News Hear Cuban Classical Music at our PreMeeting. Gold Medal Recitals, Competition and Scholarship information Page 4

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1 C THE S ORE N O R T H S H O R E M U S I C The Monthly e-newsletter of the NSMTA News Maestro Stephen Alltop to present at February 23rd meeting Page 2 T E A C H E R S Jennifer Merry, Editor News Hear Cuban Classical Music at our PreMeeting Page 3 President s Message News February 2015 News Information about AIM Gold Medal Recitals, Competition and Scholarship information Page 4 Pages 5-6 (See our Facebook page for more in an AP article that also quotes former piano store owner Dennis Saphir.) Are you still looking for students this year? I can t tell you the number of teachers I ve talked to whose studios are under-enrolled. There are several reasons fewer students are studying musical instruments. Children are busier than ever with time consuming activities and impossible academic loads. Music lessons are often the first to go when practice is minimal and teens start Mary Beth Molenaar making choices. Many families are still NSMTA President struggling financially. Larry Fine writes that, Computer technology has changed everything People are Not only are student numbers down, interested in things that don t take but there are fewer teachers joining our much effort, so the idea of sitting and playing an hour a day to learn piano is organization at the national, state and not what kids want to do. 1 A S S O C I A T I O N Reference Festival judging sheets, letter from MTNA, January meeting minutes Pages local level in spite of all that is offered through these networks. NSMTA has offered events that target the average student and their teachers. While AIM fills part of that need, it may not be for everyone. Read the minutes in this newsletter to catch up on ideas for a new event targeting average and at-risk students. We need feedback and we need a few teachers who will step up to make this event possible for next year. Watch for a survey soon. Join the discussion at our next business meeting about these important topics. Consider inviting other teachers to a meeting and lunch afterward. Come early to listen to new member Milvia Rodriguez, and stay to be inspired by Stephen Alltop in what I predict will be one of the best programs of the year!

2 N E W S 9:30-10:00 AM Pre-meeting: Milvia Rodriguez 10:00-11:00 Business meeting & refreshments 11:00-noon Program Stephen Alltop At the next meeting, February Maestro Stephen Alltop presenting on Feb. 23 Thoughts for Piano Teachers from a Conductor/Harpsichordist from Bruce Berr, Program Chair We are privileged to have Maestro Stephen Alltop addressing our group this month. He is a world-class musician whose choirs and orchestras seem to have a way of always sounding as if one huge musical creature is singing! That same level of expressive artistry can be heard in his clavier playing as well. He is a marvelous lecturer and charismatic public speaker who in the great tradition of people before him like Leonard Bernstein has a talent for communicating big ideas in very few words. On Monday, Feb. 23 at 11 AM, Stephen will discuss the performance practice of baroque music and other perspectives gathered in twenty years of teaching harpsichord to piano students at Northwestern University. His focus will include what aspects of performance on the harpsichord are similar when the same music is played on the piano. He will also highlight the importance of ensemble experience for pianists. This will definitely be a don t-miss-it event! (Then afterwards, join Stephen for lunch at Convito Cafe and Market in Wilmette.) Biography of Stephen Alltop Stephen Alltop has built a career based on excellence in several disciplines, conducting both orchestral and choral ensembles, and performing as a keyboard artist. He is Music Director of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Green Lake Choral Institute. Dr. Alltop has served as a member of Northwestern University s conducting and keyboard faculties since 1994 where he conducts the Alice Millar Chapel Choir and the Baroque Music Ensemble. Stephen Alltop has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as both a harpsichord and organ soloist. Since 2011, Mr. Alltop served as principal organist for Soli Deo Gloria s Chicago Bach Project, which includes annual presentations of Bach s Mass in b minor and the St. John and St. Matthew Passions. In 2011 he appeared with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and conductor John Nelson at the Basilique St. Denis in Bach s St. Matthew Passion. As a harpsichordist and organist, he has performed with Boston s Handel and Haydn Society, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Chicago Sinfonietta, Joffrey Ballet, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, and the Peninsula Music Festival. Mr. Alltop served as Coordinator for WFMT s Bach Organ Project in the Fall of 2014, a live performance series of all of Bach s organ works. His recordings are on the Albany, American Gramaphone, Cedille and Clarion labels. Mr. Alltop has guest conducted numerous orchestras and choruses across the United States and Europe. Dr. Alltop led the International Schools Choral Music Society Festival in Busan, South Korea in He has worked closely with leading composers of the day, including residency projects with John Corigliano, Eleanor Daley, Stephen Paulus and Eric Whitacre, and has conducted world premieres of works by John Luther Adams, Jan Bach, Miguel del Agila, Frank Ferko, Fabrizio Festa, Stephen Paulus, Alan Terricciano, and many others. In 2007, he made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting music of Eric Whitacre. Stephen Alltop is represented by Joanne Rile Artist Management. 2

