Michigan
Music
Teacher
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
PUBLICATION OF
THE MICHIGAN
MUSIC TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION
Affiliated with the Music Teachers
National Association
Vol. LIX
No. 2
December 2012
President's Letter
Dear MMTA Members,
Acknowledgements
As I begin my term as president, I want
to thank Penny Draper, who has provided
excellent direction as our president for
the past two years. We have all benefited
from Penny's gracious servant-leadership, her timely responses to any query,
her unwavering support and encouragement, and her many behind-the-scenes
contributions ("I'll be happy to take care
of that . . . I enjoy it!"). Let me also add
my thanks to our Distinguished Service
Award recipient Adrienne Wiley and all
the other former MMTA presidents,
especially those who continue serving in
so many ways. I am, as the expression
goes, "a dwarf standing on the shoulders
of giants."
Penny has included a letter in this issue
thanking outgoing board members and
announcing their replacements. Rather
than parroting her, I am going to add my
thanks for the wonderful continuing
board members that I have inherited.
think of music teaching as basically
being the real-life version of Hogwarts,
because you're giving our kids magical
powers if only they study."
Conference Thank-yous
Our 127th State Conference was held in
Ann Arbor on October 21-23. Many
thanks to the Ann Arbor Area Piano
Teachers Guild and particularly their
Host Committee (Eric Van De Vort,
Lester Castellana, and Daniel Drummond) for their hard work in planning
and implementing this historic conference! East met West much as it did in the
1889 Paris Exhibition as we experienced
the exotic sounds of the University of
Michigan Gamelan – sounds that
inspired the imaginations of Debussy and
other Western composers of the 20thand 21st-centuries. AAAPTG members
Lester Castellana and Robert Satterlee
made these connections beautifully
apparent by explaining and presenting
the music of Debussy, Ravel, McPhee,
Adams, and others. A special thank you
to Susan Walton, the U-M Gamelan, and
the U-M students who performed during
Lester's presentation.
It is impossible to thank everyone who
contributed to making this conference
another great success. Rather than try, I
want to thank all 153 conference
registrants. We need your attendance and
active participation in order for our
conferences to be viable and worthwhile,
and once again you have demonstrated
your commitment to continued professional growth by making the effort and
sacrifice to attend. I hope you will share
something you gained with fellow
members, and thereby perhaps provide
them with the incentive needed to join us
next year in Kalamazoo.
The Magic of All Kinds of Music
I was listening to a call-in radio program
on a recent Saturday morning, when a
caller identified herself as a music
teacher. The host responded, "That's
cool. That's a great thing to do. I always
Pondering this statement in the afterglow
of our conference, I wondered if the real
value of a music teacher is in replacing
what appear to be 'magical powers' with
logical thought that empowers students
to participate in the creative process.
Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra demonstrated a
practical approach to 18th-century
improvisation, using Bach's WellTempered Clavier preludes as models for
our students to examine and emulate.
The following morning, Ellen Rowe
used a parallel approach to "unpack" the
harmony, melodic patterns, and rhythms
in the spontaneous language of jazz. I
was struck by the similarities these two
master pedagogues used to approach
different musical styles. Wonderful
master classes by T. J. Lymenstull and
conference artist Robert Weirich presented principles that remove technical
hurdles and make music 'musical.' The
CMU collegiate chapter took some of the
'magic' out of dealing with performance
anxiety, and the EMU chapter challenged
us, as a student chapter should, to open
our minds and ears to the popular genres
that motivate many of our students
("Beethoven in a Rap Song").
Gamelan, jazz, and rap in the same
MMTA conference -- this may be one for
the record books!
President’s Letter cont. on p.4
Inside:
Pg.
