President s Message Debbie Gillette There s something about back to school that never ceases to arouse excitement in my piano teacher mind. Students come back to lessons with a fresh eagerness, a renewed commitment to practicing, a willingness to try new music. What composer, what new piece will spark each student, grow technique and musicality? Is this the year to embark on AIM or polish a Sonatina for the Sonata-Sonatina Festival, or even enter the Competition in May? This fall, I am honored to begin serving as your President. Many thanks to Jennifer Merry, our outgoing President for her help and guidance during this transition. My condolences to Jennifer, for the loss last May of her beloved husband, Bruce Berr, NSMTA Membership Chairman and nationally renowned piano teacher. NSMTA will miss his presence dearly. We are thankful for Bruce s many years of leadership service to our group as well as being honored as our 2013 Member of the Year. I recently learned that Bruce, himself a national leader in pedagogy, regularly recorded his teaching so he could always improve his teaching. I challenge all of us to take his lead and record at least one lesson this fall. One of the greatest benefits of being part of a piano teaching group is the ability to motivate and push each other to be our best. This summer has been a busy time for the Website Committee as Sky Floor, LLC, a website design company, has been employed to build a new 21st century website for NSMTA. Parents increasingly turn online to search for piano teachers. A great benefit of membership to NSMTA will be the increased web presence of our group, especially through the Find a Teacher link. Joel Miller from Sky Floor will join us for the pre-meeting on Sept. 24 at 9:30 for the big reveal of our new website. Debbie Gillette INSIDE THIS ISSUE President s Message...1 Presentation...2 Pre-Meeting Presentation...3 AIM News...3 2019 Competition Repertoire..4 2018 ISMTA Conference...4 Announcements...5 Last spring we learned that Steinway in Northbrook was closing and Mary Beth Molenaar, our industrious incoming Vice President, led an exhaustive search of libraries, community centers and churches for an affordable central location that included good parking and the ability to reserve in advance for the entire year. We are pleased to be hosted for the 2018-19 year at the Winnekta Covenant Church, 1200 Hibbard Rd., in Wilmette. Barbara Kreader is our speaker and we will continue our first meeting tradition of sharing a lunch together at the meeting s conclusion. Plan on staying for this time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. 1
September 24 Presentation Barbara Kreader Skalinder 2 A Love Letter to Our Profession. Teaching Students to Work on their Own: We can give students a list of helpful practice hints, but how can we help them learn to schedule their own practice time, set up their own practice space, and enter into a mindset that brings their curiosity and creativity to every practice session. Barbara Kreader Skalinder Biography Barbara Kreader is a Keyboard Consultant for Educational Keyboard Publications to the Hal Leonard Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has taught piano continuously for over 40 years. A faculty member of Northwestern University's Division of Preparatory and Community Music from 1974-1985, she has also maintained an independent studio in Evanston, Illinois from 1973 to the present. As a child and young adult, Kreader studied piano with Beth Miller Harrod, attending Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado for seven summers. She was the Program Director of the Junior Student Seminars at Rocky Ridge from 1998-2003. A graduate of Northwestern University, Kreader earned a M.M. in Piano Performance in 1974 studying piano with Laurence Davis and piano pedagogy with Frances Larimer. The editor of Clavier magazine from 1982-1988, Kreader has published articles in Clavier, The Piano Quarterly, and Keyboard Companion. She was the editor of the Parent/Teacher/Child column in Keyboard Companion from 1992-2006 and currently serves as Clavier Companion's Senior Consulting Editor and as a regular columnist. Kreader served as moderator for the three Baldwin/ Clavier Keyboard Teacher's Videoconferences presented in 1986, 1987, and 1988. From 1988-1989 she instituted a Baldwin-sponsored program of piano lessons and supervised practice in the after-school child care programs in the Evanston District 65 schools. She joined Hal Leonard in November 1989. Barbara Kreader is a co-author of over 40 titles in the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, a piano method for children. She has given workshops in over 250 cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Kreader's book, The Music of Teaching: Learning to Trust Students' Natural Development was published by Hal Leonard Corporation on July 1, 2016.
