MMT December 2014 - Michigan Music Teachers Association

Michigan
Music
Teacher
PUBLICATION OF
THE MICHIGAN MUSIC
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
President’s Letter
Dear MMTA Members,
As the days grow shorter and winter continues to arrive, I am reminded of all the memories of this past year. Reflecting on our
memories from childhood and past years is always a positive experience. In John Holt’s “It’s Never Too Late,” he tells of his
struggles as an adult learning to play the cello. He discusses his
first memory of music. Music was not readily available to his
family. He was not as fortunate as many of us who grew up with
parents and grandparents who enjoyed music on the stereo or on
the radio. Sometimes in our teaching we might not remember
how inaccessible music is to some of our younger and older students.
In October MMTA held their 129th State Conference in Dearborn.
The Metropolitan Detroit Musicians League was our local host
chapter. To the many MDML volunteers, Arvi Sinka and Carol
Vol. LXI
No. 12
December 2014 Levy, our local co-chairs, we appreciate your time and hard work
in providing us a truly welcoming and wonderful conference. Many thanks to all of those who conducted
meetings, presented sessions and performed in concerts. I would like to especially thank our diligent and
hard working SAT Handbook Revisions Committee, our guest artist, Panayis Lyras, our guest clinician, Dennis Alexander, the CMU Collegiate Chapter, Jessie Grant, Amy I-Lin Cheng, Pauline Martin, Aaron Berofsky and, our commissioned composer, Andy Francis. Thank you to our members for participating in this
conference. Without you, there is no conference. And finally I would like to express our appreciation to
Evola Music for the use of their pianos. Look for this year’s survey results in this newsletter. Our new vice
president, Charles Aschbrenner is already planning the 130th State Conference at the Hilton in Grand Rapids
on October 11-13th.
Affiliated with the Music Teachers
National Association
Our new MMTA directories should be arriving shortly. Thanks to Lester Castellana, MMTA membership
chair, for his attention to detail and his work to distribute these.
MMTA has a new Strings Chair. Wendy Zohar has graciously accepted this position and we welcome her to
our board.
In September I attended the MTNA Summit for Leadership held in Cincinnati. It was a great weekend of
meeting all 50 state presidents and president elects and learning more about leadership, the FTC, and the services that MTNA offers. I also met with other states with similar size memberships, besides meeting with our
East Central Division group.
The Bay City MTA celebrated their 50th Anniversary in September. These are a great group of friends and
President’s Letter cont. on p. 3
1
MICHIGAN MUSIC TEACHER
ADVERTISING FEES
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE
MICHIGAN MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
AFFILIATED WITH THE
MUSIC TEACHERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Alisha Snyder, Editor, 2061 Jefferson Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Submit materials to: [email protected]; 616-425-7619
MMTA Website: www.michganmusicteachers.org
PRESIDENT
Gail Lytle Lira
131 Oakland Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-351-8402
AWARDS CHAIR
Jennifer Drake
110 N. Lauderdale Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-4346
269-373-4971
VICE PRESIDENT
Charles Aschbrenner
324 East 16th Street
Holland, MI 49423
616-396-4282
TECHNOLOGY CHAIR
Eric Van De Vort
712 Sunset Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-883-9490
SECRETARY
Carol Conklin
5250 Stapleton Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
269-372-0701
SAT COORDINATOR
Diana Munch
22720 Nancy Avenue
Southfield, MI 48033
248-356-1274
TREASURER
Diana Spitnale Miller
3352 W. River Drive
