Announcing the 27th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival Winners Recital

Event: 27th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival Winners Recital
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022
Place: Moreau Center for the Arts Little Theater, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Time: 2:30 pm
Free Event and Open to the Public

Announcement is made of the 27th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition &
Festival Winners Recital, which will be held on March 13, 2022 in the Moreau Center for the
Arts – Little Theater, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN 46556 at 2:30 pm.
The competition and festival itself held on March 4th & 5th at Saint Mary’s College, Notre
Dame, Indiana and is open to pre-college students. The winners of the competition from each
division will perform in the Winners Recital on March 13th and will receive cash prizes.
Contestants who receive honorable mention will also win cash prizes. All awards will be
dispersed following the recital.

The competition and festival, sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association, is
open to piano students of teachers residing in Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties, Michigan;
and Allen, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Noble, St. Joseph, and Starke
counties, Indiana. Prize money is made available through the Elnora Hartman Stickley
Scholarship Fund.

For more information, please contact the competition event chair, Paula Laskowski,
beethoven361@hotmail.com or 574-276-9313. You may also visit the South Bend Area Music
Teachers Association’s website: www.sbamta.org.

Photos of contestants taken at this event may be used by SBAMTA, Saint Mary’s College, and
local media, and, may appear on print, digital communications, or marketing materials,
without compensation.

RESULTS of the 26th Stickley Piano Competition & Festival

Announcing the Winners of the 26th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival

From a field of 62 contestants, 12 winners and 17 honorable mentions were named at the 26th Annual Hartman Stickley  Memorial Piano Competition & Festival held on Friday, March 5th, at the Battell Community Center, Mishawaka,  Indiana. The competition was sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association and underwritten by the  Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund.

The competition was open to pre-college students up to age 18. All students named below will receive cash awards and  the winners will perform at the Winners Recital on Saturday, March 13, 7:00 p.m., at the Battell Community Center  Auditorium, Mishawaka. Because of the pandemic, the recital is closed to the public. This event will be open to the  winners’ immediate family members and their teachers.

Cash awards will be distributed as follows:

Winners – Division I – $50; Division II – $75; Division III – $100; Division IV – $125; Division V – $150; Division VI – $175

Honorable Mentions -Division I – $25; Division II – $35; Division III – $45; Division IV – $55; Division V – $65; Division VI – $75

26th ANNUAL STICKLEY MEMORIAL PIANO COMPETITION & FESTIVAL WINNERS & HONORABLE MENTIONS:

DIVISION I (age 7 & under)

Winners:
Mae O’Brien – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Bree Wipperman – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

Honorable Mention:
Elin Zhang – Teacher Linda Belleville

DIVISION II (ages 8 & 9)

Winners:
Babajide Johnson – Teacher Linda Witchie
Tianzi Liu – Teacher Dr. Sandra L. Camp

Honorable Mentions:
Annabelle Huebner – Teacher Linda Witchie
Leonardo Lu – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Xiaohe Wang – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

DIVISION III (ages 10 & 11)

Winners:
Jianan Qu – Teacher Dr. Sandra L. Camp

Honorable Mentions:
Yuxuan Lin – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Ingrid Lund – Teacher Dr. Mary Rose Norell
Teresa Spoonhower – Teacher Kathleen Keasey

DIVISION IV (ages 12 & 13)

Winners:
Nina Bauer – Teacher Margie Collier
Omolabake Johnson – Teacher Linda Witchie
Gabriel A. Maxwell – Teacher Lydia Balorda

Honorable Mentions:
Stanley Liew – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Angela Pham – Teacher Kathleen Keasey
Amelia Wenkus -Teacher Kathleen Keasey

DIVISION V (ages 14 & 15)

Winners:
Etien Balorda -Teacher Lydia Balorda
Jayden Wang – Teacher Linda Belleville

Honorable Mentions:
Anton Alstrom – Teacher Dr. Luke Norell
Luke Greising – Teacher Celia Weiss
Jeremy Shin – Teacher Linda Witchie
Grace Wang – Teacher Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

DIVISION VI (ages 16, 17 & 18)

Winners:
Harmon Balorda – Teacher Lydia Balorda
Gabbi Vincent – Teacher Dr. Luke Norell

Honorable Mentions:
Ian Ochieng – Teacher Dr. Sandra L. Camp
Rachel Yuan – Teacher Linda Belleville
Yao-Han Gabriel Zhang – Teacher Ketevan Badridze

 

RESULTS of the 24th Stickley Piano Competition & Festival

ANNOUNCING…
The Results of 24th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival

From a field of 91 contestants, 16 winners and 15 honorable mentions were named last weekend in the twenty-fourth annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival held at Northside Hall, Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana. The competition was sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association and underwritten by the Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund.
The competition was open to pre-college students up to age 18. All students named below will receive cash awards and the winners will perform at the Winners Recital on Sunday, March 24, 2:30 p.m., in the Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall, Indiana University, South Bend. The recital is free and open to the public.
Cash awards will be distributed as follows:

Winners – Division VI $175; Division V $150; Division IV $125; Division III $100; Division II $75; Division I $50.