From the Past President
3
Local Associations Report
5
Awareness and Advocacy Report
5
Fall 2012 MI MTNA Competitions 6
127th MMTA Conference
Photo Montage
.6-11
CAMTA’s 25th Anniversary
Concert, with photos
12-13
Gilmore Keysfest
14
Steps to Technical Success
14
Musical Musings, by Louis Nagel 15
1
MICHIGAN MUSIC TEACHER
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MMTA Web Site: www.michiganmusicteachers.org
PRESIDENT
Garik Pedersen
8766 Sleepy Hollow Drive
Saline, MI 48176
734-429-3439
TECHNOLOGY CHAIR
Eric Van De Vort
712 Sunset Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
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VICE PRESIDENT
Gail Lytle Lira
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East Lansing, MI 48823
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SAT COORDINATOR
Diana Munch
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Southfield, MI 48033
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PAST PRESIDENT
Dr. Penny Draper
513 Woodland Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-351-4632 / 517-507-1538
SAT STRINGS CHAIR
Ruth Fry
2102 8th Street
Port Huron, MI 48060
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PARLIAMENTARIAN
Christie Otter
14735 Richfield
Livonia, MI 48154
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SAT VOICE CHAIR
Miho Segal
2306 Seminole Drive
Okemos, MI 48864
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CERTIFICATION CHAIR
Maria Holian
1785 Gloucester
Plymouth, MI 48170
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Keith Gamble
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Detroit, MI 48205
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MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Lester Castellana
7164 Palmer St.
Dexter, MI 48130
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MTNA COMPETITIONS
COORDINATOR
Lia Jensen-Abbott
412 S. Clinton Street
Albion, MI 49224
517-629-2950
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS
COORDINATOR
Cynthia Robertson
P.O. Box 360
Interlochen, MI 49643-0321
231-883-5661
COLLEGIATE CHAPTERS
COORDINATOR
Dr. Adam Clark
2891 Riley Ridge Road
Holland, MI 49424
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TEACHER EDUCATION CHAIR
Sara Carriere
3911 Edmonton Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
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AWARDS CHAIR
Jennifer Drake
110 N. Lauderdale Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-4346
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COMPETITION CHAIR
Arvi Sinka
407 Randall Drive
Troy, MI 48085
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MTNA YOUNG ARTIST CHAMBER
MUSIC COMPETITION CHAIR
Dr. Adrienne Wiley
4007 Washington
Midland, MI 48642
989-837-0903
MTNA SENIOR COMPETITIONS
CHAIR
Lia Jensen-Abbott
412 S. Clinton Street
Albion, MI 49224
517-629-2950
MTNA JUNIOR COMPETITIONS
CHAIR
Laurie Marshall
4021 Ravina Terrace
St. Joseph, MI 49085-9655
269-428-7060 or 269-277-9091 (cell)
MTNA COMPOSITION COMPETITION
CHAIR
Mary Ann Anschutz
5404 Sunset Drive
Midland, MI 48640
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Shelby Township, MI 48316
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Michigan Music Teacher
From the Past President
Dear MMTA Members,
Raised in Michigan where extremes in weather from one day to the next sometimes occur, I was nevertheless surprised
when the temperature dipped into the low 30s just 24 hours after our balmy Thanksgiving with readings in the 60s, even
though I was aware that such a change was predicted. A similar sense of surprise comes with the realization that November
is nearly over and December looms on the horizon, a particularly busy month for many of us with scheduled recitals, studio
classes, end-of-semester juries and submission of grades, in addition to seasonal holiday preparations.
While anticipating the upcoming flurry of December activities, I’m reminded that at this time last month (writing in late
November) we had just finished celebrating the 127th MMTA Conference. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude are extended
to new MMTA President, Gary Pedersen, for his creative thinking and attention to detail in planning such a successful
event! And our thanks to his partners in this endeavor, the Ann Arbor Area Piano Teachers Guild (AAAPTG), whose
members served as local conference hosts under the able leadership of local conference co-chairs Lester Castellana and
Eric Van De Vort.
The AAAPTG was responsible for the opening conference session on “Debussy, the Javanese Gamelan, and YOU!” that
was led by session moderator, Lester Castellana, and coordinated with performances by students from the University of
Michigan. This informative lecture/performance was a preview of the evening concert featuring the University of Michigan
Gamelan Ensemble, directed by ethnomusicologist Susan Pratt Walton, and followed by pianist Robert Satterlee, whose
concert selections featured Debussy, Ravel, John Adams and Gareth Farr. The feast of timbre and dynamic diversity during
this concert ranged from Satterlee’s captivating pianississimi to the incessant intensity of the full-gamelan orchestra!
The second evening featured the gala concert with conference artist Robert Weirich, who presented a stunning performance
of repertoire including Haydn (E-flat, Hob. XVI:52) and Bartók sonatas, Janáček’s intriguing piece “V mlhach,” and 12 of
the Chopin études; a fitting testament to Weirich’s general conference session on “The Ten Commandments of Technique.”
Other general session presenters included Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra, whose interest and expertise in Bach and early keyboard
genres are united with improvisation in a most creative manner and presented in an organized and accessible methodology.
This thread on improvisation continued with the session titled “Jazz Improvisation: Learning the Language,” presented by
Ellen Rowe, who skillfully outlined the techniques needed to create a spontaneously composed improvisation.
Another conference session featured two juried collegiate chapter presentations, with participants from Central Michigan
University (Adrienne Wiley, Chapter Advisor) exploring “Performance Anxiety and Your Student: Finding Strategies to
Help Your Student Deal With It!”; and Eastern Michigan University students (Gary Pedersen, Chapter Advisor) presenting
"Beethoven in a Rap Song: Classical Music Used in Popular Genres." The Independent Music Teachers Forum session,
titled “The Best of All Worlds: What Suzuki and ‘Traditional’ Teachers Have to Learn from Each Other,” was led by MMTA
members Gerardo Ascheri, Susan Day and Renee Robbins; and a break-out session for SAT on “Ways to make performance
judging more uniform state-wide” featured MMTA panel members, Kelley Bensen, Joan Haggard and Thomas J. Lymenstull. The certification committee, chaired by Debra Culver, hosted a break-out session on preparing for certification.
Master classes are always a conference favorite, and give an opportunity to experience what can be accomplished in a
short session between the student and clinician. We were fortunate to have two master classes, one for intermediate repertoire
with our own Thomas J. Lymenstull as clinician, and the second for advanced students with conference clinician Robert
Weirich.
Conference recitals included the premiere of Roger Zare’s (MMTA commissioned composer) four-movement composition,
LHC, performed by the Donald Sinta Saxophone Quartet. Our MMTA SAT and concerto competition winners also
performed, and a second recital featured our Michigan MTNA Competition winners; it is noteworthy that several of these
students were also winners at the regional MTNA East Central Division and national competitions (see p. 4 in the June
2012 issue of the MMT: http://michiganmusicteachers.org/newsletter.php). I never cease to be amazed by the scope and
breadth of the musical accomplishments of our Michigan youth under the direction of their exceptional coaches, and the
recitals featuring the vibrant performances of our student winners are highlights at each MMTA conference.
From the Past President cont. on p.4
Michigan Music Teacher
3
President’s Letter, cont. from p.1
The conference was filled with inspiring performances: the two gala evening concerts, the two student winners' concerts at the end of
each conference day, the brave and talented students who played in the morning master classes, and the expert demonstrations by our
presenters. The SAT, IMTF, and Certification sessions had good attendance, and provided valuable information and lively discussion.
Behind the scenes, I know of at least eight scheduled meetings, and I know there were many more that were ad hoc but equally worthwhile. All in all, it was an uplifting and productive two-and-a-half days!
I want to close by wishing each of you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year. I am honored to be your president, and I look
forward to meeting many more of you on my travels over the next two years.
Yours,
Gary
Garik Pedersen, NCTM
MMTA President
From the Past President, cont. from p.3
This year’s Michigan MTNA Competitions were held in Benton Harbor on the beautiful campus of Lake Michigan College on October
13 and 14. MMTA thanks our competition team; namely Lia Jensen-Abbott, Competition Chair Coordinator and Senior Piano Competition Chair; Mary Ann Anschutz, Composition Competition Chair; Laurie Marshall, Junior Competition Chair; Arvi Sinka, Young Artist
Piano Competition Chair; and Adrienne Wiley; Young Artist Chamber Music Competition Chair. I assisted at the competitions and am
aware of the many hours devoted by each member of our MMTA Competition team in attending to the myriad aspects of running the
competitions (see results on p.6).
