Karen Gerelus

Dr. Karen Gerelus is a third generation piano teacher, musician, author, and scholar. She has completed an Associate diploma in Piano Pedagogy from the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT), an Associate diploma in Piano Performance from Trinity College of London (ATCL), and a Licentiate diploma in Piano Performance from Trinity College of London (LTCL). In 2010, she convocated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts, 2016 with a Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Ottawa, and 2022 with a PhD is music education at the University of Calgary where her research focused on identity and motivation in piano students.

Karen is a proud recipient of the national CFMTA Memorial Pedagogy Award for excellence in music teaching and been awarded research grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Her work has been featured in the Suzuki Journal, American Music Teacher journal, at Music Teachers’ National Association conferences, and on several international podcasts. Karen is a member of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association and a certified teacher with the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Past teachers and examiners have commented on Karen’s “passion for teaching” and “warm and engaging manner.” Her lessons involve a variety of music – from minuets to mambos to Mission Impossible – to keep students engaged and teach all musical styles. In addition to teaching music, Karen also teaches advanced music theory, history, and pedagogy at her studio in south-east Calgary. Overall, her students play with beautiful technique, singing melodies, and high levels of personal satisfaction.