Anime Piano Music Project
Since the 8th grade, I have always been fascinated with Anime Piano Music and the arrangements of Anime songs. This passion came to fruition in 2023. After several months of waiting over the summer, the school administration connected me to Professor Norbert Palej, head of the composition program and divisional coordinator for theory and composition who agreed to be my supervisor.
Initially, I viewed this as a fun side project but it quickly blew up and became so much more. I decided to take this project as far as possible due to the lack of academic scholarships on Anime Music. I focused my project on Anime Music, Anime Piano Music and an Anime Pianist who goes by the alias Animenz. Animenz's infusion of both Classical and Anime music aesthesic creates an interesting overlap between the Classical and Popular music communities.
I had the opportunity to interview Animenz and surveyed the piano faculty at my University so I could mobilize our collective knowledge. These two actions required approval from the ethics review board at my school.
I also drew several parallels between these phenomena and Classical music history. For example, Animenz could be compared to figures such as Liszt, Horowitz and Busoni who were all arrangers and transcribers.
Due to the lack of academic sources, I decided to get creative and add my thoughts on these topics. For example, I provided my own definition of an Anime Pianist, explored the potential of responsive piano pedagogy, and discussed possible performance practices and considerations for Anime Piano Music.
It is quite possible that this project is among the first in the academic music world to explore Anime Piano Music and Animenz. I hope that this project can spark a wider debate in the music community regarding this genre of music.