Winter 2014 — Spring 2015 edition

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE SharonKunitz,NCTM

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Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico Newsletter

Dear Colleagues, The year 2014 's finale was the PMTNM conference at the Albuquerque Academy in November. The weekend began with Board and General mem-bership meetings on Friday evening. At the banquet Heather Nasi was hon-

ored as the "Teacher of the Year" and past MTNA Presi-dent Phyllis Pieffer presented a motivating speech to at-tendees. On Saturday, members and students busily par-ticipated in PMTNM Honors competitions, Music Bowl, Ensemble Recital, Win-ner's Recital and the special highlight of a master class and recital by Antoine Bouvy. Dr. John Olsen was instrumental in bringing this outstanding pianist to our state, so a BIG "thank you" goes to Eastern New Mexico University and Dr. Olsen for this special treat. Jim and I were pleased to entertain several at our home after the Winner's Recital with the traditional Tertulia. A major concern of our association is the drop in membership. Some are retiring, becoming senior status in paying dues and we have no new members.

It was not feasible to present and accept a balanced budget. Because of a "lean" year, we tried thinking” out of the box" and voted and approved the following actions for 2015: 1. Accept the gracious invitation that Joan Sawyer, president of Colorado State Music Teachers'

Association (CSMTA), extended to us to attend their conference June 3-5 in Pueblo at the same registration fee as CSMTA members. The conference information can be found at http://www.-comusicteachers.net/conference for details. This will be an exciting time for us to carpool and meet in Pueblo and share our professional goals, skills and stories! Plan now to join fellow PMTNM members for a fun and educational time in Pueblo! Watch your email for additional info about upcoming events and activities.

2. For exploration and guidance in shaping the future of the association, we will plan a retreat led by an outside facilitator to assist us in our discussions and plans. If you have an idea for location and/or facilitator, please contact me.

3. As we all agreed, STUDENTS are our main focus. To continue our annual Honors competition, Music Bowl, Ensemble and Winners’ Recitals and other activities, a Student Festival Day has been tentatively scheduled for the second Saturday in November.

With these events on your calendar, please make plans to attend the MTNA conference March 21-25 in Las Vegas, NV. For many years, members have wanted a conference in Vegas, and now let's show that our smaller population states and associations can throw a successful party! Jeanne Grealish will be busy as Coordinator of the Young Artist Competitions, and our own Phoenix Avalon will be competing as the SW Division string winner against 6 other contestants for the MTNA string competition! We need to be on hand to support and cheer on everyone!! Here's wishing a healthy and successful 2015 to each of you!! Sharon

SPRING BOARD MEETING 10AM - April 18, 2015 Albuquerque (Location to be determined.)

Please arrive at 9:30 for conversations, readingreports and preparation for 10AM meeting.

Inside this Issue — President’s Message Page 1 Competition Results Page 2 Conference Highlights Page3 Ensemble Recital Review Page4 Silent Auction Page 8 Dates and Dead Lines Page 8

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A total of fourteen student competition winners performed on Saturday evening’s Student Winner’s Recital. The following is a summary of winners and their teachers. Student Honors – Voice Level 1 – 1st Place –Aiden Lester (Zander-Wall) Level 2 - 1st Place – Maia Sanchez (Grealish) Level 3 – 1st Place –Emma Holets (McRae) Level 4 – 1st Place –Isabella Bruzzese (Zander-Wall) Level 5 – 1st Place – Veronica Baca (Zander-Wall) Student Honors – Piano Level 1 – 1st Place – Lenny Svyatskiy (Williamson) Level 2 – 1st Place – Wesley Dong (Vetrinskaya) Level 3 – 1st Place – Anna Yakura (Vetrinskya) Level 4 – 1st Place – Jessica Lien (Dosse) Level 5 – 1st Place – Serena Wang (Blind) MTNA Junior Performance Piano: Representative: Presley Gao ( Helin)Strings: Representative: Phoenix Avalon (de los Santos) MTNA Senior Performance – Strings Representative: Natalie Frantz – (de los Santos)

Honors, Jr./Sr. Competition winners performed in recital Saturday evening.