AIM NEWS Congratulations to the following students that have completed AIM Level 12 this year. It is a tremendous accomplishment for both students and teachers! Rebecca Ainsenberg, student of Martha Yelenosky Jennifer An, student of Brenda Huang Faith Chen, student of Birdi Dawson Sylvia Chen, student of Jennifer Cohen Lauren Collins, student of Annie Hsiao Hannah Davismeier, student of Brenda Huang Michael De La Rosa, student of Jessica Walker Matthew Early, student of Birdi Dawson Abigail Froyshteter, student of Tatyana Stepanova Lisa Gong, student of Annie Hsiao Elmira Hezarkhani, student of Jia-Yee Tang Cindy Ho, student of Brenda Huang Isabella Kiedroswski, student of Martha Yelenosky Josh Melnick, student of Martha Yelenosky Jasmine Sun, student of Galina Kostukovsky Annie Wang, student of Brenda Huang Grace Yu, student of Vivian Zhao AIM Theory Exams: Online Registration Begins - November 5, 2018 Theory Judges Meeting - November 12, 2018 at Marlene Chatain s home Online Registration Closes - December 7, 2018 Repertoire Substitution Request Deadline - January 15, 2019 Level 12 Repertoire Approval Deadline - January 15, 2019 All levels - January 20, 2019 at Northwestern Academy & MIC, Lake Forest All levels - January 27, 2019 at Northwestern Academy & MIC, Lake Forest AIM Performance Exams: Online Registration Begins - February 25, 2019 Judges Meeting - March 4, 2019 at Marlene Chatain s home Exam Online Registration Closes - March 11, 2019 Exams (levels 1 and 2 only) - April 14, 2019 at MIC, Winnetka Exams (levels 3-12) - April 28, 2019 at Northwestern Academy & MIC, Lake Forest Exams (levels 3-12) - May 5, 2019 at Northwestern Academy & MIC, Lake Forest Fees: Levels 1-2: $15 Levels 3-8: $25 Levels 9-12: $30 Joel Miller Pre-Meeting Presentation Web Site Reveal - Joel Miller Join us at our meeting September 24th to get a first look at our brand new website. We will be getting a walk through of the website from Joel Miller of The Sky Floor. He will be presenting our new interactive member directory, calendar, and more. Biography: Joel Miller is the co-founder of The Sky Floor, a digital marketing agency focused on making it easier for businesses and organizations to improve their presence online. Joel is about to enter his 10th year of developing websites. He has been a guitar player since he was 15, which he picked up after 7 years of piano lessons. 3
Attend the 2018 ISMTA Conference in October! 2018 Annual Conference Illinois State Music Teachers Association October 26-27, 2019 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, Illinois. More information can be found by visiting the ISMTA website: https://ismta.org/ conference 2019 NSMTA Piano Competition Repertoire Primary Division: (Grades 1-3) C.P.E. Bach, Allegro in G Major, H.328, Wq.116:54. (Little Scherzo in Music for Millions, vol. 17, with Repeats!) Aram Khachaturian, Melody. (Music for Millions, vol.17) Elementary Division: (Grades 4-6) Georg Philipp Telemann, Fantasia in g minor, TWV 33:8. (Music for Millions, vol. 37) Pyotr Il yich Tchaikovsky, Reverie, [Sweet Dreams] in C Major, Op. 39 no.21. (Music for Millions, vol. 17) Junior Division: (Grades 7-9) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata no.9 in D major, K. 311 (1 st Movement) I.Allegro con spirito Frederic Chopin, Nocturne in B major, Op. 32 no.1. Senior Division: (Grades 10-12) J.S.Bach, Prelude from English Suite No.3 in G minor, BWV 808 Alberto Ginastera, Danzas Argentinas, Op.2 (no.1 and no.2) 1. Danza del viejo boyero 2. Danza de la moza donasa 4
Announcements September 24th Meeting - New Location! Our meetings this year will be at Winnetka Covenant Church in Wilmette (right on the border). The church is just north of Lake Street on Hibbard. From the north on 94 take the Skokie Blvd. exit. From the south take the Lake Ave. exit. The church is also easily accessible by city streets. The address is: 1200 Hibbard Road Wilmette, IL Watch for signs on the door, but plan to park in the parking lot and come in the NORTH door by the children s playground. We will meet this month in the Upper Room which is just up the steps immediately by the door. There is also an elevator at the end of the hallway on the left (just past the children s classrooms. If you have questions, please contact Mary Beth at: m-molenaar@northwestern.edu Oakton Six Piano Ensemble Auditions Be part of a unique musical experience as a member of the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble. Auditions for this internationally acclaimed touring group will be on Wednesday, September 12, Thursday, September 13 and Monday, September 17 from 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. (or by appointment) in Room 1360 at Oakton Community College, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines. For more information about the auditions, contact Glenna Sprague at gsprague@oakton.edu or (847) 635-1905. Interested pianists may bring a prepared piano piece, but music will be provided. The group performs repertoire from the classical, ragtime, jazz, and popular periods that is transcribed for the six pianos by the ensemble s founder and conductor, Glenna Sprague, Professor and Coordinator of Music at Oakton, where she also teaches piano. Performing with a conductor, the rich layered sound of the Six Piano Ensemble is comparable to that of an orchestra, with each member playing a different part of a composition as the melody transfers from pianist to pianist. The ensemble provides an excellent opportunity for those pianists who do not want to perform as soloists, but want to keep up their playing skills and be part of an ensemble situation. The group has performed both internationally and throughout the United States, including the World Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow; College Music Society International Conference in Vienna, Austria; Hawaii Music Teachers Association in Honolulu; MTNA National Conferences in Atlanta and Spokane, numerous MTNA state conferences; Music Teachers Association of California State Convention in Los Angeles; GP3 National Conference at University of Oklahoma; Steinway of Chicago Community Concert Series, Harold Washington Library, Navy Pier, Civic Opera House, and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. Winnetka Covenant Church Luncheon at September meeting We are looking forward to the annual luncheon after our meeting September 24! As in the past it will be potluck. I will provide the coffee and water and also will order a couple of trays of sandwiches. Would everyone else please bring a small plate of side dishes such as fruit or fresh veggies or salad? Thank you! Susan Corkum, Hospitality. Critics hail the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble as extraordinary, innovative, technically superb and musical. 5