Honorable Mentions – Division VI $75; Division V $65; Division IV $55; Division III $45; Division II $35; Division I $25.

2019 STICKLEY MEMORIAL PIANO COMPETITION & FESTIVAL
WINNERS & HONORABLE MENTIONS:

DIVISION I (age 7 & under)
Winners: City Grade School Teacher
Babajide Johnson Granger 2nd Prairie Vista Elementary Linda Witchie
Leonardo Lu Granger 1st Northpoint Elementary Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

Honorable Mention:
Xiaohe Wang Granger 1st Northpoint Elementary Melissa Luan

DIVISION II (ages 8 & 9)
Winners:
Yuxuan Lin Granger 3rd Northpoint Elementary Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Albert Lu Granger 4th Northpoint Elementary Linda Belleville
Jianan Qu Berrien Springs 3rd Ruth Murdock Elementary Dr. Sandra Camp

Honorable Mentions:
Alice Zhang Granger 4th Northpoint Elementary Melissa Luan
Ellen Zhang Granger 2nd Northpoint Elementary Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

DIVISION III (ages 10 & 11)
Winners:
Nina Bauer South Bend 5th St. Pius X Catholic School Margie Collier
Omolabake Johnson Granger 6th Schmucker Middle School Linda Witchie
Emily Zhang Granger 5th Northpoint Elementary Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

Honorable Mentions:
Clara Walton South Bend 5th Good Shepherd Montessori School Kathleen Keasey
Megan Zhang Granger 6th Discovery Middle School Dr. Patricia Collins Jones

DIVISION IV (ages 12 & 13)
Winners:
Luke Greising Elkhart 8th Concord Intermediate School Celia Weiss
Felix Zhang Granger 7th Discovery Middle School Melissa Luan

Honorable Mentions:
Etien Balorda Berrien Center 8th Homeschool Lydia Balorda
Grace Wang Granger 8th Schmucker Middle School Dr. Patricia Collins Jones
Jayden Wang Granger 7th Discovery Middle School Linda Belleville

DIVISION V (ages 14 & 15)
Winners:
Elsa Lund Goshen 8th Northwood Middle School Dr. Luke Norell
Phillip Matous Granger 9th Penn High School Kathleen Keasey
Rachel Yuan Granger 9th Penn High School Linda Belleville

Honorable Mentions:
Courtney Donndelinger South Bend 9th Marian High School Gigi Cripe
Evelyn Theinert Elkhart 10th Concord High School Juliana Lockman
Gabbi Vincent Nappanee 10th Northwood High School Dr. Luke Norell

DIVISION VI (ages 16, 17 & 18)
Winners:
Harmon Balorda Berrien Center 10th Homeschool Lydia Balorda
Ruben Balorda Berrien Center 12th Homeschool Lydia Balorda
Cecilia Horner South Bend 12th Homeschool Kathleen Keasey

Honorable Mentions:
Talinaiya Bao Culver 10th Culver Academies Dr. Yerin Kim
Joseph Coman South Bend 12th Riley High School Anthony Beer
Felix Perez Diener Goshen 12th Goshen High School Dr. Luke Norell
Gabriel Zhang South Bend 9th Clay High School Anthony Beer

Announcing the 24th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival Winners Recital

ANNOUNCING THE 24th ANNUAL HARTMAN STICKLEY MEMORIAL PIANO COMPETITION & FESTIVAL WINNERS RECITAL

Event: 24th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival Winners Recital
Date: Sunday, March 24, 2019
Place: Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall, Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana
Time: 2:30 pm
Free Event and Open to the Public

Announcement is made of the 24th Annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition & Festival Winners Recital, which will be held on March 24, 2019 in the Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall, Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana, at 2:30 pm.