MTNA Senior Performance – Piano Joyce Walker MTNA Young Artist Auditions 1st Place– Xuefei Liu - John Olsen

Presentation of the Janet Spangenberg Weed Scholarships

Heather Nasi, NCTM Scholarship Chair presented scholarship awards to Logan Lasher and Daniela Montano, both students of Jacque Zander-Wall.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION COMPETITION RESULTS 2015 PERFORMANCE

(New Mexico) Junior Performance String Winner - Phoenix Avalon (NM) Violin Carmelo De Los Santos Junior Performance Piano Honorable Mention - Presley Gao (NM) Jacquelyn Helin Young Artist Performance Piano Honorable Mention - Xuefei Liu (NM) John Olsen Chamber Music Wind Alternate - Dionysus Quartet (NM) Eric Lau Matthew Koester Soprano Saxophone Dustin Hunter Alto Saxophone Chris Leslie Tenor Saxophone Eric McJimsey Baritone Saxophone

Joyce Walker Performance Awards went to all first place State Honors Winners

Piano Student - Teacher Level I Lenny Svyatskiy - Madeline Williamson Level II Wesley Dong - Tatiana Vetrinskya Level III Anna Yakura - Tatiana Vetrinskya Level IV Jessica Lien - Marylene Dosse Level V Serena Wang - Lawrence Blind Voice Student - Teacher Level I Aiden Lester - Jacqueline Zander-Wall Level II Maia Sanchez - Jeanne Grealish Level III Emma Holets - Donna McRae Level IV Isabella Bruzzese - Jacqueline Zander-Wall

MTNA Junior - Senior and Young Artist Winners / Repre-sentatives and Joyce Walker Travel Award winners

Student - TeacherA. Junior:Piano: Presley Gao - Jacquelyn HelinStrings: Phoenix Avalon - Carmelo de los Santos

B. Senior:Piano: Gavin Lauer - Jacquelyn HelinStrings: Natalie Frantz - Carmelo de los Santos C. Composition:Elementary: Anya Seet - Madeline Williamson Junior: Sruthi Garimella - Madeline WilliamsonSenior: Craig Short - Michael Mauldin

WE EXTEND CONDOLENCES TO MEMBERS… • Rebecca Caron and her family on the death of her

father, Dr. Carl Lacey Nissen, on January 18. A celebration of Carlʼs life will be held in the Spring.

• Janna Warren and her family on the death of her mother in December. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

Vocal Artistry ART Song Festival www.vocalartistryartsong.com

more information on page 5

****** Save this date November 14, 2015 ****** Student Festival Day - featuring Student Honors, Music Bowl, Ensemble Recital and Winners Recital, St John’s United Methodist Church in Santa Fe.

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Conference Highlights John Olson Discussed Teaching Across Cultural Lines Long-time MTNA member and professor of piano at East-ern New Mexico University, Dr. John Olsen, headlined the Con-ference workshop with his presentation, “Teaching the Chinese Student Piano.” Reprising his talk from the 2011 PMTNM con-ference in Portales, Olsen highlighted several types of factors that have an impact on success, or lack thereof, in the piano stu-dio with Chinese students. Chief among the challenges Western music teachers face in teaching Chinese piano students is the obvious language obsta-cle. Within this obstacle a more complex underlying issue is the component of “tones” in the Chinese language—subtle nuances that change the enunciation almost imperceptibly to the Western ear. However, these inflections can significantly alter the meaning of the word. Another challenge involves values and attitudes about accomplishment and achievement: *Chinese culture is not individual-centered as ours is. Chinese people want to conform and fit in, to “do it right.” *Chinese are very competitive, so the idea of a workshop to share ideas shocks them. Finally, a third set of challenges involves repertoire and expression in music making. *Chinese emphasize drama and volume of sound. Thus, the repertoire they teach tends to focus on Liszt, Rachmaninov and Chopin. *Western piano teachers have to work hard to nurture expressiveness in playing. Olsen described requiring students to listen to singers such as Caballe and Corelli to understand the concept of “singing line” in performing piano literature. He also recommended using Haydn’s sonatas as a means to teach short phrases. Olsen praised the work ethic of the Chinese students as well as the fact that Chinese students are respectful, polite, and gentle. Bringing it all together, Olsen offered the characteristics required to be a great pianist: 1) talent, 2) interest, 3) persistence & 4) personality.

