2017 IMTA State Conference Call for Proposals

09.25.2017 update: Proposals are no longer being accepted for the 2017 conference. Please check back for the 2018 call for proposals.
Proposals for the 2017 Indiana Music Teachers Association state conference are due 12:00 midnight, Eastern, May 24, 2017. 
The conference will be held at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN on Friday–Saturday, September 29–30, 2017.
We are seeking proposals on all aspects of music, including music teaching, learning, creation, performance, career considerations, scholarship and other areas of interest to independent and college music teachers. Proposals may be submitted in one of the following formats:
Continue reading

President’s Message, Fall 2016 – Donuts, Fashion Choices, and Membership Benefits

Donuts, Fashion Choices, and Membership Benefits
christina headshotA new donut shop recently opened up near our home.  Early one Saturday, I decided to throw my shoes on, sneak out, and surprise my family with morning treats.  As I was making my purchase, the man behind the counter said, “I see you’re a teacher.  You get 10% off every day!”  I was a bit confused, trying to decide how the man figured out my occupation, when he pointed to my t-shirt.  I was wearing our IMTA t-shirt, offered at last year’s State Conference in Vincennes!  I thanked him, collected our goodies, and left.  On the drive back home, I smiled at my forty-nine cent savings, but I quickly began to wonder how many of us are missing out on valuable benefits from our IMTA/MTNA memberships?
The Members-Only section on the MTNA website lists a very impressive summation of corporate sponsorships secured by our organization, and these are not to be missed!  However, I would also argue many of us are missing benefits that can’t be measured in dollar signs.
For example, we just wrapped up our 2016 State Conference, and it was truly an event to remember!  Goshen College proved to be an incredible host, with top-notch facilities and featured presentations by incredible artists.  Highlights included:Continue reading

2016 Call for Proposals

9/09/2016 update: Submissions for the 2016 Conferences are no longer being accepted.
Call for 2016 Conference Proposals!

The deadline for proposals for the 2016 IMTA State Conference at Goshen College has been extended to Monday, June 6, 2016.
The 2016 conference will take place on September 30th and October 1st in the Goshen College Music Center.
The Conference Committee welcomes proposals on all aspects of music teaching, learning, creation, performance, scholarship, career considerations, and other areas of interest to independent and college music teachers.
GENERAL GUIDELINES

  • Membership in IMTA is not a requirement to submit a proposal or present a session
  • Participants must be willing to present on either day of the conference, should their proposals be accepted
  • Conference presenters are not compensated or reimbursed for expenses, and must pay published Conference fees
  • Electronic submissions are required with attached bio and Jpeg photo (headshot) of presenter(s)
  • Conference sessions are generally 50 minutes including Q & A time

Complete proposals include the following:
1.  Name, institutional affiliation, if applicable, email, mailing address, telephone
2.  The proposal title
3.  The proposal format: paper, performance, composition, workshop, or lecture-recital
4.   An abstract of 250 words or less
5.   A brief biography of all involved persons (250 word maximum per person)
6.   Equipment needs
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted by 12:00 midnight, EST, on Monday, June 6, 2016.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION: You will be notified by email no later than July 1, 2016
SUBMIT TO: Beverly Lapp, IMTA Conference Onsite Chair, via email to beverlykl@goshen.edu

2016 Conference – Call for Proposals

9/09/2016 update: Submissions for the 2016 Conferences are no longer being accepted.

The deadline for proposals for the 2016 IMTA State Conference at Goshen College is Wednesday, June 1, 2016.
The 2016 conference will take place on September 30th and October 1st in the Goshen College Music Center.
The Conference Committee welcomes proposals on all aspects of music teaching, learning, creation, performance, scholarship, career considerations, and other areas of interest to independent and college music teachers.
GENERAL GUIDELINES

  • Membership in IMTA is not a requirement to submit a proposal or present a session
  • Participants must be willing to present on either day of the conference, should their proposals be accepted
  • Conference presenters are not compensated or reimbursed for expenses, and must pay published Conference fees
  • Electronic submissions are required with attached bio and Jpeg photo (headshot) of presenter(s)
  • Conference sessions are generally 50 minutes including Q & A time

 
Complete proposals include the following:
 

  1. Name, institutional affiliation, if applicable, email, mailing address, telephone
  2. The proposal title
  3. The proposal format: paper, performance, composition, workshop, or lecture-recital
  4. An abstract of 250 words or less
  5. A brief biography of all involved persons (250 word maximum per person)
  6. Equipment needs

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted by 12:00 midnight, EST, on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION: You will be notified by email no later than July 1, 2016
SUBMIT TO: Beverly Lapp, IMTA Conference Onsite Chair, via email to beverlykl@goshen.edu.

