VMTA. What do those letters mean to you?
They mean that this association is
your
association. We are all Vermont music teachers who come together to create opportunities for teachers to develop, for students to perform in public, and to build our musical community.
I am privileged to be the president of this fine organization, and I am in awe of the diligence, dedication, and caring attitudes of the board members.
We are also fortunate to be an integral part of MTNA, a large and very well-run national organization that provides an enormous amount of support and resources for the objectives mentioned above.
The reality is that Vermont is a small state, and not just geographically. MTNA classifies a state with fewer than 100 members as “small.” And that means there are fewer number of teachers willing and able to serve on the VMTA board. Right now, we need more teachers to volunteer to serve, to help out with VMTA programs, to provide an influx of new ideas, and to share the duties of board members. If you enjoy the VMTA programs that have been designed to support you and your student, please seriously consider contacting a board member and offering to help us. By volunteering your time and becoming involved, I predict that you, too, will learn the value of the connections that you make with colleagues and that you will truly enjoy being part of the process.
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2019
VMTA Calendar
MTNA National Conference
Spokane Convention Center
Spokane, Washington
VMTA Spring Festival
March 30, 2019
Trinity Baptist Church
Williston, VT
Quad State Conference
October 5, 2019
Merrimack College
North Andover, MA
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President
Laurel Maurer
802-881-9153
President-Elect
TBD
Secretary
TBD
Treasurer
Sarah Williams
802-223-5307
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Conference Chair
TBD
Non-Competitive Auditions
Lilly C. Ramsey
802-879-7425
Competitive Auditions
TBD
Certification
Sylvia Parker, NCTM
802-223-1172
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Newsletter
Jina Smith
802-318-1776
Membership
Patricia Cleary Bergeron
802-878-9873
Web Publicist
Samuel Whitesell
802-461-6676
Composer Commissioning
TBD
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Quad State Fall Conference
Save the Date for Quad State Conference 2019!
Massachusetts Music Teachers Association President
Ellyses Kuan and Conference Chairperson Alison Barr
are excited to announce the Quad State Conference
entitled “Collaboration, Motivation and Empowerment in
the Music Studio,” to be held on
Saturday, October 5,
2019, at Merrimack College’s Rogers Center for the Arts
in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Held in partnership with Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont’s Music Teachers Associations, the conference
will feature renowned inspirational speaker, pianist
William Westney. Dr. Westney is an internationally
noted educator and holds two endowed positions at
Texas Tech University – Paul Whitfield Horn Professor
of Piano and Eva Browning Artist-in-Residence. He won
a grant from the U.S. State Department's Fulbright
Senior Specialist program (Council for International
Exchange of Scholars,) to teach throughout Korea and
China in 2006.
Dr. Westney’s exciting and fresh approach to
music pedagogy has thrilled teachers at
MTNA Conferences and we are honored to have him!
Also featured on the conference will be a
"World Premier Commissioned Composition Concert,” a
product of the MTNA Commissioned Composer
Program, and a
"Student Chamber Music Concert.”
This conference will be relevant to teachers of all
instruments and voice and promises to offer something
meaningful to teachers at ALL levels. Please mark this
date on your calendar and plan to join your colleagues
for a beautiful and inspirational fall day in stunning
Merrimack Valley!
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MTNA Member News
Paul Orgel
:
Three of my students --
Grace Lu, Henry Wu,
and
Sebastiaan West
-- were featured in solo performances as this year's Young Artists Showcase Recital at St. Paul's in Burlington.
Henry Wu
is a winner of a Presidential Scholar in the Arts award from the state of Vermont. As winner of this year's Borowicz Competition, he will perform Mozart's 23rd Concerto (first movement) with the Vermont Philharmonic on February 16th and 17th.
Sebastiaan West's
performance of the Beethoven 1st Concerto with the Vermont Youth Orchestra at the Flynn Theater will take place on Feb. 3rd.
Paul's upcoming performances are listed under "Upcoming Concerts."
Hello to all my fellow teachers, from
Elaine Greenfield
. It has been awhile since writing my news, due to an insane and demanding schedule…performances, teaching, GPA, recording, editing, promotion; plus, last, but not least, SIX grand children (Bart has been busy!)
