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T HE SOUNDPOST
T
SOUNDPOST
CALIFORNIA CHAPTER, INC., of the AMERICAN STRING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
FALL 2015
2012HE
California State Solo Competition
Winners Recital in Fresno February 23
2012 California State Solo Competition
Winners Recital in Fresno February 23
Left to right: Minji Kim, viola; Melody Chang, violin; Leah Hanson, cello; Alexandra Simpson, viola;
Left toviolin;
right: Minji
Kim,
viola; Melody
violin; Leah
cello;
Alexandra
Simpson,
Hao Zhou,
Ashwin
Krishna,
guitar;Chang,
and Kimberly
ColeHanson,
Feeney,
ASTA
California
State viola;
President.
Hao
Zhou,
violin;
Ashwin
Krishna,
guitar;
and
Kimberly
Cole
Feeney,
ASTA
California
State
President.
These six young artists performed a gala concert during the California All-State Music Education Conference
These sixinyoung
artists
galacash
concert
duringpresented
the California
All-State Feeney,
Music Education
Conference
(CASMEC)
Fresno
andperformed
received atheir
awards
by President
on February
24, 2013.
(CASMEC) in Fresno and received their cash awards presented by President Feeney, on February 24, 2013.
CHANGE
SERVICE
REQUESTED
CHANGE
SERVICE
REQUESTED
California Chapter,
10711
Ashworth
Circle Inc. of ASTA
10711 Ashworth Circle
Cerritos,
CA 90703-2600
Cerritos, CA 90703-2600
!
!
Newsletter of the
California
Chapter, Inc. of ASTA
The Soundpost
Newsletter
of the
The Soundpost
LONG BEACH,
LONG
BEACH,
CA CA
PERMIT
No. 368
PERMIT
No. 368
PAID
PAID
PRSRT
STD
U.S. POSTAGE
U.S. POSTAGE
PRSRT STD
2 | THE SOUNDPOST
13
16
36
2
15
6
35
31
22
23
18
Fresno Report
21
Los Angeles Report
Sacramento
Left to right: Minji 24
Kim, viola; Melody
Chang, violin;Report
Leah Hanson, cello; Alexandra Simpson, viola;
Hao Zhou, violin; Ashwin
guitar;Diego
and Kimberly
Cole Feeney, ASTA California State President.
24 Krishna,San
Report
These six young artists performed a gala concert during the California All-State Music Education Conference
Francisco
Report
(CASMEC) in Fresno 25
and received San
their cash
awards presented
by President Feeney, on February 24, 2013.
27
Stockton Report
28
29
31
32
CODA Report
String Project Reports
Stand Up 4 Music Report
ASTACAP Reports
34
Retrospective: Lucie Landen
The Soundpost
19
Newsletter of the
30
CalASTA Leadership Directory
President’s Message
ASTA Membership Application
CalASTA State Board Meeting Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
2015 CalASTA Awards
CASMEC 2015
!
22
4
5
7
8
10
11
17
PAID
20
2012 California State Solo Competition
Winners
Recital in Fresno February 23
CONTENTS
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
9
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.+
alfred.com
Benning Violins
benningviolins.com
Connolly Music Company/
Thomastik-Infeld+
connollymusic.com
Foster’s Violin Shop
fostersviolinshop.com
Fresno Pacific University
fresno.edu
Fresno State University
fresnostate.edu
Morey’s Music Inc.
moreysmusic.com
Potter Violin Company
store.pottersviolins.com
Robert Cauer
cauer.com
Robertson & Sons+
www.robertsonviolins.com
Saga Musical Instruments
sagamusic.com/ASTA
Scott Cao Violins
scottcaoviolins.com
SHAR Music+
sharmusic.com
University of Pacific
pacific.edu/music/
M. & R. Weisshaar & Son
weisshaarviolins.com
Yamaha Corporation of America+
yamaha.com/strings
SPRING 2013
FALL 2015
California Chapter, Inc. of ASTA
9
CALIFORNIA CHAPTER, INC., of the AMERICAN STRING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
LONG BEACH, CA
PERMIT No. 368
ADVERTISERS INDEX
T HE SOUNDPOST
10711 Ashworth Circle
Cerritos, CA 90703-2600
When you patronize these businesses,
please mention that you appreciate
their ads in THE SOUNDPOST
+ Indicates member of the
String Industry Council (SIC)
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
OUR SINCERE THANKS TO
OUR ADVERTISERS
Moved? Not getting email notices?
Send your new address, phone, e-mail
address to: [email protected]
CIRCULATION
ASTA Members in California
President, Editors, Advertisers,
Colleges & Universities
TOTAL CIRCULATION
1040
360
1400
Cover: CalASTA 2014 State Competition Winners Haley Schricker, Cara Pogossian, and Kristi Kim
FALL 2015 | 3
CalASTA LEADERSHIP
PRESIDENT
Thomas Tatton DMA
2776 Indigo Circle
Morro Bay, CA 93442
209-470-9369
SECTION PRESIDENTS
LOS ANGELES SECTION
Dr. Thomas Loewenheim
559-278-7547
FRESNO SECTION
[email protected]
[email protected]
Dr. Janine Riveire
213-598-6235
LOS ANGELES SECTION
[email protected]
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
Gay Currier
2591 Ione Street
Sacramento, CA 95821
916-971-3677
SACRAMENTO SECTION
Carina Voly
2182 Gill Village Way# 604
San Diego, CA 92108
619-594-1669
SAN DIEGO SECTION
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
Cybele D’Ambrosio
683 Vincente Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-626-8595
SACRAMENTO SECTION
Myriam Cottin-Rack
209-401-0202
STOCKTON SECTION
[email protected]
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Loretta McNulty
510-847-8432
PAST-PRESIDENT
Kimberly Cole Feeney
P.O. Box 342
Davis, CA 95617
530-757-5300x271
SACRAMENTO SECTION
[email protected]
INTERIM-SECRETARY
Kyle Champion
3417 Camero Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750
909-593-9374
LOS ANGELES SECTION
TREASURER
Michael Feeney
P.O. Box 342
Davis, CA 95617
916-928-9996
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
National ASTA Eclectic Styles
Committee Chair
Renata Bratt
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
CODA Representative
Donna Harrison
STOCKTON SECTION
[email protected]
SOUNDPOST EDITOR
Lawrence Huang
925-979-5539
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
ASSISTANT SOUNDPOST EDITOR
Dr. Jonathan Thomson
LOS ANGELES SECTION
[email protected]
MEMBER-AT-LARGE/ASSISTANT WEBMASTER
Yu-Ting Wang
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Ariel Witbeck
925-482-0999
4 | THE SOUNDPOST
[email protected]
[email protected]
ASTACAP NORTH COORDINATOR
[email protected]
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Multicultural Specialist
Sofia Fojas
[email protected]
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
Stephanie Railsback
6244 Outlook Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
510-638-0852
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
[email protected]
ASTACAP SOUTH COORDINATOR
Kay Pech
10711 Ashworth Circle
Cerritos, CA 90703
562-804-2725
LOS ANGELES SECTION
[email protected]
WEBMASTER/CMEA LIAISON
Kimberly Cole Feeney
P.O. Box 342
Davis, CA 95617
530-757-5300x271
SACRAMENTO SECTION
[email protected]
HISTORIAN/INSURANCE REPRESENTATIVE
Gayane Korkmazian
289 South Armstrong Avenue
Fresno, CA 93727
559-255-5803
FRESNO SECTION
[email protected]
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dr. Tom Tatton, President
BRAVO CALIFORNIA
National ASTA Awarded CalASTA the
MOST IMPROVED CHAPTER, 2015
Past Presidents
This is a list of those elected to the office of the
President, California ASTA.