3 N E W S Hear classical Cuban piano music at our pre-meeting The Cuban Contradanzas of Manuel Saumell: Teaching applications for upper level students from Bruce Berr, Program Chair Due to recent changes in US governmental policies, we seem to be at an auspicious time in history when the past specter of nuclear mushrooms over Cuba is being replaced by the happy likelihood instead of mushrooming cultural exchanges between our two countries. It is inevitable that in the coming years, Cuba s classical composers and players will receive increasing exposure in the States, but we NSMTA members can experience that right now! Have you ever heard the music of Manuel Saumell? No, neither have I, but I am greatly looking forward to doing so. In our next pre-meeting program, Cuban native Milvia Rodriguez will share some of his music with us and will also discuss it from a teaching perspective. In her own words,! The Contradanzas of Manuel Saumell, together with Ignacio Cervantes Danzas, are considered the most important Cuban works for piano of the 19th century. They represent the most refined synthesis of folk and popular rhythms with the European traditional musical styles heard in salon piano music of the romantic period. Through the study of these Contradanzas, students, teachers, and professional musicians can become acquainted with relevant issues of performance practice related not only to Cuban music but also Latin American classical repertoire in general, since the countries in the region share many common musical characteristics. Biography of Milvia Rodriguez Milvia Rodriguez is a soloist and accompanist actively performing in recitals and festivals around the world. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano Performance, Pedagogy and Chamber Music at Gnesin's Institute of Music in Moscow, one of Russia's leading pedagogical and performance institutions. Before her time in Moscow, she studied music at the National School of Art in her native Cuba. In 2006 she earned a Doctorate Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a dissertation focused on selected piano works of Cuban composer Harold Gramatges, several of which she performed at her graduation recital. While at the University she served as a teaching assistant in group piano, accompanying and applied piano. She has studied with Ileana Bautista in Cuba, Vera Khoroshina and Valentina Zhubinskaya in Russia, and Paul Barnes and Aleksander Shtarkman in the US. Milvia has performed with orchestra as the winner of the Concerto Competition at UNL and invited by Orchestra Omaha as a soloist. She was part of the piano faculty at the Omaha Conservatory of Music until the summer of She continues her relationship with UNL and performed as one of the featured soloists at the American Liszt Society Spring Festival 2010 held in Lincoln, Nebraska. Milvia moved with her husband and two daughters to Miami, Florida, in the summer of 2009 where she continued to perform and teach. She was the staff accompanist at Gulliver Preparatory High School during the school year and continued to work with the school in as music faculty, accompanist and program assistant. In Florida, she was also piano faculty at Nova University in Fort Lauderdale. Dr. Rodriguez was also part of the piano faculty at Belmont University in Nashville and staff accompanist for the Belmont Opera during the academic year At present, Milvia is a graduate student at Northwestern University in the Higher Education administration program and also works at Norris University Center as a graduate intern taking part in assessment projects and other student affairs initiatives while continuing to pursue other musical endeavors. Be sure to submit news and announcements for the next SCORE by March 10! 3

