UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, Sept. 23
9:30AM
Marvin Blickenstaff
"Curriculum Innovations for the New Year"
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Monday, Oct. 28
9:30AM
Elisabeth Eschwé
"Clara Schumann's Life & Love:
A Scenic Recital on the Occasion of Clara Schumann's Bicentennial"
***
Monday, Nov. 4
9:30AM
Fall Teachers' Exchange
"The National Guild of Piano Teachers' student auditions"
Eric Bouwman-Wozencraft
Fan Li
"Helping today's piano students balance busy and stressful lives"
***
Monday, Dec. 9
9:30AM
Teachers' Master Class
with
Ian Hobson
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PRESIDENT'S GREETING
Dear NEPTA Colleagues and Friends,
Greetings and welcome to the 2019 - 2020 season! I am honored to be NEPTA's 29th president and am delighted the organization continues to thrive, grow, and provide support to piano teachers, as it has since 1950. I would like to express heartfelt thanks to our immediate past president, Ranko Konishi-Houston, who passes a brightly lit torch into my hands. Thank you Ranko! I am truly grateful to be able to work with a wonderful team of dedicated and talented volunteers. I'd like to add a personal note of thanks to each of you involved with NEPTA.
As president, I hope you will join me
on
a music mission...a mission to keep music strong and vibrant in our communities. The camaraderie and support we receive from each other when we gather at NEPTA meetings and events, especially with students and parents, helps us to achieve this goal. I am always rejuvenated after each
NEPTA event and I love how that enthusiasm pours over into my teaching.
I look forward to seeing many of you this coming Monday, September 23rd as we kick off the new season with our first Speaker Series event of the year. Our guest artist, Marvin Blickenstaff, has received MTNA's highest award, the MTNA Achievement Award as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. He will present "Curriculum Innovations for the New Year." This NEPTA event is free to the general public so please invite your friends, colleagues, and students!
On my inauguration day, a colleague whispered into my ear "I want you to do something exciting during your term!" So, with that little voice in my head, the Board of Directors and I have been working away this summer planning new events. Here are a few items on the horizon to which we can look forward:
- Next season, in conjunction with NEPTA celebrating its 70th anniversary, we will plan a teacher trip to NYC for a special dinner, concert, and visit to Steinway & Sons.
- This year the Ensemble Recital has been renamed Duet/Ensemble recital and we invite teachers to perform with their students.
- We will be launching a new and updated website which will give a clean, fresh look to our organization, not to mention calendars at a glance with useful tools to help you plan your year. Many thanks to Sue Demb, chair of the website committee!
These new additions are sure to bring a smile to your face and I look forward to sharing more with you as our season gets underway.
I hope you received the new 2019 - 2020 NEPTA booklet. This was made possible with the help of past NEPTA Treasurer, Jan Spillane. Thank you Jan for your tremendous work in putting together our lovely booklet!
I look forward to getting to know each of you and hearing your thoughts and ideas for NEPTA. If you are a new member, please introduce yourself to me at one of the upcoming gatherings.
I wish you a great start to the new teaching year and look forward to seeing you on Monday!
Diana Tetzlaff,
President
www.NEPTA.info
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FALL SPEAKER SERIES EVENTS
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for our fall Speaker Series events:
"Curriculum Innovations for the New Year"
Marvin Blickenstaff
Monday, September 23, 2019
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
First Parish of Watertown
35 Church St.
Watertown, MA 02472
Click here for Mr. Blickenstaff's biography
 "Clara Schumann's Life & Love: A Scenic Recital on the Occasion of Clara Schumann's Bicentennial"
Elisabeth Eschwé
Monday, October 28, 2019
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
First Parish of Watertown
35 Church St.
Watertown, MA 02472
Click here for Ms. Eschwé's biography
Please share
this flier with your colleagues and students and invite them to join us for these wonderful events. Marvin Blickenstaff's talk is free and open to the public; the non-member fee for all other events is $20.
