The USC Thornton Keyboard Studies Department seeks to enhance the artistic and technical development of aspiring pianists through comprehensive mentorship, study and performances of solo pianists and collaborative artists. Courses offered by the department include guidance in solo performance, keyboard literature, piano pedagogy, piano four-hands and duo repertoire, as well as collaborative performance with singers and other instrumentalists and harpsichord. Keyboard studies faculty welcomes and encourages repertoire composed by marginalized and/or under-represented groups, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women.

Keyboard studies faculty are among the nation’s most prominent. These acclaimed and devoted teachers are internationally regarded as soloists, recitalists, adjudicators and teachers of masterclasses and workshops. Although there is no provision for a major in piano pedagogy, faculty specialists offer students interested in teaching careers ample opportunity for intensive study in that field.