MMTA also thanks board members who are leaving office for their service to the organization, including: Alex Hanway, MTNA
Foundation Chair; Gail Lytle Lira, MTNA Junior Competition Chair; Elaine Yanz, SAT Voice Chair; and Ann Decker-Beck, SAT
Woodwind Chair. We deeply appreciate the energy and commitment that each of these dedicated members has brought to their positions.
We also welcome newly appointed board members who are filling those positions, namely Jim Evola, MTNA Foundation Chair; Laurie
Marshall, MTNA Junior Competition Chair; Miho Segal, SAT Voice Chair; and Keith Gamble, SAT Woodwind Chair. The MMTA
Certification Committee is also changing chairs, and committee member Maria Holian will serve as the new certification chair, replacing
Debra Culver, who has served with distinction in this position.
We will dearly miss having Adrienne Wiley, well-deserved recipient of MMTA’s 2012 Distinguished Service Award, on the Executive
Board (see her biography on p. 11 in the June 2012 issue of the MMT: http://michiganmusicteachers.org/newsletter.php), but now she
can freely wear red (an inside joke dating to the end of Adrienne’s presidency, when our wise parliamentarian, Christy Otter, suggested
a new past president’s role for Adrienne in beige), and for the record, I’ve chosen basic black for the next two years!
The Executive Board also welcomes Gail Lytle Lira to the office of Vice President. She will be the chief planner of MMTA’s 128th
Conference, which is being hosted by the Kalamazoo Area Music Teachers Association. Having witnessed Gail’s leadership in serving
as President of the Capital Area Music Teachers Association (CAMTA) and also as chair of CAMTA’s Summer Workshops, I know that
we are in very capable hands. And it will be a delight for me to remain on the Executive Board (in basic black!) during the presidency
of Gary Pedersen. We are fortunate to have his visionary leadership, enthusiasm and wit to guide us during the next two years!
It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve as President of MMTA. I have pleasant reminiscences of representing MMTA at
regional and national meetings, assisting at our SAT and MI MTNA competitions, leading board meetings, and writing letters to the
membership through the MMT. In all of these endeavors, I have had contact with many of our dedicated members, and these personal
recollections are most inspiring. MMTA members are uncommonly devoted to serving the organization, and freely offer the coveted
gift of time. Why do we do it? Surely in part to promote the ethereal realm of music that we love so dearly, to recreate this world of
sound that we can neither touch nor grasp, and to pass the art of music on to the next generation. Thank you so much for giving me the
opportunity to promote the art of music in the context of service to MMTA.
Sincerely,
Penny Draper
MMTA Past President
4
Michigan Music Teacher
Local Associations Report
Several years ago, the local association meeting was moved to the first night of our annual Michigan Music Teachers
Association Conference. The rationale behind moving that meeting was to allow the local association presidents to meet
each other earlier. This has allowed for much sharing of ideas and support. Several local associations are struggling with
low numbers and/or aging members. There were many offers of support and suggestions at the dinner table and the energy
in the room was palpable. The conversations continued throughout the conference and as I was leaving to drive home, I was
approached by a local president who offered some more ideas that she thought may assist the other local associations.
I want to thank the outgoing presidents for their support these
past few years:
Jeanette Faber (AAPTG)
Helen Sanders (FMTA)
Debra Mancuso (KAMTA)
Charles White (LSMTA)
Maria Lonchyna Lisowsky (MDML)
Perri Harper (MMTA)
Joyce Stehouwer (PTFGR)
Barb Collins (PHMTA)
I want to welcome the incoming presidents for their future
support:
Betsy McCabe (AAPTG)
Laurie Crawford and Janet Walworth (FMTA)
Jennifer Drake (KAMTA)
Marcia Viegelahn (LSMTA)
Carol Levy (MDML)
George Widiger (MMTA)
Jeanne Hanley (PTFGR)
Ruth Fry (PHMTA)
I want to send a “pat on the back” to the remaining presidents:
Paul Reid (BCAMTA)
Beth Cook (BAMTA)
Amber Redoutey (CAMTA)
Nancy Skriba (GTMTA)
Susan Rogalla Tindall (GMMTA)
Charles Aschbrenner (HPTF)
Margarete Thomsen (LAPTF)
Margaret Castner (OAMTA)
Debra Culver (WOMTA)
Thanks to all of you for your hard work on behalf of music in
our state of Michigan!