1948-1954 Stefan Krayk
1954-1965 Lucie Landon
1965-1970 Phyllis Glass
1970-1974 Grace T. Robinson
1974-1977 Kenneth Fiske
1977-1979 Phyllis Magnuson Dunn
1979-1980 Anne Mischakoff
1981-1983 Gene Eaves
Through the leadership of Thomas Tatton and Kimberly Cole
Feeney the California Chapter of the American String Teachers
Association has made great strides in improving communication,
creating opportunities and defining our mission, vision and
purposes for our 1000+ constituents and state leadership. Over the
past two years, working with the entire leadership team, we have:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1983-1986 Thomas Tatton
1986-1988 Michael Pappone
1988-1990 James Kjelland
1990-1992 Victor Sazer
1992-1994 Owen Dunsford
1994-1996 Elizabeth Ivanoff Holborn
1996-1998 Richard Naill
1998-2000 Michael Allard
2000-2002 Priscella Hawkins
2002-2003 Eleonore Schoenfeld
2003-2006 Judy Bossuat-Gallic
2006-2008 Gayane Korkmazian
2008-2010 Manon Robertshaw
2010-2012 Bongshin Ko
2012-2014 Kimberly Cole Feeney
•
•
•
Created an Award Winning Website
Designed, tested and implemented an E-Voting System
Reworked and updated our CalASTA Bylaws
Defined the Mission and Purpose of CalASTA
Invigorated and energized flagging sections
Reviewed and redirected our CalASTA insurance commitment
Started a comprehensive review of our biennial State Solo
Competition
Worked cooperatively with other organizations - most importantly
with California MEA and CODA (California Orchestra Directors
Association)
Participated in ongoing statewide legislative initiatives with other
music advocacy organizations in a committee titled Stand Up 4 Music
Created CalASTA Awards; a system to publically recognize our star
teachers and outstanding state leaders
Transitioned to our new editor, Lawrence Huang, for our state
journal – The Soundpost. Improvements include:
o Added the Presidential succession list
o Reorganized the publication timetable to coincide with the
opening of school semesters
o Included an ASTA enrollment form
o Adjusted the CalASTA leadership list to more accurately reflect
actual leadership roles
o Encouraged each separate entity (sections, ASTACAP programs,
String Projects) to provide interesting and informative reports
o Included articles and features that chronicle and honor
CalASTA’s past
o Created a Soundpost team led by Lawrence Huang which
includes Jonathan Thomson, Yu-Ting Wang and Loretta
McNulty, our CalASTA President-Elect
FALL 2015 | 5
ASTA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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CalASTA STATE BOARD MEETING
California Chapter, American String Teachers Association
Minutes recorded by Bonnie Lockrem on February 21, 2015 in Fresno.
Meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm
The Guest of Honor was National ASTA President, Dr. Stephen Benham
CalASTA Board members present:
Mark Davila, Stockton Representative; Kimberly Cole Feeney, Sacramento Representative, Past President, Web
Master, CMEA Liaison; Michael Feeney, Treasurer; Katheryn Hewatt, San Francisco Representative; Gayane
Korkmazian, Insurance Rep., Historian, Host, CalASTA Stefen Krayk Award Winner; Bonnie Lockrem,
Secretary; Dr. Thomas Loewenheim, Fresno Section President, Host; Loretta, McNulty, President Elect; Dr.
Janine Riviere, Los Angeles Section President; Cynthia Stuart, Host; Dr. Thomas Tatton, President; Dr.
Jonathan Thomson, Soundpost Assistant Editor; Yu-Ting Wang, Member-at-Large
Guests at this meeting:
Angelica Grishaw, wife of Donald Grishaw; Donald Grishaw, CalASTA Lucie Landon Award Winner; Frank
Korkmazian, husband of Gayane Korkmazian—CalASTA Stefan Krayk Award Winner; Steven Ravaglioli,
husband of Bonnie Lockrem; Polly Tatton, wife of Tom Tatton
Beginning students of Accent on Access Violin Program, under the auspices of
Youth Orchestras of Fresno, presented a ten-minute concert, directed by Julia
Copeland.
Tom Tatton described our new CalASTA Awards program. The 2015
winners were:
Stefen Krayk Founders Award - Gayane Korkmazian (present)
Victor Sazer Service Award – William Pordon (Posthumously)
Schoenfeld Artist/Teacher Awards went to:
• Violin – Michael Tseitlin
• Viola – Donald McInnes
• Cello -Lynn Harrell
• String Bass – Barry Green
• Harp – JoAnn Turovsky
• Guitar – Scott Cmiel
P.J. McMasters Award: Susan Pascale
Lucie Landen Award: Donald Grishaw (present)
Award plaques were presented to Donald Grishaw and Gayane Korkmazian. The other awardees were
called and their plaques will be posted with a congratulatory letter from President Tom Tatton.
"In order to allow time for our National ASTA President, Dr. Stephen Benham, to address the board
and hold a Q & A oral presentations of the minutes, treasurer’s report, section reports and CalASTA
initiatives were put off until the next meeting of the board in August. Instead, folders were prepared for
each board member that included section reports, a SU4M report, liability insurance information, a
Checklist for Soundpost Articles and Reports document, and a Soundpost report.
(continued on following page)
8 | THE SOUNDPOST
on
February 2015 Board Meeting Minutes
(continued from page 8)
The remarks by Dr. Benham included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
An overview of the National ASTA Conference in Salt
Lake City
A brief description of the 2016 National Conference in
Tampa, FL
National ASTA has a $2 million budget; there is
currently a New Director search ongoing
ASTACAP position of national ASTA – they plan on
waiting to see how the new initiatives settle out
A Solo Competition review with a follow-up
discussion of the effects of decoupling state
recommendations for national participation. Dr.
Benham will review that policy with the appropriate
board members and committee
The Eclectic String Orchestra was cancelled at this
year’s national conference due to lack of enrollment.
Dr. Benham’s comments included the fact that while
there is a solid 10% constituency for this style of string
playing, that constituency has not grown
Renata Bratt, CalASTA member, was singled out for
doing great work as Chair of the National Eclectic
Styles Committee
“The students can’t get enough of it!
The feedback I receive is a lot of
happy parents.”
—JOHN MONTGOMERY, HOLLAND, MI
“I’m seeing my students become
more confident in themselves.”
—JANET HODEK, ST. GEORGE, UT
Our next meeting is August 16, 2015 at Alejo’s
Italian Restaurant near LAX.
Scan this code or visit
http://4wrd.it/A.SiPreviewCAasta
for a preview copy!
The meeting was adjourned just before 10:00 p.m.
NEW
NEW
NEW
alfred.com/si
wo 23830
TREASURER’S REPORT
Michael Feeney, Treasurer
ASTA Accounting Worksheet
California Chapter
August 16, 2015
January 1, 2015 Bank Balance
$6,311.17
INCOME
Rebates/Grants
Soundpost Advertising
FTB Tax Issue Refund
Misc Income
Total Income
$12,300.93
$340.00
$11,619.24
$125.00
$24,385.17
EXPENSES
State Solo Competition
Rebates to Sections
Meeting Expenses
ASTA National Conference
Coalition Membership & Lobbying Expenses
Website Support
Recognition Awards
Total Expenses
$3,070.99
$6,665.32
$1,091.26
$1,475.29
$34.00
$491.88
$246.21
$13,074.95
ACCOUNT SUMMARY
January 1, 2015 Balance
Plus Income Total
Minus Expenses
Calculated June 30, 2015 Balance
Outstanding Checks as of 06/30/2015
Outstanding Deposits as of 06/30/2015
Adjusted June 30, 2015 Bank Balance
10 | THE SOUNDPOST
$6,311.17
$24,385.17
$13,074.95
$17,621.39
$1,206.33
$18,827.72
2015 CalASTA AWARDS
It is with great pleasure that we announce the honorees of the first statewide CalASTA awards.
