H. Patricia Powell

H. Patricia (Trish) Powell, MA, MM, DMA, passed away peacefully at her home on the 24th of August, 2025.

Patricia grew up in Orlando, Florida, in a house on Lake Jessamine with her parents Neil and Patsy and brother Garry.  She was remembered by all her friends as adventuresome and relatively fearless in her youth. After graduating high school she backpacked through western Canada with her friend Debbie. Her musical talents became manifest early: her mother took Garry and her to see the movie “The Sound of Music” in 1965, when she was 6 years old. Garry recalls their return home where she began playing songs from the movie on the piano, without any previous lessons. She was signed up for instruction shortly thereafter.

After earning a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Florida, Patricia won a scholarship to Lincoln College at the University of Oxford in the UK.  It was there that she met her husband-to-be, Peter Brown. Patricia and Peter were married in Florida in 1986. The Master of Arts Degree from Oxford was followed by a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Catholic University in Washington DC.  On moving to the West Chester area Patricia began teaching piano and piano pedagogy at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University becoming a tenured Associate Professor, and Assistant Chair.  Patricia also taught piano at her home studio in Oxford and later in West Chester. Patricia was a Director of the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) and an active member of several music teacher associations in America.

Patricia is survived by her brother Garry and sister-in-law Sonya, her brother-in-law Richard and his wife Elizabeth, and by her nieces Jenny and Emma, and nephew Laurence, and by her loving husband Peter. She is preceded in death by her parents Neil Garrett Powell Sr., D.D.S, and Patricia (Patsy) H. Powell.

Patricia loved, and was loved by, her brother and parents and her ‘adopted’ English family.  She also loved her students.  Whether running her pedagogy program, organizing competitions, recitals and piano parties, or taking trips with her WCU students to Oxford, Patricia’s joy and enthusiasm for music and teaching was infectious.  Beyond her teaching Patricia loved gardening, swimming and walks with her husband Peter.  She will be so missed by all her family and friends, and by those she taught.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Patricia’s memory may be made to: Education Through Music at https://etmonline.org