Newsletter
JANUARY 2016
In This Issue
Greetings
Recital Applications
January Meeting
Program Planning
Mentoring
Recital Applications
Member Spotlight
Need Help?
Competition Applications
NEPTA Resources
Looking Ahead
Volunteer Opportunities
Grants-in-Aid
Music Sale
Facebook
Parking
Lost and Found
UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, January 25
9:30AM

Victor Rosenbaum
"Did Mozart Know He was Classical? The Question of Style"

The First Parish Watertown
Music Sale, 9AM

* * *

Monday, February, 29

9:30AM

Lois Shapiro
"Beethoven's Sonata Op. 110:
Music That Enacts Its Own Becoming"

The First Parish Watertown
Music Sale, 9AM

* * *

Monday, March 28
9:30AM

Luiz De Moura Castro
"The Delights of South American Music"

The First Parish Watertown
Music Sale, 9AM

MEMBER NEWS

CONCERT
Solo Piano Recital 
Victoria Suchodolski

Friday, January 15  7:30pm
The Green Room, 62 Bow St., Somerville, MA

$10 Suggested Donation

Works by
Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Prokofiev


* * *  
 
YOGA SESSIONS 
Free Four-Week Sessions in small groups  
(3 -5 people)   
For More Info Contact
Donna Gross Javel
781-354-0170

 
* * *   
 
PIANO FOR SALE  
Yamaha C7 Grand Piano 
$15,000 
To connect with the owner, contact NEPTA member
Carol Chaffee  
[email protected] 

* * * 

PIANO FOR SALE

Henry Miller Grand Piano
Length: 6 foot, 10 inches
Purchased: circa 1973; rebuilt prior to this
Asking Price: $1750.00
To connect with the owner, contact NEPTA member
Dave Ratcliffe

* * *

RECITAL SPACE AVAILABLE  
Steinway Grand Piano
Seating for 100
Lexington
Contact Inga Magid:
[email protected]


* * *

Submitting Member NewsMember News needs to be submitted to Donna Gross Javel by the first of each month to be included in that month's newsletter. Please see the website for further information about
JANUARY GREETINGS

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Happy New Year! Our New Year's calendar of events begins this weekend with the Junior Recitals. Many, many thanks to Marianne Jensen (Chair of the Junior I Recitals), Diane Anderson (Chair of the Junior II Recitals) and Alia Mavroforos (committee member) for organizing these recitals. I look forward to seeing some of you there.  New members, I urge you to attend at least one of these recitals to see caliber of students that our members are cultivating. These recitals are very inspiring.

We had a wonderful fall season with many interesting meetings.
Congratulations to Tatyana Shrago, Dianne Impallaria and Wanda Paik for their fine performances in the Tamás Ungár Masterclass in December organized by Robert Finley. Congratulations also go to the many volunteers for their creative improvisations during the Teachers' Exchange in November which was so well presented by Sarah Takagi and organized by Dianne Impallaria. Deborah Yardley Beers and Nina Grimaldi were two of the volunteers. If anyone knows who the others were, please let me know and I will include them in the next newsletter.

The November Teachers' Exchange minutes are now on the NEPTA website. Many thanks to Natacha Rist for preparing the minutes and to Caroline Ly-Germeys for uploading them to the website.  Meeting minutes will usually be uploaded to the website within two weeks of each meeting. We apologize that they were not made available to you sooner.

I look forward to seeing you at the January 25 meeting. Victor Rosenbaum will be our guest speaker. He is a wonderful speaker and musician so I'm sure it will be an excellent meeting. 

Donna Gross Javel
NEPTA President
JUNIOR I and II RECITAL SCHEDULE for SUNDAY
 
NEPTA'S recital season kicks off this Sunday, Jan. 10, with the Junior I and Junior II recitals at The First Parish in Watertown! The deadline to enter students has passed, but even if you don't have a student playing in these wonderful recitals, please consider attending. The talent and hard work of both students and NEPTA teachers will be on display!  We especially encourage new NEPTA members to attend.
 
JUNIOR I recitals start at 2:30PM and 4:00PM.
Recital Chair is Marianne Jensen.
 