4 N E W S NEWS ABOUT AIM From Jennifer Cohen and Jia-Yee Tang, AIM Coordinators AIM Theory Exams We faced and successfully braved any large event s worst nightmare canceling and rescheduling the event! With over 360 students scheduled to take the AIM Theory exams on February 1, we had to cancel due to weather, and rescheduling could have been a problem of great magnitude. We are very grateful to both Northwestern and MIC Lake Forest for generously giving us the use of their facilities on February 8 to reschedule. Thank you to all the teachers and students who had to rearrange their schedules to make the exam on February 8. Plans for make up exams are underway and we will be waiving all theory make up exam fees for this year. With the successful completion of the Theory exams, if you have any comments, suggestions or feedback, please Jennifer Cohen at Jicohen1@aol.com AIM Performance Exams For Levels 1A, 1B, 1C, & 2 Sunday, April 19, 2015 At Northwestern location only For Levels 3-12 Sunday, April 26, 2015 and Sunday, May 3, 2015 At Northwestern & Lake Forest locations Online Registration begins Monday, February 23, 2015 and ends on Friday, March 13, 2015 Online registration for the AIM Performance Exams will be available on the website on February 23, You do not need to create a new account for the Performance exam enrollments. Please use the same username and password that you created for the Theory exam. If you did not enroll any students for the Theory Exam but will be enrolling students in levels 1A, 1B, 1C or 2, you will need to create a new account. Judges Meeting Monday, March 9, 2015, 9:30 AM Marlene Chatain s home 2545 Greeley Ave., Evanston Here are some additional reminders: Don t forget to fill out the Teacher Volunteer Availability for your monitor/judging assignment. Please try to be flexible in your availability. If you enter students at both locations, you must be available to judge at both locations. Please do not choose the same day to judge at both locations. Please make sure that your students meet all technique and performance requirements. Consult the revised 2014 AIM Syllabus for complete and accurate requirements for technique. During this transition year, repertoire selections from both the old syllabus and the revised 2014 syllabus will be accepted. If a piece is from the old syllabus, please write (old syllabus) after the syllabus level and page in the Source field, otherwise it will be assumed that the repertoire is from the revised 2014 syllabus. Please check your enrollment for complete accuracy of all information. Check level, date and correct spelling of student names. The information you enter is used to create database for schedules, score sheets and certificates. How you enter a student s name is how it will appear on the certificate. Be sure to double check all information in your Student Report prior to the enrollment deadline. If you don t see your student listed on your Student Report, he/she is not enrolled! Finally, we ask that you try to divide your student enrollments equally between the 2 exam dates. As you know, space has been an ongoing concern, especially since our AIM program continues to grow each year. Having unequal enrollment puts extra burden on judging and space availability for the heavily requested date, usually the 2nd exam date. This extra burden can easily be avoided if you can all plan ahead. Remember that upper level students require more judging time than lower level students, so please take that into account when enrolling your students. We very much appreciate teachers that give us the flexibility of choosing either exam date! Thank you for your continued support of AIM. If you have any questions or comments, please don t hesitate to either Jia-Yee Tang at jiayeetang@gmail.com or Jennifer Cohen at Jicohen1@aol.com. 4

5 N E W S March is still available for a premeeting program from Bruce Berr, Program Chair Have some teaching ideas to share? Want to discuss your favorite composer? Helpful ideas for running your independent studio? Other topics? We'd like to hear from you Sonatina-Sonata Festival Gold Medal Recitals from Grace Juang, Gold Medal Recital Chair The Gold Medal Recitals will be held on Sunday, Feb. 22nd, 2015 at the Old Sanctuary Room of St. James Lutheran Church in Lake Forest (1380 N Waukegan Rd, Lake Forest, IL ) There will be two recitals: at 1:00PM and 3:00PM. All are welcome to attend, including friends of students. Pre-meeting programs are thirty minutes long and take place from 9:30-10:00 AM, right before our business meeting. The remaining available date for this season is March 30. If you've got a proposal, please me at bberr@comcast.net before March 1. Please note that the performing hall has been changed to another room due to church business. The Old Sanctuary Room provides a lovely view on both sides with large windows, and the Yamaha C7 will be moved for the recital. Please advise students to park in the back of the church and enter from the back entrance. The recital room will be just around the corner. The Festival medals will be available to pick up at the recital and the NSMTA meeting on Monday, Feb. 23rd. All teachers are encouraged to come to the recital and/or meeting to pick up their medals. New judging sheets used at the Sonata-Sonatina Festival from Bruce Berr, Co-chair of SSF Last year s re-designed judging sheets were met with overwhelming approval by members and adjudicators at the event. Yeeseon Kwon my co-chair colleague and I polled people afterwards, and we received numerous comments confirming