The competition and festival itself will be held on March 15th & 16th at Indiana University, South Bend, and is open to pre-college students. The winners of the competition from each division will perform in the Winners Recital on March 24th and will receive cash prizes:

Division VI Ages 16 – 18 ($175)
Division V Ages 14 & 15 ($150)
Division IV Ages 12 &13 ($125)
Division III Ages 10 &11 ($100)
Division II Ages 8 & 9 ($75)
Division I Ages 7 & under ($50)

Contestants who receive honorable mention will also win cash prizes. All awards will be dispersed following the recital.

The competition and festival, sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association, is open to piano students of teachers residing in Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties, Michigan; and Allen, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Noble, St. Joseph, and Starke counties, Indiana. Prize money is made available through the Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund.

For more information, please contact the competition chair, Paula Laskowski,
574-276-9313 or Beethoven361@hotmail.com. You may also visit the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association’s website: www.sbamta.org.

South Bend Area Music Teachers Association Hosting 2019 Sonata/Sonatina Festival

When:  Saturday, January 26, 2019
Where:  Moreau Center for the Arts, St.Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN
Registration Deadline: December 17, 2018
Nonrefundable Application Fee: MTNA members $ 25 per student; non-members $ 35 per student
Gold Medalists Recitals: Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Little Theatre, Moreau Center for the Arts, St.Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN (Time:TBA)

Requirement:

  • Participants will perform one movement of any sonatina or sonata without repeats.
  • He/she may perform the piece (1) memorized or (2) with music for evaluation only.
  • A copy of the music must be provided to the judges with every measure numbered.
  • No photocopies are permitted.

For more information, including an online application, visit https://www.sbamta.org/sonata-sonatina-festival

In other news from SBAMTA:

SBAMTA is pleased to announce that Marvin Blickenstaff, past President of the Frances Clark Center, will be presenting  “Teaching Little Ears to Hear” after our February meeting at Shirks Piano Gallery (4125 Grape Rd., Mishawaka, IN) at 10am on Friday, Feb. 1.

WVMTA AIM Festival Article in Paper

This article was printed in the Tribune-Star in Terre Haute on 4/8/2018 regarding the WVMTA.

Carrying the Right Tune

119 students participated in Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association Achievement in Music Festival.

The 23rd annual Achievement in Music Festival for piano students in the Wabash Valley took place on March 10 in the Fine Arts Building at Indiana State University.

A total of 119 students from the studios of 11 member teachers of the Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association participated at one of 13 progressive levels, prep through Level 12.

The AIM Festival is a non-competitive event between students; participation ensures a musically well-rounded goal to master specific content for each year’s study. The required syllabus, developed by the Indiana Music Teachers Association, outlines requirements in five areas: piano repertoire, keyboard/ technical skills, sight playing, written theory and aural recognition.

All Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association members, who maintain membership in the Indiana Music Teachers Association, volunteer their time to help organize the event and evaluate students of their colleagues in the various skill areas. Guest judges from other parts of Indiana are hired to evaluate the solo performances of each student.

Students prepare all year for AIM day with the goal of demonstrating competency and earning a medal designed for that level. The following member teachers provided the instruction and opportunity for students to participate in the 2018 AIM Festival: Jason Allen, Donna Bowles, Lynette Browne, Lois Clouse, Lai Ping Ho, William Hughes, Joyce Mattick, Dilya Meehan, Janet Palmberg, AIM chair Margaret Roby and Larysa Tudorica.

Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association teacher Lois Clouse (left) and her student greet students at the registration table for the Achievement in Music Festival, March 10 at Indiana State University.
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Indy Teacher Groups to Welcome Dr. Paul Wirth

Dear Piano Teachers,

Indiana Piano Teachers Guild, Indianapolis Piano Teachers Association, Greater Indianapolis Music Teachers Association and the University of Indianapolis will welcome Dr. Paul Wirth to Indianapolis on FriSat, March 2-3, 2018 at University of Indianapolis.
Dr. Wirth has many irons in the fire. His first love though is the Wirth Center for the Performing Arts in St. Cloud, MN., founded in 1981. He released the first GRAVI DVD in 2007. It was just put on YouTube in 2018. You and your students can watch it here.
This is the explanation of the GRAVI DVD recording on YouTube:
“With 26 years (at the time of release) of experience teaching young artists at the pre-college level, Dr. Paul Wirth first explains, and then demonstrates the teaching of his successful “Gravity Based Technique.” Clearly, and in great detail his step-by-step method of teaching students the art of piano technique is revealed in this 90 minute DVD. Joined by 8-year-old student Serena Lu, the joy of technique is evident throughout the teaching demonstration, as advanced concepts – “the single most important skills any pianist can learn” – are applied to the pre-college age group.”
The following Testimonials are taken from Dr. Wirth’s website. He has given workshops all over the world, including MTNA’s National Conventions. He is a wonderful speaker.