JUNIOR II recitals start at    5 :15PM, 6:30PM, and 7:45PM. 
Recital Chair is D
iane Anderson.

JANUARY 25 SPEAKER SERIES: VICTOR ROSENBAUM

We are always thrilled to have Victor Rosenbaum visit NEPTA and share his expertise with us.  Please visit this link to read more about his background. If you have not heard Victor Rosenbaum speak or perform, please make a special effort to come. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

Ruth Ross will treat us once again with the NEPTA Music Sale so be sure to arrive early to have time to peruse the music and to connect with your colleagues.
JOIN US IN PLANNING NEPTA'S 2016-2017 PROGRAM

The NEPTA Program Committee invites you to share your ideas and suggestions for the 2016-2017 season. We will meet on February 1 to select next year's speakers and programs. Before then we would like to learn what topics you want to know more about, whom you would like to hear as a speaker or master teacher, or if you have attended a presentation that you think would be of interest to our membership.

Please send any suggestions about topics, speakers and master teachers to Program Committee Chair Colleen Campbell at [email protected], or phone 781-708-1207.

Thank you!
MENTORING

"Mentoring, an informal or formal process by which older, seasoned people support, educate and counsel younger employees, is critical to the success of just about any enterprise."
    John M. Zeigler, Ph.D. and Nancy L. Ostromencki
    From the PianoEducation.org

We may not think of piano teaching as an enterprise, but every piano teacher operating a studio is a small business owner. Every enterprise needs new energy and inspiration. Whether you are just starting your studio, or have already been teaching "for years," the NEPTA Mentoring Program offers a unique opportunity for teachers to learn from teachers FOR FREE. Our roster of mentors include:  Janna Bruenne, Elizabeth Landman, Betty Reed, A.Ramon Rivera, and Linda Vieira.  

If you are interested in starting the New Year with new inspiration contact Betty Reed, Chair of the NEPTA Mentoring Program, for more information at 617-489-6862,or via email at  [email protected].
RECITAL APPLICATIONS AND DEADLINES
 
All Recital Applications are available on the website. 
Detailed recital information is in the Program Booklet and on the NEPTA website. Please direct all questions to the appropriate Recital Chair.

Diana Tetzlaff is available to talk members through the online application process on the phone.  She can be reached at 617-816-1777.  Thank you Diana! 
 
Please check the Program Booklet for the time limits and requirements. There will be no exceptions to the  time limits. Our volunteers give many hours of their time to make these recitals possible for our students. Adhering to the time limits facilitates their work.  Want to help? Contact Donna Gross Javel .
  
INTERMEDIATE I RECITALS: students in grades 6, 7 and 8 
Date: January 24
The deadline has passed but you are welcome to attend.
Recital Chair: Karin Kydland 

INTERMEDIATE II RECITALS: students in grades 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 
Date: January 31
The deadline has passed but you are welcome to attend.
Recital Chair: Lyubov Shlain 

SENIOR RECITAL: for students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 
Date: March 6 
Deadline: February 6
Recital Chair: Niva Fried 

ENSEMBLE RECITAL: for students in grades K-12 
Please note the location for this year: M.Steinert & Sons, Natick Mall
Date: February 27
Deadline: January 7
Recital Chair: Elizabeth Landman 

COMPOSITION RECITAL: for students up to and including 18 years of age
Date:February 28
Deadline: January 28
Recital Chair: Kathryn Rosenbach 

JAZZ & POP RECITAL: for students up to and including 18 years of age
Date: February 28 
Deadline: January 28
Recital Chair: Kathryn Rosenbach 

20th/21st CENTURY RECITAL: for students in grades K-12
Date: February 28
Deadline: January 28
Recital Chair: Heather R. R. Riley 

SNOW DATE FOR ALL WATERTOWN RECITALS
March 20: 2PM-8PM

ADULT RECITAL: for students 18 years of age or older
Date: April 3 
Deadline: March 3
Location: Metrowest, Boston
Recital Chair: Janice P. Zaganjori

Many thanks to Marianne, Diane, Karin, Lyubov, Niva, Elizabeth, Kathryn, Heather, Janice and their committee members for their valuable contribution to NEPTA.  
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: NATACHA RIST

This month, I'd like to introduce you to another dedicated volunteer of NEPTA. Natacha Rist is currently on the Board of Directors as the Recording Secretary and prior to that she served a three-year term as a board member. 