Cindi Robertson
Local Associations Chair
Awareness and Advocacy
MusicLink Foundation
MusicLink is a non-profit organization celebrating its
20th year of helping to provide reduced price lessons
for students in need. The group began in Virginia, then
became affiliated with MTNA, and now is a separate
foundation. Teachers who teach a student for half or less
of their regular fee can register as a MusicLink teacher.
The teacher is not reimbursed for the lessons, but it does
make the student eligible for free or discounted music
and materials, and reimbursement for audition fees. The
program is confidential, so that students are not singled
out as scholarship students. There are also summer
camp scholarship opportunities for MusicLink students.
Teachers may also register with MusicLink and be
connected with qualifying students through the association.
If you are already giving reduced price lessons to a
student, or if you would be interested in registering as
a MusicLink teacher to be connected with a qualified
student, you may get more information and applications
on the MusicLink website at www.musiclinkfoundation.org. If you have further questions about the
program, please contact me at 810-982-4133 or
[email protected] and I will assist you in learning
more about MusicLink.
At the Fall MMTA Conference in Ann Arbor, I was able
to present this information to the MMTA Board and
those present at the Local Associations Presidents’
Meeting. The presidents received brochures to take
back to their local members. I am pleased to tell you
that following these meetings, one of our Michigan
teachers registered as a MusicLink teacher. This is great
news, since Michigan was one of only three states that
was not affiliated with this valuable program. As
always, our students are the big winners when we are
able to help them continue their music education in this
way.
Barbara Collins
Awareness & Advocacy Chair
Michigan Music Teacher
5
2011 MTNA Michigan State Competitions
MTNA Competitions Coordinator: Lia Jensen-Abbott
Junior Competitions
Young Artist Competitions
Piano:
Winner:
Heather Lynn Gu (Logan Skelton)
Alternate:
Sasha Bult-Ito (Thomas Lymenstull)
Honorable Mentions:
Kevin Ichiro Takeda (Thomas Lymenstull)
Andrew Wuda Du (Stijn DeCock)
Michelle TingTing Chang (Isabella
Vilensky)
Brass:
Representative: Lucas Perzyk (Oakland U., Kenneth
Kroesche)
Woodwinds:
Winner:
Alternate:
Myles Boothroyd, saxophone (CMU, John
Nichol)
Jordan Lulloff, saxophone (MSU, Joe
Lulloff)
MTNA Junior Competitions Chair: Laurie Marshall
Chamber Music:
Winner:
Echo Quartet (MSU; Joe Lulloff, coach)
Alternate:
Aurum Quartet (MSU; Joe Lulloff, coach)
Senior Competitions
Piano Solo:
Winner:
Ziqing Huang (Faye Mao)
Alternate:
Heather Shen (Logan Skelton)
Honorable Mentions:
Vivian Anderson (Logan Skelton)
Steven Cheng (Faye Mao)
Elizabeth Xiong (Catherine Rollin)
Piano:
Winner:
Alternate:
Danni Feng (Logan Skelton)
Christina Liu (Christopher Haring)
MTNA Young Artist Competitions Chair: Arvi Sinka
MTNA Young Artist Chamber Music Competition Chair:
Adrienne Wiley
MTNA Senior Competitions Chair: Lia Jensen-Abbott
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage
October 21 - 23, 2012, Ann Arbor
Ringing out the old Executive Board: Gary Pedersen
(Vice President), Diana Miller (Treasurer), Adrienne
Wiley (Past President), Penny Draper (President), and
Christie Otter (Parliamentarian)
6
... and ringing in the new: Penny Draper (Past President),
Diana Miller (Treasurer), Gary Pedersen (President),
Gail Lytle Lira (Vice President), and
Christie Otter (Parliamentarian)
Michigan Music Teacher
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage, cont.