Gladwin, MI 48624-9730
989-426-2644
SAT PIANO HANDBOOK CHAIR
Dr. Gerardo C. Ascheri
2200 Groesbeck Avenue
Lansing, MI 48912-3449
517-485-1363
PAST PRESIDENT
Garik Pedersen
8766 Sleepy Hollow Drive
Saline, MI 48176
734-429-3439
SAT AUDITIONS CHAIR
Margarete Thomsen
8765 Eastham Drive
Canton, MI 48187
734-451-9678
PARLIAMENTARIAN
Christie Otter
14735 Richfield
Livonia, MI 48154
734-464-3319 / 734-765-1770
SAT STRINGS CHAIR
Wendy Zohar
2760 Gladstone Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-741-8750
CERTIFICATION CHAIR
Maria Holian
1785 Gloucester
Plymouth, MI 48170
734-354-6517
SAT VOICE CHAIR
Miho Segal
2306 Seminole Drive
Okemos, MI 48864
517-70-8358
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Lester Castellana
7164 Palmer Street
Dexter, MI 48130
734-864-2686
SAT WOODWINDS CHAIR
Keith Gamble
19415 Waltham
Detroit, MI 48205
313-527-0733
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS AND
INDEPENDENT MUSIC TEACHERS
FORUM CHAIR
Jeanne Hanley Thelen
20335 Whitby Drive
Livonia, MI 48152
616-334-8864
MTNA COMPETITIONS
COORDINATOR
Lia Jensen-Abbott
412 S. Clinton Street
Albion, MI 49224
517-629-2950
COLLEGIATE CHAPTERS
COORDINATOR
Dr. Adrienne Wiley
4007 Washington
Midland, MI 48642
989-837-0903
TEACHER EDUCATION CHAIR
Sara Carriere
3911 Edmonton Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-665-3322
MTNA YOUNG ARTIST PIANO
COMPETITION CHAIR
Dr. Penny Draper
513 Woodland Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-351-4632 / 517-507-1538
MTNA SENIOR COMPETITIONS
CHAIR
Lia Jensen-Abbott
412 S. Clinton Street
Albion, MI 49224
517-629-2950
MTNA JUNIOR COMPETITIONS
CHAIR
Laurie Marshall
4021 Ravina Terrace
St. Joseph, MI 49085-9655
269-428-7060 or 269-277-9091 (cell)
MTNA COMPOSITION COMPETITION
CHAIR
Mary Ann Anschutz
5404 Sunset Drive
Midland, MI 48640
989-631-6833
MMTA CONCERTO COMPETITION
CHAIR
Giuseppe Lupis
2601 Brooklyn Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507
616-248-1580
Full page
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$70
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$60
Submit ads to the MMT editor
with a check payable to MMTA.
Fees are for one issue only.
MTNA FOUNDATION CHAIR
Jordan Brett
290 Park Green Drive
Lake Orion, MI 48362
248-568-3548
COMMISSIONED COMPOSER CHAIR
Dr. Sylvia Roederer
2631 Parkwyn Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
269-344-8620
MTNA COLLEGE FACULTY FORUM
REPRESENTATIVE
David Abbott
412 S. Clinton Street
Albion, MI 49224
517-629-2950
AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY
CHAIR
Barbara Collins
4430 W. Water Street
Port Huron, MI 48060
810-982-4133
HISTORIAN
Mary S. Vander Linde
1100 Fountain View Circle #1
Holland, MI 49423
616-396-5379
MTNA YOUNG ARTIST CHAMBER
MUSIC COMPETITION CHAIR
Dr. Penny Draper
513 Woodland Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-351-4632 / 517-507-1538
DEADLINE
FOR THE
MARCH 2015
MMT:
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR E-MAIL
Send to
Lester Castellana, Membership Chair: [email protected]
~ or mail to: ~
Lester Castellana, 7164 Palmer St., Dexter, MI 48130
December 2014
2
February 15
All materials must be
received by this date
Presidents’ Letter cont. from p. 1
we congratulate them on their achievements as they continue more happy years educating students of all ages.
Finally I would like to thank Garik Pedersen for his many years of leadership and mentoring our members
and myself. Garik always listens and responds with diplomacy, patience and a smile. His confident leadership style continues to represent MMTA as a professional association.
As I finish this letter I have many fond memories from this year, of conversations with many of you at the
conference, quickly chatting at adjudications, and sharing ideas at performances. May we relish our memories from the past and strive to make wonderful new memories in 2015.