My recent project is a double-disc recording of works of Ravel, which has meant two years of travel, performing the music, in preparation. It will feature an 80 minute sampler of Ravel's works. One disc includes the music performed on a 1893 French Erard, identical to the model Ravel owned. It was recorded in October, at the Frederick Collection in Ashburnham, MA, over a four night period (from 8:30 pm - 2:30 am to avoid street noise). I am now in the process of putting it all into an editing log. The second disc includes the same music, performed on a 20th century piano, a rare, absolutely gorgeous sounding, Ivers and Pond full concert grand. The company stopped production in the 1930s (Rose Kennedy actually gave one to John for the White House.) The second disc is to be recorded in Syracuse in the early summer.
The studio is always bustling with enthusiastic and extremely capable pianists…such a blessing. They are now preparing for a February workshop, a March "play-in" at Richmond Library, plus, in May, a master class and year end recitals.
Melody Puller
, who many of you remember, sends her greetings from Idaho, where she and the family are thriving. She heads the piano program at an area Conservatory. Happy music making to all!
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CONSIDER BECOMING
A PART OF THE VMTA BOARD!
VMTA is comprised of dedicated, independent music teachers like you. Teachers who want excellent performing opportunities for their students. Teachers who enjoy being inspired by lectures and classes from gifted and well known pedagogues. Teachers who simply want high standards of music education in the state of Vermont. The higher the level of teaching and student performance, the more students gain and are inspired. The VMTA board is happy to spend time and resources making these programs available to you and your students. We all know how beneficial it is to belong to this collective of teachers. Please ask yourself if you could donate some of your time to help. There are 3 board meetings a year. The meetings last 2 hours. The duties are light. But we do need more teachers to help out. Please let a board member know if you would like to contribute in this way. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
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Join us on
Facebook
! Please check out the latest VMTA programs and news on the Vermont Music Teachers Association Facebook page!”
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Do you patronize a music store? Piano tuner? Instrument maker? Are they a VMTA sponsor? (See ads in this newsletter). If not, could you mention our sponsor program to them and let a board member know about them? Sponsors receive publicity to the market they are trying to reach-teachers, students and their families. Their support of music education in Vermont will also help their business.
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----The
BBVMTA Winter Recital
will be held at St. Paul's Cathedral in Burlington on Sunday afternoon, February 17th at 2:30 p.m. This is a chance to give your best students a performing opportunity on the beautiful Steinway grand piano in a magnificent space. All music must be memorized. Only students of BBVMTA members may register.
Please return the form and check to Nancy Osborne by the deadline of Saturday, February 9th. Call or email Nancy if you have any questions.
----The BBVMTA presented its 13
th Biennial
Monster Concert on Saturday, January 26 at Essex High School.
The concert featured six pianos with duets and trios playing simultaneously. One hundred and twenty piano students began learning their parts with their private teachers in October and rehearsed for the first time as a group on Friday, January 25. A second rehearsal was held Saturday, January 26, with a concert of all ensembles held at 4:30 that afternoon. Dr. Ginger Yang Hwalek was the conductor for the event.
Joining the pianists at the concert was a delightful flute trio that performed Dance of the Mirilitons from
The Nutcracker. After the trio a flute ensemble with students, ranging from age 5 to 13, played two pieces that were accompanied “mini-monster style”.
Students performing in the monster concert were from the studios of: Claire Black; Patricia Bergeron; Brooke Carleton; Melissa Dickerson; Joan Foster; Lisa Goodrich; Gale Hansen-Patenaude; Keren Johnson; Marie Johnson; Cindy Livingston; Laurel Ann Maurer; Emily Mott; Susan Nicholas; Lilly Ramsey; Jina Smith; Kathi Tarrant; and Sam Whitesell.
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VMTA Spring Festival 2019
Saturday, March 30, 2019
NEW LOCATION!
Trinity Baptist Church
300 Trinity Drive
Williston, VT 05495
To register students, email Spring Festival Chair Lilly Ramsey at
[email protected]
to request an electronic registration form.
Registration deadline is
Friday, February 22nd
at 6 p.m.
We hope to have many teachers and students participating in this event!
SCHEDULE:
8:30 to 9:00 am Pick up Schedules
9:00 to 10:00 am Auditions
10:00 to 11:00 am Auditions
11:00 to 12:00 pm Auditions
12:00 to 1:15 pm Lunch & Business Meeting (Please bring your lunch)
1:30 to 2:30 pm Auditions
2:30 to 3:30 pm Auditions
3:30 to 4:30 pm Auditions
Fees: All entries are $15 per student.
