Dr. Barbara Russell

Dr. Barbara Russell holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Eastern Illinois University and holds Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees from Arizona State University in Piano Pedagogy under Professor Walter Cosand. She created original curriculum, taught both group and private lessons in the ASU Piano Prep and Conservatory Program for 19 years under Dr. Janice Meyer Thompson, and served as an adjunct faculty member at Scottsdale Community College, where she taught Music Theory and Rock History. 

She was a student of Dr. Catherine Smith, a student of Hungarian composer, conductor, and pianist, Ernst Dohnanyi. Dr. Russell owned and directed Spoelman Piano Studio from 2009 to 2015, where she created an original group lesson curriculum and oversaw the teaching of over 100 private students per week. She regularly adjudicates and conducts masterclasses around the valley. 

With nearly 40 years of teaching experience, Dr. Russell is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association, maintains Permanent Professional Certification, serves as Co Chairman of the Arizona Study Program for the East Valley Music Teachers Association, and presently serves as the State Chairman for the Arizona Study Program. She received the 2020 Beatrice Searles/Janice McCurnin Honored Teacher of the Year award from the Arizona State Music Teachers Association, and currently maintains a private piano studio in Gold Canyon, Arizona.