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For the Record |
| ISSUE 2 ::
Tuesday May, 18 2004 |
PAST ISSUES |
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From the
President's Desk
Summer 2004
James Douthit, President
I recently heard a brief story about a
unique relationship between a retired music
teacher and a next door neighbor. (Don't
worry. It's not about zoning issues.) Each
morning, the neighbor would walk downstairs
to the apartment of the music teacher and
present the recurring question, "What's the
news today?" At this point in the
conversation, the music teacher would pick
up a tuning fork, forcefully strike it on
the edge of a desk, hold the fork next to
his ear and exclaim, "Nothing new today.
This is A 440! It was A 440 yesterday. It is
A 440 today. It will be A 440 tomorrow." How
comforting it is that so many things in our
art remain the same, in spite of the many
changes around us. The music teacher and the
neighbor maintained a unique bond built upon
the daily ritual of acknowledging the
frequency of the pitch of A, which never
changes.
At the MTNA National Conference in Kansas
City, hundreds of music teachers from across
the country (many from Pennsylvania)
gathered to learn what was new in the field
of music as well as acknowledging the force
that attracts us to this art and the bond
that we experience with others who devote
their energies to the same goal.
Pennsylvania was well represented in the
list of presenters. Millie Eben presented a
workshop on music advocacy. Gil DeBenedetti
participated in some presentations on music
technology. I was fortunate to present my
workshop on Reinventing the Inventions with
Dr. Amy Stanley from SUNY Geneseo. All of
these presentations had their origins at our
very own state conference!
In the national competitions, Matthew
Graybil, student of Harvey Wedeen, won the
second prize in the Senior Performance Piano
Competition. Congratulations to student and
teacher on this fantastic achievement!
At the Eastern Division meeting in Kansas
City, Debra Ronning presided over her final
meeting of the division, passing the gavel
to our own Millie Eben. Dr. Ellen Flint will
become the new Eastern Division Competitions
Coordinator. Thanks to Debra for her fine
work at the Eastern Division level and good
luck to Ellen and Millie as they begin these
new leadership roles.
At the MTNA Gala, our own Benjamin Whitten
was recognized as a new MTNA Foundation
Fellow. The presentation was complete with
childhood pictures, which you can find on
the Internet at the MTNA website in the MTNA
Foundation Area. Though I must admit, these
pictures are nothing compared to my
experience of walking into the hotel lobby
in Kansas City only to find Ben behind the
front desk trying to work the computer! As I
had previously worked as a desk clerk at a
Holiday Inn while I was in college, I
suggested to Ben that he might consider
sticking with the piano! (In full
disclosure, the desk area was closed and Ben
was simply trying to use the phone.)
Seriously, PMTA is proud to have Ben
recognized as a Foundation Fellow. We are
thankful for the leadership and professional
contribution that you have made and continue
to make to our organization.
It's staggering to recognize that all of
these exciting activities in Kansas City
originated in our state organization!
Please begin making your plans to attend our
state conference this year, November 5-7 at
Duquesne University. Nanette Kaplan-Solomon
is planning a marvelous program which
includes Dr. William Westney, the author of
a new book, The Perfect Wrong Note. I was
able to attend his presentation at the
national conference and it was amazing!
There were so many useful ideas from this
presentation that I couldn't wait to get
back to the studio to try them with my
students. If you attend his presentation at
the state conference, I know you will
receive many new tools for students of all
levels that you can add to your teaching
repertoire. As you begin writing your studio
policy and calendar for next year, why not
give yourself November 5-7 as a time to
recharge your energy, not only by attending
the many informative workshops, but by
connecting with fellow teachers across the
state who work feverishly to bring the vital
art of music to the lives of their students?
We are delighted to announce that we will
hold the second annual Keystone Competitions
on Sunday, November 7, the final day of our
convention. Our Development Director, Susan
Kuntz, has secured the support of Trombino's
as our sponsor this year. Millie Eben, the
competitions director, has already
collaborated with Aimee Cheers to post the
competition rules and application forms on
our website, www.pamusicteachers.org, under
the heading of competitions.
On June 4 and 5 our Board of Directors and
Local Association Chairs will meet at
Elizabethtown College for our annual PMTA
Leadership Summit and spring board meeting.
Presentations will include a summary of
leadership literature and practical hints
from Millie Eben and me, membership
recruitment ideas from Susan Kuntz, a
workshop on Roberts Rules of Order by Ellen
Flint, and many other events. I have sent
information to all Board Members and Local
Association Chairs, but if you would like to
attend and do not currently hold a
leadership role, you are most welcome.
Please contact me for information.
The Board Meeting will be held on Saturday,
June 5, from 1:30-3:00 in Zug Hall. We have
many exciting items on the agenda including
the adoption of the changes in our bylaws.
Please consider attending this critical
meeting.
In closing, I must refer you to the article
by Maria del Pico Taylor on "The Back Page"
of your most recent AMT magazine. Maria has
written a marvelous essay paying tribute to
her teacher Dorothy Taubman.
So, you may ask the question, "What's new
today in PMTA?" As you can tell from my
column, many new things are happening in
PMTA. We are embracing the changes in the
field of music and attempting to communicate
with each other and with our students in new
and vital ways. What remains the same? Our
members continue to bring new pedagogical
ideas and influences, not only to the lives
of their students, but to the regional and
national level as well. It was the same
yesterday, and I'm sure it will be the same
for years to come! |
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