Schedule of Events    

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

3 pm – 6 pm         TMTA Student Affiliate Committee Meeting

Thursday, June 11, 2009

8 am – 5 pm         Student Affiliate Performance Contests: Click here for map and parking instructions.
9 am – 12 pm       TMTA/TMTEF Executive Board Meeting
1 – 5 pm              TMTA Leadership Seminar
7 pm                    Jo Ann Dunn Fargason Memorial Concert

FRIDAY SESSIONS – 2009 TMTA Convention

Library – 7:30 - 8:00 am - Janelle Schlaudt, NCTM - Convention Orientation 101
If you are a first time convention attendee we invite you to spend a few minutes with TMTA President and past convention Chair Janelle Schlaudt, NCTM.  Ms. Schlaudt will explain how sessions, meetings, and showcases are scheduled and answer your questions about various events.  Enjoy a quick cup of coffee before starting your busy day.

Arboretum IV-V – 9:30 am - Marti Dudgeon - ARE YOU A COPYCAT?
Copyright information, including updated information, use of computer and new technology in the studio will be discussed. An encore presentation!

Sandalwood A & B – 9:30 am - Sheila Paige - LEAPS MADE EASY
Various principles and techniques can make leaps feel as though they disappear.  An in-depth discussion of the principles involved using numerous musical examples from the repertoire.

Cedar – 9:30 am - Eleanor A. Elkins - PIANOYOGA: INTRODUCTION TO
BODY BASICS
2nd session on Sunday, June 14

Arboretum I-II – 9:30 am - Celinda Hallbauer, NCTM - Piano Ensemble Reading Clinic: What’s New Out There?
Interested teachers can group sight-read new ensemble compositions from various publishers. 2nd session on Saturday, June 13

Cedar – 11:00 am - Peggy Morales - UPDATE: ALL ABOUT NEW SOFTWARE!
See what is now available in an ever-growing world of content rich music software for your students.  Be a 21st century private music educator that connects and inspires the creative young minds of our 21st century learners with exciting computer software programs!

Arboretum IV-V – 11:00 am - Elizabeth Gutierrez, NCTM - PITFALLS ARE THE PITS: AVOIDING COMMMON and COSTLY MISTAKES WITH BEGINNERS
This session will address the common pitfalls and blunders that hinder success in the first year of piano study for both student and teacher.

Sandalwood A & B – 11:00 am - Jin-Jung (Domi) Oh - Interpretive Challenges in Schumann’s Kreisleriana
To perform this complex work, it is important to tell the “story” of the composition by projecting the dualism and extreme contrast in the music, uncovering the many layers of rhythmic dissonance, and bringing out the multiple voices in the texture.

Regency – 12:30 pm - Brian Marks - LISZT’S “DANTE SONATA” DECODED”: A PERFORMER’S PERSPECTIVE
A lecture-performance examining the literary and musical symbolism in Liszt’s “Apres une lecture du Dante”.

Sandalwood A & B – 12:30 pm - UTSA – MTNA Collegiate Chapter - THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN MUSIC: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS
This panel discussion will seek ways to encourage piano students to pursue artist level careers.  Piano teachers will gain fresh insight on how to inform and excite their students about the music profession.

Arboretum IV-V – 1:00 pm - Bradley Sowash - FOCUS ON JAZZ: In Depth Jazz Piano Teacher Training
Time-tested techniques will enliven you students’ interest in music – helping your best readers get “out” of the music.

Window Box – 1:00 pm - Cheryl Schneider - WRITING A WINNER FOR THE PUBLICATION CONTEST!
Schneider will show an analysis of the 2008 winners, how students can use creative forms, and professional writing to create a winner!  Participants will experience the create process themselves!

Regency – 2:00 pm - Ruth James Holmes, NCTM - THE HARPSICHORD: A FRESH VOICE FROM THE PAST
The history of the harpsichord includes pictures and recorded musical examples of historic instruments draped over a time-line of 700 years, including the progenitors of the piano and the battles that were fought over the relative merits of each instrument.

Sandalwood A & B – 2:00 pm - Christy Vogt - GETTING THEORY OFF THE PAGE
This interactive session gives tools for turning those mindless chord progressions into “real” music using age-appropriate techniques.

