The IMTA Board of Trustees has approved funding to assist three local associations with programming in the 2012-2013 academic year. North Central MTA will be presenting a monster concert, Music Around the World, conducted by Melody Bober in the fall of 2012. In addition to the collaborative experience offered area students, a workshop for teachers will be presented. South Bend MTA will present a master class by Giuseppe Lupis, faculty member at Grand Valley State University. Members of Goshen-Elkhart MTA, plus teachers in the South Bend community, are invited to attend the event on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Wabash Valley MTA will host a workshop with Dr. Garnet Ungar of the University of Evansville in the fall of 2012. Dr. Ungar will also be presenting a recital at Indiana State University to coincide with this event, and his presentation to the members of WVMTA will also be open to the ISU piano pedagogy students.
The purpose of the IMTA Local Association Grant Program is to to provide assistance to local associations for the educational and professional development of teachers and for the support and promotion of music in the immediate community. Awards are made annually in late May for the following academic year.

GIMTA collaborated with two other teacher groups in Indianapolis (Indianapolis Piano Teachers Association and Indianapolis Piano Teachers Guild) to bring in Melody Bober on Saturday, April 21st.  The plans evolved over nine months and the workshop was a huge success.  Melody presented four sessions for teachers throughout the day.  The day also consisted of three recitals of Melody’s music featuring students of participating teachers.  It was a privilege to have Melody here in Indianapolis for the day!  This is the 3rd collaborative workshop between these teacher groups in Indianapolis.

Noted pedagogue and pianist, Carolyn Shaak, will give a series of workshops and a master class in Terre Haute, January 25 and 26, 2012, on the campus of Indiana State University, hosted by the Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association. The schedule for these workshops is:
Wednesday, January 25 9:30-10:00 Registration 10:00-12:00 “Getting a Good Start: Covering All the Musical Bases” 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-3:00 “Getting Ready to Play the Big Stuff: A Sound Technical Approach 3:00-3:30 Break 3:30-6:00 Master Class for WVMTA students Thursday, January 26 9:30-10:00 Registration 10:00-12:00 “Getting Ready for That Day When You Wish You Were a Better Sightreader 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-3:00 Getting a Brilliant Hook in Your Mind and Knowing What to Do with It 3:00-5:00 Getting a Thrill from Playing Repertoire of the Music Icons Right After the Basic Method Books
Carolyn Shaak earned a Master of Music degree from Columbia University, and was Robert Pace’s teaching assistant for 5 years. A Fulbright winner, she studied at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Dante Alderighi. Subsequently, she served as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Illinois. In 1959, she married pianist, composer, and teacher Bernard Shaak and moved with him to the Southern Illinois University. In 1962, they established The Shaak Music Studio in Denver, Colorado. Together, they authored the method, Piano Partners, published by Moonstone Music Press. An active member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Colorado State Music Teachers Association, and the Denver Area Music Teachers Association, Ms. Shaak has presented numerous workshops and teaching demonstrations in many forums. Her students have been heard in many competitions and major festivals.
Workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. on both January 25 and 26, with registration beginning at 9:30. The events will be held in the recital hall of the Center for the Performing and Fine Arts on the campus of Indiana State University. Please email Douglas Sperry (douglassperry@hotmail.com) for instructions on traveling to campus and on-campus parking. Indiana State University students and faculty may attend either or both days free with a valid student ID. Fees for other participants are $25 for either Wednesday or Thursday, and $40 for both days.

Noted pedagogue and pianist, Carolyn Shaak, will give a series of workshops and a master class in Terre Haute, January 25 and 26, 2012, on the campus of Indiana State University.  Hosted by the Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association, Ms. Shaak will present talks entitled:
Getting a Good Start: Covering All the Musical Bases
Getting Ready to Play the Big Stuff: A Sound Technical Approach
Getting Ready for That Day When You Wish You Were a Better Sight-Reader
Getting a Brilliant Hook in Your Mind and Knowing What to Do with It
Getting a Thrill from Playing Repertoire of the Music Icons Right After the Basic Method Books
Carolyn Shaak earned a Master of Music degree from Columbia University, and was Robert Pace’s teaching assistant for 5 years. A Fulbright winner, she studied at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Dante Alderighi. Subsequently, she served as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Illinois. In 1959, she married pianist, composer, and teacher Bernard Shaak and moved with him to the Southern Illinois University. In 1962, they established The Shaak Music Studio in Denver, Colorado. Together, they authored the method, Piano Partners, published by Moonstone Music Press. An active member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Colorado State Music Teachers Association, and the Denver Area Music Teachers Association, Ms. Shaak has presented numerous workshops and teaching demonstrations in many forums. Her students have been heard in many competitions and major festivals.
Workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. on both January 25 and 26, with registration beginning at 9:30. The events will be held in the recital hall of the Center for the Performing and Fine Arts on the campus of Indiana State University.  Please email Douglas Sperry (douglassperry@hotmail.com) for instructions on traveling to campus and on-campus parking. Indiana State University students and faculty may attend either or both days free with a valid student ID. Fees for other participants are $25 for either Wednesday or Thursday, and $40 for both days.

The North Central Indiana Music Teachers Association will hold its Fall Festival on November 12, 2011, at Main Street United Methodist Church, 81 W. Main St., Peru, IN.  Students can enter in solo, ensemble, and/or piano accompaniment categories and are entered by grade. Winners receive a small cash prize.  For more information contact Nancy Spahr, NCTM, at 765-438-6435 or 765-472-2127.

The South Bend Area Music Teachers Association announces its calendar of events for the 2011-2012 Year.  All meetings are held at SB Christian Reformed Church,1855 N. Hickory RD South Bend
Association Business Meeting, 9:30 a.m.-Programs 10:15 a.m.
 
September
14 – The Baroque Period- Barton – SBAMTA Business Meeting
23 – Deadline for the AIM Festival registrationContinue reading→

by Margaret Roby, NCTM
Messages from local association presidents with news of the past year have been arriving in my e-mail box. If you are a local association member planning for next year or an IMTA member considering joining (or forming!) a local, these are some offerings to consider.
Greater Indianapolis MTA – This group had four “meet-ups” over the past year.  Their professional sharing time has evolved from an initial plan to meet as a pedagogy book group. They will meet in August for their “pre-AIM” session to help each other prepare students for the November AIM festival at Butler.  In collaboration with the Indianapolis Piano Teachers Association, they will present an all day workshop by Dr. Paul Wirth in February 2011.
Tippecanoe MTA – In the Lafayette area a highlight of the year was hosting a master class for advanced students with Jeremy Denk in connection with his performance on the Purdue Convocation Series. The group also had more than 100 participants in AIM, 44 in Hoosier Auditions, and 80 in their Sunday Showcase recitals.  Plans are already in gear for their Monster Piano Concert scheduled for June 9, 2011.
Northeast Indiana MTA – In Fort Wayne, there have been many performance opportunities – AIM, Hoosier Auditions, Christmas Recitals at Von Maur, a master class with Dr. Robert Palmer, and finally a Germanfest Recital in their downtown. The teachers concluded the school year with a music-making day of their own at the home of Beverly Norton.
Wabash Valley MTA – In Terre Haute, besides the annual participation of member teachers in AIM, Hoosier Audtitions, and the Wabash Valley Recital Series, there were two new, successful initiatives in 2009-10: Dr. William Hughes conducted a student master class, and the group presented its first student composition recital. Dr. Ray Kilburn will be conducting a workshop in Terre Haute during the 2010-11 school year.