The carefully chosen categories and honorees include:
The Stefan Krayk Award
Stefan Krayk organized California into a state chapter of ASTA and
served as its first president from 1948 until 1954.
This award is given for Distinguished Contributions to the Mission of CalASTA.
The 2015 Honoree is Gayane Korkmazian – Fresno Section
GAYANE KORKMAZIAN
Gayane Korkmazian is a former instrumental music instructor with Fresno Unified
School District. She is a past violist with the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, a
counselor for several music camps, librarian and chaperone of the National High
School Honors Orchestra, Executive Officer of the California Orchestra Directors
Association and the CMEA All State Honor Orchestra as well as the CMEA Central
Section Festival Coordinator. Her various affiliations include NAfME, CMEA,
CMEA Central Section, Fresno-Madera Music Educators Association and Mu Phi
Epsilon International Music Fraternity. In addition, Gayane has served CalASTA as
President, Secretary and currently serves as Historian and Insurance Representative.
All that time she has maintained a constant presence with the Fresno Section of ASTA
including President (twice) and Secretary. Gayane Korkmazian defines the word
“service”. She currently maintains a private studio of twenty-three violinists ranging in
age from five to fifteen.
The Victor Sazer Award
Victor Sazer served as CalASTA president from 1990 until 1992. He
helped shape the direction of CalASTA for several years.
This award is given for Distinguished Service to CalASTA.
The 2015 Honoree is William Pordon (deceased) – San Diego Section
WILLIAM PORDON
William P. Pordon was the past president of the Massachusetts String Teachers Association and the San Diego
String Teachers Association. A published arranger and composer, he enjoyed not only composing original string
pieces, but also arranging jazz classics for string quartets and student orchestras. Following his retirement in
1985, he moved to San Diego, California, where he was a member of a string quartet and taught strings privately,
continuing to inspire others through music. In 2004, at the age of 77, he acted as Master Teacher at the Point
Loma Nazarene University String Project with Philip Tyler, a lab school for string majors learning to teach
strings to children. He continued to actively teach privately until his death in 2009, delighting in the energy of his
young students and engaging them with humor and empathy.
FALL 2015 | 11
The Schoenfeld Artist & Teacher Award
The Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld sisters represent the quintessential
essence of string teaching and performance in California; both taught at
U.S.C. Eleonore served as CalASTA president from 2002 until 2003. The
award is given for each of the six instruments represented by ASTA:
violin, viola, cello, string bass, harp and guitar.
This award is given for Excellence in String Teaching and Performance.
The 2015 Honorees are:
Violin: Michael Tseitlin – San Diego Section
Viola: Donald McInnes – Los Angeles Section
Cello: Lynn Harrell – Los Angeles Section
String Bass: Barry Green – San Diego Section
Harp: JoAnn Turovsky – Los Angeles Section
Guitar: Scott Cmiel – San Francisco Section
MICHAEL TSEITLIN
Michael Tseitlin founded the California Institute of Music (formerly named the Fairbanks School of Performing
Arts) in San Diego, California, where he has been teaching violin and viola, as well as coaching chamber music
groups and conducting chamber orchestras, in addition to supervising many excellent professional musicians in
their teaching careers. Under his directorship are 22 faculty members and around 200 students. California
Institute of Music is considered to be one of the leading music schools in the United States.
DONALD MCINNES
Donald McInnes recently retired as Professor of Viola from the USC Thornton School
of Music having taught there since 1985. In addition, he retired this year as Viola
Professor Emeritus from the Music Academy of the West having taught there since
1982. His career included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston
Symphony, and l’Orchestre National de France, among others, and for many years
was a resident member of Camerata Pacifica. His career includes collaborations with
many of the world’s major artists, including Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin,
Lynn Harrell, and Yo-Yo Ma.
LYNN HARRELL
Lynn Harrell’s presence is felt throughout the musical world. A consummate soloist,
chamber musician, recitalist, conductor and teacher, his work throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia has placed him in the highest echelon of today’s
performing artists. Lynn Harrell’s experience as an educator is wide and varied. From
1985-93 he held the International Chair for Cello Studies at the Royal Academy in
London. Concurrently, from 1988-92, he was Artistic Director of the orchestra,
chamber music and conductor-training program at the L.A. Philharmonic Institute. In
1993, he became head of the Royal Academy in London, a post he held through 1995.
He has also given master classes at the Verbier and Aspen festivals and in major
metropolitan areas throughout the world.
12 | THE SOUNDPOST
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FALL 2015 | 13
BARRY GREEN
Barry Green is an internationally known orchestral and solo double bass player and
teacher. He currently teaches at the University of California Santa Cruz. He was the
principal bassist for the Cincinnati Symphony. A contemporary of people such as Gary
Karr, he has developed and publicized his own method for double bass. He has
published three instructional books, The Inner Game of Music, The Mastery of Music: Ten
Pathways to True Artistry, and Bringing Music to Life.
JOANN TUROVSKY
JoAnn Turovsky is principal harpist with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, the Los
Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra. She also
serves as a professor of harp at the USC Thornton School of Music, the Colburn
Conservatory, and the Colburn School of Performing Arts. Ms. Turovsky appears
frequently as a soloist with musical organizations throughout California and is busy in
the motion picture and television industry. John Williams recently wrote a solo piece
for harp that she performed on the Angela’s Ashes soundtrack.
SCOTT CMIEL
Scott Cmiel is director of the guitar program at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School
of the Arts and a member of the guitar faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of
Music where he served as chair of the guitar department and chair of the musicianship
department for over twenty years. His students have won many local, regional and
national awards including the American String Teachers Association National Soloist
Competition Grand Prize and the Guitar Foundation of America International Youth
Competition Award. They have been featured on national radio and television
including on the NPR program From the Top and the televised GRAMMY Awards.
The P. J. McMasters Award
P. J. McMasters served CalASTA with distinction for greater than three decades as Member at Large,
Secretary and Treasurer. She helped organize the first state solo competition in 1983. P. J. McMasters
taught strings in Downey School District.
This award is given for Excellence in School and Orchestra Teaching in southern California.
The 2015 Honoree is Susan Pascale – Los Angeles Section
SUSAN PASCALE
Susan Pascale is the director of the Pascale Music Institute and the Los Angeles
Children’s Orchestra. She launched her program in 2001 after moving from New York
to South Pasadena. She began offering free violin lessons because there was no local
program and within a few months she had an all-violin orchestra. Today Pascale’s
programs serves children as young as 5 through high school. Her students routinely win
top honors at festivals and competitions, and appear on local and national television.
14 | THE SOUNDPOST
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8/13/15 1:43 PM
The Lucie Landen Award
Miss Lucie Landen was the second CalASTA president after Stefan Krayk; she served from 1954 until
1965. She organized much of what we recognize as the structure of CalASTA – the Sections, 501
(C)(3) tax-exempt status and the Summer Institute program. Miss Lucie taught strings in the Menlo
Park School District.
This award is given for Excellence in School and Orchestra Teaching in northern California.
The 2015 Honoree is Donald Grishaw – Stockton Section
DONALD GRISHAW
Donald Grishaw has been teaching in the Turlock Unified School District for over 30
years. His current assignment is at Pitman High School where he teaches Concert
Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra as well as Spanish 2 and AP Spanish Literature.