Sincerely,
Gail Lytle Lira
MMTA President
2015 MMTA State Conference in Grand Rapids


The 2015 MMTA State Conference will be held October 11-13, 2015, in Grand Rapids, MI
The conference will be held at the Hilton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel, with rooms at $99/night.

Continue to check the conference website as more details become available:
www.michiganmusicteachers.org/2015-conference-information
I look forward to seeing all of you at the 130th state conference!
Charles Aschbrenner, Vice President
December 2014
3
Bay Area Music Teachers Association Celebrates 50 Years
On September 20, 2014, Bay Area Music Teachers marked its
50th anniversary with a gala recital, held at First Presbyterian
Church of Bay City. Over 150 people attended the event, featuring Michelle Kuhl, Mijung Trepanier and Melinda Sutherland,
pianists, and Lisa Keim, Soprano. The program included Debussy’s “Reflets Dans L’Eau”, Liszt’s “Un Sospiro”, Rachmaninoff’s Four Etudes Tableaux, and Beethoven’s Sonata Opus
109.
The music was followed by a reception prepared by the members and a historic photo collage video produced by Duane and
Diana Miller.
Mijung Trepanier, Melinda Sutherland,
Michelle Kuhl, and Lisa Keim
Through this function BAMTA reached out to the public and made itself known in the community, not only
for the talent of its members, but as a group promoting music education and the survival of fine music in our
society. The event was free and open to the public, but many attending gave generous donations in appreciation and support.
Bay Area Music Teachers was founded in 1964 under the leadership of Millie Halstead, Sarah Gustin, Esther
Rosecrans, Polly Lake and Joan Koch. Originally known as Bay County Music Teachers Association, the
group eventually absorbed the Saginaw Music Teachers group. It now serves teachers in a wide area, reaching north to Tawas and east into the Thumb.
Submitted by Beth Cook, past president of BAMTA and chair for the 50th anniversary committee
December 2014
4
2014 State Conference Evaluation
The results of our 2014 State Conference evaluation survey are below. Out of 57 responses, members most enjoyed the concerts (34) the sessions (29) the Henry Hotel (14), the food (8) and the meetings (7).
The majority of the responding members attended all 3 days (32). 5 members attended Sunday and Monday
and 3 attended Monday and Tuesday. Three members attended 1 day. 9 members didn’t attend any days.
The most valuable or interesting programs were . . .
Panayis Lyras Master Class – 18
Dennis Alexander sessions - 16
Panayis Lyras Concert – 15
SAT presentations - 10
Chamber master class – 4
Injury presentation – 4
Panayis Lyras presentation - 3
Student Recitals – 3
Board Meeting – 1
Banquet – 1
“Performances were exceptional.” - 1
Members feelings concerning the schedule . . .
Enjoyed – 25
Too few sessions – 6 (some of these only attended 1-2 days)
Too many sessions – 1
Banquet Attendance Yes – 24
No – 10 (non attendees didn’t fill this out)
One Day Conference Fee – Most didn’t use it. Only 4 survey responders paid this fee.
Things to Improve . . .
Advertise it better - 1
Move it to Spring- 1. 2 want to hold during the summer.
2 people wrote to move to Fri/Sat/Sun. 1 doesn’t want Sunday. 1 wants Central location.
Speakers who relate to everyday teaching. More programs related to elementary and intermediate.
More sessions dealing with teaching busy/average student. More sessions about literature. More pedagogy, chamber and voice. 2 want more technology. 1 doesn’t want health or music history.
Not enough time to meet other teachers from other chapters. Not fond of Gala.
More time between events.
Will you attend 2015?
