2012 IMTA Keyboard Ensemble Scheduled for December 1, 2012

The 2012 IMTA Ensemble Concert will be at Greenwood High School on December 1, 2012. The title of the event is A Keyboard Caper. The repertoire list for the concert is listed by levels and is not in program order. The program order will be announced closer to our performance date. This year’s conductor is Dr. Stephen Reen. Dr. Reen is an early childhood music specialist and is in demand as a performer and lecturer. The repertoire list, student registration form and teacher registration form are accessible on the IMTA Website.
Teachers should complete a player registration page for each student. Then attach your teacher registration page and mail the documents with one check. The postmark deadline is October 31, 2012. For the registration fee players may play as few pieces as one entry or several. There is no extra charge if you play more than one group. IMTA Member Teachers do no pay a fee to play in the concert. It is included with your IMTA membership.
Teachers and students will be notified by email of the part assignments. All players must attend rehearsals to be allowed to perform. Memorization is not required but players will need to attain the indicated metronome tempi which will be sent to all participants by email.

NCIMTA Announces new project

The North Central Indiana Music Teachers Association is organizing an ambitious new project:  a Monster Concert to be held in Logansport on Saturday, October 20, 2012.  This concert will replace our traditional Fall Festival for 2012.  Our conductor will be Melody Bober, and she will also do a mini-workshop for teachers on the previous day.  This event is made possible by a Local Association Grant awarded by the Indiana Music Teachers Association. Local Association President Nancy Spahr comments, “Besides providing our students a wonderful opportunity to perform and hone their ensemble skills, the project will hopefully increase our visibility in the musical communities in our counties.  We will be inviting other piano teachers and their students to participate with us.”  A reduced participation fee is offered for IMTA members. For more information, contact Nancy Spahr.

2010 Ensemble Concert News

The 2010 IMTA Ensemble Concert “Holiday Musical” was presented at Beech Grove High School on November 13.  Student pianists, teachers, parents, grandparents and alums came  together to create a memorable concert. 156 players participated in groups at every level of accomplishment. The largest group of 44 players at 22 keyboards played “The Most  Wonderful Day of the Year.”  For those who prepared the students it truly was the most wonderful day of our ensemble year.  After months of preparation the music came to life under  the direction of Dr. Stephen Reen.  Dr. Reen  offered musical challenges to the pianists thanks to the excellent preparation of their teachers.  In addition to the musical challenges his leadership taught the students stage and audience etiquette.  As the students took the stage and exited IMTA member Charis Vander Plaats offered narration about each piece about to  be performed.  Charis is a veteran of ensemble concerts dating back to the early 1990’s.   She now has a private studio of over 30 students in Romeny, Indiana. Perhaps she is a  testimony to what this event means to our students.
Special thanks are in order to Scott Bradford at Beech Grove High School for his help in making the concert possible and to his students who decorated the stage for our concert, to Piano Solutions for the 22 instruments on stage,  to the teachers who prepared students and participated in the concerts and to IMTA for being IMTA.