With the opening of Pitman High School in 2002, Mr. Grishaw founded the Pitman
High School Orchestra, which now includes over 100 students, and has received
accolades both locally and in Southern California where they perform each year while
on tour. Mr. Grishaw performs regularly throughout the surrounding communities on
the violin, the viola, and the piano. He is a longstanding member of the violin section
of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and also freelances with other local orchestras
and string quartets.
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CASMEC 2015
California All-State Music Education Conference
Fresno, February 19-22
This is the most important music education conference in California and is always replete with string
sessions of interest to all string teachers. This report is an insight to the string-related events happening
at this conference.
Thursday included:
• 1:00 pm: Dr. Stephen Benham, our National ASTA President, opened with an session titled
“Cello and Bass Pedagogy and Teaching Tips”
• CalASTA set up our Booth in the Exhibit Hall
Friday was very full:
• 9:30 am: Dr. Thomas Loewenheim, our Fresno Section President, directed the Fresno State
Symphony Orchestra, Choir and vocal soloists (excerpts from Carmen) in a concert.
• 10:30 am: Don Grishaw, our 2015 Lucie Landen Award winner, and his Pitman High School
Orchestra performed/read the annual New Music Reading Session.
• 11:30 am: Dr. Benham gave a valuable session titled Tone Development for Middle School and High
School String Orchestra and Full Orchestras. The Pitman orchestra was the demonstration group.
• 1:30 pm: Terry Shade, the co-author of String Basics, a beginning method published by Kjos led
an energetic session she called “Back to Basics: Steps to establish Solid Rhythm, Intonation and Tone
From the Beginning” A small ensemble from Pitman was the demonstration group.
• 3:30 pm: included the effervescent Dr. Cindy Moyer talk about “Left Hand Technique for Violin
and Viola.”
Saturday was a very important day for CalASTA:
• 11:30 am: Dr. Benham once again held forth with a session designed for our band colleagues
called “Bowing Basics for Band Directors” At the same time a large Strolling Strings program from
the Panama Buena Vista school district in nearby Bakersfield gave a concert/demonstration.
• 2:30 pm: Dr. Janine Riviere, our Los Angeles Section President, offered a session titled
“Instrument Triage, or Should Someone Fix That?”
• 3:30 pm: Dr. Riviere led another packed session this time centering in on “Choosing Repertoire for
the 21st Century.”
• 5:30 pm: The CalASTA Solo Competition Winners—Haley Schricker, Cara Pogossian, and
Kristi Kim—performed in recital to a large and most appreciative audience.
• 8:00 pm: The All-State High School Orchestra, directed by Steven Amundson from St. Olaf
College performed.
Sunday afternoon
• 1:00 pm: The All-State Junior High Orchestra, under the direction of E. Daniel Long from Ann
Arbor School for the Performing Arts, performed for a large audience.
FINE
FALL 2015 | 17
FRESNO REPORT
Dear CalASTA members:
Greetings from Fresno. I am the recently elected President of the Fresno Section. It is a great
honor to be chosen to help with the leadership of string players in our section. I look forward
to collaborating with Cynthia Stuart and Gayane Korkmazian both of whom have
organized our annual ASTA activities including the solo competitions, student recitals and
chamber music workshops all with incredible energy and always with success!
In addition to our ASTA activities, our Fresno section enjoys several fine school orchestra programs, a youth orchestra
program that involves almost 300 students in three orchestras, and orchestra and string/orchestra programs in our areas
universities and colleges.
The Youth Orchestras of Fresno has already presented several
programs this year. Included were works by Richard Strauss,
Hindemith, Salieri, Borodin, Tchaikovsky and John William’s
Star Wars Suite – much fun as this included a light sabre fight
on stage with Fresno Philharmonic’s Maestro Theodore
Kuchar. For the final concert in May the theme was water-bringing attention to California’s drought. Works included:
Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture, Bernstein’s On The
Waterfront and Handel’s Water Music plus a newly composed
piece by Fresno State faculty member Dr. Benjamin Boone
titled Waterless Music.
The orchestral program at Fresno State has also grown
substantially. The Fresno State Symphony Orchestra was
selected to perform at the 2015 CASMEC Conference where
they were joined by the university choir and opera program students to present selections from Bizet’s opera Carmen and then
the orchestra performed the Belinsky Suite by Shostakovich.
This past June the Youth Orchestras of Fresno and Fresno State collaborated for the third year to present the Fresno Opera and
Orchestra Academy (FOOSA). A prestigious international faculty was gathered and engaged students in a large symphony
orchestra, daily private lessons, and a concerto competition all-culminating with a performance at the Disney Concert Hall in
Los Angeles. More information can be found at: www.foosamusic.org
For the 2015-2016 season exciting programs for all of Fresno’s ASTA members and their students have being planned.
Included along with the annual ASTA activities will be FRESNO CELLO, an International Cello Festival is Co-sponsored by
18 | THE SOUNDPOST
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FALL 2015 | 19
Fresno Section Report
to Order,
(continuedNewmaking
from page 18)
Sales and Repairs
Violins
- Violas
CelliFresno
- Bows
Fresno ASTA
along- with
State- Accessories
Saturday
SymphonyTuesday
and Youththrough
Orchestras
of Fresno
from October 8-11.
Please
contact
me for
1:00
to 5:30
p.m.
more information: [email protected]
I very much look forward to getting to know
more about our ASTA colleagues around the
state and hope to highlight our Fresno
Section. I also am looking forward to working
with you and our many Fresno Section
ASTA members. This is an exciting time for
our string teachers and for their students.
With best wishes,
M.Thomas
andLoewenheim
R. Weisshaar & Son
Violin Shop, Inc.
1763 Orange Avenue
Costa Mesa, California 92627
949-548-1287
Violinmakers
20 | THE SOUNDPOST
THE SOUNDPOST • Spring 2013
17
LOS ANGELES REPORT
ASTA-GLAS President’s report, 6/12/15 for Soundpost
Greater Los Angeles Section of California’s chapter of ASTA
In Los Angeles, we have been busy and actually struggling a little with the geographic
enormity of the section. Our activities have been:
A series of Meet & Greet social/professional development events:
o Jan 11: Presented the world premier of Mitsumoto’s 2nd Cello concerto at the San
Gabriel Auditorium. It was performed by Cal State LA/ Olympia Youth Orchestra concert, conducted by Fung Ho.
o March 20: Organized the CAL-ASTA meetup at ASTA national conference in Salt Lake City. This was an
opportunity for members to make new connections while reinforcing old ones.
o April 25: Organized a Central Coast meet & greet in Buellton that has led to discussions about reviving the section
that once existed for members from Ventura to Paso Robles.
o May 17: Presented young bassists in recital at the Colburn School.
Grant Program
We awarded the second year of grants to member applicants. Awards were granted to Chamber Music Institute of Southern
California, Elemental Strings in Santa Monica, Harp Camp at University of Redlands, and the Harmony Project. Total
awarded=$3550.
Recital Competition
We are undergoing a self-assessment of the program this year to determine consistency between the areas, and to see what
works or doesn’t work in each area. We have received funding once again this year to underwrite the additional cost of
competing in the finals, able to give $100 to students participating in the finals from a $5000 grant from the Hennings-Fischer
Foundation. Also, once again this year there will be a special prize of performing in concert with the Olympia Youth
Orchestra, conducted by Fung Ho.
Chamber Music Festival
Lightly attended at two venues on two dates in February, we are unsure whether two locations is practical; but, we have
already set one definite location: Feb 6 at El Camino College for the 2016 festival!
ASTA-CAP
Over 100 students of 19
ASTA teachers successfully
completed evaluations in
March, April and May
2015. There were 6 different
locations this year. We owe
many thanks to Kay Pech
for her marvelous attention
to detail and ceaseless energy
in administering this
program.
