Introduction
Vanessa Cornett is Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy and the Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of St. Thomas. She was honored with the John Ireland Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Teacher/Scholar in 2025, and named the Jane Frazee Distinguished Scholar/Artist in 2021. A recent Fulbright U.S. Scholar, she was artist-in-residence at the Ankara Müzik ve Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi (Ankara University of Music and Fine Arts) following an earlier residency at multiple universities in Türkiye through the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. Her areas of professional interest include performance anxiety management for musicians, the psychology of peak performance, the mental health and well-being of musicians, contemplative practices in higher education, trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices, integrative spirituality in the arts, and the link between mindfulness and music performance.
Dr. Cornett is author of the book The Mindful Musician: Mental Skills for Peak Performance (Oxford University Press, 2019). Her other publications include papers in the International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, Journal of Transformative Education, Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, Music and Politics, College Music Symposium, American Music Teacher, Piano Magazine, MTNA eJournal, The Canadian Music Teacher / Le Professeur de Musique Canadien, and three chapters in the fourth edition of the textbook Creative Piano Teaching.
An international educator, she has presented workshops, seminars, and masterclasses in 27 of the United States and in the U.K., Canada, Ireland, Finland, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Türkiye, Cyprus, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ukraine, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, and South Africa. She frequently presents for the Music Teachers National Association, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and the College Music Society. She has also appeared at the World Piano Conference, International Society of Music Education World Congress, International Conference on Spirituality and Music Education, International Conference on Spirituality and Psychology, International Conference of the Arts in Society, Annual Symposium of the Performing Arts Medicine Association, the Centre for the Study of International Governance, and at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
Dr. Cornett earned the D.M.A. degree in piano performance and literature from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned the B.M. in piano performance and M.M. in piano pedagogy from West Virginia University. She holds a graduate certificate in sport psychology and professional certifications in mindfulness, meditation instruction, and hypnotherapy. She previously taught at North Carolina A&T State University and at the Music Academy of North Carolina. She currently teaches piano and graduate courses in piano pedagogy, keyboard literature, performance anxiety management for musicians, and contemplative practices in music education. Through the Aquinas Scholars Honors Program she has taught interdisciplinary courses on Music and the Mind: The Science of Musical Experience, Music and Meditation: Pathways to Transformative Learning, Art and Music as Contemplative Experiences, Mindfulness in Context, and her personal favorite, A Course About Nothing. She is a founding member of the St. Thomas Project for Mindfulness and Contemplation.
Dr. Cornett is a member of the Representation and Advocacy Committee for the Music Teachers National Association, and is dedicated to promoting inclusive teaching and performance practices. She also serves on the Committee on Wellness for the Pianist for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and on the editorial board for American Music Teacher magazine. She also serves on the Oxford Handbook on Musician Health Advocacy task force, and has contributed to the PAMA/NASM Psychological Health Task Force. She has earned outstanding teaching awards from the Music Academy of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and was honored with the UNCG Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2025 she was inducted into the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame.