American Music Teacher articles from February 2009

American Music Teacher archives from February 2009

Not too busy to care: 2009 MTNA National Conference.(Dear Reader)(Music Teachers National Association)
February 1, 2009... Atlanta is a city rich with history and culture, and is known as the "city not too busy to care." It is often pointed to as an example of successful urban development and growth. Evidence of this can be seen everywhere from the beautiful...

Seeking inspiration for our students and ourselves!(In Unison)
February 1, 2009... As the gray days turn brighter and grow longer, the temperatures moderate and buds begin to form on the trees, the spring infuses me with a sense of renewal and excitement. Perhaps another spring ritual should also be credited for my positive...

Samick acquires Seiler Piano.(Items of Interest)(Samick Musical Instruments Company Ltd. and Seiler)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Samick Musical Instruments Company has acquired Seiler, a German piano company. Founded in 1849, Seller will continue making pianos in the same factories by the same craftsmen. Seiler joins a growing list of names under the Samick name,...

Hal Leonard forms joint venture with Chinese publisher.(Items of Interest)
February 1, 2009... Hal Leonard Corporation has formed a joint venture with People's Music Publishing House in Beijing, China. The newly formed company will translate Hal Leonard flagship publications into Mandarin and create new publications specifically...

Alfred Publishing to distribute Schaum Publications.(Items of Interest)(Alfred Publishing Company Inc. and Schaum Publications, Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Alfred Publishing has become the primary worldwide distributor for Schaum Publications, Inc. Previously, Alfred had distributed selected Schaum piano titles, but under the new agreement, will now distribute approximately 650 Schaum titles. ...

Clavier and Keyboard Companion magazines merge.(Items of Interest)(Keyboard Companion magazine and Clavier magazine have merged)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy's Keyboard Companion magazine and The Instrumentalist Company's Clavier magazine have merged to form a new magazine--Clavier Companion--published by the Frances Clark Center. With Peter Jutras...

USC debuts new popular music program.(Items of Interest)(USC Thornton School of Music will introduce a new popular music performance major )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The USC Thornton School of Music will introduce a new popular music performance major in fall 2009. The bachelor of music degree in popular music performance required building an entirely new curriculum and is the first university program...

Levine honored at NEA Opera Honors events in Washington.(Items of Interest)(Metropolitan Opera Music Director James Levine)(United States National Endowment for the Arts)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Metropolitan Opera Music Director James Levine and three others--Leontyne Price, Carlisle Floyd and Richard Gaddes--are the recipients of the inaugural NEA Opera Honors award. Created to celebrate the art and artists of opera in America,...

Bridge to Music launches a new music teacher listing online.(Items of Interest)(www.bridgetomusic.com)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Bridge to Music has launched a new website, which lists more than 3,000 music schools, classes and workshops, music festivals and private music teachers. Bridge to Music is an online music community that connects students and the...

Philadelphia Orchestra CEO steps down.(Items of Interest)(James Undercofler will resign as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... James Undercofler will resign as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra when his contract expires on July 31. Undercofler, former dean of the Eastman School of Music and professional horn player, held the job for three years. This...

National Symphony names Eisenbach music director.(Items of Interest)(Christoph Eschenbach)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... German conductor Christoph Eschenbach, 68, has succeeded Leonard Slatkin as music director of the National Symphony. Eschenbach will also be the music director of the Kennedy Center. This newly created position will oversee the Center's...

NBC's "America's Got Talent" begins casting for season four.(Items of Interest)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... NBC's hit reality show "America's Got Talent" has begun casting for its fourth season throughout the country. The summer television series, which features anything from jugglers to ventriloquists to singers to musicians to magicians and...

Yo-Yo Ma named musician of the year.(Items of Interest)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Famed cellist and Grammy Award-winner Yo-Yo Ma has been named musician of the year by music industry publication Musical America. Ma was awarded the honor for his mastery of traditional classics from the baroque to the moderns and for his Silk...