Yes – 27. Strong possibility – 14 . Slim chance – 3. No - 1
December 2014
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2014 MTNA Michigan State Competition Results
October 24-26, 2014
Lake Michigan College
Junior Piano:
Winner: Katherine Lee, student of Faye Mayo
Alternate: Catherina Lu, student of Catherine Rollin
Honorable Mentions: Heather Gu, student of Logan Skelton; Isabelle Lian, student of Arthur Greene; James
Jiang, student of Faye Mao; Bright Xu, student of Faye Mao
Young Artist Woodwind Performance:
Winner: Andrea Voulgaris, University of Michigan student, student of Timothy McAllister
Alternate: Evan Harris, Central Michigan student, student of John Nichol
Honorable Mentions: Sean Bradley, Central Michigan student, student of John Nichol; Joseph Herbst, Michigan
State student, student of Joseph Lulloff
Young Artist Chamber Performance:
Winner: Synergos Quartet: Bradley Karas, Soprano Saxophone, Dominic Bierenga, Alto Saxophone, Evan Harris, Tenor Saxophone, Jenna Veldboom, Baritone Saxophone, coached by John Nichol
Alternate: Origin Quartet: BethAnne Kunert, Soprano Saxophone, Alyssa Shepard, Alto Saxophone, Sean
Bradley, Tenor Saxophone, Kyrstin Jensen, Baritone Saxophone, coached by John Nichol
Senior Piano:
Winner: Ailun Zheng, student of TJ Lymenstull
Alternate: Yungyi Chen, student of Michael Coonrod
Honorable Mention: Lucas Myers, student of Catherine Rollin; Jeremy Hassell, student of Michael Coonrod
Junior Woodwind Performance
Winner: Ting Ting, student of Peiling Ho
Alternate: Calvin Mayman, student of Pamela Morgan
Young Artist Piano
Winner: Oliver Jia, student of Logan Skelton
Alternate: Hidemi Minagawa, student of Logan Skelton
Honorable Mention: Vivian Anderson, student of Logan Skelton; Annie Jeng, student of Logan Skelton;
Elizabeth Crecca, student of Logan Skelton
December 2014
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Senior Piano Duet
Winner: Ting Yan Fung, student of Michgal Coonrod; Zi An Zhou, student of TJ Lymenstull
Alternate: Joseph Mutone, student of Catherine Rollin; David Mutone, student of Catherine Rollin
State Representative: Young Artist Chamber Music-String
Representative: Broadway Trio: Rachel Rosenbaum, clarinet; Kellen Degnan, cello; Hsin-yi Huang, piano;
coached by Christopher Harding
State Representative: Senior Woodwind Performance
Representative: Ayana Terauchi, student of Amy Porter
Congratulations to all of these talented students!
A few MMTA State Conference Pictures
MMTA Teachers of the Year: Doris
Edwards, Sara Albright, Jeanne Hanley
Thelen, and Svetlana Stefadu.
Concert Clinician
Panayis Lyras with
youngest conference
attendee Iris Anne Gardner, daughter of
CAMTA member Loren
Gardner
Newly Certified Teachers Sarah Apol and Sara
Aylesworth, with State Certification Chair
Maria Holian in the middle.
Incoming Board: Christie Otter, Charles
Aschbrenner, Gail Lytle Lira, Diana Spitnale
Miller, and Gary Pederesen.
SAT Handbook Revision Committee:
Barbara Collins, Diana Munch, Gail DavisBarnes, Penny Draper, Pat Lobbestael, and
Maria Lisowsky.
December 2014
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Did You Know? Part Four
Mary Vander Linde, Historian
The 1980s began with increased interest in pedagogy due to the many colleges and universities that were beginning to present such courses in their curricula. The certification board of 1983-84 discussed ways in
which they could be of service to the development of these courses.
In 1984-85, they developed a proposal for a new certification procedure for college piano pedagogy majors
who planned to teach privately, which they then submitted to the executive board. This led to the creation of
the Pre-Standard Certificate.
A student, upon graduation from college, could apply for and receive a three-year Pre-Standard Certificate
(providing the student fulfilled the requirements). After three years, the student needed to re-audition three
students to receive his or her Standard Certificate. It was hoped this tiered accreditation would encourage
greater participation in the certification process.
After only a few years, however, the Pre-Standard Certificate was abolished due to lack of participation.
Luckily for us, a few of our active members were there for the creation of the well conceived but the shortlived certification program. Jean Hull (MSU) and Joanne Smith (UofM) worked together with the certification board and their respective universities to develop the Pre-Standard Certificate.
