SHEPHERD SCHOOL'S ROUX HONORED WITH CHANCE PRIZE

Office of News and Media Relations
Arie Wilson
Assistant Editor, Rice News
Email: arie@rice.edu

The Shepherd School of Music’s Robert Roux is the 2006 recipient of the Julia Mile Chance Prize for Excellence in Teaching, which is given annually to an associate professor or a full professor who provides students with an intellectual challenge and inspiration in a field of study, shows extraordinary dedication to students’ professional development and enhances gender-sensitive leadership on campus.

The nominations are based upon recommendations from undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and teaching evaluations.

For Roux, professor of piano and chair of keyboard, being recognized by his students is the ultimate form of praise.

“A lot of people in this profession measure themselves by their own playing, but I measure myself by the performance of my students,” Roux said.

Chair of the Chance Prize selection committee Joan Strassmann, professor and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology, said Roux’s dedication to his students made him a strong candidate for the award. “The students of professor Roux were very enthusiastic about his phenomenal abilities as a piano teacher, but also felt that he supported them personally, nurturing their careers with advice and help outside of his classroom hours,” Strassmann said.

Roux’s teaching career began when he was 24 years old and had just completed his graduate work at the University of Texas. At the time, Roux had developed a rare disease that causes the tightening of the sheath around the tendons in his hand. This disease, known as DeQuervain’s syndrome, could be potentially devastating for a pianist, and, for a time, Roux did not know if he would be able to play professionally again.

“I was lucky that I was able to have a minor operation, and the problem cleared up within a couple of years, but I did have to completely change my playing technique to compensate,” Roux said. The experience left Roux fascinated with playing techniques, and he has dedicated much of his life studying the way pianists play. It also introduced Roux to his other passion: teaching.

“In piano, if you have a student who is playing on the introverted side and one who is playing in the opposite manner, then you will tell them two completely different things,” he said. “At any given point in my day, I may seem like I am contradicting myself, but actually you have to approach each student differently because their piano technique and issues are unique.”

In a nomination letter, one student said Roux demonstrated excellence in more ways than just as a teacher and mentor. “He has unlocked our personal potential beyond what each of us could have ever imagined, and he never ceases to drive us to greater levels of achievement.”

Another student commented that Roux “seeks to understand the psychological disposition of each student and uses that knowledge to tap into the intellectual and emotional resources that enable the student to reach the high artistic standards he sets.”

Roux’s willingness to unselfishly extend himself past his required duties has earned him a reputation among students and alumni. “He goes out of his way to give his students the individual attention they need to meet their goals, even if it involves extra hours spent outside his weekly teaching schedule,” one student said.