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For the Record |
| ISSUE 13 ::
Tuesday February, 20 2007 |
PAST ISSUES |
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From the
President's Desk
Millie Eben, President
March has been officially designated by MENC
as Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM), the
time of year when music education becomes
the focus of schools across the nation. It
began in 1973 as a single statewide day-long
celebration, to what it is today -- an
entire month of celebrating music. It is an
opportunity not only for our school music
teachers to bring attention to the
importance of music, but for ALL OF US!
As music educators, it is our responsibility
to speak to the importance and benefits of a
music education for all. On the American
Music Conference website, you'll find this
statement appearing front and center --"If
you make your living in some facet of the
music world, then supporting music education
is a debt you owe to your own future."
There are many things we can to do all year
round to bring awareness to the importance
to these issues. Our Local Associations are
the ideal starting point to create an
unbiased front because we have no political
ties to any particular school district. Our
primary focus is to cultivate music
learning. And we really don't have to create
any new venues -- we just need to use what's
in place and provide a secondary focus. For
example --
• At public recitals, congratulate the
parents for supporting their child's music
education, encourage them to stay actively
involved in their school music programs;
speak to the importance of making music a
part of daily life.
• Include some facts and figures, or a quote
in the program or other items that will be
distributed to audiences or anyone else.
• Distribute literature -- either something
you've created or something you can purchase
from MENC, National Piano Foundation, or
from any other arts advocacy organization.
Literature can go directly to students, in
real estate offices, in welcome wagon
baskets, community centers, or be
distributed through other music/arts groups
in your community;
• Hop on the MIOSM bandwagon! Make your
March activities an opportunity to actively
-- and vocally -- support music education;
• Use monthly Association newsletters as a
vehicle to provide your members with
information on the state of music education
in your own community, with research data,
statistics, or inspirational quotes --
anything they can pass on to their students
through their own studio newsletters.
• Participate in a community arts festival
with student performances, impromptu
music/eurhythmic classes, message boards --a
wonderful cooperative project for local
arts/music groups.
• Ask for one or two volunteers who might be
interested in taking on the role of
community liaison, who would stay abreast of
current affairs in your community.
There are things we can do even within our
own small studios --
-Include a music statement in monthly
newsletters.
-Encourage students to participate in school
music programs and recognize them.
-Know your public school music teachers, and
offer assistance as coach, accompanist, or
whatever they may need.
-Stay abreast of any changes in the arts
curriculum in your own school district.
Make it a point to know your local and state
government leaders and where they stand on
arts education issues. The Americans for the
Arts website (www.AmericansfortheArts.org)
publishes an evaluation of the status of the
arts in each state.
There's a quote that goes (the author
escapes me at the moment) -- "Science
enables us to master the world. Music
enables us to live in it." Our children need
music and all the creative arts. It helps
them understand who they are in relation to
their world. It helps them understand their
cultural heritage and own unique ancestry.
It challenges them to reach inside and
express their inner most thoughts. It
teaches critical thinking, independence,
craftsmanship and openness to other cultures
and other ways of thinking. Music feeds the
soul and the spirit, and teaches us all what
it is to be human.
For more information on
MIOSM visit this website. For more music
advocacy resources, visit the links portion
of the PMTA website.
* * * * *
Music may achieve the highest of all
missions: she may be a bond between nations,
races, and states, who are strangers to one
another in many ways; she may unite what is
disunited, and bring peace to what is
hostile. Dr. Max Bendiner
* * * * *
NOTEWORTHY NEWS...
Welcome to the second edition of the PMTA
email newsletter. I've received some very
positive feedback from the membership with
regard to our latest venture. It will
continue to be a work in progress as we
discover new ways to utilize it.
Congratulations!! As announced in the
previous newsletter, Aimee Cheers has
stepped down as DSPF Chair. She has moved
out of the area to start a new career and a
new marriage! We extend our congratulations
and wish her well in her new life
adventures.
Now soliciting conference sites! Sue
Kuntz and I have been scouting out future
conference sites around the state. We
welcome your suggestions for potential
locations. If you'd like a site prospectus,
contact either one of us.
Join the PMTA Team!! There are a few
openings on the PMTA Board of Directors for
the upcoming term beginning November 2007.
If you'd like more information, please
contact the President, Millie Eben.
MTNA Collegiate Student Chapters. Are
you interested in establishing an MTNA
Collegiate Student Chapter? Visit
College Chapter for details and to
request an informational packet.
Attention Local Associations!! Do you
have PA Sales Tax Exemption? It's very easy
to acquire. Just visit this website --
Revenue, and print the form. It costs
nothing! Do you have 501c3 non-profit
status? If not, contact
Marge
Bengel at the MTNA office, and ask how
you can be included under the MTNA umbrella.
PMTA Matching Grant Program
If you have a project you'd like considered
for a
PMTA Matching Grant, click here - this
will take you to the website where you can
download the guidelines and application.
Deadline is April 2, 2007.
PMTA/Keystone Student Composition
Competition Warren Magid, Chair. PMTA's
newest venture is now underway. The
compositions are in the hands of our judges
whose bios appear below. Results will be
announced mid-May.
.....Patrick Burke: Adjunct Professor
of Music Theory at Westminster College. Mr.
Burke received the M.M.A. degree in music
composition from Yale School of Music and is
working towards the D.M.A. He has received
various awards, commissions and fellowships,
listed in detail on his web site at:
Patrick Burke.
Leonardo Dugan: Instructor,
Composition and Music Theory at West Chester
University, working towards his doctorate at
the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Dugan
received the Weiss Prize for composition in
2002; his works have been commissioned by
the Penn Humanities Forum, Orchestra 2001,
and Piano4, and have been performed and read
by the Curtis orchestra, and the Cassatt
Quartet, among others.
Dr. Adam Silverman: Assistant
Professor, Music Theory at West Chester
University. He has numerous fellowships,
grants and commissions, listed in detail on
his web site at:
Adam
Silverman.
MTNA Eastern Division Competition
Results. The Pennsylvania MTNA
Competition winners faired well at the
Eastern Division Competitions. The
Appassionata String Quartet from West
Chester University (Sylvia Ahramjian/coach)
was the Eastern Division winner in the Young
Artist Chamber Competition. They will be
competing in Toronto in March at the
national competitions. Also competing at
national in the Senior Brass Division as
Eastern Division Representative will be
Elisabeth Shafer (trombone), Paul Leskowicz/teacher.
Other results are as follows --
Young Artist Piano, Alternate: Eric Clarke;
Enrique Graf/teacher.
Young Artist String, Alternate: Lorenzo
Mazzumuto; Sylvia Ahramjian/teacher.
Young Artist Woodwind, Alternate: Xin Gao;
James Houlik/teacher.
Senior Piano, Honorable Mention: Julia
Sheriff; Robert Rimm/teacher.
Junior String, Alternate: Elaine Kang; James
Lyon/teacher.
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