Keyboard:
Level 1 Beginner to Mid Elementary 3 min.
Level 2 Late Elementary - Early Intermediate 5 min.
Level 3 Mid-Intermediate to Early Advanced 8 min.
Level 4 Advanced 11 min.
Non Keyboard:
All levels 11 min.
Recital format with one judge will be used for all non-keyboard auditions. Non-keyboard repertoire is left to the discretion of the teacher.
VMTA SPRING FESTIVAL AUDITION RULES
- Students entered in Levels 1 and 2 shall perform a program of 2 or 3 pieces that are contrasting in mood, style, or tempo. At these levels (I and II) each individual piece or movement counts as one item, with no restrictions as to number of composers or periods. Students entered in levels III and IV shall perform a program of 2 or 3 Program Items, each item representing a different historical period and style from the other(s). At these levels, the student and teacher may Combine shorter pieces or movements from a work by the Same Composer into One program item. The time limit for the overall program still applies regardless of the number of pieces within the program items. No arrangements of any kind are allowed.
- No repeats shall be taken in long intermediate/advanced level works (i.e. sonata allegro form). Repeats may be performed in short elementary level pieces or when di ering 1st and 2nd endings are important to the structure of the piece.
- All programs must adhere to the stated time limits . Please allow time for a brief pause between pieces.
- The student must provide the judges with a copy of the music. No Photocopies are allowed.
- For pianists, all pieces must be memorized. For instrumentalists, it is suggested that one piece be memorized. For keyboard students, no simplified arrangements of original piano works by Baroque, Classical,Romantic, or Contemporary composers are permitted. Arrangements of folk/traditional songs are acceptable for levels I and II. Original repertoire is encouraged for all students. For instrumentalists, the use of arrangements is at the discretion of the teacher.
- Instrumentalists must provide their own accompanists.
- Repertoire for pianists is limited to solo works (no ensemble pieces). All auditions are conducted in an open recital format where students play for an audience of parents and other students in addition to the judges.
- Only students of member teachers may participate.
- The student must have studied with his/her teacher for at least 6 months.
- All students in keyboard auditions levels III and IV are advised to number the first measure of each line in their music. Other students may also wish to enter measure numbers in their scores.
- Please wear concert Dress (not casual attire). If questions, please consult your teacher.
SAMPLE KEYBOARD PROGRAMS
These sample programs are only a very few examples of possible programming. The repertoire choices (and their sources) at each level are left up to the teacher. However, please follow all the audition rules from the previous page.
Level I: Beginner to Mid-Elementary (audition time limit: 3 minutes)
Sample Program A
1. French Folk Song arr. Faber Au Clair de la Lune 30 sec.
2. Brown Rainbow Song 60 sec.
Sample Program B
1. Alfred Premier Piano Course 2A Butterfly World 40 sec.
2. Alfred Premier Piano Course 2A Boogie Bounce 25 sec.
3. Goldston The Lady and the Dragon 75 sec.
Level II: Late Elementary to Early Intermediate
(
audition time limit: 5 minutes)
Sample Program A
1. Latour
Sonatina in C Allegro 1 min.
2. Siegmeister Song of the Dark Woods 40 sec.
3. Mier Lady Brittany’s Ballad 2 min.
Sample Program B
1. Petzold
Minuet in g minor 2 min.
2. Tchaikovsky Old French Song 1 min. 45 sec.
3. Kabalevsky The Clown 45 sec.
Level III: Mid-Intermediate to Early Advanced (audition time limit: 8 minutes)
Sample Program A
1. Clementi Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 Allegro con spirit 3 min.
2. Clementi Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 Rondo 2 min.
3. Grieg Puck 2 min.
Sample Program B
1. Bach Invention No. 8 30 sec.
2. Mozart Sonata K.545 Allegro 3 min.
3. Khatchaturian Etude (Ivan is Busy) 2 min.
Level IV: Advanced (audition time limit: 11 minutes)
Sample Program A
1. Bach Prelude WTC Book 1, No. 21 1 min. 30 sec.
Fugue WTC Book 1, No. 21 2 min. 30 sec.
