American Music Teacher articles from December 2005

American Music Teacher archives from December 2005

MTNA programs: educational opportunities for everyone.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I am writing this to you as both the newest and most recently returning member of the MTNA staff, as well as your colleague. For more than 25 years I have been part of the piano teaching community and part of MTNA--first as a student member and...

Competitions.(In Unison; Music Teachers National Association )
December 1, 2005... This past September, at the eighth annual Summit for MTNA Leadership in Cincinnati, Ohio, the attendees considered the philosophical position of our MTNA competitions in specific reference to the Senior Piano Competition. In 2001, a competition...

Harris Poll shows 93 percent believe the arts are vital.(Items of Interest)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... A Harris Poll released earlier this year on the attitudes of Americans toward arts education revealed 93 percent agree that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children. Additionally, 54 percent rated the importance of...

Jabez Press announces Composition Invitational winner.(Items of Interest)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Judith Lang Zaimont is the winner of the 2005 Jabez Press Composition Invitational. Her winning composition, A Calendar Set: Twelve Preludes for Piano Solo, will be published by Jabez Press and was premiered at the 2005 World Piano Pedagogy...

IMC elects president.(International Music Council, Richard Letts)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Richard Letts, the executive director of the Music Council of Australia, has been elected president of the International Music Council (IMC) for the coming biennium. The election took place at IMC's recent assembly in Los Angeles, California....

School music program gets makeover.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Harmonic Vision, Casio Keyboards and Conn-Selmer donated software, keyboards and band instruments to a New York elementary school. In conjunction with The Tony Danza Show and While Fou Were Out, a home-renovation television show, the music room...

Gibson announces appointments.(Gibson Guitar Corp. William P. Antonace, Steve Horn, Roxanne Khazarian )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Gibson Guitar has announced several key executive appointments. Joining the company as chief operating officer is William P. Antonace. Antonace joins Gibson from Symrise Inc., in Terboro, New Jersey, where he served most recently as...

Charles Norman Mason awarded Rome Prize.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MTNA member Charles Norman Mason, of Alabama, has been awarded the Rome Prize in Musical Composition. Mason, a music professor at Birmingham-Southern, will spend 11 months in Rome composing. Four of the many works he will be composing are...

Murray State University establishes Stephen Brown scholarship.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Murray State University's Department of Music has established a scholarship honoring MTNA member Stephen Brown, NCTM. The scholarship, established through the generosity of Brown's former students, family and friends, will be awarded to a...

Music Felt Board Set.(Music Merchandise)
December 1, 2005... The Story Teller, Inc., 308 E., 800 S., P.O. Box 921, Salem, UT, 64653; (800) 801-6860; Karen@funfelt.com; www.funfelt.com. The Story Teller, Inc., produces quality felt boards for storytelling and learning, including a new Music Felt Board...

New music website.(MusicLearningCommunity.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MusicLearningCommunity.com is a new website with more than 160 levels of 37 animated, interactive music games. Established by Christine Hermanson, the site combines traditional theory and ear-training concepts with colorful, animated music...

HD-100 Harmony Director.(Music Merchandise)
December 1, 2005... Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; (714) 522-9011; infostation@yamaha.com; www.yamaha.com/band; $1,149. The HD-100 Harmony Director from the Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division, is...

Golandsky Institute releases DVD.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Golandsky Institute; (877) 343-3434: DVDsa/es@golandskyinstitute.org; www.go/andskyinstitute.org; $89. The Golandsky Institute introduces The Art of Rhythmic Expression, the first installment of its Discovery Series. This three-disc DVD...

2006 Kingsville International Competitions.(Competitions)
December 1, 2005... The Music Club of Kingsville, Inc., will hold its 25th annual Kingsville International Competitions, April 6-8, 2006, on the campus of Texas A&M University. The Kingsville Competitions has been reorganized and this year will offer competitions...

2006 PianoArts Biennial National Competition announced.(Competitions)
December 1, 2005... The 2006 PianoArts Biennial National Competition, open to contestants aged 14-18, will be held June 9-13, 2006 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prizes total more than $10,000 and include a scholarship to attend the 2007 International Keyboard Institute...

