Meet Outstanding Master of Music Student Meldy Tanako
Meldy Tanako, an accomplished pianist, is one of our four finalists for the Spring 2020 Alumni Association Outstanding Master’s Graduate Award. She will earn a Master’s degree in Music next week. 
Meldy, who is from Medan, Indonesia, obtained her undergraduate degree at UCSI University in Malaysia before entering the Master of Music program at UL Lafayette. She notes, “I chose to attend UL Lafayette for my Master in Music degree because I saw the various opportunities that the School of Music could provide to help me achieve my personal and professional goals as a musician. Situated in Lafayette, which is the melting pot for music of various genres and cultures, UL has opened up musical opportunities that I wouldn’t have gained if I had pursued my Masters in Asia.”
At UL Lafayette, Meldy has worked and performed with university ensembles including the University Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds and Symphony Orchestra. She also has been an accompanist for individual student instrumentalists and vocalists. Coaching these students in preparation for their recitals has helped her hone her own rehearsal techniques.
An esteemed performer, Meldy represented Louisiana in the Music Teachers’ National Association South Central regional competition in 2018. She was invited to perform at the University of Louisiana System Conference in February 2019 and, in March 2019, she was awarded a Bronze prize for World Piano Teachers’ Association International Online Piano Competition.
Meldy also explored exciting new forays in performance-based teaching as a piano teaching assistant for Dr. Chan Kiat Lim’s hybrid piano course. This course teaches physical skills in piano in a hybrid setting, using the online curriculum eNovative Piano developed by Dr. Lim and colleague Dr. Susanna Garcia, and was the first of its kind at the University. Meldy learned firsthand how to pair online instruction with time working face-to-face on technique.
Meldy’s studies in piano performance culminated in a Graduate Recital held in Angelle Hall’s Ducrest-Gilfry Auditorium. She performed pieces by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, and Barber.
Her dedication and passion have landed her in the renowned doctoral program in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma. She hopes to return to Indonesia to contribute to the development of the next generation of pianists in the future.
