Piano
With 40 years of experience as a professional in the music industry, Mary Lou Cooper has a passion for music, which she hopes to instill in others. As a teacher, she enjoys discovering and developing her students' talents. As a performer who has studied music since the age of six, she hopes to please her listeners. As a songwriter/composer, she aims to write words and music in a meaningful way to impart inspirational messages.
A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Mary Lou earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in public relations with an emphasis in music/piano performance, as well as business. She studied piano with nationally known composer/pianist/educator David A. Karp, who was honored as the 2024 Meadows School of the Arts' Professor of the Year. Before attending SMU, during her freshman year of college, she concentrated on piano performance at Baylor University, where she studied with Jane Abbott-Kirk, who was later named Collegiate Teacher of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association.
Mary Lou began private piano teaching during her senior year in college. After graduating, she continued studying jazz piano for a year. She has studied piano with several other composers, in addition to David A. Karp, including Carolyn Campbell (composer, pianist, and Texas Music Teacher of the Year—TMTA), and recording artists Judy Moore Bird and Jerry Samuels. Before college, Mary Lou attended Highland Park High School, where she earned a No. 1 rating in the UIL piano competition.
Mary Lou teaches piano lessons in Dallas, Texas, to students of all ages, with an emphasis on learning an age-appropriate and enjoyable repertoire of light classical, pop, and jazz music. As a teaching artist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Young Musicians Program, when it was first launched in 2019, she taught music classes during the summer music camp at DISD schools in South Dallas. One of her original songs, "A Kind Heart," co-written with lyricist Sarah Chalk, was performed as the opening number for the camp's community talent show.
As a professional pianist, she has performed at private parties, weddings, the Galleria Mall, Neiman-Marcus, the Dallas Symphony Showhouse, the Kappa Alpha Theta Showhouse, Maple Avenue Café, Ernie's, the Hilton Hotel, the Northwood Club, and the Forum at Park Lane. She presented a showcase of original songs at Borders, Books & Music. She also co-wrote an original Christmas piece, "Christmas Is Here," which was performed as the opening number at The Lakewood Theater by the Gilbert and Sullivan Chorus, at the international school in Münich, Germany, and at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Beijing, China. Additionally, she produced two children's talent shows at Blanton Gardens, including "A Texan Style Talent Show" and "Tin Can Parade."
While teaching piano, Mary Lou has worked in multimedia production, public relations, and marketing for various industries, including working as a production coordinator for an award-winning music producer. She has also been involved in music organizations, such as the Dallas Songwriters Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. She has been a board member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Innovators, as well as Chairman of the JazzPop Contest for the Dallas Music Teachers Association.