Creator of music synthesizer passes away.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
December 1, 2005... Robert Moog, who created the electronic music synthesizer that bears his name and became ubiquitous among experimental composers, as well as rock musicians in the 1960s and 70s, died August 21, in his home in Asheville, North Carolina. He was...

5 minutes with ... Paul Sheftel.(Interview)
December 1, 2005... Paul Sheftel is an extensively published editor, composer and pioneer in MIDI technology instructional materials. He has performed, lectured and conducted workshops throughout the country He serves on the Juilliard School faculty and maintains...

Group lessons = positive results.
December 1, 2005... Regardless of the age, ability level or instrument, a students musical growth can benefit from a group-oriented learning environment. Adding a group component to the typical private-lesson format allows students to work together, learn from...

Movement activities for learning-disabled piano students.(KEEPING THE BEAT)
December 1, 2005... Through the implementation of the Music Achievement Award Program, MTNA has affirmed that average students are important and deserve the right to earn tangible awards that recognize their unique achievements. Many of the students we teach...

Sight singing for instrumentalist.
December 1, 2005... On fall the skills required to master a musical instrument, perhaps none is more important than a well-trained ear. Proper embouchure, breath control and good technique are essential components for learning a wind instrument, but unlikely to...

An overview of pedagogical piano repertoire by contemporary Korean composers.(Directory)
December 1, 2005... Piano teachers continually search for new and exciting repertoire pieces tailored to match each student's personality, background and interests. Diversity of cultural and ethnic backgrounds in the United States is greater than in many other...

Your membership dues at work.(National Association News; Music Teachers National Association)
December 1, 2005... MUSIC TEACHERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Dear Members: An important agenda item for the MTNA Board of Directors annual summer meeting is to approve the Operating budget for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The work of the MTNA finance committee,...

MTNA supports members affected by Hurricane Katrina.(Association News; Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MTNA began Hurricane Katrina relief efforts to support the reestablishment of members' studios in affected areas along the gulf coast. Among the programs established by MTNA is the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund. This fund will assist members...

MTNA member survey results available.(Association News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Results from the 2005 MTNA Member Survey, conducted in July 2005, are available on the MTNA website at www.mtna.org. The survey was designed to better understand MTNA members and their needs, gain information about the independent music...

MTNA leaders attend summit.(Association News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The eighth annual Summit for MTNA Leadership was held in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 16-18, 2005. Nearly 100 MTNA leaders, including state and division presidents, state and division presidents-elect, program chairs and the board of directors,...

MTNA in the news.(Association News; Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MTNA President Paul Stewart, NCTM, was interviewed for the October 2005 issue of Real Simple magazine. In the article, Stewart offers suggestions to adults interested in taking piano lessons. The interview was part of a larger article about...

MTNA and the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum partner.(Association News; Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MTNA and the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3 Forum) recently formed a partnership that makes the GP3 Forum a program of MTNA. "MTNA joining forces with GP3 is a natural partnership because of our shared missions," says MTNA...

Eastern Division.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Eastern Division column this issue features the state of Maryland, as we hear from President Joselyn Makowski: The Maryland State MTA currently has about 675 members, drawn from not only Maryland, but also the surrounding areas of...

East Central Division.(Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Indiana MTA held its state conference November t 1-12, 2005. The theme of the conference was The Piano Teacher: Diamond of the Profession, which focused on the multi-faceted role of the piano teacher. The conference featured pianist Ian Hobson...

Northwest Division.(Division News; Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Northwest Division meeting at the 2005 Summit for MTNA Leadership in Cincinnati, Ohio, allowed for a wonderful dialogue among the six state presidents and president-select, as well as other representatives from the Northwest Division. Each...

South Central Division.(Music Teachers National Association, services, meetings)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... MTNA South Central Division had an excellent meeting at the 2005 Summit for MTNA Leadership. State presidents and presidents-elect brought encouraging reports. MTNA Board Director Karen Harrington, NCTM, shared information from the summer board...

Southern Division.(Division News; Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Florida State MTA is divided into nine district associations that contain 23 local associations. The districts divide the state geographically, providing annual workshops, competitions and conferences. Topics at district conferences include...

