Dr.

Linda Apple Monson, who has been a Professor at George Mason University’s School

of Music since 1999, serves as Director of the School of Music and Director of keyboard studies

at George Mason University.1 She is an International Steinway Artist and holds the post of the

Director of Music at Springfield United Methodist Church.2 In 1979, Dr. Linda Apple Monson

obtained the Bachelor of Music Educational Degree with a double major in Piano and Bassoon at

Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University. 3 When she finished her

undergraduate study, she chose to complete her Master’s degree of Piano Performance in 1981 at

Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University. 4 In 1986, she finished her

Doctorate at Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University.5

In 1986, Dr. Monson published an article named “The solo piano music of Ross Lee

Finney”.6First, this article talked about an important and representative part of all works in the

American composer Ross Lee Finney’s solo piano music.7 Then, she analyzed musical vocabulary

from Finney’s works and traced his development and music style in his eleven published solo

piano compositions.8 Finally, Dr. Linda Apple Monson separated Finney’s works into the early

1
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
2
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
3
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
4
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
5
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
6
"THE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF ROSS LEE FINNEY (AMERICAN, COMPOSER, TWENTIETH-CENTURY)
- ProQuest". 2019. Search.Proquest.Com. https://search.proquest.com/docview/303563504/?pq-origsite=primo.
7
"THE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF ROSS LEE FINNEY (AMERICAN, COMPOSER, TWENTIETH-CENTURY)
- ProQuest". 2019. Search.Proquest.Com. https://search.proquest.com/docview/303563504/?pq-origsite=primo.
8
"THE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF ROSS LEE FINNEY (AMERICAN, COMPOSER, TWENTIETH-CENTURY)
- ProQuest". 2019. Search.Proquest.Com. https://search.proquest.com/docview/303563504/?pq-origsite=primo.
tonal works, the serial compositions, and the children’s pieces to explore.9 Her article gave pianists

some inspiration. She taught them how should they play the piano songs about Ross Lee Finney.

Dr. Monson is a resident of Mason’s Chapter of Phi Beta Delta, which is a national honor

society to commend academic achievement in international education. 10 Dr. Monson was

appointed distinguished service professor at George Mason University in 2012 and George Mason

University 2009 Teaching Excellence Award. 11 In 2014, she got 2014 Influential Women of

Virginia award.12 Many donors established the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Music Endowment Fund

in 2011 for student scholarships within Mason’s School of Music to pay a compliment of the

extraordinary impact that Dr. Monson has had in the Mason community.13

Dr. Monson’s research of music mainly reflects in two aspects. One aspect is music

education. In 2014 and 2015, she gave two TEDx Talks entitled, (1) Conquering Stagefright and

(2) Music and Math: A Harmonious Intersection.14 In 2016, she as a guest speaker joined the Alban

Berg International Festival in Germany.15 Therefore, she attended scholarly research and delivered

lecture-recitals at National Conferences of the College Music Society in many places in the last

few years.16 The second aspect is piano performance. She performed many times in George Mason

9
"THE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF ROSS LEE FINNEY (AMERICAN, COMPOSER, TWENTIETH-CENTURY)
- ProQuest". 2019. Search.Proquest.Com. https://search.proquest.com/docview/303563504/?pq-origsite=primo.
10
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
11
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
12
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
13
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
14
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
15
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
16
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.
University Symphony Orchestra and a good deal of solo piano world premieres.17 Dr. Monson as

a piano performer and exponent of new music, she has a good influence on many pianists. I was

encouraged when I watched Dr. Monson’s TEDx Talks and piano performance because it is a good

guide for me at my Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance. These finding made me more

explicit about my future development goal, which is to be a good music educator and piano

performer. Both music educators and performers are related because music educators need perfect

playing skills and performers have a responsibility to make more people learn knowledge about

music.

Reference

1. "Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu.

https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-monson/.(accessed April 3, 2019).

2. "THE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF ROSS LEE FINNEY (AMERICAN, COMPOSER,

TWENTIETH-CENTURY) - Proquest". 2019. Search.Proquest.Com.

https://search.proquest.com/docview/303563504/?pq-origsite=primo. (accessed

April 3, 2019).

17
"Dr. Linda Apple Monson – GMU Music". 2019. Music.Gmu.Edu. https://music.gmu.edu/staff/dr-linda-apple-
monson/.