teaching & Leadership



Teaching has always been a very important part of my life and my career. I love teaching as much I love performing. I do believe that through teaching a performer can truly understand most aspect of playing and instrument and vise versa.



"Hi Dr. Macchioni!! I hope you’re doing really great!! I’ve been meaning to reach out for a while now but time has just escaped me. I just wanted to thank you for everything you taught me at UTEP. Your pedagogy classes especially have been incredibly invaluable to me. I was really successful in having my own studio in El Paso because I always remembered to value myself as a teacher which is something you always instilled in us... Everything I learned about business, pedagogy, marketing… it all stemmed from your pedagogy classes and I am so incredibly thankful."



"Hey Dr. Macchioni, I’ve been wanting to reach out for a while now but was never able to find the right words. I just wanted to say thank you for being such an inspiration in my life. Even though we’ve only worked together for a short while, you really made an impact on not only my music but my life in general. Every note I play is owed to you. Really. I seriously cannot thank you enough."



Teaching



After 20 years of an exemplary teaching and leadership career at the University of Texas at El Paso, in 2023 I accepted a tenured position at the University of North Texas. I had a great and diverse piano studio raging from graduate students to the most precious 7 y.o. beginners, and adults aficionados. My students have won competitions, been accepted at reputable music programs, and developed healthy music careers. My teaching is based in mutual respect. Students are first human beings, then pianists, so for me the human aspect is crucial for the development of a great musician.



Denton Piano Studio

Recognition



In 2015, I received the prestigious University of Texas Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award. "In honor of exemplary commitment to positively affecting the lives of undergraduate students through teaching excellence and instruction innovations, and in recognition of a promising future of continue distinctions".​ In 2019, I was inducted in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UTEP. In 2022, I received the Bonnie Brooks Fellowship in Music.


My presentations have received the Diploma of Excellence by the World Piano Teachers Conference (2010), and Outstanding Musical Presentation by Music Committee of the Second Vernacular Music Conference (2005).



leadership



Effective and empathetic leadership can positively shape the future of an institution. In 2023, following 20 years of a distinguished career in teaching and academic leadership at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), I was invited to join the University of North Texas (UNT) as a tenured Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy. In 2025, I became Chair of the Division of Keyboard Studies, an appointment made particularly meaningful by the trust and confidence of my colleagues. I am honored to serve our faculty, students, and the broader discipline in this capacity.


community engagement



I strongly believe in engaging with the community, sharing my art with the underserved population. I have received, for the past six years, grants from the City of El Paso Museum and Cultural Affairs Department, through the Texas Commission on the Arts, to perform at schools, shelters, libraries, senior centers, etc. In 2018 I received the Juvenile Justice Center Coin Award for my service to the community. I continue to perform in the Metroplex are (Dallas-Fort Worth-Denton).


I have presented on the topic of community engagement at regional and national conferences.



Service



I view service not simply as a professional obligation, but as an essential dimension of academic citizenship and leadership. It provides opportunities to contribute beyond one's immediate discipline, support institutional growth, share expertise, and help shape the future of higher education and music instruction.




teaching with technology


I am very proud of the $250.000 Digital Keyboard Lab (DKL) I envisioned and installed at UTEP through a grant from the Brown Foundation Inc., of Houston. This state-of-the-art facility is unmatched by any other piano lab in the world. It incorporates the latest technology and teaching aid including wireless connectivity, SmartBoard, imaging processors and cameras. The DKL was upgraded in the Spring of 2019.

Digital Keyboard Lab
 Read & watch

Presenter



I have presented master classes and clinics in Argentina, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Serbia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and through the United States.



adjudicator


I have been invited to adjudicate at national and international piano competitions and festivals.

Borderland Chopin International Competition