the usefulness of the new features, as well as suggestions for improving the sheet in future years. We read and discussed every comment that was submitted, and have incorporated many (but not all) of the suggestions into the new sheet. A copy of the new judging sheet that was used on Sunday, Feb. 15, can be seen in the Reference section of this SCORE, along with explanations that were sent out to adjudicators ahead of time. Slightly different explanations are being posted on the NSMTA website so that students and their families can more fully understand the feedback that has been given to them by our adjudicators. Please let your families know that they can look at the website if they want more information. After you receive the judging sheets, we once again welcome your comments on them. Please send ideas to either Bruce Berr or Yeeseon Kwon. Music Library from Jane McInnis Did you do some sorting and culling of your music library at the start of the new year? Our chapter s music sale continues at the February, March and April meetings. Please bring any music you would like to either sell or donate. Proceeds from donated music will be added to our scholarship fund. 5

6 N E W S / A N N O U N C E M E N T S NSMTA Competition From Christine Hwang, Competition Chair The 2015 NSMTA Piano Competition Saturday, May 2 nd at Northwestern University in Evanston The application deadline is April 1 st and the competition application is available online: Piano Competition Repertoire 2015 All selections should be played in the order listed and without repeats unless otherwise indicated. Primary Division Grades 1-3 Tchaikovsky: Old French Song from Album for the Young (In Music for Millions, Vol. 17) Beethoven: German Dance in G WoO 42, No.6 (In M.M. Vol. 27) (play the repeats in the Trio only) Elementary Division Grades 4-6 Scarlatti: Sonata in c minor K.11/L. 352 (with repeats) Ibert: The Little White Donkey (#2 from "Histoires") Junior Division Grades 7-9 Schumann: Arabeske, Op.18 Haydn: Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI: 40, 2nd mvt. (Presto) Senior Division Grades Fauré: Nocturne #4 in E-flat major, Op. 36 Bach: Italian Concerto, 3rd movement (Presto) Summer Music Camp Scholarship from Betty Benton, Scholarship Chairman In the December SCORE I sent a list of music camps where students might enroll. This is a reminder that NSMTA offers a $200 scholarship to a qualified student. The applications must be postmarked by May 1, Summer camps are currently accepting applications. I would like to mention two programs: Illinois University Summer Youth Music Camp in Urbana starting June 14th and running through the month of July. Music and Drama week for 6th to 8th grade students (July 5-10) at Lutherdale Bible Camp, Elkhorn, Wisconsin. (see page NSMTA Directory) MTNA Composition Competition Winners Congratulations to NSMTA member Matthew Hagle, whose students Holden Mui and Aliya Alsafa were winners in the MTNA Composition Competition. Holden and Aliya both won first place in the Illinois and East Central rounds of the Composition Competition for their respective divisions, making them finalists in the National Competition. Aliya was also a second prize winner in the National Competition. We congratulate both students and their teacher! Chicago Duo Piano Festival 2015 Competition for Young Piano Duos Elementary and High School divisions will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at Music Institute of Chicago Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Illinois The application deadline is April 1, Cash and scholarships will be awarded to winning duos. WFMT Radio will broadcast the performance of the high school winners. For information: or rneiweem@musicinst.org 6

7 A N N O U N C E M E N T S New Book for Piano Teachers by Elvina Pearce The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy announces its newest publication, The Success Factor in Piano Teaching: Making Practice Perfect! The 266-page paperback book is by Elvina Pearce with Craig Sale as its Editor. Elvina has been active in ISMTA since the mid-60 s, and is a member of the West Suburban Naperville Area Group. Marvin Blickenstaff (who has written the Foreword for the Success Factor) says this about it: This definitive volume contains a unique combination of encyclopedic knowledge and down-to-earth ideas that can help every piano teacher to achieve extraordinary results in teaching practicing, and performing. Jampacked with practical tips, it also includes the inspirational thoughts of one of the greatest piano teachers of the last fifty years. For those interested in purchasing a copy of the book, it is conveniently available through More information can be obtained by visiting or by phoning Congratulations to Elvina, and many thanks for continuing to advance our profession! CSO Family Concert featuring Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns At Chicago Symphony Center Friday, March 20 at 10:15am and 12pm and Saturday, March 21 at 11:00am and 