February 15, 2018
President’s Message
 
Happy 2018 to everyone!
It has been both an honor and a joy to serve as your VMTA President and to represent you each year at the MTNA Leadership Summit for State Presidents and at the MTNA National Conference. Working with so many talented, dedicated and enthusiastic music educators has given me more than I have given back! On behalf of our membership, I say thank you to the numerous Board members who have volunteered so many hours of service for the ultimate benefit of their students. Well done!

In 2015, VMTA celebrated 50 years of promoting music education in Vermont. That’s an impressive 50 years and countless volunteers made it happen. Now it is time to update, refresh, and reboot. Our challenge is to create new ways to stay current, to refresh new ways to connect with vocal and instrumental teachers, and finally to adapt to change by rethinking strategies that no longer work. 

Welcome to Laurel Maurer, our current President-elect, who will assume the role as VMTA President for the 2018-2020 term. Two new Board members will be Sam Whitesell, as Web Publicist, and Sarah Vanegas, Secretary, and I am pleased that they will contribute new perspective and skills to the VMTA Board.

I look forward to serving as Past President and being a part of the new energy created by VMTA leaders as we adapt to fast paced technological changes and their influences on society. We are springing ahead.


Marie M. Johnson,
VMTA President













2018
VMTA Calendar


March 17-21, 2018
 MTNA Convention 
Lake Buena Vista, FL

March 31, 2018
     Spring Festival

Fall 2018
(Dates to be determined)

Competitive Auditions

Fall Conference


VMTA Board Members
President
Marie Johnson
802-879-8863
mdjkiln@juno.com

President-Elect
Laurel Maurer
802-881-9153
laurelflutemaurer@yahoo.com

Secretary
Sarah Vanegas
541-745-8387
sarah.m.vanegas@gmail.com

Treasurer
Sarah Williams
802-223-5307
sarah5432@gmail.com

Conference Chair
TBD



Non-Competitive Auditions
Lilly C. Ramsey
802-879-7425
cldkramsey@comcast.net

Competitive Auditions
TBD



Certification
Sylvia Parker, NCTM
802-223-1172
sylvia.parker@uvm.edu
Newsletter
Jina Smith
802-318-1776
jws682@gmail.com

Membership
Patricia Cleary Bergeron
802-878-9873
pcberg@myfairpoint.net

Web Publicist
Samuel Whitesell
802-461-6676
sam_whitesell@yahoo.com

Composer Commissioning
TBD

Piano Guild Auditions
  
Auditions for the National Guild of Piano Teachers in the Burlington area are scheduled for  May 20-25 .  If you have questions about guild, please contact local guild chairperson Patty Bergeron pcberg86@gmail.com   802-878-9873

MTNA Member News

Stuart Carter : Octavemode will have its 2018 studio recital on June 3, at 5 PM, at the Elley Long Center rehearsal room. Public is invited. Student performances include: piano, trumpets, and tenor voice. Some triumphs this year include breakthroughs in confidence, consistency, practice routine and music literacy. Each student should receive congratulations for their progress; it continues as a very satisfying year for the teacher (me!) 

I do have specific openings for trombone players, (3-4,) a trumpet player and piano players (2-3.) And, I teach Sunday through Thursday, a flexible schedule. 

A parent called me the other day and asked about my training on piano. I realize I am not as well known for my piano teaching, but I forgot to mention something, perhaps little known. I had many piano teachers. My main influence is Richard Strasbourg, a student of  Nadia Boulanger.  Dick was always generous with his understanding of playing the piano and passed along a wonderful, disciplined musicianship. I am grateful to have known him. 

Paul Orgel will perform music by Bach, Mozart, Janacek
Schumann, and Chopin in a solo Faculty Piano Recital at UVM on Sunday, March 11, at 4:00. Admission is free and open to the public. 

Some of Paul's students had the following honors:

Grace Lu, Nathan Wu, Henry Wu, and Sebastiaan West were featured in the Vermont Young Musician's concert at St. Paul's in Burlington in January. 

Ben Kotzen is the winner of the 2018 UVM Orchestra's Concerto Competition. He'll perform Mozart's D Minor Piano Concerto in April. 

