Rising Stars: Meet Stephen Cook

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Cook.

Hi Stephen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After finishing undergraduate and master’s work in piano performance at the University of South Carolina, I worked in arts administration at the Koger Center for the Arts at USC and fell in love with the idea of somehow eventually blending my musical training and love for other art forms. That eventually prompted me to move to Southern California, known for its thriving arts scene, to attend the USC Thornton School of Music for a doctorate in piano performance. The last semester of my study there, I began working at the Colburn School of Performing Arts and the Orange County School of the Arts part-time, with both positions eventually growing into more substantial responsibilities. After about ten years, I joined the music faculty of Whittier College and remained there for fifteen years before joining the administrative team at California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley in 2017. We’re a public charter arts high school in Duarte and serve over 900 high school students and 200 middle school students. I serve CSArts-SGV as the Associate Principal and feel fortunate to support our incredibly artistic student body as a high school administrator.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle has been balancing life as a musician (performing and teaching) with my desire to continue growing as a school administrator. The hours for public school administrators are long and often unpredictable. It’s always a challenge to try and stay active as a musician and teacher while simultaneously devoting time to our CSArts students, faculty, and staff.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In addition to my work in arts administration, my area of greatest interest is elementary piano pedagogy. Being able to teach the youngest learner has always fascinated me and has led me to begin piano “lessons” with students as young as three years old! It’s amazing to see how much children at that age can accomplish through rhythmic exercises, flashcards, singing, etc. It has forced me to re-evaluate what a traditional piano lesson looks like and adapt musical information into a format that allows a child to understand, absorb, and do.

What were you like growing up?
As a child, I was always pretty organized and focused. Although I enjoyed music and piano throughout my elementary and teenage years, I never thought that it would play such an important part in my life. If anything, I tended to switch areas of interest too often, becoming fixated on the newest thing while forgetting about the previous one. But music was always a constant, and – by default – that’s probably why it felt the most comfortable as an area of continued study.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephencook.net
• Instagram: www.pasadenaconservatory.org