MTNA Studio Festival program: one teacher's "soaring" endeavor.(Music Teachers National Association)

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, as well as their students' goals. The MTNA Studio Festival Program is specifically geared in showcasing the "everyday" student's talents. That's why, like so many others, independent music teacher and MTNA member Aurelia Campbell, NCTM, of Hartwell, Georgia, hosted a Studio Festival Program.

Campbell and other music teachers benefit from hosting a Festival in six ways:

1. It allows teachers and students to participate in a nationally sponsored program that is open to students of all ages and levels of advancement.

2. It is a performance opportunity that is simple, convenient and at little or no cost to the teacher and at reasonable cost to the student, without the travel or scheduling complications typically associated with a larger festival, since the event can be held in the teacher's own studio. The Studio Festival Program is an ideal event for any studio because there are no set rules and it can be tailored to meet each teacher's individual needs.

3. It serves as an incentive for practice and selection of appropriately challenging repertoire.

4. It provides an opportunity for students to receive supportive critique from an experienced musician (judge)--of the teacher's own choosing--and an official certificate recognizing their participation. Optional Festival medals with the official MTNA Studio Festival logo, "the soaring star," can be purchased for the students as well.