2. Chopin Mazurka Op. 33, No. 1 2 min.
3. Shostakovich Fantastic Dance Op. 5 No. 1 1 min. 30 sec.
Fantastic Dance Op. 5 No. 3 1 min. 30 sec.
Sample Program B
1. Beethoven Sonata Op. 2, No. 1 Allegro 3 min. 30 sec.
2. Chopin Nocturne Op. 2, No. 71 5 min.
3. Kabalevsky Prelude Op. 38, No. 2 1 min.
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Noteflight Learn
VMTA offers online tools for students and teachers to work with composition, performance,theory, and more. The program has many exciting features!
Click for details and resources at the following links:
Be inspired with the possibilities! In-person support and training is available as needed. More details can be found on the
VMTA website on the TEACHERS RESOURCES page. Contact Sarah Williams to register for this exciting resource.
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Stellaria Trio Presents:
Piano Trio No. 2 in CM, Op. 87, by Johannes Brahms
Piano Trio No. 45 in E-flat Major, Hob XV:29, by Joseph Haydn
Pale Yellow, from Piano Trio (2003), by Jennifer Higdon
* dates = Suggested donations: $20 General. $5 Limited Means. Children free.
Sunday 3 February, 4:00 pm
Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 18 High Street, Plainfield VT 05667
Presented by Friends of the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House
Tickets: Adult $15. Senior (65+) $10. Student $5.
*
Friday 22 February, 7:30 pm
Richmond Free Library, 201 Bridge Street, Richmond VT 05477
Saturday 23 February, 6:00-10:00 pm
House Concert, Barre VT
A Chamber Pop-Up Concert Presented by The Vermont Philharmonic: hors d’oeuvres, a mid-winter dinner buffet,house wines, and a dessert bar presented by Vermont chefs Dustin Smith and Evan Kendall
Friday 1 March, 7:30 pm
McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall, 18 Campus Road, Colchester VT 05439
Sponsored by the Saint Michael's College Fine Arts Department
Suggested donations: $20 General. $5 Limited Means.
Free admission for children and for all holders of Saint Michael's College identification cards
Saturday 2 March, 7:30 pm
UUCUV Friends of Music Series
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley, 320 US-5, Norwich VT
Tickets: General $20.
*
Friday 14 June, 7:30 pm
Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 130 Main Street, Montpelier VT 05602
Saturday 15 June, 7:30 pm
Brandon Music, 62 Country Club Rd, Brandon VT 05733
Ticket info TBA
*
Sunday 16 June, 3:00 pm
Shelburne United Methodist Church, 30 Church St., Shelburne VT 05482
*
Saturday 22 June, 7:30 pm
College Street Congregational Church, 265 College Street, Burlington VT 05401
Paul Orgel
VPR's Colchester Studio on Feb 13th at 7 PM
"Well-Tempered Night" is the name of a concert and recording project that I'm doing with Vermont Public Radio. I'll play a program of Bach Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, paired with Chopin Nocturnes.
UVM Recital Hall on Feb. 28, at 7:30 PM
I'll perform the first 10 Bach Preludes and Fugues, plus Chopin Nocturnes on a Humanities Concert.
Both concerts are free and open to the public.
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VMTA Website: vermontmta.net
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Sponsors
Allan H. Day, R.P.T. Piano
Service
8 Lincoln Road
Williston, VT 05495
(802) 879-4338
http://www.pianomanday.com
Advance Music Center
75 Maple Street
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 863-8652
(802) 660-8652
American College of Musicians
P.O. Box 1807
Austin, TX 78767
(512) 478-5775
Ellis Music Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 437
Bethel, VT 05032
(802) 234-6400
Geoghegan Company
396 Howes Rd,
Moretown, VT 05660
www.geoghegancompany.com
Hilbert Pianos
40 Pleasant Street
Bristol, VT 05443
(802) 453-3743
Vermont Virtuosi
Laurel Maurer
96 Tremont St.
Barre, VT 05641
(802) 881-9153
Piano Service by Rose Kinnick, RPT
(802) 598-3385
www.rosespianoservice.com
St Michael’s College
1 Winooski Park
Colchester, VT 05439
(802) 654-2580
http://www.smcvt.edu
Steinway Pianos
One Steinway Place
Astoria, NY 11105
800-Steinway
www.steinway.com
Vermont Piano Service
Ben Giroux
64 Paquette Road
St. Albans, VT 05478
(802) 343-1333
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