J. P. Murphy serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Piano Area Chair at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches applied piano, graduate piano pedagogy, and coordinates the secondary piano studies program. An active composer, Murphy’s work was recently featured in Alfred Music’s Solo Celebration series.

 

His research on keyboard skills, inclusive teaching practices, effective classroom communication, and early-advanced teaching literature has been featured at numerous organizations, including the MTNA National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3), and the MTNA Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium. With the Frances Clark Center, Murphy has appeared in the From the Artist Bench lecture-performance series and served as a contributing instructor in the Intermediate Teacher Education virtual course. His work has been published in Piano Magazine, Clavier Companion, American Music Teacher, the MTNA e-Journal, and Piano Inspires Kids. He has been invited to give pedagogy lectures at institutions such as CCM–University of Cincinnati, University of Houston, University of Alabama, SUNY Fredonia, California State Northridge, Hillsdale College, Texas A&M Commerce, and Texas Woman’s University.

 

Passionate about art song and chamber literature, he is also an active collaborative artist. While in New York, he was a staff accompanist in the pre-college and college divisions of the Manhattan School of Music, frequently performing in recitals and artist residencies. As a musical theater accompanist, he has played in numerous professional productions and served on the music staff of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the Gateway Playhouse, the Oklahoma City Lyric Theatre, and the FRIGID Festival NYC.

 

Dr. Murphy is currently serving as President of the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association (2024–2026). His leadership roles also include membership on the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3) Steering Committee, the NCKP 2023 and 2025 Teacher Education in Higher Education Committee, and the NCKP 2025 National Planning Committee. He is co-advisor for the University of Oklahoma’s MTNA Collegiate Chapter and on the editorial committee of the MTNA e-Journal. 

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Before joining the University of Oklahoma, Murphy taught music in New York State public schools and owned an independent teaching studio. From 2016 to 2018, he was on the piano faculty at the Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. His additional teacher training includes studies at the Golandsky Institute at Princeton University, the College Board AP Music Theory Summer Institute, and Orff-Schulwerk studies at Hofstra University.

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Murphy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a Graduate College Fellow and earned the Provost’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching. He earned a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the Manhattan School of Music and completed dual majors in Piano Performance and Pedagogy and Music Education while earning his Bachelor of Music at the State University of New York at Fredonia. His performance studies include the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and the Orford Music Academy in Orford, Canada. His piano and pedagogy mentors include Phyllis East, Barbara Fast, Jane Magrath, and Kenneth Merrill.