Newsletter
Volume 25, Issue 1| September 2023
Phil Halseth, President
Gloria Ho, Vice President
Jesse Micek, Recording Secretary
Ruth Zhou, Treasurer
Toni Chimienti, Corresponding Secretary
Grace Cheng, Director
Lu Huang, Membership Secretary & Website Administrator
David Ross, Director and Student Recitals




Maria Ehlert, Hospitality
Olya Katsman, MSSL Coordinator
Note from the President
Welcome everyone to a new year of teaching and inspiring young musicians.

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the new branch president. My name is Phil Halseth, I have been a member of our branch for the past 4 years and a member of MTAC since 2017. I have had students participate in the CM, VOCE and Improvisation programs. I teach a studio of primarily saxophone students, though I also have a few flute and clarinet students as well.

I am hoping that during my tenure as your branch president I can engage our membership to go beyond participating in the Certificate of Merit program and have more students from a broader set of studios join us in our monthly student recitals as well as our pops concert in May. If we as a branch choose to engage our students in a broad range of musical experiences, then through the revenue derived from those experiences we will be able to expand what we can do for our students. But the first step needs to be engagement. I hope to see many of you soon. You can see more details in the sections dedicated below.

I wish you all have an enriching and rewarding year of music education ahead.

Sincerely,
Philip Halseth
MTAC-SACB Branch President
‌
Convention 2023
Did you attend Convention 2023? Please send your photos to the corresponding secretary c.secretary.mtacsacb@gmail.com to be included in next month's newsletter. We would love to see and to share in your experience.
Teacher Spotlight
Meet Ken!

Nickname/Preferred Name
Ken

What is your primary instrument? Saxophone
Secondary instruments? Flute, Clarinet

When did you join the MTAC? What made you decide to join? 
I am a new member as of August 2023! I joined because I have teaching colleagues, friends, family, and a long history in Alameda County having grown up there and attended K-12. The East Bay Area has a tradition of excellent jazz and music education. Additionally, I am an opportunist and always seeking new challenges and ways to collaborate with others in the same field. Running your own business, it's essential to network as often as possible to share ideas and create growth through synergy.

Fondest musical memory? 
So many fond memories, but one of the most memorable and important was bringing home my first rental tenor saxophone in 5th grade. I was so excited to play that I put the saxophone together as well as I could with zero experience and headed straight for the front porch to play loudly for the entire neighborhood to hear.

Best advice you have been given as a musician?
Or advice you like giving?
Everyone has their own path, you have to find it for yourself! Some fantastic advice given by veteran band leader, Dick Bright, is to define what success means to you. To me success means making a comfortable living running a private music studio, in addition to playing gigs and recording with amazing musicians on the side.

Favorite musical era/composer/work?
The Bebop style of jazz. One of my all-time favorite jazz recordings is Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin's album, Live at Minton's Playhouse in New York City.  Known as "The Tough Tenors," this dynamic duo recorded several albums, but the most exciting are the live albums that catch their spontaneity and firey playing live in action.


Something you should know about me is:
I'm always honing my impromptu jokes and puns.

 
 925-918-1375
 Music: kenmoranmusic.com


Check out, DAYGLOW, available on all streaming platforms! 
Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube
SACB Calendar of Events
‌
Branch Recitals
Our first branch recital of the year is Saturday October 14th at 4pm at Christ's Community Church in Hayward. Please sign students up by October 1st. Contact David Ross to sign students up.
Applicants should submit their piece(s) 2 weeks prior to each recital date. First come, first serve. We have limited time at both venues. One program.
 
Please include :
 
Student's/parent(s) name and email
Teacher's name and email
Student's/piece(s) level(s)
Piece(s) with full information: 
Title, Op., K., BWV, etc numbers, Key, Composer, Timing(s)
Pleased make a note when paying with Zelle, as to which recital and student it is for.


The recital fee is $20 per student. Please have students pay with Zelle only, in the memo be sure to have students include the first and last name of the students as well as which recital.
MSSL Updates
Meet our Co-Presidents

Grace Xu

Grace Xu is a pianist and a junior at Cupertino High School. She thinks music helps process and communicate emotions! Her favorites are Bach, Mozart, and anything late Romantic, and she really likes Glenn Gould. She enjoys talking to the people next to her at concerts, and has learned a lot from them, so she would like to meet more people from her local community. Along with that, she's dedicated to MSSL as a co-president because she loves sharing music with anyone who'll listen!
Sanvi Gupta

Music is a second language for Sanvi. She has been playing the piano for the last 8 years and it has been a wonderful journey for her as she’s been participating in CM, actively performing and leading MSSL, assisting in in music education classes for kids, and learning to play with others in music ensembles. Sanvi knows how music can bring people together, which is why she’s committed to MSSL’s mission of sharing music in the community as a co-president!


It is not too late to sign your students up for the MSSL, students can enroll year round.
Donate
Looking for a way to donate to our branch?


Pay with Zelle: mtacsacb@gmail.com
First name: mtacsacb
MTAC - SACB website

password: mta1
Branch Directory
Piano Tuners' Corner
David Amendola
Steinway Concert Technician
Email: davidamendola@mac.com
Phone: 415-250-0724

Linda Kay
Email: itune88@comcast.net
Phone: 510-910-0283

Brenda Meng
Email: hummingbird.pianoservice@gmail.com
Phone: 408-828-9831

Robin Whitehouse
Email: robin@santacruzpiano.com
Phone: 831-247-0043

Bedinger Piano Restoration
  Full Service
Repair- Rebuild -Recondition
1 925 838-4232
Accepting New Students





David Ross
C: 510 586-9163
H: 510 538-8580
Piano, all levels


To put your name on (or take your name out of) the list, please contact:
Toni Chimienti at: c.secretary.mtacsacb@gmail.com