From the President’s Desk: 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!