Arboretum IV-V – 2:30 pm – Ann Gipson, NCTM - "Tools of the Trade: Creative Activities to Enhance a Student’s Music Development"
Typical piano lessons focus on repertoire, technique, and theory. Including creative activities of harmonizing, improvising, and composing can bring music to life in a very different way. This session will explore creative activities and resources available for today’s piano student.
Window Box – 2:30 pm - Kasandra Keeling, NCTM and Jennifer Cahill Clark

REBECCA CLARKE: MUSIC FOR VIOLA AND PIANO
An exploration of the chamber music written for viola and piano by English composer Rebecca Clarke.  She remains one of the most prominent woman composers in music history.

Regency – 3:30 pm - Jason Kwak - ETUDE BRUTE?
This session will introduce many of the piano etudes of all levels available to piano teachers.  Furthermore, Dr. Kwak will discuss effective ways of incorporating etudes into our lesson plans.

Sandalwood A & B – 3:30 pm - Ann Rivers Witherspoon - OPEN MEETING – TMTA ORIGINAL COMPOSTIION CONTEST
Get all of your questions answered  in an open discussion about the 2009-2010 revisions and existing procedures for the Original Composition Contest.  Participants input and suggestions will be welcomed.

Arboretum IV & V – 4:00 pm - Julie Romeo - COOL TECHNOLOGY TOOLS AND GADGETS FOR YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS!
Take a look at a variety of easy to use technology tools sure to motivate productive practice and performance.  Stay current with what’s new in solutions for your students’ particular needs and what’s new in technology to make your studio a “21st century studio”!

SATURDAY SESSIONS – 2009 TMTA Convention

Library – 7:30 - 8:00 am - Janelle Schlaudt, NCTM - Convention Orientation 101
If you are a first time convention attendee we invite you to spend a few minutes with TMTA President and past convention Chair Janelle Schlaudt, NCTM.  Ms. Schlaudt will explain how sessions, meetings, and showcases are scheduled and answer your questions about various events.  Enjoy a quick cup of coffee before starting your busy day.

Window Box – 9:30 am - Lon Chaffin - CHORDS AND CALCULATORS: THE MATH OF MUSIC THEORY
A  look at the connections between math and music theory, demonstrating the mathematical concepts that underlay pitch relationships, triads, scales, rhythm. Etc.

Sandalwood A & B – 11:30 am - Ann Rivers Witherspoon - ENJOY AN OVERFLOWING SUMMER STUDIO + PAID VACATION: A PLAN THAT WORKS
Many private teachers lose students and income in the summer.  Several who have implemented even part of this plan report that it positively changed their lives.  Hear Witherspoon innovative summer plans plus tips for improving the school year, too.

Window Box – 11:30 am - Sheila Paige - A PARENT’S GUIDE TO PIANO WELLNESS
An invaluable aid for teachers to introduce parents to their child’s lessons.  Topics include the importance of an acoustic piano, bench height, foot rests, body posture and alignment, musicianship skills and more!

Regency – 3:00 pm - Lon Chaffin, James Shearer, Celeste Shearer - MUSIC FROM THE FARAWAY NEARBY
A lecture-performance featuring newly composed music for horn, tuba and piano demonstrating compositional resources from ancient forms and visual art.

Magnolia – 3:00 pm - Bradley Sowash - “IN THE MOMENT” SOLO PIANO SONGS AND STORIES BY A MASTER IMPROVISER
Every concert contains a few familiar jazz standards, yet Sowash is most recognized for his original compositions.  At once humorous and touching, Sowash’s commentaries are an integral part of every performance.

Cedar – 3:00 pm - Glenda Lanier, NCTM – TMTA Theory
DETAILS OF THE GRADING PROCESS AND REPORTS FOR 2008-2009

Cottonwood – 3:00 – 4:30 pm - Mary K. Archuleta, Jason Bednarz
TEACHING BEGINNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: USING ELEMENTS OF APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS WITH MY FIRST PIANO ADVENTURES®
This session explores specific strategies using Applied Behavior Analysis.  Session includes both live and video teaching demos that illustrate the applied research.

Window Box – 3:30 pm - Janeal Sugars, Ann Rivers Witherspoon - VISION: IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION
Hear beautiful new advanced vocal repertoire setting poetry by Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky, music by Ann Rivers Witherspoon, commissioned/performed by soprano Janeal Sugars. Pianist: Kay Rivers.  Discussion: music and collaboration. Bring children, too!

Sandalwood A & B – 3:30 pm - Marti Dudgeon - WHAT ABOUT RECITALS?  CALLING ALL EXPERTS – HAVE YOU COME UP WITH SOME GOODIES?
Come prepared to share and discuss ideas for recitals – based on a theme, story, setting, or other ideas.

