Being what some might call a creative pragmatist, Karen Murphy's philosophy of life-and-learning is an integral part of her performance, teaching and research: to teach is to perform; to research is to teach; to perform is to teach - the optimum paradigm. 

Karen's collaborative-piano performances have taken her to France, Spain, across Canada and throughout the United States. Her penchant for teaching extends from the young child to the college student and beyond.  To kindle appreciation, foster learning, and be a servant of excellence in the collaborative-piano field is the driving force behind her professional and educational endeavors.   

Her teachers, such as Alfonso Montecino at Indiana University, Eckart Sellheim at Arizona State University, and Margo Garrett and Timothy Lovelace at the University of Minnesota, affirm Karen's commitment to educational excellence.  It is on this premise that she joins the music department of Mississippi State University.