The certification board noted that in the 1980s, there were more certification renewals than new applicants
with many more emeritus certificates being granted. These trends have continued until today.
The Central Michigan Area Music Teachers organized a chapter in 1987. At the same time there was much
interest in trying to organize chapters in the Upper Peninsula. Escanaba and Marquette teachers had expressed interest in the creation of chapters of their own. On March 8, 1987, the certification board sent Barbara Dixon, Sally (Schworm) Lewis, and Barbara Coulter to Northern Michigan University in Marquette to
judge and approve applicants for certification. Three UP certified teachers tried to convince their colleagues
to join MMTA. Ruth Chown in Escanaba worked valiantly in 1989 and 1990 organizing student festivals.
They had run their own ensemble festivals for years, and felt no need to expand their activities by joining
MMTA. She had hoped Sharon Aho of Marquette and Toini Heikkinen of Lake Superior chapter would pursue SAT in Marquette, but after a one-year trial, they decided not to proceed.
In 1990, the piano section of the MMTA handbook was revised. The new scoring range for performance
was: 73-75 outstanding; 70-72 excellent; 68-69 very good; 67 – 66 average; 64-65 fair; and 60-63 needs improvement. Workshops for judges were organized throughout the state with judges’ instructions being sent
to every chapter. A column was established in the MMT to facilitate better communication among members.
The enrollment that year was 2956, which was up from the previous year. However, semi-final participation
was down by 45.
The concerns of the decade, which we still find today, included work requirements at semi-finals, special
scheduling requests, distance concerns from the UP, and conflicts with MSBOA State S&E festival in Kalamazoo.
An upgrade in printing tests was announced with the introduction of a master template for each test. Tests
were revised to follow the new handbook and were written on a Macintosh IIex using Microsoft Word 4.0
program (Some of you will appreciate this!). They dreamed of having them professionally printed.
Our current handbook was revised in 1998 with several tweaks to it since, and now we await our new major
December 2014
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revision. History will continue with every one of you!
Other important events in that decade: 1) President Jill Christian announced at the Oct. 20, 1987 board meeting
the establishment of the Gilmore Festival, due to the bequest of Irving Gilmore of Kalamazoo for the arts. 2)
On May 1, 1988 the board accepted the report of the Credit/Recognition Committee and approved its submission to the Michigan Department of Education. It was the proposal to grant recognition or credit for private music instruction using our handbook and Student Achievement Testing as criteria for requirements and examination. Jean Hull was very active in developing this proposal and we will hear more about it in the next installment. 3) President Jill also thanked Jerry and Betty Stasson for their efforts to arouse interest in legislation to
protect the independent teachers throughout the state from being prohibited to teach in their homes. Petitions
were sent out throughout the state. We will return to this in the next installment. 4) Mary Siciliano announced
major changes in national certification. 5) The board approved the creation of the ensemble festival and selected
dates. This was in response to requests for non-competitive activities where memorizing music would not be
required.
The details and history of the School Recognition and Zoning Ordinance activities will be continued in the next
edition. We have many wonderful things developed in the past that aid us today in our present activities. We
owe a debt of gratitude to those who have gone before as we continue to make history for those who are to
come. I trust each of you appreciates the heritage you have received and enjoys the prospect of what you are
passing on to those in the future.
