9, 1905 – May 21, 1992) was an American pianist, editor, music educator and composer. She was born in New York and studied in Los Angeles with Homer Grunn, and at the Institute of Musical Arts in New York City (now ...

's ''Divertimento'' with the Promenade Symphony Orchestra. She performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra, and in Bates' Ten-Piano Ensemble. She was also a featured artist for piano series broadcast by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and by radio station CKRC. She performed on concert tours into the 1950s in Canada and, in 1951, in Europe. A 1955 article said she was called "a thorough master of her instrument".

Teaching career

Brown taught at the Toronto Conservatory of Music (later renamed

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

) from 1924 to 1969. She also taught at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. With her students, Brown was known as a "tough taskmistress" and "extremely rigid in her musical viewpoint". According to a biographer of

John Arpin John Francis Oscar Arpin (3 December 1936 – 8 November 2007) was a Canadians, Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, best known for his work as a virtuoso ragtime pianist. Born in Port McNicoll, Ontario, Port McNicoll, Ontario A ...

, whose parents engaged Brown for private lessons when he was 14 years old: "Her concept of teaching was to have her students play pieces from a very narrow curriculum, which she selected, using fingering exactly as written, but with 'feeling'". This approach did not satisfy the young Arpin's desire to explore and experiment with a variety of styles besides classical music. Among Brown's notable students were

Brian Cherney Brian Cherney (born 1942) is a Canadian composer currently residing in Montreal, Quebec. Cherney was born in Peterborough, Ontario. He studied at the University of Toronto where he was a pupil of John Weinzweig, Samuel Dolin, and John Beckwi ...

, John Coveart,

Clifford Poole Clifford Poole (1916–2003) was a British-Canadian music teacher, composer, conductor and contributor to music.

Doug Riley Douglas Brian Riley, CM (April 12, 1945 – August 27, 2007) was a Canadian musician, also known as Dr. Music. He spent two decades with the Famous People Players as its musical director, besides his participation on over 300 album projects ...

, and Clifford von Kuster. Brown was the first woman examiner in piano for

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

. In a 1953 interview with the ''

Regina Leader-Post The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network. Founding The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Li ...

'', she noted that between 30,000 and 35,000 student examinations—the majority of them in piano—were administered throughout the country annually. Adjusted by grade level, the piano examinations covered a range of categories, including "general style, rhythm, quality and variety of tone, technical ability and accuracy", as well as auditory and visual tests. Brown also adjudicated piano classes for various Canadian organizations, including the Windsor Music Festival in 1955, the Lambton County Music Festival in 1959, and summer courses for the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association in Stratford and

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

, in 1962.

Personal life

Brown died in Owen Sound on February 15, 1970.

Works

*''Piano Hand Book'' (1962) (with Mary MacKinnon Shore)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Margaret Miller 1903 births 1970 deaths Canadian classical pianists Canadian women pianists 20th-century Canadian pianists The Royal Conservatory of Music faculty University of Toronto faculty People from Owen Sound 20th-century Canadian women musicians 20th-century women pianists