Conference Clinician Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra
Conference Clinician Ellen Rowe
Active participation during
Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra’s presentation
Ellen Rowe talks about jazz improvisation
Conference Artist Robert Weirich with master class participants Trang Vo, Alejandra Escobar, and Joshua Wright
Robert Weirich with Natalie Matovinovic and
Gary Pedersen
Michigan Music Teacher
7
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage, cont.
8
Susan Pratt Walton, Director of the
University of Michigan Gamelan
The University of Michigan Gamelan
Assorted gamelan instruments...
The passing of the gavel from outgoing president Penny
Draper to President Gary Pedersen
MMTA Distinguished Service Award recipient
Adrienne Wiley, with outgoing President Penny Draper
2012 MMTA Teachers of the Year: Ruth Fry (PHMTA), Janice Derian
(LAPTF), Jackie Vander Slik (HPTF), Thea Hoekman (PTFGR), Ruth
Belleville (WOMTA), Susan Tindall (GMMTA), Mitch Genova (MDML)
Michigan Music Teacher
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage, cont.
Newly certified teacher Joan Wierzba, with Debra Culver
(Certification Chair) and Penny Draper
Newly certified teacher Yury Avanesov, with Debra Culver
A collection (gaggle?, herd?) of former MMTA presidents:
Penny Draper, Adrienne Wiley, Roberta Kraft, Joan Conway,
Jill Christian, and Gerardo Ascheri
2012 MMTA Commissioned Composer Roger Zare, with
Charles Aschbrenner (Commissioned Composer Chair)
Susan Day, Renee Robbins, and Gerardo Ascheri discuss
Suzuki and traditional teaching
Kelley Bensen, Thomas Lymenstull, and Joan Haggard
discuss performance judging
Michigan Music Teacher
9
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage, cont.
CMU collegiate chapter members Rebecca Wise, Emily
Laurinec, Tyler Kivel, Anne Petrides, and Anne Schmidt, with
Adrienne Wiley (Chapter Advisor)
Gary Pedersen (Chapter Advisor) and EMU collegiate chapter
members Kevin Shay, Sarah Hamilton, and Samuel Joshua
Michigan MTNA winners: Kip Franklin, Daniel Cho,
Jeanette Fang, Jiyuan Grace Zhang, and Ariela Bohrod
Thomas Lymenstull with master class participants Max Petava
(with teacher Irina Babina); Carolina San Antonio (tchr. Aya
Higuchi); and Aabi La’ai (tchr. Renee Robbins)
MMTA SAT Finals winners: Elizabeth Clutts, Jason Gong,
Heather Gu, and Joshua Zhe
MMTA Elem. and Jr. Concerto Competition winners:
Sarina Yu, Kelvia Jaupi, and Carolyn Wu
10
Michigan Music Teacher
127th MMTA State Conference Photo Montage, cont.
U of M grad students: Josh Wright, Britny Clark,
Aya Higuchi, Aguieszka Zick, and Michal Harris
AAAPTG member and conference co-chair
Lester Castellana
Michael Coonrod, Mary Siciliano, and Robert Satterlee
Gail Lytle Lira, Ruth Fry, and Penny Draper
The bustling MMTA registration table
President Gary Pedersen’s first official duty:
clean-up
Michigan Music Teacher
11
CAMTA’s 25th Anniversary
25th Anniversary Concert Pictures
The Capital Area Music Teachers Association recently celebrated its 25th anniversary on November 11th. CAMTA
teachers presented an excellent celebration concert on that
beautiful afternoon! Those who chose to attend the concert
rather than basking in one of the last warm days of fall were
not disappointed. The harp and dulcimer duo was the perfect
opening and set the mood for a wide variety of listening
pleasure. Some of the composers heard were Chopin,
Dvořák, Fauré, Gershwin, and Piazzolla.