BYLAWS
We will be reviewing our
bylaws to be sure they are
aligned with the updated
state bylaws, and if changes
are needed we will make
those changes during 2015.
FALL 2015 | 21
Los Angeles Section Report
(continued form page 21)
STRING-ALONG
String-Along Editor Wendy Velasco is always eager to receive
articles from our membership. Contact her
at [email protected].
32
CHALLENGES
1. Elections and nominations: we are having difficulty
identifying good candidates for office who are not already
involved at some level in ASTA or currently serving as officers
in other organizations. We will have an election in the fall to fill
current Pres-Elect vacancy, and will have our regular election in
May 2016 as scheduled.
2. The sheer geographic size of the section. We are working
with members in the Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo area to see
if the section we used to have in that area might be revived.
Respectfully Submitted,
Janine Riveire
L.A. Board Seeks To Expand Opportunity
The L.A. Board, under the leadership of Dr. Janine
Riveire, is seeking to expand opportunity for several
ASTA members while improving and focusing on ASTA
programs more central to the Los Angeles area by
exploring the creation a new section to be called The
Central Coast Section. The L.A. Section boundary
includes communities as far north and west as Paso
Robles. As hard as your board has worked to include
ASTA members in communities such as Camarillo,
Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and Paso
Robles, it has proven to be a difficult task.
Newmaking to Order,
Sales and Repairs
Violins - Violas - Celli - Bows - Accessories
Tuesday through Saturday
1:00 to 5:30 p.m.
For those who will remember, CalASTA once included a
section titled the Channel Island Section organized by
Stephen Krayk and continued by Phyllis Dunn and
others. The L.A. Section took over the responsibilities for
providing opportunities when the Channel Island Section
faltered. This Central Coast Section, if formed, now has
about 25 active ASTA members with the potential to
very quickly triple that number.
ASTA member Mark Kovacs, from Arroyo Grande, has
agreed to lead the local organizational effort and the state
has pledged fiscal, logistical and organizational support.
This effort, if successful, will allow ASTA members in
these western coastal communities the opportunity to
design and implement programs that are compatible with
their local string programs and teachers while allowing
the L.A. Section to concentrate more fully on programs
and activities that are closer in to Los Angeles.
22 | THE SOUNDPOST
M. and R. Weisshaar & Son
Violin Shop, Inc.
1763 Orange Avenue
Costa Mesa, California 92627
949-548-1287
Violinmakers
Look Forward
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FALL 2015 | 23
SACRAMENTO REPORT
Our Spring Recital, held in May at one of our favorite retirement homes, was a resounding
success, with many enthusiastic participants. We included a raffle this time that brought in
over $600.00, helping keep us in the black. Later in May we held a Solo Competition at
UCD, which attracted a good number of talented participants. There were four winners and
three students recommended. We intend to work harder to attract violists, bassists and
harpists to this Competition. We plan to hold another Chamber Music Workshop in the
near future.
May 21 was Stand Up 4 Music advocacy day at the State Capitol where representatives from twelve music education
organizations visited legislative offices to discuss the importance of public school music education. Music groups from all over
the state performed throughout the day, beginning at 9:00 a.m. with a performance of the Davis All-City Elementary String
Orchestra directed by Kim Cole Feeney.
We held our first Meet & Greet in June. Of our section’s 73 members, 21 do not live in Sacramento or Yolo County and we
were hoping for a large turnout so we could get acquainted. That didn’t happen, but those who came liked the idea and said
they would attend our next effort. At our next meeting, we will discuss ways to interest the membership in investigating
ASTACAP. Singing its praises in the newsletter has not been enough. But, hope springs eternal!
Fifty-four elementary school students attended a three-week ASTA-sponsored Summer Strings/Theory Workshop in Davis
from June 22 - July 10. The class was held weekdays from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and included an hour of orchestra instruction and
an hour of history/theory instruction complete with movies, games and reading/composing activities. It was a wonderful
opportunity for students in public or private school programs to keep up their skills during the summer months. The program
concluded with a daytime concert for parents and a party to celebrate these young dedicated instrumentalists’ hard work!
Submitted by Gay Currier, President
SAN DIEGO REPORT
Minutes from ASTA San Diego Section: In the last few months, we have been busy trying to
set up access to the bank account in the Musician’s Interguild Credit Union, which is in Los
Angeles. The San Diego Section is not sure of who or why this bank was chosen; it took a
trip in person (a three hour trip each way) to settle access to the account for President Carina
Voly and Treasurer Travis Maril. After one month, we still don’t have checks or statements –
we hope this issue gets resolved without a new trip to Los Angeles. We are still working on it.
On the formerly mentioned trip to Los Angeles, we were able to deposit the money paid by
the students for the September competition. The total income from this competition was $365, the cost for rental of the hall
and payment to one judge was $270 ($120 for the hall and $150 for the judge). Isaac Allen, our Secretary, donated his judging
time for the competition.
The $600 that Dr. Tatton allowed on loan to the San Diego chapter in August 2014 in case there were not enough funds for
the September competition were not needed, so the check was not deposited and it will be returned to the Treasurer shortly.
President Carina Voly has been busy recruiting new members. The short-term plan is to build a stronger community of ASTA
members and create activities that will benefit both the ASTA community as well as the San Diego string community at large
– possibly for future recruitment as well.
In May, we setup two special activities—one with violin pedagogue Bonnie Greene from One World Strings, and one with
Physical Therapist and Feldenkrais practitioner John Horne—to address injury prevention and efficiency of movement.
Respectfully submitted by: Carina Voly, President; Travis Maril, Treasurer; Isaac Allen, Secretary
24 | THE SOUNDPOST
SAN FRANCISCO REPORT
August 16, 2015
On Saturday, June 17, members of the ASTA San Francisco board met at the home
of Sara Usher in Oakland. We reviewed our activities of the past six months,
discussed upcoming programs, and explored additional ways to serve our local string
teaching community.
In January 2015, ASTA San Francisco offered three $500 grants to the following
organizations:
1. Home of United String Ensembles - H.O.U.S.E. held three inspirational
Musicianship Workshops on improvisation by Katie Wreede, Zach Pitt
Smith, and the Out of Bounds String Quartet for Middle School students
in the Oakland Unified School Districts.
2. Composing Together - CT director Katie Wreede (viola), Sarah
Zaharako (violin), and Moses Sedler (cello) performed for incarcerated
boys and girls at the San Francisco County Juvenile Justice Probation
Center. The kids were encouraged to imagine what each composer
wanted to say to them, to listen carefully to their own emotional
responses and then observe how musicians communicate and cooperate
with each other to make it happen. They also learned guided breathing
exercises to delve deeper into their own feelings and the music.
3. Point Richmond Jazz offered a series of concerts and masterclasses this
year by eminent Jazz violinists to educate string players to the possibilities
inherent in creative improvisation and to cultivate an understanding of
the long history and contributions string players have made in this genre.
We are proud of the wonderful accomplishments and contributions these
organizations made and wish them success in their future endeavors. We are
currently reviewing our section’s financial status to determine if we can offer grants
again in 2016. More information will be available by mid-September.
Mark the following dates on
your calendar!
ASTACAP and Teacher
Symposium Schedule
ASTACAP Berkeley
March 12, 2016
ASTACAP San Francisco
April 3, 2016
ASTACAP Walnut Creek
TBD
2015-2016 Teacher
Symposium Schedule
1501 Walnut St., Berkeley
Friday, Sept. 18, 2015
Friday, Oct. 9, 2015
Friday, Nov. 20, 2015
Friday, Feb. 19, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
In March 2015, we held ASTACAP exams in Berkeley, Walnut Creek and San
Francisco. There were 73 bowed string students, 18 teachers, and 9 examiners. Next
year’s exams will take place on March 12, 2016 in Berkeley, April 3, 2016 in San
Francisco and in late March in Walnut Creek. More details will be available soon at
www.calasta.org/sf. On Saturday, August 22, 2015 Kristal Schwartz held her Harp
ASTACAP exams at the Angelic Harp Academy in San Jose.
