MTNA and the GP3 Forum: the start of a promising future.(Forum Focus: College Faculty)(Music Teachers National Association, National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum)

MTNA and the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3 Forum) have joined forces.

The partnership provides the GP3 Forum greater ease and opportunities in its financial planning, advertising, website hosting, online registration and collection services. The collaboration allows GP3 leadership to devote more focused energy towards realizing its core mission: to serve college and university teachers of group piano and piano pedagogy through its biennial conference. The joint venture's terms specify that the GP3 Forum remains autonomous in matters of current and continuing leadership, mission, programming and focus, while MTNA provides programmatic, marketing and administrative support for the GP3 Forum's meetings.

"This is a win-win situation for both groups," says MTNA Executive Director Gary Ingle. "This union enables MTNA to expand our offerings to college faculty while giving the GP3 Forum assistance with its program."

The GP3 Forum was co-founded by Laura Beauchamp, Michelle Conda, Barbara Fast and Andrew Hisey. Current leadership includes Michelle Conda, Barbara Fast, Susanna Garcia, Andrew Hisey, Tom Pearsall and Lisa Zdechlik.

The GP3 Forum's next biennial conference, the first collaborative manifestation of MTNA and the GP3 Forum, will be August 4-5, 2006, at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. The two-day event will concentrate on specific needs of college and university teachers of group piano and piano pedagogy with the main theme: "The Millennial Student (The Next Generation.)"

The first day of the 2006 conference will open with guest speaker Tami Bush Peck, on the topic: "Working with Special Needs Students." Peck, a learning specialist, counselor and school psychologist, has 22 years experience teaching public school students with learning disabilities. Additionally, a panel consisting of piano teachers and parents of special needs students will share their ...