Arboretum I-II – 4:00 pm - Celinda Hallbauer, NCTM - Piano Ensemble Reading Clinic: What’s New Out There?
Interested teachers can group sight-read new ensemble compositions from various publishers.

SUNDAY SESSIONS – 2009 TMTA Convention

Sandalwood A & B – 9:30 am - Richard Estes - Credibility Cues: Three Techniques for Believable Acting for Singers
Three things you can start doing today to make your portrayals more believable.  It's not the stylized nature of music-theater that diminishes its believability.  It's the suspension of human behaviors that provide the necessary credibility cues.  Your ideas are important to you, but it is your actions alone that CUE the audience.  It is not the force of your feelings that makes you believable, but the clarity and veracity of your actions.

Cottonwood – 9:30 am - Vicki J. Conway - SKILLS ASSESSMENT FOR THE TRANSFER STUDENT
Transfer students often have gaps in their processing, reading, and playing abilities.  Learn how to quickly assess and address the individual elements of keyboard geography, pitch recognition, intervals, rhythm, techniques, and more.  Applicable to the entire studio.

Willow – 11:00 am - Eleanor A. Elkins - PIANOYOGA: INTRODUCTION TO BODY BASICS

Window Box – 11:00 am - Elizabeth Gutierrez, NCTM
James M. Clarke, Executive Director of the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education - Teaching ALL Children to be SmARTer through the ARTS
Every Texas student should receive a well-balanced school education, including quality fine arts instruction for development and expansion of creative skills.  Leaders in the American business community have voiced concern over the lack of workers with creative thinking skills, minds for ingenuity, and team-building talents to ensure America's economic advantage for the future.  This session will address the importance of arts and arts education in our TX schools, the current state of the arts, and how you can help educate your studio, your community, and state lawmakers about the importance of protecting fine arts education in Texas schools.

Cottonwood – 11:00 am - Cheryl Marshal, NCTM - Are We Helping or Hindering?: How Piano Teachers May Hinder Their Students
It is the nature of our profession to help others in their musical endeavors, but there are several pedagogical pitfalls that can hinder students and trap even the best of teachers.  Fortunately, pedagogical missteps can be remedied!  In this seminar, piano teachers will be challenged to examine how they may be hindering those they seek to help and how they can make changes in their teaching to benefit their students.

Window Box – 1:00 pm - Lesley Sisterhen McAllister - THE MAGIC OF MAKING MUSIC IN GROUPS: TEACHING GROUP LESSONS TO BEGINNERS
McAllister will introduce teaching tips and strategies for running group classes with average-age elementary students.  In addition to behavioral suggestions, she will also share game and activity ideas for learning note reading, rhythm, technique, functional skills, and ensembles.

Sandalwood A & B – 1:00 pm - Craig Cortello - Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music
This session will discuss fifteen (15) months worth of research that examined the correlation between music education and success in the business world. This research is a compilation of interviews with 30+ CEO's and other executives who point to music education as a defining experience in preparing them for their business endeavors.

Regency – 2:30 pm - Richard Dowling - THE ORIGINAL SIX PIANO PRELUDES OF GEORGE GERSHWIN
A lecture-performance that includes historical background including amusing anecdotes about Gershwin, his early training and musical upbringing in New York City.  This session ends with the performance of all six piano preludes… the three original preludes, plus the three newly-discovered one that Gershwin premiered in 1926.

Window Box – 2:30 pm - Mario Ajero THE FUTURE IS NOW: TEACHING PIANO OVER LONG DISTANCES
Discover technology to give lessons online in both real-time and asynchronous ways to expand your studio without geographic limitations

Cottonwood – 2:30 pm - Eleanor A. Elkins - HOW FIRM (yet flexible) A FOUNDATION II: BUILDING HEALTHY TECHNIQUE FROM LATER ELEMENTARY THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE LEVELS
Technically speaking, beginners can get away with murder in pentascale pieces.  Many run aground when the repertoire demands more flexibility.  This session offers a quick review of ideas offered in the 2008 session (Building Healthy Technique from the Ground Up) and moves on to focus on how these ideas apply to late elementary and intermediate repertoire.  It is never too late!

Sandalwood A & B – 2:30 pm - Glenda Lanier, NCTM - Sherry Frush, NCTM
THEORY:  HOW TO USE THE EAR TRAINING CD’S IN TESTING THE PRIVATE STUDIO
This session is for those who want to hear and experience what can be done with the Theory CD’s.  Covered in this session will be creative ways to use the Theory CD’s and how to create MP3 files for students.

Monday, June 15, 2009