Dr. Robert Bean (D.A.)

Department Chair / Professor

Piano

• Phone: 260-481-6713
• Office: Rhinehart Music Center, Room 145
• E-mail: beanr@ipfw.edu

Robert Bean serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at IPFW, a position he assumed in July, 2002. Since his arrival at IPFW as department chair, Dr. Bean has been heavily involved in the reaffirmation of accreditations of the Department of Music by the National Association of Schools of Music and the American Music Therapy Association, and in the planning and design of IPFW's new music building, Rhinehart Music Center, which opened in August, 2007.

In addition to administrative responsibilities and teaching, Dr. Bean continues an active career as a collaborating pianist, adjudicator and clinician.  He was recognized in 2006 by Indiana Music Educators Association as the Outstanding University Music Administrator of the Year, is recognized by Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women as a Friend of the Arts, Zeta Psi Chapter,and most recently was named as the 2011 Alumnus of the year by the Mississippi State University Department of Music, where he did a mini-residency in November, 2011.  Dr. Bean is a member of the College Music Society and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honorary.

Dr. Bean has held positions at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and at the University of Central Arkansas. For 19 years he was on faculty at the University of Montevallo, Alabama where he served as Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Music. At the University of Montevallo, Dr. Bean taught piano, piano pedagogy, music education and music literature. He was recognized as the College of Fine Arts' Distinguished Professor of the Year in 1992 - 1993.  He holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music Education degrees from Mississippi State University and Doctor of Arts in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Mississippi where he was a Carnegie Foundation Fellow.