Young Composers Project: Fall 2023 Update

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The emphasis of the WSMTA Young Composers Project continues to be on educating our students.  Last year we had four outstanding judges and these same judges have agreed to help us out again this coming year.  They are:  Rick Asher (Composer and Retired Professor of Music from Edmonds Community College), Dr. Terry McQuikin (Composer and Retired Professor of Music Composition from University of Oregon), Dr. Charles Halka  (Composer and Associate Professor of Music Composition at Western Washington University), and Dr. Jiyoun Chung (Composer and Professor of Music Composition at Central Washington University). Pictures and bios of these judges can be found here.

The Young Composers Project open registration will run from February 1-27, 2024.  The deadline for submissions will be on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. We are excited to share the following changes to the Young Composers’ Project for this year (2023-2024). We look forward to hearing the creative pieces your students will be sharing with us.

  • Entry Fees, Judges Compensation and Prizes will have increased by $5.00 per category. See the chart below.
ENTRY FEES PRIZE MONEY
Level Fees Level Prize
K-2 $30 K-2 $30
Levels 3, 4, 5, 6 $30 Levels 3, 4, 5, 6 $30
Levels 7, 8, 9 $35 Levels 7, 8, 9 $55
Level 10, 11, 12 $40 Level 10, 11, 12 $80
  • Travel grants will be given to all YCP performers and their collaborators (accompanist or ensemble partners) who perform at there WSMTA Conference.

Changes from last year remain in place as well:

  • Once someone wins (1st place only) in 2024, they will not be eligible to compete in 2025. They can submit for comment only.  They will be eligible for competition again in 2026.  Anyone receiving 2nd, 3rd or Honorable Mention is eligible to compete again each year.
  • All solo and duet performances must be live. Video recordings of a live performance of a winning composition with three or more players will be allowed. Composer must attend the recital to introduce the piece and receive the cash award. No audio recordings will be permitted.The 2024 performance will take place in June in Spokane.
  • The performance time of compositions will be limited to 3 min for K-4, 5 min for grades 5-8 and 7 minutes for grades 9-12.
  • The collegiate and teacher categories have been removed due to insufficient participation.

A huge thank you and congratulations to Dr. Susan Hurley who co-chaired YCP with me the last two years.  Susan got married this summer and is taking a year off. If you have any questions regarding YCP, please email me at amazingracestudio@gmail.com.

Respectfully submitted,

Frances Goei, NCTM, Chair YCP

2024 MTNA Foundation Fellow Nominee

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Peter Mack, NCTM, WSMTA MTNA Foundation Chair

This year, WSMTA is delighted to announce that Cherie Felts has been nominated as the Music Teachers National Association Foundation Fellow from Washington State for 2024. This is an incredible, national honor, given to “deserving individuals who have made significant contributions to the music world and the music teaching profession.”  The award will be given in 2024, at the Gala Banquet of the MTNA national conference, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, March 18th.

To celebrate Cherie’s fellowship, charitable contributions are being given to the MTNA foundation fund.  Money in this fund helps to pay for the MTNA competitions, and for student scholarships. The nomination is confirmed when $1,500 is raised in the honoree’s name. After the award is given, a letter detailing the names of their donors is sent to her, so she will be able to thank all those who supported her nomination.

To contribute in support of Cherie, click on this link. https://www.mtnafoundation.org/contribute/contribute-now/

At the bottom of the form, there is a list of funds and endowments.  Make sure to scroll past that list to the box marked ‘Fellow,’ and to write Cherie’s name in that box.  That way, the gift will go towards her fellowship fund. You have to do this in order for her to receive credit.

Cherie Felts, 2024 MTNA Foundation Fellow Nominee

Cherie Felts

Cherie Felts is an incredible supporter of WSMTA.  She is a life-long musician, with piano being her principal instrument. She also worked as an organist from age 12 in churches she was part of as well as in college. The middle school choir teacher heard about this girl before she walked into his music room and he asked her to be the accompanist for his choirs. The piano bench became permanent for three years there!

Cherie has directed children’s choirs and worked as an accompanist in the Olympia area school districts and also accompanied young people for Solo/Ensemble Contests and Competitions, for both vocalists and instrumentalists.

She maintained a full piano studio for 23 years. Cherie has been an active member of her local Olympia Chapter and WSMTA. Her responsibilities included being OMTA’s Music Artistry Program Chair (2013-2020). She has chaired OMTA’s Concerto Competition (2022), and was Sonatina Festival and Master Lessons Chair in many of these years past. She served on the OMTA Board and was President from 2013-2015.