Sebastiaan West is this year's All-State Music Festival solo scholarship winner for piano.
Henry Wu won an Honorable Mention for the All-State scholarship in piano.

Polly van der Linde is t aking applications now for our 49th Season of Summer Sonatina International Piano Camp which runs from June 24 - July 28, 2018. Young pianists, of all skill levels, ages 7 - 16 receive private lessons, master classes, chorus, group music classes, recreational activities and take field trips to Tanglewood and SPAC. Oh, and did we mention delicious food?! No auditions are required to attend. Come one week or all five. Limited scholarships are available for those living within a 100-mile radius. For more information, visit our website at  www.sonatina.com
VERMONT MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
ELECTION OF OFFICERS 2018 – 2020

The Nominating Committee of the VMTA presents the following slate of officers for the term 2018 – 2020:
                                                                 

Respectfully submitted by the Nominating Committee:
Patty Bergeron, Marie Johnson, Laurel Maurer

Bylaws of the Vermont Music Teachers Association, Article V – Election of Officers, Section 2:
“The Active members of VMTA shall elect by a majority vote the officers of the Association. Nominations from the floor shall be allowed, provided the nominee is eligible for election and has consented to be a candidate. The consent must be given in writing or given in person at the meeting. Election by the members must be by secret ballot, and each office shall be voted on separately. In the event of only one nominee for an office, the President may recommend election by general consent. All voted officers must be members of VMTA.”
The election of officers will be held during the General Membership Meeting of VMTA on March 31, 2018 during Spring Festival.





The 2018 MTNA National Conference
March 17-21, 2018 i
in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
As always, you will be treated to an outstanding array of informative sessions, master classes, thrilling concerts, and exhibits. Details on the MTNA website


















ATTENTION!

Volunteers are needed to serve on the VMTA board! We currently need to fill the positions of President-Elect for 2018-2020, Competitive Audition chair, Conference Chair, and Composer Commissioning chair. Come and join our wonderful group of board members and see how your organization works!


President
President-elect
Immediate past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Conference Chair
Non-Competitive Auditions
Competitive Auditions
Certification
Newsletter
Membership
Composer Commissioning
Web Publicist
                                                  


Laurel Maurer
TBD
Marie Johnson
Sarah Vanegas
Sarah Williams
TBD
Lilly Ramsey
TBD
Sylvia Parker
Jina Smith
Patty Bergeron
TBD
Sam Whitesell

A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT-ELECT
Why did I join the VMTA Board and accept the honor of being nominated President-elect? I value the organization. We, the independent music teachers of Vermont, have joined together to create musical opportunities for both students and teachers across the state. From Spring Festival to teacher development, we reap the benefits of our many common goals in music education. I know that we are all busy with students and our own family life, but VMTA needs you. Please consider joining the Board, or working to enhance the success of our competitive auditions. In the latter case, your duties last from September to November, involve only about 20 hours, and are mostly accomplished online. Whether large or small, each task – and each member ؘ– is so very valuable to the continuing wellbeing of VMTA. Remember: It is your organization. 
VMTA. Our organization of independent music teachers is such an integral part of the Vermont music education community. What we do affects so much more than VMTA. Other music teachers, our network of students, music stores, piano technicians, instrument makers, and live music groups are all beneficiaries of VMTA, both directly and indirectly.

VMTA programs are partly funded by sponsorships. Being a sponsor is great way to advertise your business to your target audience and help support music education in Vermont. Sponsorships are ever present in every VMTA newsletter and on the VMTA website. If you know a person or a business that could benefit from more exposure, please refer them to Laurel Maurer at Laurelflutemaurer@yahoo.com. And please support our sponsors yourself!
Marie Johnson presenting commissioning check to David Gunn, VMTA’s Commissioned Composer at QUAD State Conference at the Concord Community Music School
Pianist Sam Whitesell and flutist Laurel Maurer performed David Gunn’s original composition entitled Streams ofConscience at the QUAD State Conference in Concord, New Hampshire
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.
Music Teachers National Association is pleased to announce the results of the composition competition for Eastern Division.