12:45pm. Performers: Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Kulenovic: conductor Kimberly Han and Brenda Huang: pianists What instruments would you choose to create the sound of a massive elephant lumbering across the safari, an elegant swan in flight or a school of fish swimming with the current? Discover how members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra can conjure a zoo full of characters in this concert featuring Saint-Saëns popular Carnival of the Animals. Each performance is preceded by a series of educational preconcert activities, including performances by students from local community music schools, composition and conducting activities led by musicians from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and more. We invite you to arrive at Symphony Center one hour before each performance for these activities. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Program to include: Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro Stravinsky: Dance of the Firebird from The Firebird Bartók: Excerpts from Romanian Folk Dances Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals News from the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy is pleased to announce the release of the latest issue of Piano Pedagogy Forum, the official research journal of the Center. In this issue are articles on Community Engagement, Incorporation of Learning Theory in Piano Pedagogy Courses, and research on the Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adult Piano Students marks the 17th year of publication of Piano Pedagogy Forum. Created by Scott Price, the journal was acquired by the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy in 2014, and is the recipient of the Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award bestowed by MTNA on an individual who has made a significant contribution through the creation and development of products or publications that further the field of keyboard pedagogy. We are pleased to continue offering Piano Pedagogy Forum to the public at no cost. Readers may find the newest issue of the journal at the following link: PPF_Vol._16_No._1.pdf 7

8 A N N O U N C E M E N T S Piano For Sale Baldwin Upright, Model 243 in Black Purchased 6/15/96 from Biasco (store) in Chicago Original owner Asking $2000 It is a beautiful, black piano that is in excellent condition. The buyer will need to move the piano themselves. Initial contact: Yvonne Harada at pianoharada@gmail.com. MTNA Seeking New Members In September, MTNA launched a recruitment and retention campaign called Hands and Voices Shaping the Future. This is designed to expand the MTNA membership to encourage more instrumental and vocal teachers to join MTNA. Please see the reference section for an important letter from MTNA highlighting ways that you can encourage other instrumentalists and vocalists to get involved with MTNA, bringing the benefits of this important organization to a larger, more diverse population of music educators. Quotation of the Month Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid. Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems 8

9 A N N O U N C E M E N T S Zoom in on your Reader to read this page more easily. Teacher s Signature: Is presently a full-time student at (Name of School) I certify that (Student s Name) FULL TIME STUDENT AFFIDAVIT NWSMTA Workshop March 1-2, 2015 Location: BARRINGTON LIBRARY 505 North Northwest Highway, Barrington, IL N Barrington Library! Barrington Library NWSMTA c/o Brenda Buchanan 380 Lincoln Street Hoffman Estates presents Kristin Yost In Workshop March 1-2, 2015 Barrington Library 505 North Northwest Highway Barrington, IL Kristin Yost An active performer, author, and teacher, Ms. Yost comes with a nationally recognized name attributed to her published works, conference presentations and level of students. In 2006 Ms. Yost graduated with a Master's Degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University studying under internationally renowned pianist, Alfred Mouledous and pedagogue Samuel Holland. In addition to being a competition winner herself, Ms. Yost was also the musical coach for the 2009 and 2010 Miss Teen Texas Talent Winner, and has had students win the Roland Piano Festival Southern Region, advancing them to nationals in Los Angeles, California. Her professional highlights include statelevel and university competition wins, awards, scholarships, academic and performance honors, as well as published works in several periodicals across the country including Clavier Companion, The Music Teachers Association of California and The American Music Teacher. Ms. Yost has received awards from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that include Outstanding Senior in Music Award, the Ada Bors Service Award, Sigma Alpha Iota local and regional awards, the Ruby Sword of Honor, the Sempre Fidelis Award from the U.S. Marines, and numerous academic and performance-based scholarships. Ms. Yost has played regularly with Celebration Jazz Orchestra in Norah Jones' old spot, and has performed