PRESENTERS
Alexandro Aguilar ● Junheng Chen ● Laura Dean, NCTM ● DEI Task Force ● Yu Dong ● Rose Freeman, NCTM ● Frances Goei, NCTM ● Jody Graves, NCTM ● Tom Hicks, NCTM ● Davis Hill ● Alyssa Jacobs ● Milica Jelača Jovanović, NCTM ● Yerin Kim ● Katie Levine ● Peter Mack, NCTM ● Roger McVey, NCTM ● Michelle Mielke, NCTM ● Marina Munter, NCTM and Moses Lake Teacher Panel ● Katie O’Rourke, NCTM ● Jensina Oliver, NCTM ● Leann Osterkamp He ● Mary Kaye Owen, NCTM ● Greg Presley, NCTM ● Ross Salvosa ● Rachelle Ventura ● Kayden Warwick and Clara Brown ● Yimo Zhang
Please note that all presentations are 45 minutes long.
Alexandro Aguilar
The Music of Mexico and Manuel Maria Ponce
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5 p.m.
The compositions of musicians from underrepresented backgrounds have gone largely overlooked in the core literature for piano and in academic fields such as musicology and theoretical analysis. The music of Mexican composers such as Manuel Maria Ponce, deserves to be in the standard repertoire of classical piano as his artistic merit could be compared to that of other European composers such as Johannes Brahms or Franz Liszt. Inadvertently, academic music has missed out on rich cultural inspiration. This session is meant to bring awareness to Ponce’s compositions for solo piano and the history of musical culture in Mexico.
Alexandro Aguilar is a pianist studying piano performance and jazz at the University of Idaho under Dr. Roger McVey. Born in Payette, Idaho to two Mexican immigrants, Alexandro’s goal is to bring awareness to
hispanic culture through performance and education.
Junheng Chen
Individualized teaching: A way to help students find their own voices
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 9 a.m.
Instrumental teaching typically encompasses two general aspects: technique and musicality. Within this framework, it is important for instructors to create a personalized learning experience, making lessons meaningful and relevant to each student. This presentation will share two student cases (ages five and nineteen) and three strategies for individualized teaching. These include facilitating motivation based on their interests, in-lesson recapitulation for comprehension, and assisting them in creating individualized practice plans. This presentation will also showcase innovative approaches, such as incorporating elements from social media apps or video games, aiming to make violin practice more engaging and enjoyable.
Junheng Chen, a sectional violinist with Symphony Tacoma and violin instructor at the Chopin Academy of Music in Issaquah, recently earned her DMA from the Eastman School of Music, where she was nominated for the teaching assistant prize in the string department.
Laura Dean, NCTM
Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 10 a.m.
A look at the Westward Expansion through the lens of music. Inspired by Laura’s book, Music in the Westward Expansion: Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier, weaves together first-hand accounts, stories, and songs of the 1800s American West. The musical lineup includes Northern Cheyenne courtship flute improvisations, a Spanish Fandango, fiddle tunes, old time hymns, folk songs, cowboy songs, and much more!
IMTF Panel Discussion moderated by IMTF Chair Laura Dean.
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
This lively panel discussion features 3 WSMTA teachers (TBA). We will have a box at the conference registration table where teachers may submit their questions/topics for the IMTF panel discussion. Possible topics to kick off the conversation include the following:
• How do you retain students?
• Do you have recommendations for 21st Century Music for our students?
• How do you recharge when dealing with the demands of a busy teaching schedule?
• Do you have favorite web sites that you go to for sheet music and or teaching ideas?
• Do you have a favorite music themed podcast that you listen to?
We will leave 10 minutes at the end of the discussion for additional audience questions/comments.
Laura Dean‘s music career spans over twenty-five years and includes audiences in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Originally from Montana, Laura lives in Seattle where she performs, teaches, writes, and offers educational music workshops. Laura has a Masters in Music Education and is the WSMTA IMTF Chair. Her first book, Music of the Westward Expansion: Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier, was published in May of 2022.
DEI Task Force
DEI Task Force Panel Discussion
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 3 p.m.
The DEI task force panel discussion with task force members, led by Judith Schoepflin, NCTM, Ross Salvosa, and Lee Eddy.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Members include: Donna Bender, Eastside, Seattle; Amora Bussey, Puyallup Valley; Lee Eddy, Seattle; Kathy Mortensen, Seattle; Ross Salvosa, South King County, Yakima-Ellensburg; Judith Schoepflin, NCTM, Spokane; Sarah Silvia, NCTM, Kitsap County, Edmonds, Seattle; Claire Elise Wang, NCTM, Spokane The WSMTA DEI Task Force meets virtually twice per month.
