In Their Words: BSU Collegiate Chapter reflects on 2010 MTNA National Conference

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by Lori Rhoden
Three members of the Ball State University Collegiate Chap­ter represented the state of Indiana at the 2010 Music Teachers National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Each student submitted a conference retrospective on what this experience meant to them. We attended the collegiate chapters forum as well as the collegiate members reception and got to interact with a lot of other chapter members and their advisors. The national confer­ence will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 26-30, 2011.  Make your plans now to attend the conference – let’s have a great representation from Indiana next year!
Conference Retrospective from Yuka Nakayama, Doctor of Arts Candidate at BSU
While I have attended the IMTA state conference several times in the past, this was the first time for me to attend the MTNA national conference. I had a great experience; I made many musical contacts, was musically inspired by the master classes and performances, and gained a new respect for piano pedagogy. There were many sessions and master classes on Chopin’s works, some of which I have played in the past, but not to the level of detail that was taught. I especially enjoyed attending the master classes where the pianism as well as the teaching were of the highest caliber.
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Local Association News, Fall 2010

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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.

President's Message, Fall 2010

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Dear IMTA Members,
I am always thinking of ways to guide my students to learn music musically. How can I assist them to develop practicing habits for a musical performance? What is the very first  practicing habit my students need to learn to make music musical? Is it posture, hand position, rhythmic stability, note and finger accuracy, pattern recognition, phrasing, or musical  analysis? What are the other important practicing habits that need to become second nature during my students’ practicing?
As a young pianist prior to college, my practicing habit was to learn notes, rhythms and fingerings. As soon as those were established I went on to “making music.” Upon entering college, my piano professor told me to make music the first time I  looked at a piece of music. I thought he was kidding – I always learn notes, rhythms and fingerings before I make music. Lesson by lesson, he guided me to study and hear a score before touching the piano – to analyze a score musically and theoretically. He taught me to ask questions of the score. What is the meter at the beginning, the middle and the end, what are the  large parts, where are the repetitions, the variations and the contrasts, where is the climax, what moods are conveyed, and is this phrase a question or an answer? From there he  encouraged me to carefully practice the score by including accurate readings of the notes, rhythms and fingerings, while making beautiful phrase shapes, interesting colors, rhythmic  and metric vitality, and architectural sense of the piece.Continue reading→

President's Message, Spring 2010

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Hello to my fellow members of IMTA!
This is a new adventure for me at the helm of our organization and a big thank you goes to Janet Piechocinski for making the transition seamless for me.  I hope to fill in the big shoes left from Janet and previous IMTA Presidents including Lori Rhoden, Julianne Miranda, Karen Thickstun and Joyanne Outland.
We have enjoyed a wonderful tradition of Conferences – the fabulous 2009 IMTA Conference we experienced at Taylor University.  A warm appreciation goes to Leon Harshenin and his committee members for organizing the concerts and interesting sessions. The 2010 IMTA Conference was held October 8-9, 2010, at Wabash College in Crawfordsville.  Special thanks to Cheryl Everett who chaired this conference.  Look for more information on our website about the 2011 conference to be held on the campus of Indiana University.Continue reading→