FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK...Dr. Nanette
Kaplan-Solomon
As I begin my term as president, I'm reflecting
on my introduction to PMTA. In April of 1979,
after a piano recital I gave in Pittsburgh, the
late Dominic Intili approached me, invited me
for coffee (we had a mutual teacher in Leonard
Shure), and proceeded not only to wax
enthusiastic about the Pennsylvania Music
Teachers Association, but asked me to serve on a
panel at the upcoming conference to be held at
IUP, where he was a revered faculty member. I
was hooked! Over the years, Dominic was a
wonderful colleague, mentor and friend - he
encouraged me and assisted me in obtaining my
Master Teacher Certification, offered helpful
advice on innumerable subjects, and always asked
after my children, whom he referred to as Opus
One and Opus Two. As hard as it is to believe,
it is now 28 years since that initial encounter,
Opus One and Opus Two are now 25 and 21, and I
am currently in my 31st year of teaching at
Slippery Rock University! My active involvement
in PMTA has been an incredibly rewarding part of
my career. I cherish the long-term friendships
that I've made, and I applaud the expert leaders
with whom I have had the pleasure of
collaborating during the past four years of my
vice-presidencies. I am humbled to assume this
position, but I am thrilled to have a wonderful
team of people working with me.
Our recent conference
in the magnificent state-of-the- art music
building at West Chester University was a
spectacular event - with a lineup that could
rival any national conference of any
organization! I came away feeling remarkably
refreshed, with many new ideas that will inspire
my teaching and performing for a long time to
come. Many kudos to Debra Ronning, who stepped
in "in media res" to serve as conference co-
ordinator, as well as outgoing President Millie
Eben, who as usual, oversaw every detail with
professionalism and aplomb. I know that when
those two are involved in a project, it is going
to be a class act! Many thanks also to Dr.
Timothy Blair, Dean of the School of Music at
West Chester University for generously allowing
us to share their fabulous new facilities, and
particularly to Patricia Powell, who managed the
intricate tasks of site coordinator with a
perennial smile on her face.
The annual competitions
began early on Friday morning with a huge number
of entrants. Our competition coordinators did a
wonderful job of engineering rooms, judges,
papers, monitors, and contestants through a long
day of auditions. Thank you to coordinators
Ellen Flint (Young Artist/Chamber Music), Jackie
Herbein (Senior), and Kunyoung Kim (Junior). The
caliber of the entrants was outstanding, as
evidenced by the comments I heard after the
winner's recital. I was particularly excited to
see so many of the entrants include unusual and
very recent contemporary music on their
programs.
One of the coups of the conference was, of
course, the securing of the
"headliners"- the Five Browns-
as the conference artists. They gave a wonderful
performance Saturday evening, as well as a talk
and demonstration to the attendees on Saturday
morning. Once I got past the "valley-girl" speak
of this youthful quintet, I was mesmerized by
their beautiful playing, impeccable ensemble,
and obvious joy in what they are doing. Their
rendition of the five-piano arrangement of
Stravinsky's "Firebird" was memorable for its
color, excitement, and rich (never percussive)
sounds; the performance was even more remarkable
in that they perform all their ensemble works
from memory! Since my sister is also a concert
pianist with whom I often perform
professionally, I am well aware of the potential
rivalries that ensue within a family, and was
amazed by the non-competitive spirit that seems
to pervade the Browns! If their goal is to
introduce new audiences to classical music, then
they are powerful ambassadors indeed.
Another highlight of the conference for many
attendees was clinician
Donald Waxman's
sessions on his Fifty Etudes. Although I could
not attend because I was overseeing the
competitions, I did buy several books of the
etudes, as well as the "Exertudes" and had
several hours of delightful fun this week
reading through them. I can't wait to start
assigning them to my students! The "Just Duet"
sessions were also a smashing success - at least
from the buzz I heard from fellow teachers and
friends. This should perhaps become an annual
conference staple.
Our workshop presenters provided a wealth of
information on repertoire, technique,
performance anxiety, memorization, and pedagogy,
Thanks to Judith Radell, Linda Jennings, Rebecca
Wilt, Nancy Boston, Benjamin Moritz, Theresea
Klinefelter, Anne Sciolla, Joan Krzywicki, Maria
del Pico Taylor, Sondra Tammam, Anita Greenlee,
Shelley Moorman- Stahlman, Clarence and
Jacqueline Faulcon, Mary Lynne Bennett, Paula
Skutnick-Henley, Marc Jacoby, Sylvia Ahramjian,
Patricia Powell, Jill Hannagan, Judith Kazanjian,
Carol Ann Aicher, Yu-Pin Hsu, Robert Bedford,
and to Yamaha clinician Susan Ogilvy for her
digital keyboard orchestra presentations. We
were also treated to a display of pianistic
pyrotechnics by the West Chester piano faculty,
including a performance by Carl Cranmer of
commissioned composer David Bennett Thomas'
Sonata no. 3.