Elementary:
Winner: Ian Lin, Student of Alla Cohen, MA
Honorable mention:  Eleanor Kmack, Student of Elizabeth Manduca, ME
Honorable mention:  Michael Middlezong, Student of Kaori Tanioka, NJ

Junior:
Winner: Jonathan Hartanto, Student of Kaori Tanioka, NJ
Honorable mention:  Justin Yamaguchi, Student of Matthew Hagle, MA

Senior:
Winner: Benjamin Rossen, Student of Jeffrey Cohen, NY
Honorable mention:  Poeppel Luke, Student of Whitman Brown, MA

Young Artist:
Winner: Ryan Carraher, Student of Alla Cohen, MA
This year, the Eastern Division judges were:
Ke-Chia Chen
Michael Djupstrom
Josh Ring

The winning compositions automatically advance to the national competition as national finalists. The results of that competition will be announced by the end of January.
Congratulations to all of the participants in the competition! We hope that the comments you receive from the judges will be helpful to you and your teacher. Your efforts are to be commended, and we hope that you will continue to learn and grow as a composer. Good luck with your musical studies!

Warren Magid, Eastern Division Composition Coordinator
Christopher Goldston, National Composition Coordinator

VMTA Spring Festival Schedule
Saturday, March 31, 2018

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 minutes             
Level 2                    Late Elementary to Early Intermediate     5 minutes             
Level 3               Mid-Intermediate to Early Advanced            8 minutes
Level 4               Advanced                                                      11 minutes
                                                        
Non Keyboard:
All levels                                                                                       11 minutes

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

1.          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 di erent 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.                                                             
2.          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.
3.          All programs must adhere to the stated time limits . Please allow time for a brief pause between pieces.
4.          The student must provide the judges with a copy of the music. No Photocopies are allowed.
5.      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.
6.          Instrumentalists must provide their own accompanists.
7.          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.
8.          Only students of member teachers may participate.
   9.        The student must have studied with his/her teacher for at least 6 months.
 10.       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. 

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.

Music-in-the-Mall, 2018

VMTA’s biennial Music-in-the-Mall event, held Jan. 19-20-21, is now history.
With 9 teachers and at least 120 students taking part, just in sheer participation it was a successful event. Add to that a total of $3700.00 raised to split between the VMTA coffers and The Children’s Oncology Unit at the UVM Medical Center and the event was clearly a success on multiple levels!

Teachers scheduled time for their students to play in a non-recital format. I heard Disney tunes, boogie and blues, crowd-pleasing two-steps, standard classical literature, several “old favorite” sacred tunes as well as some new things I’d never heard.

Sarah Vanegas played an impromptu duet of “I Like Coffee, I Like Tea” with several of her students. She began the bass line (secondo) and they improvised one by one through several scenarios in the primo. What fun!
Ed Darling’s students played their selections multiple times to the ever-changing audience.
Marie Johnson ’s daughter came ready to play her flute to fill in some of the time but never had the chance since Marie’s students had too much fun playing their pieces over and over!
In a recital format, you normally get one chance. In this format, there’s the opportunity to make improvements! Thank you to all who participated. I’m always open to new ideas. Do you have ideas for a different venue? Do you have ideas how this event could be more “user-friendly” to attract even more students and teachers? Do you have ideas as to how our time and resources could be even more profitable? Please contact me at luspiano@gmail.com with any fresh new ideas! MANY, MANY THANKS to Ed and Emily Hilbert for the use of the beautiful Young Chang grand piano they loaned for the event and to Josh at Northern Piano Movers for his incredibly efficient moving skills in delivering and returning the piano. We are beyond blessed to be able to work with such incredible partners!
Until 2020………...
NEWSFLASH!
The VMTA Board recently voted to try Constant Contact on a trial basis for our VMTA Newsletter. This means the newsletter will be mobile friendly and you can access it on all devices. Try reading the VMTA newsletter on your smart phone or mobile device!

UPCOMING CONCERTS
Stellaria Trio's Spring Program

Violinist Letitia Quante, cellist John Dunlop, and pianist Claire Black perform Antonín Dvořák's Piano Trio No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 65, and Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Trio No. 6 in E-flat Major, Op 70 No. 2.