Testimonials

“After seeing your last presentation, the technical ideas, and the ways you motivate your students re-energized my teaching. My students are playing more freely and with better dynamic control, and it has been exciting for us all! Thank you so much for your insight and willingness to share it with others….”
–Nancy Bachus
Pianist, Teacher, Editor and author of the Alfred “Spirit” Series
“Paul Wirth’s exceptional results with his students are well documented by their outstanding achievements in competitions, auditions, solo recitals, and orchestral appearances. At the 2007 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Dr. Wirth’s two presentations of gravity-based technique brought enthusiastic response from the audience. This GRAVI-DVD was made primarily in preparation for those presentations. Dr. Wirth’s logical approach and his well-articulated explanations render these concepts easily understandable and most helpful to all piano teachers. The examples of student performances are highly impressive.”
–Marvin Blickenstaff
The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy
“I just can’t be complimentary enough about it.  It’s lucid as can be, it’s convincing, it’s beautifully constructed, there isn’t one wasted word, and the demonstrations all along the way are just excellent …. Paul Wirth is masterful, and the perfect person to be putting this pedagogy down into a concrete form. I also think that someone can actually learn to do this method by watching the DVD.  I never thought that it would be possible without a lot of close, careful, personal training – but the Gravi-DVD is so clear and logical and appealing, that I’ve changed my mind.”
–Hans Boepple
Pianist/Teacher of Young Artists, Santa Clara University, CA

SCHEDULE FOR DR. PAUL WIRTH AT UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS, 3/2-3/3. 

FRIDAY, 3/2
9:45 Arrive and check-in
10:00 The Gravi DVD Part one
11:45 Break
12:00 College Masterclass
1:30 Lunch
3:00 The Gravi DVD Part two
5:00 Finish for the day
5:30 Dinner with Dr. Wirth (Contact Natalie Todd at  natalie.michelle.todd@gmail.com )
SATURDAY 3/3
9:45 Arrive
10:00 The Lesson Notebook: A book to Judge by its Cover
12:00 Lunch
1:30   Preparing students for Recitals and Competitions
3:00   Break and Set up for masterclass
3:15-4:15 First Intermediate Masterclass
4:15-4:30 Break and pictures
4:30-5:30 Second Intermediate Masterclass
5:30-5:45 Picture
5:45 Finish
Dr. Paul Wirth’s information:
Pianist/Teacher of Young Artists
Artistic Director and Co-Founder: Wirth Center for the Performing Arts 
Artist in Residence, University of Northwestern, Roseville, MN
We hope you can come and join us. All teachers and students who want to come for an incredible day of discovery and learning are welcome to attend!  For questions, contact Sally Eppert or 317-507-3171 or Natalie Todd.

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Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition – Winners Recital

Event: Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition – Twenty-First Annual Winners Recital
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2016
Place: Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall, IUSB, South Bend, Indiana
Time: 2:30 pm
Free Event and Open to the Public
Announcement is made of the twenty-first annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition Winners Recital, which will be held on March 13, 2016 in the Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall, IUSB, South Bend, Indiana, at 2:30 pm.
The competition itself will be held on March 4th & 5th at the Northpoint Vineyard Church (formerly known as Harris Prairie Christian Church), Granger, Indiana,. and is open to pre-college students. The winners from each division will perform in the Winners Recital on March 13 and will receive cash prizes:

  • Division VI Ages 16 – 18       $175
  • Division V Ages 14 & 15       $150
  • Division IV Ages 12 &13       $125
  • Division III Ages 10 &11       $100
  • Division II Ages 8 & 9           $75
  • Division I Ages 7 & under    $50

Contestants who receive honorable mention will also win cash prizes. All awards will be dispersed following the recital.
The competition, sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association, is open to piano students of teachers residing in Allen, Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties, Michigan; and Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph, and Starke counties, Indiana. Prize money is made available through the Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund.
Judges will be:
Divisions I, II, III:
Dr. James Helton, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Dr. Joyanne Outland, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Dr. Lori Rhoden, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Divisions IV, V, VI:
Dr. Wael Farouk, Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois
Nicole Lee, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana
Lori Sims, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
For further information, please contact the competition chair, Michelle Beyler, at (574) 226-2950 or e-mail (mbbeyler@aol.com). You may also visit the South Bend Area Music Teacher Association’s website: www.sbamta.org.