From the President’s Desk: James Douthit, President

On the website, Dictionary.com, the word “conference” has three subdivisions listed under that definition. The first two are:
a. A meeting for consultation or discussion and
b. An exchange of views.

The Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association Conference scheduled for November 5-7, 2004, at Duquesne University will provide both of these opportunities, plus more. Nanette Kaplan Solomon has done a fantastic job of planning our conference programming and the site coordinator, Ken Burky, has worked with Nanette to organize a weekend that will be educational, entertaining, and enjoyable. The information detailing the conference can be found in this Newsletter as well as on our website, www.pamusicteachers.org.

First, our conference will provide the opportunity for discussion and consultation. We have a line up of artists and speakers that will provide information on a multitude of subjects: music technology, music cognition, body awareness, student-parent lessons, performance anxiety, jazz for children K-8, music for aging populations, and a special woodwind clinic, just to name a few. I don’t know of anywhere you could go in the state of Pennsylvania within the space of 3 days and have the opportunity to consult and discuss this breadth of subjects with experts and fellow teachers who are involved in the daily task of bringing the best possible music instruction to students throughout our state. Those of you that regularly attend conferences know that the presenters give you a wealth of information that can sustain and enrich your teaching forever. One presentation might just give you the information you need to reach that student that seems apathetic about their lessons, or that technique problem that you just can’t quite solve.

Secondly, In addition to listening to these presentations, you also have the opportunity to discuss this information or exchange your views with other teachers. While I have a great deal of respect for all of our presenters, I also feel that a large part of what I learn at a conference has to do with bringing the information to me personally by discussing with others the topics that have been presented. Often, the most fascinating and enriching part of any presentation is the question and answer period that ends the session. Teachers are able to ask the questions that relate to their own individual problems and concerns, and in those exchanges a wealth of information can be found.

Conferring with other teachers is an important activity. Many of our members teach private lessons in their own studios. When I was doing this, I found it rewarding, but I also found it very isolating. Sometimes, I just wanted to walk out in the hall and tell a colleague what a great lesson I had just experienced, or on the other hand, scream in frustration as a student (yet, again) had failed to count the first bar of the piece they’ve practice for four weeks which had been circled with so many colored pencils it looked like a rainbow! Isolation makes our teaching very unique, but it also makes it very one dimensional. We need the “revival” that we can gain from listening and discussing with others. We need to be able brag about our successes and share our frustrations with other teachers who do the same thing each day.

I know it can be tempting to find many reasons not to attend the state conference, and there are many factors that make it difficult to put into your schedule. We are all busy and over committed. However, I promise you, that if you come to the conference, you will hear some ideas and inspiration that can move your teaching forward. That’s why we have this conference. It is not merely a few activities around a competition, but it is a chance to spend the weekend exploring what you love doing with people that enjoy doing it as much or even more than you do!

If you don’t like to travel (like me), invite a friend to come with you. You can share a room and the burden of getting there and coming back together. As a special incentive, the PMTA Board has decided that all first time conference goers who are nonmembers may register at the member rate. Additionally, collegiate students can attend for free! (Collegiate sponsors, get those students together for a field trip!) We need to attract other teachers and future teachers interested in our organization, so that we can continue to grow and move forward as we meet the many challenges that face music teachers today. We have an entire society that rarely values what we do. While the answering machine skit was hilarious at last year’s IMT Luncheon, the sad truth is that we get these calls everyday from our students and their parents who challenge our self-value as teachers as well as the value of devoting our careers to teaching the art of music, something we care about so deeply and passionately. While our conference cannot solve all of these problems, we can move closer towards contributing to the solutions.

Millie Eben, our President Elect, is working with great haste and efficiency to add to our conference with the PMTA/MTNA Competitions as well as the second year of our Keystone State Competitions. You’ll find information on those activities and boxes to check for helping with the conference and competitions on the registration form. The winners’ recital for each of these events is something you don’t want to miss.

I look forward to seeing many old friends and many new faces at the November conference at Duquesne. Your students will appreciate the fact that you took the time to attend!