Nagel, cont. from p. 10
We tend to look down on such excesses in the piano literature----music that was born in abstraction but took
on extra musical meaning. The point is not that the third Chopin Prelude IS that title. The words of that title
surely evoke an image, albeit a quaint one. One must play it with some sense of the nature of a flower-----or
a feather-----or a cloud-----or something that is light and ephemeral. In playing a phrase in a Beethoven sonata or concerto that goes from tonic to dominant, could the music be asking some sort of question? And the
dominant to tonic reply is an answer? Simplistic perhaps, but potentially expressive, affecting dynamic and temporal subtleties. What is the meaning of
the unusual pedal markings in some of Beethoven's writing----for example
the second concerto's second movement cadenza, or the opening of the finale
of the Waldstein? Do they evoke some image in the performer? Is there
some verbal pictorial image that can fuel one's interpretation of those strange
pedal requests? Could the magnificent and severely expressive Intermezzo
of Brahms Op. 118/6 be painting a picture or telling a story that Brahms
found he could NOT say in words? Can we create our own story that could
help us relate to this music? It is not the title on the page or the story handed
down to us that is the point, in my opinion. Rather it is the fact that every
piece of music filters through us and our life experiences that help us connect with the sounds. For von Bülow it was the sappy "flower". For us it
could be "Meteors in the Night Sky". We need to feel the narrative in each
piece we play if we are going to make it personal and expressive. So rather
than condemn von Bülow's excesses, I have thought about them. They come
from one of the greatest pianists, conductors, scholars, pedagogues, and tyHans von Bülow
rants of the nineteenth century.
December 2014
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Musical Musings
Tell me a Story
by Louis Nagel
1.Reunion
2.Presentiment of Death
3.Thou Art So Like a Flower
4.Suffocation
5.Uncertainty
6.Tolling Bells
7.The Polish Dancer
8.Desperation
9.Vision
10.The Night Moth
11.The Dragon Fly
12.The Duel
13.Loss
14.Fear
15.Raindrops
16.Hades
17.A Scene on the Place de Norte Dame de Paris
18.Suicide
19.Heartfelt Happiness
20.Funeral March
21.Sunday
22.Impatience
23.A Pleasure Boat
24.The Storm
You have just read Hans von Bülow's titles for the 24 Preludes of Chopin! Printed in Harold Schonberg's
book THE GREAT PIANISTS, Schonberg goes on to quote von Bülow's explanations of these titles and to
reject this sort of thinking as the antithesis of scholarship and utterly inane. While certainly fanciful, I do not
consider this sort of thinking so inane. So I want to revisit the issue of nineteenth century story-telling in
music with a somewhat more compassionate viewpoint.
There is no question that any title like "Thou Art So Like a Flower" is going to raise 21st century eyebrows
and cause us to smile beneficently at the perpetrator. But what exactly is wrong with the image? Is it the
quaintness of phrase? Is it the somewhat arbitrary assumption that that title is HOW ONE MUST PLAY
THE PIECE? I would agree that it would be silly to try to teach a student to play the G Major Chopin Prelude as if he/she or I or Chopin were so like a flower. Would we rather hear a perfectly executed left hand, a
rhythmically exact right hand, subtly pedaled, and very very fast (vivace) with no image or imaginative
something inspiring the performance? Personally I find such playing robotic. It just is not enough to execute
that prelude, or an etude, or the Op.17/4 Mazurka without some story. For the nineteenth century, music often told a story or described an image. We attribute literature to all four of the Chopin Ballades. We know
that Beethoven had in mind a program for the E-flat Sonata Op. 81A (Les Adieux). Bells of all sorts resonate through Rachmaninoff's formidable piano music (and orchestral as well) and his radiant harmonies
meant a lot more to me after I had heard the church bells in St. Petersburg peal forth on a Sunday morning
after religion was acknowledged in post Communist Russia. Mendelssohn himself did not entitle most of his
Songs Without Words, but his publisher, knowing full well that a piece called ) Op.19 No.1 would have far
less "box office appeal" than "Sweet Remembrance", did affix titles to those delicious and still neglected
pieces. The Mephisto Waltz No. 1 of Liszt tells a story. Though he left no program, (everyone else has) the
Sonata invites programmatic interpretation. And in the world of orchestral writing, what could be more narrative that the Symphonie Phantastique of Berlioz? Or Til Eulenspiegel of Strauss?
If we did not know the story of Til Eulenspiegel, we'd never ever create it after hearing the music. Knowing
it, however, could it be anything else? And what is so impossible about calling Mendelssohn's lovely revisitation of a Bach prelude "Sweet Remembrance"?
Nagel, cont. on p. 9
December 2014
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