Next month, the IMT will celebrate a full year of being completely online at http://newsletter.indmta.org! Did you know that you can follow news and updates with the click of a button? Look for the RSS icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. This will launch your favorite news reader and ensure that you will get timely updates from IMTA. You can read more about how to use RSS feeds on the Lifehacker Page or in this tutorial provided by Paul Stamatiou.
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 ([email protected]) 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 Indiana Music Teachers Association AIM Festivals have been extremely successful this fall! A number of festival sites have recorded substantial increases in the numbers of participating teachers and students, with Indianapolis hosting over 200 students (this number marks a new record!). Congratulations to one and all for everyone’s hard work and dedication to this wonderful program. Again, a special thanks to Juliana Lockman for her production every year of the theory tests used in AIM. Also, our site coordinators (Candy Henkler: GEMTA; Kathy Keasey: SBMTA; Kim Jones: MTASCI; Kathy Ryan: GIMTA; Jane Wilson: TMTA; Catharina Matthews: NIMTA; and Margaret Roby: WVMTA) deserve our gratitude for all of the work they do making sure that their respective festivals are a success.
For those IMTA members who do not have an AIM Festival site within your locale, please contact Doug Sperry about starting a festival in your area. He would be happy to communicate with you via phone or email to answer any questions about this program. In addition, he is available to visit with any local groups to discuss the possibility of starting a new site.
Last but not least, please note that new participants can purchase the AIM Syllabus for a nominal. The fee is $20 for IMTA members and $40 for non-members. The 2010-2015 syllabus has not been changed from the 2005-2010 syllabus. Therefore, if you already have a copy there is currently no need to purchase a new one. However, if you need a copy or know of another teacher who may want one, please send a check, made payable to IMTA, to:
Douglas Sperry, NCTM
6793 West Manor Drive
Terre Haute, IN 47802
MTNA is offering these educational opportunities during 2012. So save these dates and plan to attend!
Wellness Symposium, June 27–29, 2012
MTNA, in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations, will host Empowering The Whole Musician—Mind and Body at the Yamaha Artist Services Facility in New York City. This three-day event will offer strategies to help attendees remain energized, injury-free and enthusiastic teachers and performers. Speakers will include Vanessa Cornett-Murtada, Julie Jaffee Nagel and Kathleen Riley.
For more information, visit the MTNA Website.
National Group Piano And Piano Pedagogy Forum, August 3–4, 2012
The National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum will again be held in Austin, Texas, on the University of Texas campus. This two-day event will concentrate on the specific needs of college and university teachers of group piano and piano pedagogy.
For more information, visit the MTNA Website.
The Greater Indianapolis Music Teachers Association (GIMTA) will host three upcoming events of interest. November 19, the association sponsors the Achievement in Music Festival and will host 212 student participants. On February 17, 2012 IMTA member Melissa Willis will present “Games, Visuals and Manipulatives”. Finally, on April 21, 2012 GIMTA, IPTA (Indianapolis Piano Teachers Association), IPTA (Indianapolis Piano Teachers Guild) will collaborate to bring in Melody Bober for a full day of workshops and masterclasses.
For more information about these events, you can find GIMTA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GIMTA
The 2011 IMTA Conference was a marvelous event. As conference Artist, James Tocco played a brillant recital and in the Saturday morning masterclass demonstrated several teaching styles. Karen Taylor’s enthusiastic keynote address on Friday evening was titled In Praise of Teachers. She shared the legacy of her teacher, Walter Robert. On Saturday we were treated to the premiere of the commissioned composition, Sonatina, for Piano Solo composed by Aaron Travers and performed by Vincent Adragna. Also on Saturday afternoon the Hoosier Audition Winners and Opus Composition Performers took the stage to present their music to an appreciative audience. Sessions on both days offered a balance of news in technology to informative lecture-recitals. With two days of beautiful weather, the lovely IU campus location and months of behind the scenes effort by David Cartledge and the Conference committee, this Conference has left each of us with inspiration and fond memories of our time together.
Editor’s note; Cheryl Everett is the IMTA Conference Chair. Members are invited to submit their reflections on the conference to [email protected]
IMTA Collegiate Chapters News Fall 2011
by Lori Rhoden
The Collegiate Chapters Forum at this year’s IMTA conference featured Amy Chaplin, who recently completed her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Ball State University. Amy has opened her own music teaching business, “Studio 88,” in Bluffton, Indiana. Amy shared with the students and faculty who attended the forum about the process of opening her studio. Look for her on Facebook to see pictures and find out more about her new studio!
All collegiate chapter members are encouraged to submit applications for travel grants to attend the 2012 MTNA national conference in New York. The deadline will be in January – look for more information soon on the website or contact Dr. Lori Rhoden, [email protected].Continue reading
This year’s IMTA teacher of the year has a long history of exceptional teaching that draws many students from far and wide to experience a phenomenal teacher who is truly devoted to students. A fabulous teacher with a reputation for extremely high demands of students, this person has boundless energy for teaching extra lessons, arranging for performance opportunities for her students, and seeking out funding for special events.
This person is equally at home coaching beginning students as well as more advanced students who have gone on to have significant careers in music. SHE has been described by colleagues as an amazing pedagogue who possesses a comprehensive understanding of the human body and its relationship to the instrument. She is not only a superb teacher of technique, but she also understands the emotional, inner meanings of the music and conveys this information to her students in remarkable ways. Her ability to inspire and motivate children of all ages, and her musical depth and creativity are amazing. She works tirelessly to help students reach that next level, never giving up on a single child. Her “non-judgmental” philosophy – where mistakes are information and all problems can be resolved through careful analysis and correct repetition – has assisted multiple generations of students through the process of learning the VIOLIN.Continue reading
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.
Bonnie Snyder, (right) SBAMTA Member of the Year, 2011
The South Bend Area Music Teachers Association named Bonnie Snyder Member of the Year. Bonnie began piano lessons at the age of six. She was the accompanist for her junior high and high school choirs and attended Moody Bible College as an organ performance major, where she received instruction in both organ and piano. Following graduation, Bonnie was the first music teacher at Grace Baptist Christian School. She directed the high school choir and taught elementary music classes for many years. Currently Mrs. Snyder is an independent piano instructor. She also gives lessons at Community Baptist Church and School, where she has been teaching and accompanying church services for the past twelve years. Bonnie is an active member of the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association. Bonnie was recital chair in 2004-2005, and on the ensemble team 2006-2007. Bonnie chaired the Stickley Piano Competition for the past five years and served as the association’s Vice President last year. The award was presented by SBAMTA president Juliana Lockman.