for numerous politicians such as Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. As the founder of The Centre for Musical Minds, Ms. Yost does not come without extensive leadership experience. She has brought herself and the Centre for Musical Minds to an international audience by her presentations across the United States and Europe. She has served on the planning committee for The National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Frisco Youth Symphony and is actively involved in Arts Advocacy in her community as well as on the state level. Sunday, March 1 Topics / Schedule Barrington Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy, Barrington 3:00-4:30 (for parents, teachers and students) Recital Monday, March 2 Barrington Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy, Barrington 9:15-9:30 Registration 9:30-12:30 (for teachers) A Piano Teacher's Paradise: Financial Freedom for the Independent Piano Teacher! Gain sound business practices to set yourself up for financial success; take vacations, earn 12-months of revenue and even save for your retirement. This session will allow you to realize your earning potential and provide solutions for your concerns, all while doing what you love. Keeping Student Numbers UP in THIS Economy Let's face it - the circumstances of the world's economy are not going to be changing any time soon. Learn how YOU can attract the "right" kind of student for you, and keep them coming back each week, year after year! (There will be a 15 minute morning coffee break.) 12:30-1:15 Lunch Break 1:15-2:15 (for teachers) Modern Tools for Teachers Stay current on the best APPS available for music teaching and receive demonstration on Kristin's Fav 5!! Important Registration confirmation will not be sent Your canceled check is your receipt Absolutely no refunds after February 20 th Recording by any means or device is prohibited $ Workshop Fees Sunday Lecture/Demonstration * (Teachers) $15 (Parents) $5 (Students accompanied by a Parent) Free Monday Workshop * (Teachers) $50 (Full Time Students with Teacher's Affidavit) $25 Box lunch (Optional) (Must order by Feb 25th) $12 Tickets & Registrations are also available at the door * NOTE: Monday Workshop Fee includes 1 complimentary Sunday Lecture/Demonstration Ticket Lunch Selection If you wish to order a boxed lunch from Egg Harbor ($12), please indicate your sandwich selection on the registration form. Lunches include your choice of sandwich, plus chips, cookie, and beverage. Or, you may bring your own lunch. Sandwich #1 Chicken Salad on Kaiser Roll Sandwich #2 Turkey/Bacon/Avocado Tortilla Roll-Up Sandwich #3 Cucumber/Avocado/Spinach/Tomato/ Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll-Up Information For information or to purchase Tickets contact: Brenda Buchanan (217) Lincoln Street Hoffman Estates brenda.buchanan1@gmail.com Visit our website at Registration Form - Detach/Cut Here Attendance applies toward ISMTA and MTNA certification renewal. Indicate on registration form if affidavit of attendance is required. 9

10 A N N O U N C E M E N T S Christine Hwang FRIDAY MARCH 13 11:30 AM SKOWRONSKI MUSIC HALL FREE Pianist Part of our First Friday Series, Performance by pianist Christine Hwang. Enjoy music on your lunch hour as professional musicians perform a brief free concert on select first Fridays of the month bringing awareness to the power of music. Works by Franz Schubert, Franz Joseph Haydn, and more will be performed. NO RESERVATION REQUIRED JUMP ONLINE at blogs.luc.edu/artsalive CALL SKOWRONSKI MUSIC HALL 2nd floor, Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts 10

11 R E F E R E N C E Sonata-Sonatina Festival 2015 Adjudicator Evaluation Repertoire: Movement(s): Student number: Room sequence number: Teacher code: Overall summary of performance evaluation: Judges will provide a positional check mark in each spectrum box the extreme right indicates excellence 1 st selection played 2 nd selection played Stylistic projection Expressiveness Accuracy Memory Facility Comments on performance: Adjudicator signature: Score: Judges: If the score is Gold and the repertoire is a Sonatina, please circle the movement you recommend for the Gold Medal Recital Students & families: Explanations of the categories on this sheet can be found at nsmta.org = Bronze = Silver = Gold 11

