The Piano Curriculum Series is proud to introduce you to our Certified Adjudicators! Each judge listed has received special training and holds this Certification for 2 years, whereupon they will have to be recertified.
If you are preparing to test your students through The Piano Curriculum Series, please note that you are able to choose your judge. You may contact the judge directly to see if they are available.
Judges are listed alphabetically
Meet Our Judges
Polly Crocker Beaver, a native of North Carolina resides in The Woodlands, Texas, USA where she owns and teaches at her studio, B & B Performances. Ms. Beaver attended The NC School of the Arts as the youngest student at age eleven studying with Olegna Fuschi, Irwin Freundlich of the Julliard School of Music; concert pianists Marjorie Mitchell and Joseph Kalichstien; Eric Larsen of the Manhattan School of Music and NCSA and Max Camp of the University of South Carolina. Ms. Beaver continues a varied and prolific career performing, teaching privately, judging competitions, adjudication for the National Guild of Piano Playing throught the United States and Taiwan, facilitating workshops for teachers on styles of playing, technique and various music composers and their music; directing church music, and instruction in the disciplines for comprehensive music education. While in Texas, Ms. Beaver has founded The Legacy Concerto Competition partnering The Conroe Music Teachers Association and the Conroe Symphony in Conroe, Texas.
SUSAN ROY HINESis a native of Houston, Texas, USA.Ms. Hines attended her undergraduate training at the Cleveland Institute of Music, majoring in Piano Performance.She continued her studies at the University of Houston where she studied under Nancy Weems.Her Masters of Music is in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy.Susan is currently a Professor of Music at Houston Community College-Central Campus and serves as the Department Chairman.Along with her college duties, Susan also finds time to teach pre-collegiate students and loves to accompany vocalists.An active member of the Houston Metropolitan Music Teachers Association, she has also held positions in the Texas Music Teachers Association.
Donald Lum, a resident of Highton, Victoria, Australia, began studying music at the age of 5 and during the last two years of high school and through the first two years of college, was privileged to study with the renowned pianist and teacher Bill Chaison, completing the next two years as a piano music major at Sam Houston State University. He worked as a choral director for Christian College in Geelong, Australia for 10 years. Don has been teaching since 1969 and has been a member of the National Piano Guild and now certified as an adjudicator for PCS, working now in both Australia and the USA, teaching classical and improvisational piano.
Doris Lum-Meyer, a resident of Conroe, Texas, USA has been a Piano Instructor for many years. Her formal training began at the St. Louis Institute of Music (A division of Washington University). Ms. Lum-Meyer received "Advanced Teaching Certification" in May of 1968 along with Piano Pedagogy classes under William Chaison, workshops with Dr. Mannheim, North Dakota University and a six weeks summer session at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York. A member of Music Teachers National Association, she received her MTNA National Cerification in 2008, Ms. Lum-Meyer is also a member of the American College of Musicians and the National Federation of Music Clubs serving as an adjudicator. Ms. Lum-Meyer has an active private piano studio filled with students who have won outstanding honors in many areas. She is active in Conroe Music Teachers Associaion and Texas Music Teachers Association having held many positions in each organization.
Elise Beckett Russell, a resident of Sugar Land, Texas, USA developed The Piano Curriculum Series in 2003. She is also the founder of the PCS Piano Proficiency Examinations which debuted in 2011. Mrs. Russell received her Bachelor of Music Degree under the tutalage of Dr. Natalia da Roza and began teaching in 1977. Spending most of her career developing and implimenting new curriculums, Elise is excited to be able to bring this latest vision to fruition. You can read more about Elise under the "About Us" page on this web site.