Master Class – Antoine Bouvy

Guest artist Antoine Bouvy led two student honors entrants in a master class featuring works of Bach and Kabalevsky. In the Bach “Prelude” from the English Suite in g minor Bouvy suggested that the student follow the harmonic line, shaping the chords according to the harmony. Phrase based on natural places for taking a breath. For the Kabalevsky, Variations on “All the Pretty Little Horses,” Bouvy of-fered the possibility of selecting a different animal as an image for interpreting each variation. With thanks to Astrid Groth, Jan King, and Terri Reck for contributing to these articles.

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S E G U EHighlights continued from page 3 Music Bowl - 2014 The 4th annual Music Bowl, hosted by Lauryn Bomse while Janna Warren helped run the buzzer controls.

Students, parents and teachers all enjoyed the fast-paced challenge of answering the questions first. This was ac-complished with the electronic light system as the student pressed the buzzer and lighted their station light.

The Music Bowl was a big hit at the No-vember conference. Twenty-three students participated and showed their impressive knowledge of music theory in this fun and

competitive game. All participants earned an award at the end, and four students took home grand prize tro-phies for having the highest scores in their levels. All questions were drawn from Keith Snell’s Fundamentals of Piano Theory. Don't forget to sign up your students for the next Music Bowl event. Thanks… and I hope we have a big participation again this year!-Lauryn Bomse

The Ensemble Recital review by Dr. Madeline J. Williamson— The Ensemble Recital coordinated and hosted by Melissa Toedtman -- remains a perennial favorite with this year’s session once again being live-ly, engaging, and filled to capacity in attendance. The varied performances featured 19 students of four teachers in piano duets, two piano solos, and a piano trio, and featured the three NM State Winners in Composition. Highlighting the diversity of this session, performers ranged in age from four years to adult students, performing piano duets from the traditional--Franz Schubert and Anton Diabelli -- to living com-posers Melody Bober, Wynn-Anne Rossi, Randall Compton, Edwin Mclean, and elementary selections from the Alfred Series. Students performing duets together were Sruthi Garimella and Lily Shevitz of Los Alamos (Schubert); Elizabeth and Elena Plis of Albuquerque (Diabelli); and Anna Stucky and Kara McGee of Santa Fe performed the exciting, bench-swapping duo, C.S. Variations (Compton), which con-cluded the recital. Students who performed with their respective teachers were: Arjun Nirgudkar, Han-nah Leng, Thomas Valenzuela, Sean Choi, Dylan Smith, and Sophia Romo of Albuquerque (Teacher, Tatyana Bayliyeva); Anna Stucky and Kara McGee-Russell of Santa Fe (Teacher, Melissa Toedtman); and Sonya Svyatskaya of Los Alamos (Teacher, Dr. Madeline J. Williamson). Three students of particular note were this year’s state Winners of the MTNA Composition Contest for Senior, Junior, and Elementary divisions. Performing his own solo piano work Carillon, was Senior Winner, Craig Short, a composition student of Michael Mauldin. Carillon was a captivating, technically challenging work of great bravura, but also tender and elegiac in its use of tonal painting and unexpected harmonic shifts. Intermediate Winner Sruthi Garimella’s Riversong was for Piano Trio, and proved to be a haunting Continued page 5

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Antoine Bouvy Recital review by Dr. John Olsen French pianist Antoine Bouvy was the guest artist for the PMT-NM State convention this past November in Albuquerque. Bouvy offered a stylistically broad and varied program begin-ning with the seldom heard “Suite in E” by Rameau. He captured the dance elements of this work beautifully with just the right tem-pos and fluid articulation. Next he performed “Suite Pour le Piano” by Debussy. This well-known work is a staple in the impressionist solo repertoire and as a Frenchman, Antoine felt right at home. His playing caught the coloristic elements and rhythmic vibrancy of this music with character and charm. Antoine Bouvy closed his program with the complex “Bal-lade No. 4” by Chopin. His per-formance captured beautifully the depth of emotion and complexity of voicing so necessary in com-municating this music successful-ly. With great technical control in the final coda of the Ballade, Bouvy left the piano receiving a standing ovation.