12 R E F E R E N C E Explanations for members and adjudicators of the new judging sheet from Bruce Berr and Yeeseon Kwon, Co-chairs of SSF This year s sheet is roughly the same as last year s, but two significant changes have been made: 1. There are now five large categories at the top, rather than four. It is required that all five be evaluated for each student 2. There are now also detailed spectra near the bottom more about those soon. These are optional. The very best playing in any of the spectra top or bottom of the page is communicated through a check mark on the RIGHT side. A mark can be placed anywhere in each spectrum the more rightmost, the better the playing. The blank space on each sheet is used for explanations supporting the large-scale assessments. Those are: Stylistic projection How accurately did the player communicate the style of the selection? Each movement/selection is listed separately. Expressiveness How expressive was the playing? Notice that these two categories will overlap in fine playing but they might be separate in some students playing: a student who plays a movement very expressively but not sensitive to the style of the music could get a high assessment in Expressiveness but not in Stylistic projection. The other way around is also heard in other students playing in style but with gestures restrained or tentative. These two categories allow judges to communicate how much in synch the student s development is in both style and expressiveness. Accuracy Accuracy of anything that is notated: notes, articulation, dynamics, etc. Memory How well did the student memorize the piece? This large category was not present on last year s sheets, and we thank several judges for suggesting it. Facility How much ease did the player demonstrate in the playing? Facility is often a predictor of future progress and represents important feedback to both the student and teacher. However, the assessment of facility may or may not have directly impacted the student s final score that is up to each judge. See more about Facility below. The new spectra at the bottom Important: These are optional. Judges might provide all their substantive feedback in prose format in the blank space and leave the Optional Box totally empty, if they wish. Or they may supplement their written feedback by checking any or all of the spectra inside the Optional Box. One approach suggested to the judges was to use the Optional Box just to indicate only those specific areas that most strongly influenced their large-scale assessment i.e., the most positive and/or negative ones. These spectra are not really new except for a few additions, they used to comprise the main check list on our judging sheets in the past. The meanings of the categories within the Optional Box are obvious to judges and members, but we want to clarify two of them: Performance continuity This can communicate quickly and easily whether the player was able to always keep the performance moving forward, regardless of any fumbles or mishaps. Technique You might be wondering, how does this differ from Facility in the large categories? Technique can refer to anything physical or technical about the student s playing. Facility, however, refers to how much ease the student demonstrated in executing the technical demands of the piece. It is possible for a student to get a high grade on Technique but a lower grade on Facility; the opposite is not possible, however. 12

13 R E F E R E N C E VIP Membership Newsletter Margaret E. Nichols Baldridge Professor of Violin and Viola University of Montana As we turn the calendar page from January to February, many of us are thinking about the start of the second semester. Whether we teach in higher education, private or public school or the private studio, it is a time for new musical projects for ourselves and our students. One of the joys of being a musician is the collaborative music making we can share with another musician. Why not add opportunities for musical collaboration to the list of the many reasons to join MTNA? In September, MTNA launched recruitment and retention campaign called Hands and Voices Shaping the Future. This is designed to expand the MTNA membership to encourage more instrumental and vocal teachers to join MTNA. With this push to invite more instrumentalists to join MTNA, it makes sense to highlight the collaborative element of music that is possible with a more diverse membership. MTNA doesn t want to replace such groups as ASTA (American String Teachers Association) or NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing); they want to be a partner association that can provide services and opportunities to their members that the other organizations might not provide, while enhancing the musical activities available to the members and their students. My musical life and the musical life of my students and university colleagues are full of collaboration in mixed chamber ensembles and orchestra. I regularly perform with our percussion, keyboard, voice and woodwind and brass faculty. On the local level, our MTNA chapter president is a string player and she has worked very hard this year to get chamber music going amongst the students of the various teachers. As a professor who lives in a very large state with a small population, I joined MTNA so my students had the opportunity to perform in the MTNA competitions in both the solo and the chamber music categories. Some students have gone on to divisional and national competition where they can see how they fit into the musical world with their peers. Chamber ensembles and small groups seem the most likely possibility for collaboration among our membership and our students and perhaps these kinds of activities at the