Cherie is the Chair for Washington State Music Teachers Association’s Outstanding Artist Piano Competition for Washington State’s gifted students. She co-chaired the WSMTA State Conference in 2010 here in Olympia and served as the Conference Floral Chair for many annual conferences.

Cherie and her husband Sandy have been married for about 53 years and have three children and four grandchildren. She feels blessed by family and friends and is thankful to have the opportunity to work at and live her passion of music!

Thank you for supporting this wonderful individual!

—Peter Mack, NCTM, WSMTA MTNA Foundation Chair

Independent Music Teachers Forum: Fall 2023 Update

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Laura Dean, WSMTA IMTF Chair

Don’t you just love the fall? I’m talking crisp mornings, colorful leaves, and getting back to a “normal schedule” after summer vacations.  A few seasonal traditions in my studio include booking recital spaces, creating yearly student action plans, ordering new materials, and a taking photos of each student for the famous “studio door.”  These annual traditions feel comforting and grounding.

At the same time, fall offers us opportunities for new experiences, and challenges. As music teachers, this may mean practicing new repertoire, volunteering for a position in your local chapter, taking a class, attending a workshop, or scaling up your business (no pun intended).  One of my new experiences is stepping into the position of IMTF chair on the heels of the previous chair, RoseMarie Tamburri. I’m speaking on behalf of all of us when I say, thank you, RoseMarie, for entertaining, educating, and inspiring us for the past seven years!

As the new IMTF chair, in the style of the previous chair, I plan on addressing topics that relate to the business and art of teaching music. Throughout the year, I’ll be reaching out to different teachers from around the state to weigh in on a wide variety of topics such as studio policies, online teaching, helpful teaching web sites, 21st century music, inspiring books, and more. Don’t be surprised if an email shows up in your inbox asking your opinion on a selected topic.

Here’s a little bit about my background: I’ve been teaching piano and voice in the Seattle area since 1995. In addition to teaching in a private studio setting, I’ve also worked as a teaching artist in Montana, Alaska, and Washington – presenting musical programs and workshops for K-12 schools, and small communities. For the past three years, I’ve been delighted to serve as a WSMTA visiting artist.

Originally from a rural community in Montana, I’ve always harbored a fascination with the music of the American West, and in 2022, my first book, Music in the Westward Expansion: Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier, was published by McFarland Publishing. The book examines the roles of music in the Westward Expansion and the diverse cultural landscape of the Old West, including northern Cheyenne courtship flute makers, fiddle-playing explorers, dancing fur trappers, hymn-singing missionaries, frontier flutists, girls with guitars, wagon-driving balladeers, poetic cowboys, singing farmers, musical miners, and preaching songsters. For the past year, I’ve been presenting programs featuring live music and narrative from the book.

It is my honor to serve you in this position, and as I mentioned, I’d like to incorporate YOUR ideas and viewpoints. If there is something you’d like me to write about, or dig into, please email me at the address found below.

Warmly,

Laura Dean
M. Music Education, NCTM
lauramusic@comcast.net
www.lauramusic.biz

President’s Corner: November 2023

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Colleen Hunter, NCTM, WSMTA President

Thoughts From Your President

It is amazing that the colors and changes inherent in nature have been in place, waiting for the right time to deliver. It reminds me that the fall events in our studios, chapters, state association and lives have been worked out through weeks and months of planning, details prepared, ready for the right time to deliver.

And we have enjoyed some terrific fall events! First and second monthly chapter meetings have taken place. I have had the privilege of meeting with three chapters so far — absolutely wonderful members — engaged, hard-working, generous, compassionate for their members, students, communities.

Registrations for the Music Literacy Program (MLP) are in. District Conference I/II recently took place thanks to the leadership of District Director Kay Zavislak. District VII Conference is coming up in mid-November in Spokane, thanks to District Director Greg Presley.

The WSMTA MTNA Competition and Outstanding Artist Piano Competition are in high gear for the weekend of November 11 at CWU. The Leadership Seminar in September was superbly handled by President-elect Kira Miller. Not only did we hear from and meet with our local leadership, but had opportunity to hear from our MTNA Executive Director and CEO, Gary Ingle, as well as, our MTNA President, Peter Mack.

In September, I represented WSMTA at the MTNA Summit, a leadership weekend similar to our leadership seminar.  The 2023 Local Leadership Seminar, an online summary of the MTNA Summit, is available here.

As we continue with our fall activities, here are a couple of take-aways from our leadership events: What is a change you would love to see in your life? What activities give you joy?

Enjoy the beauty of the season and the wonder of our music opportunities!

Colleen Hunter, NCTM