Continued from page4 work of modality in a minimalist style, with the composer on violin, Tyra Eidenbenz on cello, and Sruthi’s teacher on piano. Anya Zapf-Seet (age 7) was this year’s Elementary Winner with her clever, innovative Scary Had a Little Lamb Variations, performed by the composer on piano and utilizing piano techniques of clusters, harmonics, and interior strumming. The Intermediate and Elementary Winners are students of Madeline J. Williamson. All of the winning compositions were projected on screen so they could be followed by the audience. PMTNM teachers from throughout the state are strongly encouraged to involve their students at State through piano ensemble performances for 2015. Teachers with aspiring composition students are also highly encouraged to submit scores for the 2015 competition, with all requirements available online at www.mt-na.org. All scores must now be submitted through software --- but don’t be fearful: Your STUDENT will teach YOU how to use and master it! There is FREE software downloadable online at: http://www.noteflight.com/login and at http://finale-notepad.en.softonic.com/

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S E G U EBanquet Key Note Address - - STEP UP TO THE PLATE! (Phyllis I. Pieffer, NCTM; MTNA Past President 2003-2005) Bob Dylan, the great folk song writer of the 20th century, wrote: "The road to success is always under con-struction: be prepared to change lanes at any time. Well-managed change builds upon the strength of the past and anticipates the challenges and opportunities of the future.” Associations in the 21st century are undergoing significant changes with the advance of social media and internet ca-pabilities. Do we need to change lanes? How can we transform our organization to make it viable for the 21th century? Be sure to read the recent article in Clavier Companion on "The Future of Piano Teaching." It is a must read for all of us. What are some possible changes we need to consider?

1. Setting goals for our association to meet our evolving society;

• Strategizing for where we want to be in ten years--not just planning for a year at a time;

• Meeting the needs of our members, in such areas as technology, studio development;

• Structuring our organization to operate efficiently using technology of today. 2. Recruiting teachers to our association. I am seeing from Facebook groups that some of the member teachers may not have strong pedagogy backgrounds, or use professional business policies. They are relying on texting, Facebook, asking "Siri", and Internet contacts rather than live communication. We need to really market the associ-ation to teachers with free membership for an introductory period in the local association (excepting participation in student events) to "hook" them on MTNA. A colleague in my former Grays Harbor chapter said repeatedly that the cost of MTNA membership prohibited many colleagues from joining. We must market the VALUE of MTNA to these prospective members and make live communication a higher priority for them than buying a latte or going on the web. 3. Attracting and meeting the needs of our potential customers or consumers--students and parents;

• Redefining the 21st century music lesson, especially in view of today’s over-committed students;

• Promoting the value of music study--one such article is "A Musical Fix for American Schools" by Joanne Lipman.

4. Interacting with colleagues in public school music education, community arts organizations and other organiza-tions around the world while using social media to our advantage. 5. Preparing for future roles of the arts in our society today;

• Influencing legislation in regard to the arts, both in our schools and in our government, so that future gen-erations will have art and music in their lives;

• Supporting the National Association of Music Merchants in their annual "Fly In" to Washington DC to meet with congressional leaders in support of the music and the arts. President Obama spoke recently in regard to NAMM's annual visit to Washington DC promoting Music Advocacy: "The arts are cen-tral to who we are as a people, and they are central to the success of our kids. This is not an af-terthought. This is not something you do because it is kind of nice to do. It is necessary for these young people to succeed that we promote the arts. "

6. Promoting changes for the curricula at schools and universities. More schools are incorporating jazz and impro-visation, even sound engineering into their curricula.

A few years ago, I was walking into the Grays Harbor College campus, when I saw a bulletin board message: "The achievements of an organization are the result of the combined efforts of every individual." Each one of us has to give of our time, talents, and efforts to make our association better than it was a year ago. As association members we have to step up to the plate and do our part. We have to play an active part on the team to ensure the future of music and the arts in our country and in the world. We cannot slack off in our efforts. If each one of us gives just a little, our associa-tion will be better for it. Each one of us is a unique individual with special gifts. Share your gift with your colleagues, and your association. Through our association we are "empowered." Gary Ingle, MTNA Executive Director speaks about em-powerment this way: "Through the power of association--at the local, state, and the national level--we are able to exert an influence on issues affecting music teaching not possible for the individual alone. To use a musical metaphor, associations represent a unified voice , rather than several voices singing various - continued on page 7

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Dear Fellow Musicians and Members of PMTNM, Thank you so much for bestowing on me the prestigious honor of 2014 Teacher of the Year! It was a special evening with the banquet in my honor, the presentation, the presence of so many of you and with several members of my family there, also! The memories will be with me forever! Love, Heather Nasi