A popular feature of the conference is always
the IMTF luncheon; this year we were fortunate
to have the inspirational words of choral
conductor and educator James Jordan to accompany
our meal.
We also honored Dr. Robert Veleta with the
"Teacher of the Year" award, and Dr. Ellen Flint
with the "Distinguished Service" award.
Congratulations to them, as well as to Ann
Trexler, who was recognized for her many years
of service as membership chair (Jane O'Mara will
take over the position), Susan Kuntz, who is
stepping down as Development Director, and Pearl
Kahler of Reading, who was recognized by MTNA in
2007 for 50 years of continuous membership!! You
can read Pearl's entertaining account of her
life in music in the June/July issue of the
American Music Teacher. It gave me great
personal pleasure to present a special award to
my predecessor- Millie Eben- for her stupendous
work on behalf of PMTA- the nomination as an
MTNA Foundation Fellow. Millie will be
designated an MTNA Fellow at the national
conference in Denver in March 2008.
If you are reading this and thinking "wow, I
never knew what I was missing" - then make plans
to attend the next conference at Slippery Rock
University, November 14-16, 2008. As you can
tell from the breadth and scope of the events
I've only briefly described above, the efforts
and sacrifice involved in planning a yearly
event for the membership are enormous. If only a
small percentage of the membership attends, we
need to question the value of the financial and
human resources expended. The executive board is
currently discussing holding conferences
biennially instead of every year. For me,
personally, the PMTA conferences have been a
source not only of professional growth and
regeneration of ideas, but a time to commune
with colleagues across the state, share ideas,
advice, and laughs. You might be able to read an
article or watch a video about teaching piano
repertoire, but there is no substitute for the
personal connection that an annual gathering
provides. I would be very open to hearing
comments and ideas from you, the membership.
The board is also revisiting guidelines for the
Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival.
We have separated the festival from the
concerto-ensemble event, and hope to streamline
the paperwork by adopting an on-line
registration process. We welcome our new chairs-
Yvonne Alling - DSPF chair, and Theresa Smith -
CEF. Stay wired to our wonderful new website for
forthcoming details!
Also forthcoming will be a vote on a
bylaws amendment
proposal to allow collegiate student members to
participate fully in all PMTA sponsored
activities and programs. The goal of this change
will be to increase collegiate student
participation and membership. By extending to
them the rights and privileges of full
membership, it could promote interest in the
organization and serve as a catalyst increasing
membership and participation, while identifying
and mentoring the future leaders of this
organization. This vote will occur
electronically, so watch your e-mails in the
next few weeks for instructions as to how to
vote on-line.
This amendment proposal dovetails nicely with a
goal that has been somewhat of a leitmotif at
our leadership summits - recruitment of new
members. And out of the many ideas bandied about
to "sell" membership in PMTA, guess what emerged
as the dominant theme? You got it - personal
connection! Which brings me back to my opening.
Why not approach someone, tell them about PMTA
and then recruit them with something specific to
do for the organization? You can be the Dominic
Intili of the next generation. Dr.
Nanette Kaplan Solomon
A NOTE OF THANKS...from Millie Eben, NCTM, Past
President
A sincere note of thanks... ....to PMTA and to
Reading MTA for honoring me with an MTNA
Foundation Fellow. Very much a surprise and
truly appreciated. It's been an honor and a
privilege to serve you all and be a part of this
vibrant organization. I am very proud to be a
member of PMTA and to have you all as
colleagues. Thank you!
A CERTIFICATION MOMENT...Joann Marie Kirchner,
Chair
Congratulations to Cong Fan on completing the
MTNA Certification process. Cong, who is a
member of the Philadelphia Music Teachers
Chapter, is a recent graduate of Temple
University, where she pursued a D.M.A. in piano
performance under Harvey Wedeen. She currently
maintains a private studio in Oreland and is
working on a recording with the China Broadcast
Symphony Orchestra. Congratulations, Cong!
PMTA KEYSTONE STUDENT COMPOSITION
COMPETITION,,,Warren Magid, Chair
The 2007-2008 PMTA Keystone Composition
Competition now in progress! Entry
Deadline: March 1, 2008 Go to the PMTA
website to view or download information
--
Click here!
Direct any questions to Chair
Warren Magid
A NOTE OF THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ONGOING
SPONSORS...
JACOBS MUSIC
WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
RIVERSIDE SYMPHONIA
For update information from our Local
Associations, click
here.
For the list of new members, click
here.
For PMTA/MTNA competition results, click
here.
