Welcome to the Collaborative Performance Forum.(Forum Focus: Collaborative Performance)

This is an exciting time to chair the Collaborative Performance Forum! The 12th Annual Pedagogy Saturday at the 2008 National Conference in Denver focused exclusively on the pedagogy of collaborative and chamber performance. The sessions included a wide array of topics ranging from ensemble playing for elementary piano students to an advanced master class with world-renowned opera singer Marilyn Horne. The day ended with a most memorable concert featuring collaborative pianist Anne Epperson with colleagues Robert Spillman, pianist; Marianne Gedigian, flutist; Margaret Lattimire, mezzo-soprano; and James Buswell, violinist.

Kudos to former Collaborative Performance Forum Chair, Kenneth Christensen, and MTNA Vice President, Janice Wenger, for their superb planning of Pedagogy Saturday and their commitment to establishing this forum as an integral part of MTNA. Focusing more attention on the collaborative arts will help MTNA gain new members and in turn these new colleagues will benefit greatly from the many opportunities MTNA has to offer.

As the new chair of the Collaborative Piano Forum, I am soliciting your help. We want to continue our involvement and encouragement of the collaborative performance profession and establish MTNA as a "home" for the collaborative pianist. We hope to offer many relevant sessions at future national conferences, as well as encourage our exhibitors to include representative repertoire in their displays. We also want to promote the Collaborative Forum Discussion Board to become a place to share ideas, seek help, and connect with renowned artists.

As teachers, we must take responsibility in preparing our students for a future in collaborative piano. This is a way to dispel the notion that piano is the "lonely instrument!" We must train our students and prepare them for a life of music making with others. We must begin at an early age and guide our students in the following ways:

1. Give your students a strong background in the basics of musicianship: good technical foundation, keen listening skills, excellent reading competence, ability to share musical ideas with ...