Southwest Division.(Music Teachers National Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Southwest Division competitions will be held January 20-22, 2006, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The competitions are open to the public and I encourage you to witness the tremendous talent of our students and the exceptional level...

West Central Division.(plans, Music Teachers National Association)
December 1, 2005... West Central Division states are gearing up for the MTNA Division Competitions at the Strauss Performing Arts Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus, January 13-15, 2006. Ken Bales, NCTM, Nebraska MTA president, is the local site...

Foundation fund.(Music Teachers National Association establishes Margaret Lorince Endowment Fund )
December 1, 2005... Margaret Lorince Endowment Fund Established Following a generous bequest from the late Margaret Lorince, MTNA has established an endowment fund in her memory. "Margaret was the driving force behind the Foundation's endowment funds,"...

Professional certification: practicing professionalism.(Association News)
December 1, 2005... While attending the Certification Open Session during the 2005 M/NA National Conference, I was particularly struck by comments made by Phyllis Pieffer, NCTM, who was MTNA president at the time. She said: "We have to provide the incentives...

Polyphony: re-evaluating in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.(Column)
December 1, 2005... This is the first "Polyphony" column I have written since Hurricane Katrina hit land. So many of us watched with disbelief and anguish the destruction, pain and horrors that afflicted so many. A major city in our country was nearly destroyed...

Random access: your role in music history.(Professional Resources)
December 1, 2005... Of course you have studied music history in school and (hopefully) have continued your music history studies, either formally or informally, since then. But have you thought about the role you play in that history? How about the role your...

It's all your business: the value of music teacher surveys.(Professional Resources)
December 1, 2005... One of the most valuable ways to increase professionalism in the independent studio is to network with other teachers about successful policies. Discussing business issues during local and state music teacher associations meetings offers the...

High school credit for applied music study.(Forum Focus: Arts Awareness and Advocacy)
December 1, 2005... Although many states have in place a high school credit program for applied music study, not all school districts are willing to grant credit for music study outside the school cirricula. The relationships that independent music teachers...

Win $500 for your Collegiate Chapter.
December 1, 2005... Each year MTNA presents the MTNA Collegiate Chapter of the Year Award to an outstanding Collegiate Chapter and its members for demonstrating exceptional organization and depth of activities. The winning chapter will receive a $500 prize and be...

MTNA Studio Festival program: one teacher's "soaring" endeavor.(Music Teachers National Association)
December 1, 2005... For most music teachers, the primary focus and goal is, and always should be, their student's ultimate musical success and love of music making. MTNA offers several tools to aid music teachers with attaining their own professional goals,...

Souled American: How Black Music Transformed White Culture.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Souled American: How Black Music Transformed White Culture, by Kevin Phinney. Billboard Books/Watson-Guptill (770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003), 2005. 343 pp. $29.95. The subject of black American influence on American culture, as a whole,...

Guitar: An American Life.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Guitar: An American Life, by Tim Brookes. Grove Press/Atlantic, Inc. (841 Broadway, 4th Flr., New York, NY 10003), 2005. 339 pp. $24. This is an extremely interesting and entertaining book about the guitar and its development in America....

Democracy and Music Education, Liberalism, Ethics and the Politics of Practice.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Democracy and Music Education, Liberalism, Ethics and the Politics of Practice, by Paul G. Woodford. Indiana University Press (601 N. Morton St., Bloomington, Indiana 47404), 2005. 160 pp. $21.95. This book takes an in-depth look at music...

Igor, the Bird Who Couldn't Sing.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Igor, the Bird Who Couldn't Sing, by Satoshi Kitamura. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (19 Union Square W., New Fork, NY 10003), 2005. 40 pp. $i6. As a musician, teacher, a teacher of teachers and a mother of two girls, ages 5 and 2, I found...

The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Digital Technologies (A Guide for Artists and Entrepreneurs) (w/CD).(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Digital Technologies (A Guide for Artists and Entrepreneurs) (w/CD), by Steve Gordon. Backbeat Books (600 Harrison St., San Francisco, CA 94107), 2005. 269 pp. $22.95. It took...