On Friday, April 17, we partnered with the Suzuki Association of Northern
California (SANC) for a Teacher Symposium which was presented by Katheryn
Hewatt. Attendees were invited to submit short video clips of themselves teaching a
technique related to the right arm. An open and supportive discussion followed with
the objective of helping these teachers improve and refine their pedagogical skills in a
very hands-on and practical way. The discussions we had were very helpful. We had
about 12 participants who all enthusiastically stated that they would love to attend
more of these “practicum” style symposiums.
FALL 2015 | 25
San Francisco Section Report
(continued from page 25)
We have a total of five symposiums scheduled
for this next year in Berkeley - four of them will
be “practicums” led by Katheryn Hewatt and
one on Eurhythmics in the Private Lesson
by Jennifer Ellis. They will be held on Fridays
this year from 10-11:30am at 1501 Walnut
Street, Berkeley on the following dates:
Sep. 18th - Practicum (Katheryn Hewatt)
Oct. 9th - Practicum (Katheryn Hewatt)
Nov. 20th - Eurhythmics in the Private
Lesson (Jennifer Ellis)
Feb. 19th - Practicum (Katheryn Hewatt)
April 8th - Practicum (Katheryn Hewatt)
ASTA San Francisco’s 2015 Solo Competition
was held on Sunday, May 10 at the San
Francisco Conservatory where 21 junior
participants performed for judges Michael
Goldberg (guitar), Michelle Sell (harp)
and Dana Rudin (cello). The first place winner
was cellist Elena Ariza, age 16, student of Eric
Sung. John James Ahn, cellist, age 16 (student
of Eric Sung), and Vincent Lin, cellist, age 15
(student of Jonathan Koh) tied for 2nd place
and Hannah Ewell, harpist, age 12 (student
of Kristal Schwartz Barlaan) placed 3rd. The
judges recommend nine participants to
advance to the CalASTA State Solo
Competition in 2016. Although we have not
yet secured a date for our next solo
competition, we may introduce some changes
including a video audition preliminary round.
ASTA San Francisco partnered with two string
programs this summer: Cello Camp headed
by Cathy Allen and Glenview Strings led
by Sara Usher.
Please contact me if you have ideas that you
would like to share on how we can make your
membership in ASTA San Francisco more
meaningful. If you have suggestions for
workshops or if you would like to volunteer as
a monitor at our ASTACAP exams or Solo
Competition please write to me at
[email protected].
Yours truly,
Cybèle D’Ambrosio
President, ASTA San Francisco
26 | THE SOUNDPOST
COMPOSING TOGETHER
New String Trio Music for Incarcerated Kids
Thanks to a grant from ASTA San Francisco, Composing
Together's Katie Wreede (CT director and viola), Sarah
Zaharako (violin), and Moses Sedler (cello) performed their own
compositions for incarcerated boys and girls at the San Francisco
County Juvenile Justice Probation Center this past January.
Partnering with City Youth Now and troubled teen therapist, Jan
Sells, they helped kids experience live, original string trio music
for the first time, asking them to imagine what each composer
wanted to say to them, to listen carefully to their own emotional
responses and then to watch how musicians communicate and
cooperate with each other to make it happen. Later, they learned
guided breathing exercises to go deeper into their own feelings
and the music. One of the most popular parts of the program was
improv “conversation” duets, where students suggested the
mood for each instrument and what musical effects might make
that mood (fast and loud for angry, slow and low for sad, etc.).
The youth response was very positive, with some surprisingly
insightful comments, like: “what I liked best was how different
the violin sounds when it’s played differently.” The staff
response, which is just as important in a facility like this, was
also complimentary and positive, both for enjoying the concert
and because they noticed an extended behavioral effect on the
kids. This included being more willing to cooperate and avoiding
confrontation, which keeps everyone safer and happier.
One of the incarcerated girls said that she had heard visiting
string quartets at other facilities, and it was her favorite kind of
music because it made her “chill." She was getting out in a
couple weeks and wanted to know where she could go for free to
hear more music like that. She was musically literate and liked
contemporary new music because of all the different sounds. Her
conversation with us was especially touching because she was
still seeking beauty after so many bad things happened in her
young life.
The end result of this experience is that we musicians are all
eager to do more, and the City Youth Now staff is working on
finding regular funding to have the program come back once a
month for at least the next year! ASTA San Francisco has helped
launch an important service to neglected youth and created
another venue for new music, too.
Katrina Wreede
STOCKTON REPORT
July 31st, 2015
ASTA Stockton had its board meeting on May 4th. It has been a season of firsts for ASTA
Stockton, and we are learning from it. We had our first special evening last November with
luthier Gary Vessel. We held the event both in Stockton (at UoP) and in Modesto (at Gary
Vessel’s shop). It was informative, interesting and appreciated by those who attended and we
wish to have more teachers and students next time! We had a great turnout at our first chamber music workshop on February
28th. Students played in small groups and were coached by ASTA teachers. We ended the day with an informal concert and
were joined by a UoP students’ string quartet. Based on our experience from this year’s event, we hope to make this an annual
workshop with next year already scheduled for February 27th.
We are looking forward to our events next fall and winter. After a two-year hiatus, we are planning an ASTA recital on
November 14th, in Manteca, a location more central than usual for everyone.
Our section is full of committed and involved teachers. Don Grishaw, orchestra director at John H. Pitman High school in
Turlock, received the CalASTA Lucie Landen Award for excellence in String and Orchestra teaching. Among his many
accomplishments the Pitman High School Chamber Orchestra performed at the CASMEC Conference in Fresno in February
2015, and 15 members of this orchestra were accepted into the Stanislaus County High School Honor Orchestra in January
2015. Don Grishaw is also the Director of the Concert Division of the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra beginning in the
2014-2015 season and he was selected as Director of the Stanislaus County Junior High School Honor Orchestra in January
2015. Additionally, our member Donna Harrison is now president of CODA.
Finally, please know that the Central Valley Youth Orchestra will hold its auditions August 25-27, in Stockton. You can find
more information on their website http://cvys.org
Musically yours,
Myriam Cottin-Rack
ASTA Stockton, President
Students and coaches at chamber music workshop on February 28th, 2015.
FALL 2015 | 27
CODA REPORT
I am excited to report many events taking place to benefit string players in grades 7-12 and
their teachers. First of all, I want to encourage you to join CODA. It is very easy and FREE!
Visit our new website at codaorchestras.org and fill out the on-line membership application.
You will become connected to a community of orchestra directors and other music teachers
that want to promote school orchestras in California. Many of the ways CODA
accomplishes this is by providing honor orchestra experiences for your students.
Our first event of the school year is the December 4-5, 2015 CODA Festival at San Jose State University. The CODA Honor
String Orchestra will be directed by Doris Fukawa from the Crowden Music Center and the CODA Honor Symphony
Orchestra will be directed by Dr. Robert Taylor from the University of British Columbia. These orchestras are for students in
grades 9-12, and the application and auditions are located on the CODA website- codaorchestras.org. All forms, fees, and
auditions need to be received by the CODA office by September 25, 2015. CODA members are welcome to observe
rehearsals, 1 pm concert on Saturday, and to attend the CODA membership meeting December 5, 2015 at 10 am in the San
Jose State University Music Complex (look for the signs).
