Paul Kenyon
Professor
Dr. Kenyon joined Olivet’s full-time faculty in 2014 and teaches courses in applied piano and music history. His professional experience includes more than 20 years of teaching, performing and administration.
Before coming to Olivet, he was music department chair and a music professor at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. For 12 years, he served as the director of worship ministries at Reformation Lutheran Church in El Cajon, California. Prior to his time in San Diego, he taught piano at Western Michigan University and Wright State University.
In 2012, Dr. Kenyon was named College Music Educator of the Year by the California Music Educators’ Association (Southern Border section). While at Point Loma Nazarene, he received the Wesleyan Studies Center Grant (1998) and the Research and Special Projects Grant (1996). He has also served as a visiting accreditation evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music, and continues to consult with faith-based institutions in matters related to music curriculum design and program development.
Born in upstate New York, Dr. Kenyon has studied with Deborah Moriarty, Ralph Votapek, Jerome Rose, Angeline Schmid and Tibor Szasz. He has studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. For six summers, he coached with internationally renowned pianist Anthony di Bonaventura at the Colby Piano Institute in Waterville, Maine.
He has studied the Alexander Technique with Eileen Troberman, Mio Morales and Evangeline Benedetti. From that work, he developed the “Performing with Poise” teaching workshops. This work combines heightened sensitivity to kinesthetic awareness of the body in movement with cognitive understanding of the performance process.
In addition to his three solo piano music recordings — “Garden Music,” Chiaroscuro” and “Delight, Touch and Inspire” — he maintains an active performance schedule of recitals, master classes and workshops. His musical diversity is evident from his frequent performances with a variety of chamber music and jazz ensembles.
As a professional musician and music instructor, he is a member of Chamber Music America, College Music Society and Music Teachers’ National Association.
In addition to his great love for music, Dr. Kenyon is an avid fan of crossword puzzles, detective novels and coffee.
He and his wife, Brenda, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2014. They are the parents of three adult children: Adam, James and Elizabeth.