Natacha Rist is a Franco-American pianist born and raised in Paris, France, in a musical family.  After obtaining her Diploma in Piano Performance at the Ecole de Normale de Musique de Paris/Alfred Cortot (ENMP) with Marian Rybicki,  she moved to Boston with a scholarship for a M.M. in Vocal Coaching and Accompaniment with Allen Rogers at Boston University. She also studied piano with Anthony DiBonaventura, Lois Shapiro, and Burton Hatheway, harpsichord with Mark Kroll, pianoforte with Lola Obadia. She received Early Childhood training in the Martenot, Suzuki and Dalcroze-Eurythmics methods.
 
In Paris, she benefited from the French and Russian teaching traditions as her early piano teachers were direct students of Alfred Cortot, Lélia Gousseau, Jules Gentil and Magda Tagliaferro. She later studied with Marian Rybicki and his assistants Michael Wladkowski and Xiao Mei Zhu at the ENMP,  pianists who, via Poland and Beijing,  claim the musical and pianistic lineage of Heinrich Neuhaus (one of the luminaries of the Russian school of Piano playing). Training at the ENMP with M. Rybicki included weekly masterclasses and performing regularly at the "Salle Cortot", the beloved, intimate concert hall designed and built for the ENMP by Cortot. 

As a teenager, Natacha studied flute with Maxence Larrieu. That fostered her interest in early music, and allowed her to participate in the Alfred Loewenguth Youth Symphony Orchestras for six years. As a pianist, she participated for several summers in chamber music workshops with the Camerata Lysy and the Menuhin School in Vevey, Switzerland, and graduated from high school with a Baccalaureat in Mathematics with minors in music and in modern and ancient languages. 
 
As a student, Natacha obtained a Piano Studio residency at the "Maison des Etats-Unis" at the Cité Universitaire de Paris for three years, and at the "Cité Internationale des Arts" for two years. She performed solo and chamber music performances at many Paris venues, including "Confluences" Music Hall,  Cité des Arts, The American Church in Paris, Maison Henri Heine, etc... While a student at the ENMP, along with her piano studies, Natacha  participated in several summer Early Music workshops with the Boston Camerata and the Boston Museum Trio in the medieval city of Cordes, France.  She studied harpsichord there with John Gibbons, and became interested in playing organ as well (discovering historic organs in French villages and towns is a fascinating experience). On these instruments, she participated in many Paris area early music concerts and summer festivals in Central France with the choral group "La Lupinelle", performing as a choral and vocal accompanist, instrumental chamber musician, and as a chorister.  
 
In Boston, Natacha  has held several organist positions and has played as a substitute for many denominations, on organ, harpsichord and piano. Several years ago, she started conducting and  accompanying church choirs from the console. She is currently Organist and Choir Director at Tabernacle Church (UCC) in Salem, and enjoys weekly solo and ensemble performance opportunities on organ and piano, as well as directing special music for the holidays.
 
Natacha performs regularly repertoire of all periods as a soloist, chamber musician, and as a vocal, instrumental and choral accompanist throughout New England and in France. She was a part of "Duo Dolce" with violinist Karen Stokke, and is a founding member of "Kharis Chamber Players" a multi-faceted chamber group. She is in demand as an instrumental and vocal accompanist for various schools, colleges, choruses and workshops, working with many private instrumental and vocal studios. She coaches singers in five languages. She also helps prepare numerous students for auditions, exams and recitals. 
 