The next big event is the CASMEC Conference in San Jose, February 11-14, 2015. CODA will be presenting three All-State
Orchestra opportunities for students in grades 7-12: the All-State Jr. High Orchestra will be directed by Bill Bitter from Gilbert,
AZ; the All-State High School String Orchestra will be directed by Soo Han from Carmel, IN; and the All-State High School
Symphony Orchestra will be directed by Jung-Ho Pak from the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Cape Symphony.
Your students will certainly be inspired as they perform in these outstanding ensembles and work with these amazing
conductors. All rehearsals are open for your observation. The audition information is also on the CODA website and the
deadline is December 1, 2015.
An expanded offering of Clinic Sessions and Performances representing orchestra are being planned for your professional
development and enlightenment. Here are some highlights:
• “Accompaniment Styles for Cellists” by Renata Bratt. This will be a hands-on clinic, so bring your cello.
• Lynbrook High School Orchestra Performance under the direction of Michael Pakaluk.
• CODA General Session presented by Donna Harrison and the CODA Leadership. Attend this session to hear
more about CODA and what it has to offer. This session will double as our General Membership Meeting.
• “The 'Bassics' From 20 Feet Away” by Dr. Janine Riveire. Dr. Riveire returns to give direction on helping your
bass players during orchestra rehearsals.
• “What If Your Students Are Doing Everything Wrong?” by David Motto. Helpful ways to get the most out of
your individual practice.
• Orchestra Music Reading Session presented by J.W. Pepper and the Dougherty Valley Chamber Orchestra under
the direction of Patty Drury
• “Conversations with Dr. Tom” by Dr. Thomas Tatton. He will discuss and demonstrate string pedagogy with the
focus on recent CMEA Magazine articles written by him.
• Simply Three is a crossover string group equally at home with today's greatest hits and the classics. These exciting
performers will present a clinic session in addition to their headliner concert at CASMEC.
• Scott Krijnen will present two sessions: “Efficient, Effective and Engaged: Rehearsal Techniques for a String
Orchestra” and “String Techniques for Band Directors.” Both sessions sound like must-sees.
• Dr. Lucy Lewis will present a session on the "A,B,and C’s of Chamber Music".
• Mark Kovacs will present a session on "The First Ten Minutes: Warm-ups That Teach".
I hope to see you and your students at some of these CODA events this year and I hope to see you on the CODA membership
list.
Donna Harrison, President of California Orchestra Directors Association
28 | THE SOUNDPOST
STRING PROJECT REPORTS
SACRAMENTO STATE STRING PROJECT
Andrew Luchansky, Director
Judy Bossuat-Gallic and Timothy Stanley, Master Teachers
Sacramento State String Project Starts Another Year!
The second floor of Capistrano Hall is bustling on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
Congratulations to our May 2015 SP teacher graduates Josiah Catalan and Cody Alves.
One of the hallmarks of SP is our graduation rate. Almost 100% of the students involved
for 4 semesters or more in the SP finish their degree.
This program, under the umbrella of the National String Project Consortium, helps college
students get practical string teaching experience with children from the community. Costs
are low for the children and the college students earn a small stipend. Grants this year were
obtained from the Sac State Associated Students and private donations. Of course, the
project could not be done without the help of the Sac State Music Department.
Ten college students have stepped forward to teach the children. Returning teachers Kirsten Ebert, Zachary McGee, Mica
Phan and Sapphire Valdivia have been joined by Aaron Davis, Joanna Dvek, Ardalan Gharachorloo, Daniella Kalinyuk,
Zach Louchi, Anna Lyubezhanina and Jina Park. Example teaching and supervision are provided by the Master Teachers
Bossuat-Gallic and Stanley.
Professor Bossuat-Gallic worked intensively with the student teachers on Sunday and Monday August 30 and 31. This is the
first time the semester has been “front-loaded” with 10 hours of pedagogy and insures that the new SP teachers will start the
semester with confidence.
New this year is a satellite
teaching location at the Taylor
Street School in the Robla
School District. After years of
bussing all their String Project
students twice a week to
Sacramento State, we are
experimenting with bussing the
20 Intermediates only on
Mondays and conducting their
second class in their
neighborhood on Saturday
morning. 40 Robla beginners
will also have their classes
Saturday in both large and
small groups. The Robla
Educational Foundation helps
to subsidize instruments and transportation for these students. This exemplary collaboration offers children an opportunity
they might never otherwise have. SP alumni Cody Alves has agreed to teach on this new project.
In 2014-15 a full-time violin position was added at Sacramento State. To the delight of students and faculty alike, Anna Presler
has become a champion of the String Project assisting Professor Luchansky in the organization and promotion of this
wonderful program. We are thrilled to have her help, enthusiasm and acumen.
Please join us for our free concert in the Concert Recital Hall in Capistrano (near parking structure 1) on Monday, December
14th at 7pm.
FALL 2015 | 29
UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS STRING PROJECT
The Univ. of Redlands String Project begins its 5th year with 4 levels of group classes and,
new this year, private lessons will be made available at a discounted fee for local area
students. Taught by our University of Redlands Apprentice Teachers, this will further
enhance the development of string students in our local community.
Additionally, "graduates" of our program are beginning to advance to the University
sponsored Youth Orchestras and bolster the level of playing in those groups. We look
forward to another marvelous year working with young string students in the Redlands
community!
Kyle Champion
POINT LOMA STRING PROJECT
The Point Loma String Project is entering its twelfth year of providing teaching experience
for PLNU string students and of creating new string talent in San Diego. Former string
project students have excelled in local youth orchestras and some have pursued string
playing into their college years and beyond. The PLNU University/Community orchestra
also has benefited with the addition of string players who started out in the string project.
Former teacher apprentices have entered the string teaching profession in San Diego, and
other locations around the country, including one former teacher apprentice who has
become the director of a college prep department.
As a planned addition to our offerings this year, a note-reading class will be offered
separately from the beginning strings class to create greater focus during each class period.
We also are initiating a new student-manager position for the project.
Philip Tyler, Project Director
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STAND UP 4 MUSIC
Stand Up 4 Music California Music Education Advocacy Day at the State Capitol
Thursday, May 21, 2015
This was a very special day where a coalition of music educators from various parts of California came together to lobby our
legislators to support SB725. This bill would require that there be an adoption of new state standards for the arts as soon as
possible but no later than 6/30/17. The State’s Visual & Performing Arts Standards have not been updated since 2000.
We had a breakfast meeting at the Citizen’s Hotel where were given information as to who to meet, what to say, etc. We were
also given printed materials that we could leave with people. All of us had some appointments with representatives of our
home area. However, we were encouraged to pop in & visit others as well. I had appointments with aids for Senator Pan &
Representative McCarty, as they are my representatives. Another coalition member & I visited three others. Most were
enthusiastically supportive.
There were approximately 15 -20 people present for the morning meeting who then went to the Capitol to lobby. At our wrapup meeting, most of us reported meeting with aids or interns. However, a couple of people did get to actually meet with the
legislators themselves. I’m sorry to say, I was not thinking of this report at the time & did not note exactly who.
On the north steps of the Capitol building, various musical student groups performed from 9:00 – 12:00. Literature was also
being handed out to people as they walked by or stopped to listen concerning our quest and the needs of the arts.
It was an enjoyable day of meeting other music people, talking to mostly interns and listening to outstanding ensembles from
throughout the state. Most of us were pretty much done by about 12:30. The leadership people including Michael Stone, our
state president, Scott Hedgecock, our president elect as well as Lynne Faulks, our consultant had appointments to meet with
others after lunch. I believe there may have been one or two others as well.
We
need to continue to remind our colleagues to remind our legislators to get this bill passed!