The Right Way to Sing.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... The Right Way to Sing, by Linda Marquart. Allworth Press (10 E., 23rd St., New York, NY, 10010), 2005. 127 pp. $12.95. Linda Marquart's book, The Right Way to Sing, is a pragmatic approach to singing that would benefit amateurs, beginning...

Apple for the Teacher: Thirty Songs for Singing While You Work.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Apple for the Teacher: Thirty Songs for Singing While You Work, collected and introduced by Jane Yolen, music arranged by Adam Stemple, art edited by Eileen Michaelis Smiles. Harry Abrams Publishing Co. (115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011),...

Jazz 'n Rags at Your Fingertips, Books 14; Folk Songs 'n Favorites at Your Fingertips, Books 1-4.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Jazz 'n Rags at Your Fingertips, Books 14; Folk Songs 'n Favorites at Your Fingertips, Books 1-4, edited by Janet Vogt. Heritage Music Press (The Lorenz Corporation) (P.O. Box 802, Dayton, OH 45401), 2005. 32 pp, each. $6.95, each. Jazz 'n...

Two-Minute Offertories: Concise Hymn Settings for Piano.(Rocky Mountain Praise: Hymns of Ascent for Solo Piano; Morning Has Broken: Classic Hymns in Classical Settings)(Lord, Be Glorified: Timeless Hymns in Classical Settings)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Two-Minute Offertories: Concise Hymn Settings for Piano, by Cindy Berry. 2005. 48pp. $10.95; Rocky Mountain Praise: Hymns of Ascent for Solo Piano, arranged by Frank Milholland. 2005. 52 pp. $9.50; Morning Has Broken: Classic Hymns in Classical...

Traditional Hymn Favorites: Ten Hymn Favorites Arranged for Solo Piano.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Traditional Hymn Favorites: Ten Hymn Favorites Arranged for Solo Piano, by Carolyn Setliff. Willis Music Company (P.O. Box 548, Florence, KY 41022), 2005. 24 pp. $4.95. Traditional Hymn Favorites offers 10 somewhat progressively difficult...

Gospel Music Made Easy.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Gospel Music Made Easy, arranged by Gail Smith. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (#4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069). 32 pp. $7.95. This collection contains 26 well-known hymns and gospel songs. Gail Smith, who has been active in church music,...

The Piano Lesson: A Graduated Piano Curriculum.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... The Piano Lesson: A Graduated Piano Curriculum, by Elise Beckett Russell. The Piano Curriculum Series LLC (P.O. Box 17651, Sugar Land, Texas 77496), 2004. Teacher manual, $35.95; 11 student manuals, $18.95 each. The wealth of available...

The Dounis Collection: Eleven Books of Studies for the Violin.(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... The Dounis Collection: Eleven Books of Studies for the Violin, by Demetrius Dounis. Carl Fischer (65 Bleeker St., New York, NY 10012), 2005. 303 pp. $28.95. Carl Fischer has rendered an important service to the string pedagogy world with...

Virtual Grand Piano.
December 1, 2005... Virtual Grand Piano, by Art Vista Productions. www.artvista.net. Virtual Grand Piano puts the sounds of a Steinway concert grand piano into the hands of someone with a computer and MIDI keyboard. Typically, playback of MIDI files on...

Leadership.(Directory)
December 1, 2005... Paul Stewart, NCTM President University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music Greensboro, NC 27402-6167 Home (336) 299-7118 Work (336) 334-5380 Fax (336) 334-5497 pbstewar@uncg.edu Gall Berenson,...

Music Daffy-nitions.(The Back Page)
December 1, 2005... Accordion: A hollow device that produces sounds by means of billowing air (see also "game show host" and "politician"). Aide: To consume. (As in, "Let me eat this mint, before Aide-nother"). Bitonality: Music that can't make up its...

2006 MTNA National Conference March 25-29.
December 1, 2005... Dear Colleague: You are invited to attend the 2006 MTNA National Conference in Austin, Texas, March 25-29. This year's conference will assemble the finest music professionals to present more than 100 educational sessions and industry...