2014 IMTA Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Juliana Lockman, IMTA’s 2014 Teacher of the year!
2014-teacher-year-julianna-lockman
Juliana is a highly respected, caring, and talented piano teacher and has done so much promote piano in our region of Indiana.  She has been a tremendous mentor for area teachers, motivating, stimulating, and assisting new members to our piano association, including helping them to become nationally certified.
Juliana is talented, dedicated, responsible, conscientious, organized, energetic, hard-working, and a self-starter.  This individual is extremely dedicated to her students, matching her teaching style to the student’s needs.  She is always learning new ways to keep her students engaged; to make them better musicians.  She attends conferences regularly to keep her teaching fresh and to stay abreast of current teaching theories, always happy to share her findings at association meetings.
Juliana has served as the President of our Local Music Teachers Association twice and Vice President once. She commissioned a piece for the association to perform together and served on the highly respected area Piano Competition Committee and its Scholarship Fund Committee.  She has chaired and co-chaired AIM auditions numerous times and she has chaired the Piano Ensemble Concert twice. When her students had a long drive to South Bend for their National Guild Auditions, she started her own audition center for them in Elkhart.
Her students have been recipients of many awards through the years, most notably in the Stickley Piano Competition and the IMTA Composition Contest.  When one of our association members mentioned that she would like practice tests to help her students prepare for AIM auditions, she created practice tests for all twelve levels and sent them to every AIM teacher!
In addition to her volunteer and teaching responsibilities, she has motivated others with her regular chamber music performances. She has served as IMTA Treasurer for many years.  Juliana can always be counted on to step up and volunteer for whatever is needed. When she says she will do something, she will do it – VERY thoroughly!
Indiana Music Teachers Association appreciates her and everything she does! Congratulations!

2015 MTNA Composition Competition

Congratulations to the winners of the MTNA Composition Competition at the East Central Division level. Our three winners in the State (IN) Composition Competition received either honorable mentions or won. Bravo!
Elementary: Honorable mention Ellie Overbeck, Student of Melissa Willis, IN
Junior: Honorable mention Abigail Mohs, Student of Donald Campfield, IN
Senior: Winner Julie Puckett, Student of Nien-hwa Chen, IN

2014 MTNA Conference – a personal review

By Nancy Spahr, NCTM
Attending the 2014 MTNA Conference in Chicago was a great experience!  There were so many interesting and enriching sessions available that it was difficult to decide which to go to.  Many of the Exhibitor Showcase sessions were packed, with standing room only for latecomers.  Some of the showcases offered free packets of materials to attendees, and we were eager to take these home.  It took me a long time to make my way through the Exhibit Hall; there were so many innovative products I had never heard of as well as lots of helpful information relevant to my work as a piano teacher.  The concerts were outstanding, from the exciting performances by the young winners to Spencer Myer’s thrilling recital.  Also invigorating were the many conversations with other teachers.   Although tired afterwards, I felt excited, enthused, and full of new ideas and plans for incorporating them.
My main goal in attending the conference was to gather information and ideas to improve my teaching.  In particular, I wished to become more knowledgeable about technology in general and find some specific ways to incorporate it in my studio as well as to find some ways to help my students feel more energized and successful at the piano.Continue reading

Butler University students reflect on National Conference experience

This past March, members of the Butler MTNA Collegiate Chapter attended and presented at the MTNA National Conference in Chicago, thanks in large part to the generous support of the Indiana Music Teachers Association.  After writing proposals, learning that one was accepted out of over twenty applications, preparing and rehearsing for months, six of our members were able to present a session entitled, Creating a Musical Wonderland: Teaching Composition Through Storytelling.  Preparing a session and attending the conference was a fantastic experience for all of us. We were able to network with other music teachers, learn about new teaching products, and discover new ways to engage our students.  You can read more about each member’s experience below.
Over the four days at the MTNA conference, I attended numerous presentations directly applicable to my own lesson teaching, in addition to the presentation that our chapter gave. Our presentation was very well received and will hopefully inspire other teachers to incorporate composition and improvisation into their lessons. Some of the most beneficial presentations I attended were teaching master classes given by Jane McGrath and Marvin Blickenstaff, in which they taught children in a lesson setting in front of the audience. Watching these two master teachers provided me with practical strategies and points of view that I look forward to implementing in my lessons. I also attended many of the Young Professionals Track presentations, which were relevant to my plans to be an independent piano teacher. I feel the trip was highly beneficial, both because of the presentations I attended and the presentation I participated in. -Scott Keegan, 2nd year Masters Student in CompositionContinue reading

2014 IMTA Conference Call for Proposals

Deadline: June 1, 2014
The Indiana Music Teachers Association is pleased to announce its 2014 Conference at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. The conference will take place on November 7-8.
The Conference Committee welcomes proposals on all aspects of music teaching, learning, creation, performance, scholarship, career considerations, and other areas of interest to independent and college music teachers.

  • Membership in IMTA is not a requirement to submit a proposal or present a session
  • Participants must be willing to present on either day of the conference should their proposals be accepted
  • Conference presenters are not compensated or reimbursed for expenses, and must pay published Conference fees.
  • Electronic submissions are required with attached bio and Jpeg photo (headshot) of presenter/s
  • Conference sessions are generally 50 minutes including Q & A time
  • Complete proposals include the following:
    • Name, institutional affiliation if applicable, email, mailing address, telephone
    • The proposal title
    • The proposal format: paper, performance, composition, workshop, or lecture-recital
    • An abstract of 250 words or less
    • A brief biography of all involved persons (250 word maximum per person)
    • Equipment needs

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted by 12:00 midnight EST on Sunday, June 1, 2014.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION: You will be notified by email no later than July 1, 2014
SUBMIT TO:
Cheryl Everett
IMTA Conference Chair
everettc@wabash.edu