Meredith releases music dictionary.(Music Merchandise)(Meredith Music Publications' Cirone's Pocket Dictionary of Foreign Musical Terms)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Meredith Music Publications, PO. Box 344, Galesville, MD 20765; (410) 867-0074; www.meredithmusic.com. Meredith Music has released Cirone's Pocket Dictionary of Foreign Musical Terms. Compiled and edited by Anthony J. Cirone of the San...

Online vocal assessments.(Music Merchandise)(voicelessonstogo.com)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... www.voicelessonstogo.com; $9.99-$39.99. Ariella Vaccarino, an opera singer who has taught hundreds of students over the last 15 years in the Los Angeles area, has created a website that offers a progressive scale of voice evaluations...

Simplified Music Notation.(Music Merchandise)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Creative Arts Research Trust, 245 Kingsway, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 4HE, U.K.; (01) 27- 746-818; info@SimplifiedMusicNotation.org; ww.simplifiedmusicnotation.org. Simplified Music Notation is a newly developed notation, which is based...

Eighth National Chopin Piano Competition.(Competitions)
February 1, 2009... The National Chopin Piano Competition of the United States will take place in Miami, Florida, February 20-28, 2010, at the Olympia Theatre at Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. This competition is designed to offer performance...

Notes from a musician's journal.(Marking Time)
February 1, 2009... I am in a foul mood. It is a full week of teaching after a break, and I am being pulled in a million directions. All of this, admittedly, is my fault. I have over-committed myself for the next few months, and now I am paying for it. I am...

Musical connections: from Russia to America: an interview with Olga Kern.(2009 Conference Artist)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... In celebration of Van Cliburn's sensational victory at the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958, a group of Fort Worth, Texas, music teachers and volunteers were inspired to create the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition....

Holding the banner high ... and passing it on: Margo Garrett, professional accompanist.(2009 Conference Artist)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... The MTNA National Conference in Atlanta this spring will feature renowned pianist Margo Garrett in concert with acclaimed tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. This is a concert not to be missed! Margo Garrett is recognized as one of America's most...

An answer to performance anxiety: Don Greene.(2009 Conference Artist)
February 1, 2009... MTNA Conference attendees would likely expect the keynote speaker to come from a musical background. However, the 2009 conference in Atlanta holds a surprise. Keynote speaker, Don Greene, Ph.D., dramatically diverges from that expectation with...

Directory of summer programs.(Directory)
February 1, 2009... Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks Jo Ryman Scott, founder and executive director, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Music, P.O. Box 82510, Fairbanks, AK 99708; (907) 474-8869, fax: (907) 479-4329;...

MTNA sponsors PLT Project Excellence Awards.(National Association News)(Music Teachers National Association supports Pi Lambda Theta Project Excellence Awards)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... MTNA is once again a participating sponsor in the Pi Lambda Theta Project Excellence Awards. PLT is an international honor society and professional association in education. Its Project Excellence Awards recognize outstanding performance...

Official notice of the annual business meeting.(National Association News)
February 1, 2009... The annual business meeting of the association for the presentation of reports and discussion of association affairs will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 11:45 A.M.-12:45 P.M. at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, in Atlanta, Georgia. This meeting is...

Ramsay named Organ Scholar at King's College.(National Association News)(Parker Ramsay )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Two-time MTNA competition-winner Parker Ramsay has been offered and accepted the position of Organ Scholar at King's College, Cambridge University, England. Parker, 17, of Burns, Tennessee, won the 2006 MTNA Junior Composition Competition and...

Presidential Scholars in the Arts.(National Association News)(Kenric Tam and Ari Jonathan Livine)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Kenric Tam, second-place winner in the 2007 MTNA Senior Piano Competition, and Ari Jonathan Livine, a former MTNA Competition participant, have been named 2008 youngARTS Presidential Scholars in the Arts in the Music category. Of the...

StAR Award program.(Student Achievement Recognition membership program)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Since 1998, the Student Achievement Recognition (StAR) Award program has granted free, one-year national active MTNA membership to selected graduates. Students are selected by faculty and school administrators on the basis of excellence in...

Forum and division meetings at the conference.(Music Teachers National Association)(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... Forum and Division Meetings at the Conference The following forum and division meetings will be held at the 2009 MTNA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Division Building Room Date Time East...