local, state and national levels will foster growth of membership from instrumentalists and vocalists. With that in mind, here are some other ideas about how MTNA members can involve more instrumentalists and vocalists at the local, state and national levels and interest them in joining the organization: Consider a joint local meeting and have each member invite one new person to come to the meeting. Have the meeting presentation be about chamber music. I just recently gave a presentation to my local chapter on student-level piano trios and I brought a pianist and cellist with me, both university students. We performed excerpts from some of the trios and I had scores and parts teachers could read as we performed. Host a collaborative chamber music reading afternoon with members of your community and their students. Have everyone bring their favorite piece and break out into rooms at a church or a school and enjoy the fun of sight-reading together. Encourage your high school students and university students to form mixed ensembles. There are many pieces for woodwind and strings, strings and voice and keyboard, mixed strings and keyboard, percussion and strings. If you need a list of pieces, please contact me. Encourage the student chapters of MTNA to invite instrumentalists and vocalists to join. Advertise your chapter activities in the newsletter, or magazine of the state ASTA or NATS or other organization. Suggest the state MTNA and ASTA chapters collaborate on a mini conference or invite each other to the state conferences and ask that each chapter contribute to the conference sessions so that there is something for everyone. Propose a session for the MTNA National Conference that promotes collaboration. Making music with others is so much fun. The Membership Committee welcomes your ideas and input for growing the membership and providing innovative and interesting programs to entice new members. You can send your ideas to me or to any of our committee members. I wish you a great year of collaborative music making. See you in Las Vegas! 13

14 R E F E R E N C E Minutes of the NSMTA Meeting on January 26, 2015 Called to order at: 10:00 a.m., at the Steinway Piano Gallery, Northbrook, IL OFFICER REPORTS: Treasurer's Report - Joni Kurtenbach was not present. Information from her will be included at a later date. Secretary's Report - Nancy DeHaven In the future, materials for AIM will be available for purchase using Square. First Vice-President and Programs Chair - Bruce Berr February presenter is Stephen Altop. The pre-meeting will be led by member Milvia Rodriguez. Second Vice-President and Membership Chair - Yvonne Harada In attendance was new member Jeffrey DeLay, as well as long-time member Ellenore Bonebrake. We were saddened to learn of the death of member Mieku Nasu. Hospitality Chair - Susan Corkum Susan continues to look for help with the responsibilities for her position. She would prefer a permanent assistant, but individuals helping on a month-by-month basis would work, if necessary. AIM - Jennifer Cohen Performance exams: enrollment February 23 through March 13. Judges meeting March 9. SONATINA FESTIVAL - Bruce Berr As of this writing, we are once again in need of a venue for the Gold Medal Recital. We have a fall-back location, but we are still looking for other possibilities. Needed: the best possible piano, the best possible ambiance, and affordability. Attendance for each recital is about 60 or a bit more. TEACHERS' RECITAL - Marlene Chatain Date is June 8, cost is $12. The venue has a lovely piano organ. Please do not forgo entering because you think your program might be too long. Although the residents of the facility might need to leave for lunch, our program can go longer. SCHOLARSHIP "BOX" Will be placed out again at the February meeting. Please add to the box any music you no longer use, and browse the box at the meeting for music you can use. Proceeds will go toward our Scholarship fund. OLD BUSINESS: FACEBOOK: We're up to 23 "likes". NEW BUSINESS: FROM ISMTA: Nationwide membership is declining. Please invite your friends to attend a meeting -- there's so much to learn, so many opportunities for your students, and great friendships to be made! NEW EVENTS BEING DISCUSSED: Something similar to North Shore Band? Another non-competitive festival? Possible times: early November, or same day as our Competition? Possible names: Music Day, Piano Day, Hobbyist Day, Performance Day, Performance Track (with NSMTA as a prefix to any of those names). Include the word "Festival" in the name? Bruce Berr made a suggestion that pieces used come primarily from educational composers. Possibly do a survey of our membership to discern interest? From the Board Meeting: Jennifer Merry has volunteered to be the Board rep on the Nominating Committee. The slate will be presented in March and voted on in April. We will be looking for Membership Chair and Treasurer. The meeting was adjourned at 10:34 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, Nancy DeHaven February 10,