She currently teaches Piano at Powers Music School, at her private studio in Jamaica Plain, and on the North Shore. She is Chamber Coach and staff Accompanist at Powers, where she's  helped develop "Music & Stories", a program of concerts for young children. She enjoys teaching students at all ages and levels, from beginning to advanced, ages four to ninety-nine  years old. She likes to integrate well-rounded musicianship in her teaching, and encourages students and parents to envision their piano/music study as a lifelong endeavor.  She enjoys teaching students at all ages and levels, from beginning to advanced, ages four to ninety-nine  years old. She likes to integrate well-rounded musicianship in her teaching, and encourages students and parents to envision their piano/music study as a lifelong endeavor.  For beginners, she is able to draw from her extensive Early Childhood training. She likes to use singing and movement in beginning level lessons and encourages students to play by ear and improvise to develop their internal ear. She believes as well in the importance of note-reading, sight-playing and sight-singing, and of study away from the piano for more advanced levels. She strongly believes in and encourages chamber music experiences as soon as the students' pianistic level permits. 
 
Upon demand, she often teaches piano lessons in French, and as a former instructor at the French Library/Alliance Française, she enjoys teaching French to a small number of young and older students. When not teaching or performing, Natacha is an avid concert-goer, she enjoys theater performances, and is fond of gardening, hiking and reading. She has practiced yoga for thirty years.

NEED HELP WITH ONLINE  REGISTRATIONS?

If would like help with registering your students for recitals or competitions, two of our members have volunteered to help you. 

Diana Tetzlaff is available to talk members through the process on the phone.  She can be reached at 617-816-1777.
 
Tina Liu will help members with the Recitals and Competitions registration process during the breaks of some of the meetings. She will also be available to help with Dues and Luncheon registration during the March meeting.  
 
Many thanks to Diana and Tina!
COMPETITION APPLICATIONS & DEADLINES

All Competition Applications are available on the website. Detailed  information is in the Program Booklet and on the NEPTA website. Make sure to
check the eligibility and repertoire requirements. There will be no exceptions.

Diana Tetzlaff is available to talk members through the online application process on the phone.  She can be reached at 617-816-1777.  Thank you Diana!

Please direct all other questions to the appropriate Competition Chair. Rankjo Konishi-Houston and Victoria Suchodolski give many hours of their time to make these competitions possible for our students. Jia Shi, a new member, has volunteered to be the chair of the High School Competitions next year. Jia will be helping Ranko this year so that there will be a smooth transition for next year. Many thanks to Victoria, Ranko and Jia for their valuable contribution to NEPTA.


MILDRED FREIBERG: MIDDLE SCHOOL*
Date: Saturday, April, 2
Location: M. Steinert & Sons, Natick, MA
Deadline: Wednesday, March 2
Competition Chair: Victoria Suchodolski 

RUTH DAVIDSON: HIGH SCHOOL*
Date: Saturday, April 9
Location: M. Steinert & Sons, Natick, MA
Deadline: Wednesday, March 9
Competition Chair: Ranko Konishi-Houston 

ALICE HAMLET: SENIOR*
Date: Saturday, April 9
Location: M. Steinert & Sons, Natick, MA
Deadline: Wednesday, March 9
Competition Chair: Ranko Konishi-Houston 

*AWARDS RECITAL
All competition winners are expected to perform in the Awards Recital which will take place at The First Parish of Watertown on  Monday, May 23, from 9:30AM-12PM.
NEPTA RESOURCES

HELP DESK FOR ALL ONLINE REGISTRATION
Diana Tetzlaff is available to talk members through the process on the phone.  She can be reached at 617-816-1777.  
Tina Liu will help members register online during the breaks of some of the NEPTA meetings.


MEMBER NEWS GUIDELINES
All Member News should be submitted according to the guidelines that are described in detail at this link to the NEPTA website.  

PROGRAM BOOKLET
Please note that the NEPTA Program Booklet that J anice Spillane produced and designed so beautifully contains all the information you need.  
 
WEBSITE
Get to know the NEPTA website!  All the information that is in the Program Booklet is on the website,  www.nepta.info.  Please note that Meeting Minutes and past issues of the NEPTA Newsletter are available on the website.  The meeting minutes are usually posted within two weeks of each meeting. 
Guidelines for submitting Member News are also on the website.  Many thanks to Caroline Ly Germeys and Sue Demb for maintaining the site and keeping it up to date. 