State pride drawing.(Foundation Fund)
February 1, 2009... The MTNA FOUNDATION FUND will hold the annual State Pride Drawing in the exhibit hall during the 2009 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, March 28-April 1. Each state is encouraged to donate an item with a value of at least $50 for the drawing....

Foundation Fellows to be recognized at gala.(Music Teachers National Association conference ang the 2009 FOUNDATION Fellows )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... MTNA will recognize the 2009 FOUNDATION Fellows at the Conference Gala Monday, March 30. The Fellow program offers a meaningful method for honoring deserving individuals, while supporting the efforts of MTNA through a donation to the fund in an...

Foundation Fund Open Meeting.(Foundation Fund)
February 1, 2009... The FOUNDATION FUND Open Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 31 from 9:15-10:15 A.M. in the Roswell room at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.

Employer matching.(employee donations matching by corporations)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Many corporations are willing to match employee donations to a nonprofit. Do you or your spouse work for such a company? MTNA encourages applicable donors and their families to check with their employers' corporate headquarters to inquire if...

In memoriam.(In memoriam)
February 1, 2009... The following, in alphabetical order, is a list of MTNA members who died during the past year and whose family and friends notified MTNA national headquarters Margie Bailey, Indian Hills, Colorado Howard Barr, Ft. Worth, Texas ...

Professional certification: I had a dream.(music teacher certification)
February 1, 2009... I had a dream, and my dream was to become a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music. That wasn't always my dream. When I was in high school I dreamed about earning B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in music and becoming a teacher, conductor and...

What's new in pedagogy research?(educational research on music teachers and teaching)
February 1, 2009... Do you have an undergraduate or graduate degree in music? When you were working on that degree, were you hoping to teach in an independent studio, or were you more interested in a career as a performer or a university professor? Did you see...

Polyphony: learning from others.(training of professional musicians)
February 1, 2009... In this issue I discuss some of the ways we, as individuals in early, mid-, or even late career, can learn from others when we are looking for stimulus and growth. The hunger for new incentives sometimes leads us to look at new technology, to...

Why collaborate?(collaborative piano program in music education)
February 1, 2009... A challenge to recruiting serious young pianists into a collaborative piano program is convincing them of the merits of a program other than piano performance. The value of collaborative work is sometimes less than obvious, and so the first...

Be a StAR!(Music Teachers National Association's educational grants for deserving students)
February 1, 2009... One of the most gratifying things I do in my faculty position is advising the Plymouth State University MTNA Collegiate Chapter. Our chapter actually has two advisors, Constance Chesebrough and myself. In 1993, we helped the students organize...

Programs and services for local associations.(Forum Focus: Local Association)(Music Teachers National Association local association)
February 1, 2009... Each MTNA local association links its members to the state and national levels of MTNA. To support members at the local level, each of MTNA'S 500-plus local associations are offered a variety of MTNA programs and services designed to meet the...

Searchable database for wellness resources improved.(Forum Focus: Wellness)
February 1, 2009... In 1997, AMT published MTNA's first Annotated Bibliography on Musician Wellness. Since that time, the bibliography and the topic of wellness have become increasingly popular. In fact, wellness is so important to today's musicians, the MTNA...

Nominees for president-elect.(Benjamin D. Caton and Kenneth Christensen are the Music Teachers National Association nominees for president-elect)
February 1, 2009... Benjamin D. Caton, NCTM, holds a Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University and a pedagogy/musicianship certificate from the Kodaly Musical Training Institute. He studied at the Sixteenth International Music Workshop (piano pedagogy)in Exeter,...

Nominees for vice president.(Sigrid Luther and Kenneth Williams are the Music Teachers National Association nominees for vice president)
February 1, 2009... Sigrid Luther, NCTM, is professor of music at Bryan College, teaching piano, piano-related courses and music theory. She holds a D.M.A. degree from Louisiana State University and has studied with Adelaide Banaszynski, Laurence Morton, Peggy...

Nominees for secretary/treasurer.(Ginger Yang Hwalek and Cheryl Pachak-Brooks are nominees for secretary/treasurer)
February 1, 2009... Ginger Yang Hwalek, NCTM, a native of South Bend, Indiana, began piano studies at age 4 and has been involved in music ever since as a pianist, violist, teacher and conductor. She earned a bachelor of music degree from Indiana University and a...