Respectfully submitted,
Nina Vigil, ASTA/CMEA member
!"#"$%&'()*+,-.+/"&%01
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String Faculty
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Ann Miller, violin
Igor Veligan, viola
Nina Flyer, cello
Tom Derthick, bass
*High School Students*
Join us for a performance of
Mahler’s Symphony No. 1!
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FALL 2015 | 31
ASTACAP REPORTS
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
In March 2015, SF ASTA took advantage of increasing interest in
ASTACAP and expanded to three locations, making it easier for
bowed string students outside the East Bay to attend. A total of 71
violin, viola, and cello students and 11 teachers participated. The
number of students per teacher varied from 1 to 14. Everyone I talked
to, teachers and students alike, agreed that the demanding preparation
and the opportunity to perform for a supportive adjudicator and get
comments was a valuable experience that helped them grow
musically.
In August 2015, ASTACAP exams for harp were held in San Jose
organized by Kristal Barlaan. 20 of Kristal's harp students participated.
All harp teachers from the SF Branch are welcome to have their
students participate next year. Many thanks to Kristal for all her hard
work!
In Spring 2016, we will once again hold ASTACAP exams for violin,
viola and cello in 3 locations:
Berkeley--Saturday, March 12
San Francisco --Sunday, April 3
Walnut Creek TBD
If you are not familiar with the ASTACAP, I invite you to take a look
at the ASTACAP handbook, which is available at
www.astaweb.com. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Stephanie Railsback, SF ASTACAP coordinator
[email protected]
2015 ASTACAP Northern California Report
Walnut Creek, March 8, 2015
18 students -- 3 teachers
Berkeley, March 14, 2015
35 students -- 6 teachers
San Francisco, March 15, 2015
18 students -- 3 teachers
San Jose, August 22, 2015
20 students -- 1 teacher
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Board of the ASTA-Los Angeles Section offered seven dates and locations with only
one evaluation room at each, starting with March 15 in Pasadena, April 12 in Fullerton,
April 18 in Bellflower, April 26 in Woodland Hills, May 2 in Santa Barbara and ending
with May 9 in San Clemente. We had 16 violin, 4 viola and 3 cello teachers enroll 105
students for these seven evaluation days. The levels ranged from Foundation through
Level 10. I appreciate the generosity of Dr. Charles Baker and Joyce Osborn in offering
their studios and Dr. Cheryl Scheidemantle provided a free place at her Pasadena
Polytechnic School. We rented space in churches in San Clemente and Santa Barbara, as
well as a music school in Bellflower.
I hired the eight evaluators to hear the students at these seven events. They are experienced
teachers, highly regarded string players who know the standards these students needed to
reach and they provided excellent written comments for each student. I personally was at
each location and handled the orientation using the Evaluation Guidelines provided in the
Handbook by our National ASTACAP committee. I was also available throughout the
schedule to handle any questions that arose from the evaluators during the evaluation day.
32 | THE SOUNDPOST
ASTACAP Reports: Southern California
(continued from page 32)
The hardest working evaluator was Dr. Tom Tatton, who worked for 9.5 hours at the Woodland Hills studio. Each teacher is
provided with the Evaluation Guidelines a month before the evaluation, and we have now had 8 years of no complaints from
any teacher about how the evaluations are handled. A special touch we provide: as each student leaves we hand them a cookie
and small bottle of water with a smile and “congratulations!”
We are now setting up dates and locations for 2016 and invite you to plan for the following dates:
March 12
Fullerton (cello, violin and viola)
April 16
Bellflower (violin and viola)
April 23
San Clemente (cello and violin)
April 23
Woodland Hills (cello)
April 24
Woodland Hills (violin and viola)
more to be announced for Pasadena & Santa Barbara
To learn more about ASTACAP go to astaweb.com/ASTACAP.
Respectfully submitted, Kay Pech
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continue their music study with enthusiasm. Advancing successfully through the levels motivates students to practice.
ASTA has developed a carefully graded 11-level curriculum for <%08%(=)<%08'=)&#880=);0:28#)2'//)'(;).'$9. Each level is a professionally designed pedagogical
progression offering both study materials and adjudication/feedback. Using these guidelines for scales, etudes and solos, the teacher prepares the student for
each level’s evaluation. Successful completion of each level is recognized by ASTA with a Certificate of Achievement. This national award validates the teacher
and student’s work, and bears proof of a well-rounded system of instruction.
ASTACAP evaluations can be taken In Person or with an Online Examination:
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• A live performing experience,
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• Multiple locations and dates,
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• An opportunity to network with
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To apply for an online examination:
https://app.decisiondesk.com/clients/astacertificate/apply
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• Adjudicated by trained and certified professionals
• Non-competitive, excellent training for auditions and recitals
• Graded and comments-only options
• A Certificate of Achievement for passing a level
• 9)0)*%!(&0!.$!&:&*/$/!.6!&/;+/,(&1)*%!5)*!&/3&0($/!%1+/$01%
• The 2015 Handbook- the complete guide to repertoire, policies,
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• Can submit exams three times
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• A convenient option when a live
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For more information contact your state ASTACAP representative or state ASTA board.
The ASTACAP handbook can be found online at astaweb.com/astacap (free for ASTA members.)
!"#$%&'()*+$%(,)-#'&.#$/)!//0&%'+%0(
4155 Chain Bridge Road ● Fairfax VA 22030 ● 703-896-0774
FALL 2015 | 33
RETROSPECTIVE
Miss Lucie Landen, 1903-1990
By all accounts, Miss Lucie Landen was a plucky lady
with a pithy personality, astringent wit, and a positive,
forthright attitude! From 1952 until 1996, she taught
and then became Head of String Instruction for what
was then called the Menlo Park School District.
Although she didn’t seek the presidency of CalASTA,
she assumed that office in 1956. At the time, there
were only 103 members, most of whom lived in the
Bay Area, which Miss Lucie helped organize and she
had been president.
In the Spring 1966 issue of The Soundpost, Miss
Lucie described her first efforts at running the state
unit: “I set out to do the best I could.” Apparently the best she could do was enough to accomplish a
great deal. Miss Lucie, during her tenure:
1. Published the first (of several) state directories/membership lists by which she hoped to facilitate
dialogue and communication amongst string teachers across the state.
2. Inaugurated The Soundpost – Opus 1, Number 1 in 1956; written, duplicated, stamped and posted by
Miss Lucie Landon. She proclaimed it was our duty as string teachers to spread the good news about
string teaching, and to become a voice in the fabric of the California education system.
3. Organized the state unit into five regional sections: according to Opus 1, No.1 of The Soundpost the
sections were Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Oroville-Chico and Pasadena. Each section
elected its own officers and created independent programs and activities. Miss Lucie hoped to encourage
membership growth through a multitude of regional activities across the state.
4. Initiated active cooperation and participation in CMEA and the then MENC – now NAfME
5. Started the Summer String Workshops and Clinics in 1966, hoping to encourage continuing education for
string teachers.
6. In 1966, she completed the long and arduous task of Incorporation for the California State Unit of ASTA
as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
Can you imagine accomplishing all this with a rotary phone, a Royal Typewriter and the United States
Post Office? The CalASTA unit organized in 1948 by Stefan Krayk, now under the leadership of Miss
Lucie, prospered and grew into the largest state unit with many of her ideas, programs and activities
still in place – astounding! At the 1967 ASTA Banquet held during the MENC Western Division
Convention, Miss Lucie was honored with a citation for “Outstanding Service and leadership.” Miss
Lucie had given CalASTA her best!
This article was put together from information found in early CalASTA journals—most particularly the article written by
P. J. McMasters, February 1991.
Gayane Korkmazian, Historian
Thomas Tatton DMA, President CalASTA
34 | THE SOUNDPOST
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For a complete Instrument Care Guide
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