NEPTA NEWSLETTERS
This year, the NEPTA Newsletters will be issued every month from September through May.  We plan to send them out around the 15th of each month.  Many thanks to Cindy Null for all the time she puts into these newsletters. Additional thanks to Tina Liu who has offered to provide backup by publishing one of the newsletters this year.  

EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS
Many thanks to Eleanor Perrone our Email Communicator. She has already provided us with many important emails.

FACEBOOK PAGE 
If you are on Facebook, please 'like' our page,  New England Piano Teachers' Association. This is a public page which means that it is available to anyone in cyberspace. You are encouraged to share your news on this page and visit it to find out more about your colleagues.  
LOOKING AHEAD

JANUARY 25: SPEAKER SERIES: VICTOR ROSENBAUM
  • "Did Mozart Know He was Classical? The Question of Style"
  • First Parish Watertown, 9:30AM
  • Music Sale, 9:00AM
JANUARY 28: RECITAL APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR
  • Composition
  • Jazz and Pop  
  • Check the program booklet for details
FEBRUARY 29: SPEAKER SERIES: LOIS SHAPIRO
  • "Beethoven's Sonata Op. 110:
    Music That Enacts Its Own Becoming"
  • First Parish Watertown, 9:30AM
  • Music Sale, 9:00AM 
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VOLUNTEER?

SHORT-TERM VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 

Interested in getting more involved? Let us know and we will find a way for you to help doing something of interest to you.

  

LONG-TERM VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 
If you feel ready to take on a volunteer position that involves more of a commitment we are looking for one or two volunteers to help Elizabeth Landman and Tong Liu with the Ensemble Recitals. Nina Grimaldi will continue to help the committee this year but this will be her last year.  

 

If you are interested in getting involved in some way, please contact Donna Gross Javel at [email protected]
3 GRANTS-IN-AID STILL AVAILABLE

 

We began the fiscal year with eight awards in the amount of $125 being available to students in need.  There are still 3 grants remaining.  To apply, a brief note from the teacher (email is acceptable) stating the family's need and reasons for financial assistance should be sent via email to  Carol Chaffee Scholarship Chair .
MUSIC SALE  

Our Music Sale is back by popular demand, once again organized by Ruth Ross, Music Library and Donation Chair. Please join us prior to all regular meetings in September, October, January, February, March and May. Please note that the music sale takes place at The First Parish starting at 9AM. Members are asked to bring their checkbooks and any music that they are willing to donate that morning.

The sale serves three purposes:
  • Teachers have access to music that, perhaps, has gone out of print
  • Standard teaching methods and collections can be acquired at a very reasonable price
  • All proceeds go directly to the NEPTA Scholarship Fund

Please direct any questions to Ruth Ross at [email protected].

NEPTA'S FACEBOOK PAGE  

Remember that you can post your own up-to-the- minute concert listings and other items of interest on NEPTA's Facebook page. Visit www.facebook.com/NEPTApiano 
to see the latest news from your NEPTA friends! 
YouTube videos of your performances are especially welcome.   Don't forget -- when you visit the Facebook page, click the 'Like' button!!
PARKING ANNOUNCEMENTS
car-sales-lot2.jpg The Watertown Savings Bank has strongly requested that NEPTA members do not park in the bank parking lot for NEPTA events. Please be respectful of this neighboring business and leave the free parking for its clients.

Please be aware that Watertown has restricted parking on the side streets immediately surrounding the First Parish and thus eliminating any "free parking." The metered spots in the parking lot adjacent to the church can accept coins up to a maximum of 8 hours (blue meters only), thereby removing the need to go feed the meter during our meeting breaks, offering instead an opportunity to socialize with NEPTA friends and colleagues. 
LOST AND FOUND
A new job description has been added to the roles of President and Vice President!

The staff at the First Parish has requested that NEPTA members do not contact the church office when they leave something at a NEPTA meeting. So, please, if you leave something at the meeting, contact either Donna Gross Javel or Ranko Konishi-Houston. Better yet, look carefully around you before you leave.