Susan Griesdale - Composer, Piano Teacher, Clinician and Adjudicator

“Susan Griesdale presented her imaginative, musical compositions in a well prepared and well organized workshop for Etobicoke-Mississauga ORMTA. These works are not only enchanting to listen to, but present the student with wonderful sounds and many pedagogical points to master. As teachers, we all will enjoy using the different collections of pieces in our studios, and in up-coming Festivals.”

Virginia Taylor, President,
Etobicoke-Mississauga, ORMTA

“Susan Griesdale’s workshop included the performance of a selection of her own piano compositions, from the elementary level up to grade 9 level, as well as a discussion of many valuable pedagogical ideas. Many of her pieces are about experiences and events of today that will particularly inspire and motivate students. They are attractive to listen to and will be fun to play and teach. A welcome addition to the Canadian Music Repertoire.”

“I just received copies of Susan’s 3 books in the mail on Friday. I sat down and played through most of them. I can’t wait to start teaching them. They range in difficulty from preliminary to about the grade 9 level. The students will love them. The pieces are about topics they can relate to e.g. Rock Climbing, Big Foot, The Trolls are Coming, Lullaby with Ground Bass, Whispers, The Jitters (or.....waiting your turn to perform), etc.. Some have words written in to help with the rhythms. What fun!!”

Betty Harris,
ORMTA Ottawa Branch Council Member

Susan Griesdale

Susan Griesdale is a Composer, Teacher and Clinician. She is also, currently, the President of the Central Toronto Branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA). Susan studied piano with Elizabeth Pengelly and earned her ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She studied Composition and Theory with Composers Michael J. Rudman and Julian Miran and Piano Pedagogy with Mrs. Marina Geringas at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Born in Montreal, and raised in Winnipeg and Vancouver, she now resides in Toronto where she has a busy piano studio. Next to music her other passion is art and you will find some of her drawings scattered throughout the website.

Susan Griesdale is also a founding member of Red Leaf Pianoworks, a living Composer’s collective which provides a web source for teachers and performers to quickly access exciting new piano repertoire.

as a composer....

Susan composes contemporary classical music for all levels – from the early beginner to the advanced student. Sometimes the sounds of today’s music can be a challenge for both students and teachers. With her love for contemporary music, it is her goal to create a body of music that students love to play.

“I strive to create music for students to introduce contemporary sounds in a pleasing and fun way. Emotion, magic and whimsy lay the foundation of my musical “storytelling” while at the same time, the technical challenges offer, in their mastery, a means of communicating the magic through the fingers. The move away from traditional harmony is a fascinating journey and once the student’s interest is peaked a whole new world of sounds can be discovered. This journey of discovery is very exciting and extremely rewarding. My compositions are designed to encourage the student to start that journey.”

as a teacher....

Susan runs a large piano studio with students of all ages and levels. She is dedicated to introducing piano students to a variety of sounds while developing solid technique and comprehensive musicianship skills. Students are particularly encouraged to explore the sounds of today’s music. As a creative person Susan enjoys designing new ways to teach basic concepts, whether it be her highly successful rhythm book ‘Rhythm Practice, Basic Rhythm Exercises for Every Student’, or a wide variety of music theory and technique forms. You will find a selection of her games and forms in the Teaching Tools section and you are welcome to download them if you think they might be useful to you.

as a clinician....

Susan has worked as a clinician, presenting her music at National CFMTA Conventions, the Summer Sizzle Convention in Palmerston Ontario, ORMTA Provincial Conventions, and at various workshops for ORMTA branches throughout Ontario. Her pieces have been performed in Recitals and Festivals across Canada.