Friday 6 April, 7:30 pm, Richmond Free Library, Richmond VT
Free admission. Donations welcome

Saturday 7 April, 7:30 pm, Brandon Music, Brandon VT

Sunday 8 April, 1:00 pm, Dartmouth College ChamberWorks Series, Rollins Chapel, Hanover NH
Free admission:   hop.dartmouth.edu

Friday 18 May, 7:30 pm, Cathedral Arts Series, St. Paul's Cathedral, Burlington VT
2018 MTNA National Awards Recipients
 
MTNA is delighted to announce the 2018 National Award recipients.
All awards and recognitions will be presented at the 2018 MTNA National Conference from March 18-22, 2018, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
 
MTNA Achievement Award
The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy
Kingston, New Jersey
 
MTNA Distinguished Service Award
Ann Gipson, NCTM
Aledo, Texas
 
MTNA Teacher of the Year (Posthumous)
Edward Francis
Thousand Oaks, California
 
MTNA State Affiliate of the Year
Louisiana Music Teachers Association
Pamela D. Pike, NCTM, president
 
MTNA Local Association of the Year
Laramie Music Teachers Association   (Wyoming)
Cheryl Hemphill, president
 
MTNA Collegiate Chapter of the Year
University of Colorado Boulder
Sarah Rushing, president
Jennifer Hayghe, advisor
 
MTNA Distinguished Composer of the Year
Philip Schuessler
Covington, Louisiana
Sunburst Carousel
Commissioned by the Louisiana Music Teachers Association
 
MTNA AMT Article of the Year
“The Well-Crafted Question: Inspiring Students to Connect, Create and Think Critically
Amanda Gunderson
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
April/May 2017 Issue
 
MTNA e-Journal Article of the Year
Transitioning From Traditional To Online Piano Lessons: 
Perceptions Of Students, Parents and Teacher
Diana Dumlavwalla
Tallahassee, Florida
February 2017 Issue
 
MTNA-MarySue Harris Studio Teacher Fellowship Award
Katherine Acone
Ann Arbor, Michigan
 
MTNA-Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award
“Piano Adventures”
Nancy and Randall Faber
Ann Arbor, Michigan
 
Piano Technicians Guild Foundation Scholarship
Teacher Continuing Education and/or Performance Study
Kirstin Ihde, NCTM
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
 
Piano Technicians Guild Scholarship
Recreational Music Making
Brandon Bascom, NCTM
Clovis, California
 
The following recipients were awarded Honorable Mention
in the selection of the Distinguished Composer of the Year
 
Cody Criswell
Baltimore, Maryland
Phantom Limbs
Commissioned by the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association
 
Hunter Ewen
Longmont, Colorado
Homme Ohm Om
Commissioned by the Colorado State Music Teachers Association
 
Andrew Nishikawa
Houston, Texas
Beats and Variations
Commissioned by the Texas Music Teachers Association
Name | Company | Phone | Fax | Email | Website
Sponsors

Allan H. Day, R.P.T. Piano Service
8 Lincoln Road
Williston, VT 05495
(802) 879-4338
pianomanday@comcast.net
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

Hilbert Pianos
40 Pleasant Street
Bristol, VT 05443
(802) 453-3743

Vermont Virtuosi
Laurel Maurer
96 Tremont St.
Barre, VT 05641
(802) 881-9153

Little Valley Piano Service
Greg Moore, Jr. RPT
1863 Howard Hill Road
Benson, VT 05743
Office: (802) 438-5279
Cell: (802) 247-4266

Piano Service by Rose Kinnick, RPT
(802) 598-3385
roselynkinnick@comcast.net
www.rosespianoservice.com

St Michael’s College
1 Winooski Park
Colchester, VT 05439
(802) 654-2580
http://www.smcvt.edu

Vermont Piano Service
Ben Giroux
64 Paquette Road
St. Albans, VT 05478
(802) 343-1333



MUSICIAN NEEDED!

The Moretown United Methodist Church is seeking a pianist or other kind of musician for Sunday morning service. Compensation is $50 per week with a possibility of travel reimbursement. We are also interested in a special music presentation for Easter and the fifth Sunday of the month.If interested, contact Mary Holden at  802-496-3505  or  holdenmary@hotmail.com . Bob Holden may also be contacted at  802-496-3140 EXT 6   orbobh@hall-holden-pc.com .