One of the purposes of this concert was to remember the
formation of CAMTA. The Capital Area Music Teachers
Association was formed in 1987 when two organizations, the
Lansing Piano Teachers Guild and the Greater Lansing
Chapter of Michigan Music Teachers Association, joined
forces. Each member of both organizations received a charter
membership in CAMTA. Our 25th Anniversary Committee
did its best to try and find a complete list of charter members
and invite them to be recognized at the concert.
CAMTA has several primary purposes for our organization.
One purpose of ours is to provide scholarships for talented
students who deserve recognition, encouragement, and
financial support. We were able to collect $145 to help fund
future scholarships through the Eileen Keel Sonatina/Sonata
Competition and Incentive Awards. Another purpose is to
promote professional development for CAMTA members,
which we strive to do in our monthly meetings, at-home
circles, and through summer workshops with Michigan State
University. CAMTA also works to provide music-related
opportunities for students of CAMTA members. Like many
other local associations, we offer ways for students to
perform through outreach recitals, the SAT program, and a
pre-concert performance in the MSU Monster Concert. I am
blessed to have found this amazing local organization, and
am incredibly grateful to my teachers (Brenda Conroy/IL,
Dr. Ronald Yadeau/IL, and Gail Berenson/OH) who were
highly involved in MTNA and their local associations.
Because of them, I knew how to get plugged in!
Kelly Yoakam and Kim Huston
Loretta Lanning and guest soprano
We had an excellent committee arranging all the details for
this Celebration Concert! They are what made the afternoon
the success it was! Thank you.
All the Best,
Amber Redoutey
CAMTA President
25th Anniversary Committee: Deborah Beachnau, Penny
Draper, Verna Holley, Kim Huston, Gail Lytle Lira, Megan
Nyquist, Amber Redoutey
12
Penny Draper
Michigan Music Teacher
CAMTA 25th Anniversary Concert Pictures, cont.
Gerardo Ascheri and Gail Lytle Lira
Derek Polischuk and Deb Moriarty
Charter member Delaine Counseller, with Gerardo Ascheri
and Verna Holley (l), and President Amber Redoutey (r)
A lot of CAMTA memories...
Michigan Music Teacher
The long view - Deb Beachnau, piano
13
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KeysFest 2013
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
The Gilmore KeysFest is the annual, day-long, piano festival for piano
students in the greater Kalamazoo and Battle Creek areas. Piano students
of all levels, grades 1–12, are invited to perform and receive instruction
from professional pianists and/or educators. Students receive immediate
affirmation of their skills and musicianship in an open and friendly master
class environment, including a small audience of supportive students and
adults. All master classes and performances are free and open to the public.
Application forms can be downloaded at thegilmore.org/education/keysfest.
Cost: $20 per student
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013
Clinicians will be announced on our website.
Please direct questions to Adam Schumaker, Director of Education,
at The Gilmore: (269) 342-1166 ext. 3125 · [email protected]
359 S. KALAMAZOO MALL, SUITE 101
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 49007-4843
THEGILMORE.ORG
14
Michigan Music Teacher
Musical Musings
Look Up the Words!, by Louis Nagel
"Adagio sostenuto-------Si deve suonare tutto questo pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordini" to head the score, and "sempre pianissimo
e senza sordini" in the space of the staff of the first line. I am certain my readers know from what music these Italian words come and
what they mean, but just in case not, I am writing about the Sonata in C-sharp Minor, (Sonata quasi una Fantasia), Opus 27, Number
2, by Beethoven. The world knows this marvelous work as "The Moonlight Sonata", a title totally foreign to Beethoven's thinking. Had
he known this name would be affixed to one of his most remarkable early works he would have either laughed loudly, or thrown a bowl
of soup at Ludwig Rellstab, the poet who coined this sappy title five years after the composer's death. He would have been further
annoyed that the public knows this title but many performers and students AND teachers, presenters of this music to those audiences,
do not know the meaning of the wordy instructions that teach us about Beethoven's sound world. Those instructions tell us we "must
play this entire piece with pedal and extremely softly", and again inside the lines he writes pianissimo and WITHOUT MUTES, which
means WITH PEDAL. The dampers do not mute the strings. How to do this is cause for much speculation. But given Beethoven's
infrequent pedal markings, the WITH PEDAL instruction is very significant. Consider also his predilection for sudden dynamic changes
in even the shortest and slightest pieces or movements. The constancy of pianissimo with only a few crescendi or hairpins intruding on
the first movement's serenity is also unusual, perhaps unique in his piano music.