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S E G U Econtinued from page 6 STEP UP TO THE PLATE! tunes. Members of a profession such as ours, who only act independently, can become a cacophony to be dis-missed and its members to be played off against one an-other. A unified voice gets heard. And good things hap-pen when groups of people are empowered to speak with one voice." We saw this recently with the Federal Trade Commission ruling in regard to our Code of Ethics and as a result, independent music teachers probably got some of our best publicity across the country!! All of us here today need to constantly remind ourselves about the purpose of MTNA: To advance the value of music study and music making to society and to support the professionalism of music teachers. As you plan your next year, and your next decade, you need to ask yourselves, "What can we accomplish to sup-port music study and music making to society, and how can we better our professionalism as music teachers? How can we make our voices heard? Let your officers know your ideas and your concerns. Be a part of the TEAM.” My charge to each of us here today and to every member of your association is this: if we are going to survive as music teachers and as an association, we need to work together and grow together. We, the members of this association, cannot say "NO." “Each one of us needs to take a turn and "step up to the plate.” Let me leave you with this thought. Anatole France (No-bel Prize winner in literature 1921) has said, "To accom-plish great things we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. Have you dreamed? Do you Believe? We must be proactive, not reactive. If we wait for things to happen, then they won't happen the way we want them to happen." Dream BIG!! BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. Con-tinue to 'TRANSFORM' your association into something even better. Nothing ever stays the same so continue to make changes for the advancement of music study, for the betterment of our professionalism, and for the enjoy-ment of music for future generations! Finally, always remember this: MUSIC IS THE BAROMETER--AND THE THERMOMETER, FOR THAT MATTER--OF EVERY CULTURE, THE ART MOST REVELATORY OF A PEOPLE'S TEMPERAMENT, CHARACTER AND RESPONSE TO OUTER INFLUENCE. Pearl S. Buck, "A BRIDGE FOR PASSING"

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S E G U EOfficers and Chairs

of the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico

PRESIDENT - Sharon Lohse Kunitz, NCTM VICE - PRESIDENT - Madeleine Williamson, NCTM DISTRICT VICE - PRESIDENTS Central - Astrid Groth Northeast I - Melissa Toedtman Northeast II - Doris Tankersley Northwest - Heather Nasi Southeast - Michelle Walton Southwest - Patricia Brown Certification Chair - Vacant Performance Evaluation Program Chair - Janna Warren Honors Chair - Vacant Scholarship Chair - Heather Nasi Executive Secretary / Treasure / Dues - Jeanne Grealish, NCTM

Dates and Dead Lines The National conference for 2015 will be in Las Vegas NV March 21 - 25 Rio Hotel. https://mem-bers.mtna.org/conference2015/registration.html. PMTNM Conference date for November has not yet been set. A Student day is being planned for the second week of Nov and all are encouraged to attend the Colorado conference in Jun 3-5 www.comusicteachers.net/conference. MTNA competition deadlines for 2015 - 2016 have not been posted. You will have to check the website http://www.mtna.org/programs/com-petitions/competitions-guidelines/ - last year it was Sept. 11 at 3:00P.M. EST. Student Festival Day - Nov 14 St John’s United Methodist Church.

2014 PMTNM Silent Auction Report Special thanks to my committee Madeline Williamson & Annata Black, also to Lauryn Bomse, Jim Kunitz, Sharon Kunitz, Charlene Cox-Clifton, Phyllis Pieffer, Heather Nasi and Jan King for their imperative assistance. Further gratitude is extended to our mem-bership, students, parents and other Conference atten-dees who did their holiday and personal shopping at the event. A copy of the 6 page catalog for this event is avail-able by email for reference; it details the items we auc-tioned off, donors, who collected what and the proce-dures we adopted. Due to the Conference format for this yearʼs event we had a single day in which to conduct the event. Our gross receipts were $1,636.00. The funds were allocat-ed to replenish our Memorial Outreach Fund. Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca N. Carón Silent Auction Chairperson

Performance Evaluation Program (PEP) - Fee Change As everyone is planning their students' participation in the annual PEP auditions, please note that the fee has been changed from $15 to $20. With the increase in cost for ribbons, certificates and trophies, this addition will help the budget considerably. If you know someone who does not have email accessibility, please pass this information onto them.