Guerrilla Home Recording, 2nd Edition.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Guerrilla Home Recording, 2nd Edition, by Karl Coryat. Music Pro Guides; Hal Leonard, 2008. www.musicdispatch.com; (800) 637-2852. 252 pages. $24.95. Guerrilla Home Recording: How to Get Great Sound From Any Studio (no matter how weird or...

Music Theory for Musical Theatre.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Music Theory for Musical Theatre, by John Bell and Seven R. Chicurel. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2008. www.scarecrowpress.com; (800) 462-6420; 136 pp. $34.95. In my private singing studio, I have a significant number of students who, at...

Sergey Prokofiev Diaries 1915-1923: Behind the Mask.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Sergey Prokofiev Diaries 1915-1923: Behind the Mask, translated from the Russian by Anthony Phillips. Faber and Faber Ltd., 2008. www.faber.co.uk. 784 pp. $44.62. The second installment of Anthony Phillips's translation of the Prokofiev...

Struggling to Define a Nation: American Music and the Twentieth Century.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Struggling to Define a Nation: American Music and the Twentieth Century, by Charles Hiroshi Garrett. University of California Press, 2008. www.ucpress.edu; (800) 777-4726. 312 pp. $24.95. Charles H. Garrett, assistant professor of...

The Minnesota Organ Book: New Music for Organ and Solo Instruments.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... The Minnesota Organ Book: New Music for Organ and Solo Instruments, by multiple composers. Augsburg Fortress, 2008. www.augsburgfortress.org; (800) 328-4648; 78 pp. $24.95. This new collection of works for organ and solo instruments was...

Succeeding with the Masters Student Activity Book, Baroque Era, Vol. One and Succeeding with the Masters Teacher's Handbook, Baroque Era, Vol. One.(Children's review)
February 1, 2009... Succeeding with the Masters Student Activity Book, Baroque Era, Vol. One and Succeeding with the Masters Teacher's Handbook, Baroque Era, Vol. One, by Helen Marlais with Kristen Avila. The FJH Music Company, Inc., 2008. www.fihmusic.com; (800)...

The Hero in Us All, A Celebration of Everyday Heroes for Unison and 2-Part Voices.(Children's review)(Book review)
February 1, 2009... The Hero in Us All, A Celebration of Everyday Heroes for Unison and 2-Part Voices, by Michael and Jill Gallina. Alfred Publishing Company, 2008. www.alfred.com; (818) 899-5999," 60pp. $19.95. For public school teachers who need to mount a...

The Finale Projects, The New Approach to Learning FINALE.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... The Finale Projects, The New Approach to Learning FINALE, by Tom Carruth. GIA Publications, Inc., 2008. www.giamusic.com; (800) 442-1358; 360pp. $39.95. This is a step-by-step guide, written by Tom Carruth, who is a product specialist for...

Music Fun 101: 101 Reproducible Music Games and Puzzles.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Music Fun 101:101 Reproducible Music Games and Puzzles, by Sue Albrecht Johnson. Alfred Publishing Company, 2008. www.alfred.com; (818) 899-5999; 160 pp. $29.95. Sue Albrecht Johnson has combined her mathematics background with her love of...

Leadership.(Boards of directors)(List)
February 1, 2009... BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers Gail Berenson, NCTM President Ohio University School of Music Athens, OH 45701 (740) 592-4661 berenson@ohio.edu Ann Gipson, NCTM President-elect 11500 Northview Dr....

Where it all begins.(ad lib)(elementary student music education)
February 1, 2009... Instructing young beginners, advanced piano teachers, and all levels in-between is a stimulating part of my life as an independent music teacher. Even as a university professor I maintained a wide age and level range by doing extra teaching on...

Music Teachers National Association 2009 National Conference.
February 1, 2009... March 28-April 1 * Atlanta, Georgia It's time for some sweet southern hospitality, as MTNA heads to the heart of the South--Atlanta, Georgia--for this year's MTNA National Conference, to be held March 28-April 1, 2009, at the Westin...