About Cindy Graeler

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Cindy Graeler is an accomplished pianist and teacher with experience both as a private piano and bassoon teacher as well as a classroom music teacher.  She received her BME in Music Education from the University of Missouri in 2013 and graduated in 2016 with a Masters of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, studying with Dr. Jane Magrath.
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When Cindy was in second grade, her favorite hobby was playing computer games.  When her parents saw her playing these games so often, they decided to help Cindy channel her coordination and energy into music and bought a piano.  The neighborhood piano teacher lived right up the street, so from that point on she walked to her teacher's house every week and was expected to practice daily.

From the beginning, Cindy enjoyed piano lessons and playing the piano. Through the years, she expanded her musical training to include other instruments, including the violin, clarinet, and bassoon.  Her musical training gave her a variety of experiences such as playing bassoon in the St. Louis Youth Symphony and other orchestras and ultimately led to her decision to get a degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Although Cindy enjoyed all aspects of music, she soon realized that her true love was the piano.  She began teaching piano privately and in group classes during her time at the University of Missouri and continued at the University of Oklahoma. She has been teaching piano ever since, passing on her love of music to her students.

Throughout her college career, Cindy has had the opportunity to work with adult students of all ages.  This has led her to begin researching how music can help in retaining memories with older individuals, particularly those dealing with dementia.  She hopes to continue doing research in this area and someday set up programs utilizing this information.