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UPCOMING HALLOWEEN PIANO RECITAL - OCT 27
Donna Gross Javel, Past NEPTA President, with student
NEPTA's Halloween Piano Party for grades K-5 will be held on Sunday, October 27th at First Parish Watertown. This is an opportunity to perform in a friendly setting, and memory is optional. Costumes and Halloween music are welcome and encouraged! There will be a party after each recital. Detailed information and application instructions are available in the NEPTA Program Booklet and on our website:
www.nepta.info
.
Click here for a flyer to give to your students and parents. Teachers may enroll up to 15 students. Registration is open to NEPTA members ($25 per student) and non-NEPTA members ($40 per student).
Registration is by mail only and must be postmarked no later than October 5, 2019. Click here to download a registration form.
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TEACHERS' MASTER CLASS
 NEPTA is pleased to present this Master Class with Ian Hobson as a benefit for NEPTA's Susan B. Demb Teacher Enrichment Grants. Donations are welcome! Donate online at
www.nepta.info
or make a cash/check donation at the Master Class meeting.
NEPTA members interested in performing should contact Robert Finley,
[email protected] by November 9, 2019.
The fee for performers is $40.
Monday, December 9, 2019, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
First Parish Watertown, 35 Church St. Watertown, MA 02472
Click here for Mr. Hobson's biography
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REMINDERS AND DEADLINES
NEPTA Dues Renewal
Members who want to enter students in the 2019 NEPTA recitals and/or competitions must pay their dues, plus a $20 late fee, by September 30, 2019. Renew your dues at: www.nepta.info. If you are not comfortable renewing your dues online, Diana Tetzlaff will help guide you through the process. You can contact her at
[email protected]
or 617-816-1777
Recitals and Competitions
Will be available for online registration on the website
www.NEPTA.info
after October 15, 2019.
Miriam Pizer Award
This award, established in memory of Miriam Pizer gives $250 to a student in Grades K-5 who is in need of assistance for lesson tuition or other essential expenses. Each teacher may submit no more than one student's name. The winner will be selected during the October NEPTA meeting. Student identities will be kept private. Submit your name along with your student's name by email to Carol Chaffee, Scholarship Chair:
[email protected]
The deadline to apply is October 15th.
Grants-in-Aid
Eight awards in the amount of $150 are available to students in need. To apply send a brief note from the teacher stating the family's need and reasons for financial assistance to Carol Chaffee, Scholarship Chair:
[email protected]
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2019-2020 PROGRAM BOOKLET AND DIRECTORY
You should have received the 2019 - 2020 Program Booklet and Membership Directory. If you have not received your copy, please contact Janna Bruene, Chair of Membership:
[email protected]
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
I am extremely grateful to work with my Vice President, Valerie Ross, and a dynamic and enthusiastic Board of Directors! Pictured below from left to right: Eric Bouwman-Wozencraft, Shizue Sano, Cindy Null, Caroline Ly Germeys, Robin Cho, Tanya Schwartzman, Vivian Handis, Katya Barash. Also on the Board and not pictured: Diane Anderson, Fan Li, Jia Shi and Nilly Shilo.
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PAST PRESIDENTS
The annual NEPTA Presidential Luncheon was held this past June at the Colonial Inn in Concord, Massachusetts. This year's attendees were
Barbara Jones (2005-2007), Colleen Campbell (2011-2013), Miriam Gargarian (2001-2003), Irina Gelman (2013-2015), Wanda Paik (1989-1991), Ranko Konishi-Houston (2017-2019), Diana Tetzlaff (2019-2021).
Thank you to all the past presidents including those who were unable to attend.
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MEMBER NEWS SCHEDULE
Member news emails will be sent in September, November, January, March, and May. Please submit member news to Ellie Perrone at
[email protected]
with the subject line NEPTA Member News and follow the member news guidelines on the website
www.nepta.info
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