In Search of a Friend is a wonderful book
by Mary Kogen and illustrated by Alice Cotton.
Why find a friend?
How do you find one?
And what to do if you meet one?

Find out  how a mouse and elephant handle friendship in this charming little book!

Only 7.99!   To buy, contact me!
Wrong Notes is  a wonderful book
Mary Kogen co-authored with friend Alice Cotton.

Great  Christmas or birthday present; handy for any compositions/performances (musical, auditory or written) or just on the coffee table!

Only 8.99!   To buy,  contact me!
"Mary's teaching style and enthusiasm are infectious."
"An inspiring woman with true joy and purpose in her teaching."
  • What is joy to you?
  • Where do you find it?
  • Are you joyful when you teach? Do you share your joy with your students?

Joy is often lost in syllabi and teaching pressures. In one of a variety of pedagogy workshops, Mary can help you to find the balance of getting down to work but also sharing joy.
Pedagogy is the art of teaching teachers how to teach.  Mary spent her professional career at Portland State University teaching music teachers how to teach, specializing in piano. The Oregonian newspaper even called her "the piano teachers' piano teacher."

Mary also leads TaKeTiNa workshops, which is a rhythm workshop that’s a little like a meditation, but with laughter, movement, flow, and chaos mixed in. It integrates mind and body, super-charging our abilities for learning, thinking, and creativity.

From teens to seniors and everyone in-between, TaKeTiNa workshop participants learn about incorporating rhythm, but can also discover new insights on life, expanded possibilities for themselves, more enthusiasm, more curiosity, and more motivation.  A TaKeTiNa workshop is a powerful launchpad for any new endeavor.

Mary Kogen teaches classes and workshops in both realms.  Based in Portland, Oregon, she travels widely to bring this joyful learning not only to teachers, but also to schools and universities, organizations, conferences, and more.

For a complete listing and more information on Mary's teaching workshops, visit the Pedagogy Workshop page.

To really understand TaKeTiNa, actually do it.  To read more about it, visit the TaKeTiNa page. There are also two national sites: TaKeTiNa.com or TaKeTiNa.org
  • Mary retired in 2003 after 26 years of teaching at Portland State University, and now holds seminars around the US on learning, curiosity, and play. 
  • She specializes in asking questions that people often don't know the answer to that open up realms of thought they haven't visited in a long time.
  • An expert in how people learn, Mary has taught stage presence, performance skills, and how to think creatively.