What is my point? Throughout my teaching career, I have been asking students to "look up and know the meanings of all the words"
on the pages of the score. It is something that was stressed to me early on by my teachers when I was beginning to study music in
addition to playing it with great glee and self-importance. Continuing into my studies at Juilliard with Josef Raieff, I remember his
asking me what the "spianato" in Chopin's dazzling Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise meant. I did not know. He was surprised
and I suspect a little annoyed, since our knowing words was something he insisted upon. (At my following lesson I knew not only how
to play the piece, but what was the mood I was being instructed to create by the composer!) Many students delight in learning the notes
to an English Suite without having the slightest idea why these keyboard compositions are called "English Suite" OR what the movements are all about choreographically. (How can you arrive at a tempo for a gavotte if you do not have an idea of what a gavotte is?
Bach's metronome markings are few, far between, and spurious to say the least!)
However, my requests of students to look up the meanings of words often go unheeded, and though I cannot be sure of this, I fear they
do not affix to the memory for future reference. The words, the titles, the verbal aspects of a score are integral parts of the music and
often give very detailed instruction as to the composers' wishes. The aforementioned C-sharp Minor Sonata is a prime example, but
there are others. In the Tempest Sonata (also a name donated to posterity by someone other than Beethoven), he very carefully marks
the first idea Largo, followed by Allegro, followed by Adagio-----three distinct tempo markings within six measures. In Opus 110, in
the last movement, we are confronted by a number of vitally important instructions. In two languages, German and Italian, at the heading
of the second fugal section we are asked to play "nach und nach wieder auflebend" (little by little more lively) and then later on "poi a
poi tutte le corde" (little by little all the strings) and then a few bars later "poi a poi più moto". In the most famous example of the many
quizzical instructions left by Robert Schumann is the command to begin the first movement of the G Minor Sonata (Opus 22) "So rasch
wie möglich" (as fast as possible), and the coda is marked "noch schneller" (I leave it to you to guess what impossibility that means!).
Were anyone to look at the pages of Debussy with its many instructions in French, or the enigmatic pages of Schoenberg's difficult
music and his insistent and near constant German instructions to the performer, it would be apparent that learning the notes in a
meaningful way would be nearly impossible without understanding what the composers have asked of us in our performances.
As scores progress along the continuum of time, they tend to become more complex emotionally as well as technically. Yet they do not
necessarily become harder to fathom. Bach of course left us almost no instruction. We get an infrequent "forte" or "piano" referring to
registration on the harpsichord, rather than a dynamic shading on the piano, or perhaps an occasional "allegro" or "andante” (only three
such speed/character markings in all of the beginnings of the Well-tempered Clavier). Even articulations, that other oft ignored area
which really demands a separate "rant" are limited in number. Yet we must know something about the meanings of the dance titles in
order to apply those meanings to the more abstract music in the WTC. With Schoenberg and Debussy we know the meanings of the
words, but how do we really achieve a satisfactory ending to the last magical piece of Opus 19 (Six Little Piano Pieces) or the orchestral
effects on the very first page of the Opus 11, Number 1 from the set of Three Piano Pieces? The interpretation of instructions can be
just as elusive as not having them in the first place. At least with Schoenberg one has a sense of the mood and the speeds he is asking-----if we pay attention to other than the notes! And of course the compositions from the generation after J.S. Bach, Handel and Scarlatti
on to the present have verbal instructions in increasing numbers and detail as the composers seek to probe emotional depths both from
the performers and the audiences.
So "looking up the meanings of the words" is more than my sermonizing! It is part of what we must do in order to discover our own
interpretive truths. It is not a piano teacher "assignment". The words need to become part of our vocabulary-----they are the composer
teaching us about feelings and what he/she wants us to probe through the music and find in ourselves!
Michigan Music Teacher
15