Yu Dong
Chinese-American Women Composers: an Overview of Chinese Aesthetics in Selected Piano Works of Chen Yi and Bun-Ching Lam
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 1 p.m.
The purpose of this lecture recital project was to discuss and perform Chinese aesthetics in selected piano works of two Chinese-American female composers, Chen Yi and Bun-Ching Lam. For Chen, the pieces I selected were: Duo Ye (1985), and Northern Scenes (2013), focusing on the aesthetics of: Yin-Yang, and Beijing opera. For Lam, the pieces I selected were: Six Phenomena (1998) and Three Little Pieces (2018), highlighting the aesthetics of: Chinese brushwork and Negative space. This project may provide a user-friendly resource for performers, teachers, and students who wish to program the music of Chen Yi and Bun-Ching Lam.
Dr. Yu (Dora) Dong has shown her music passion and diverse scope as a dedicated pianist and educator. Currently a member of the Faculty at Seattle Girls Choir. Yu’s main research interest is on Chinese-American Women composers. She earned her Doctor of Arts degree in Piano Performance at Ball State University, with a secondary emphasis in Voice Performance.
Rose Freeman, NCTM
MTNA Certification: 3 Steps to Success
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 4:30 p.m.
Want to hear the inside scoop of what evaluators are looking for in your Teacher Profile Projects for National Certification? This interactive presentation will empower you with three steps to success. Invite a colleague to join you to hear from Rose who will share from her experience as MTNA Certification Commissioner for the Northwest Division and as WSMTA Certification chair. If you are considering Certification, or have already started the process, come see how MTNA Certification can be a system for reconnection to the heart of what you teach and why you teach music!
Rose Freeman delights in the timeless art of music as a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, MTNA Certification Commissioner, and pianist of “The Musical Mountaineers.” She invites students on a personal, intuitive, and creative journey with an approach that fosters connection to their own hearts and the world around them.
Frances Goei, NCTM
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Writing music can be daunting. In this presentation, Frances will be moving from the known to the unknown. The easiest way to write a piece is to copy and change an existing piece. Frances will be exploring ways to go from changing a piece to creating an entirely new composition. Limited ideas and use of repetition and variation are keys to creative pieces. We will be looking at different styles and forms of music. Frances will be sharing pieces that she or her students have written and the thought process that went into creating these pieces. She hopes that this presentation will be an inspiration for all musicians to even attempt to compose.
Frances Goei, NCTM, has been chair of the Young Composers Project for the last three years. She has a BA in Music Theory and Composition from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mi. She has a real passion for music theory and composition and hopes to share this in her presentation.
Jody Graves, NCTM
PASSION AND PURPOSE…Re-Greening Our Mission!
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 2 p.m.
As musicians we effect deep and lasting change in the minds and hearts of everyone we teach, and everyone who hears us play or sing. The result of those activities, done through our talent and passion and love, is that for the seemingly brief moment in a lesson, or on the stage, or in the school assembly or the retirement home, we are the stewards of creating the experience of memory and possibility. With every note, every small step of accomplishment with a student, and in every collective enthusiastic applause for the beginner in a primer book, to the advanced artist playing Brahms, the world resonates with healing, connection and something beautiful. Sometimes amid the schedule grind, the fight to be valued over soccer, and the self-questioning about our own creativity we lose sight of our purpose and value. This session allows for the space to re-ignite those sparks and to “re-green” our shared mission with some creative and innovative ways to do so!
Dr. Jody Graves maintains an exciting, active performing career, recognized as a distinguished concert artist and teacher of piano. She performs and gives workshops in the U.S. and abroad. She was inducted into the Steinway Piano Teacher Hall of Fame in NY and is the Music Program Chair at EWU.
Tom Hicks, NCTM
Creativity in the Performance of Chopin
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 10 a.m.
This presentation will consider the newest authoritative editions of Chopin’s works. The focus will be on his pedagogically significant nocturnes. Through an examination of the multiple authentic sources available, the goal of modern editors to produce authoritative and yet flexible editions will be explored. This stands in contrast to common aesthetic assumptions about singular authenticity when it comes to musical works and is the starting point for greater interpretative freedom rather than greater restriction. This can be extremely inspiring for us and our students as we study these wonderful works together. Alongside a deep dive into his sketches and manuscripts, an exploration of Chopin’s pedagogy and the recordings and recollections of his pupils will also illuminate aspects of his creative process that we can take to heart as active and creative interpreters of his music.
Tom Hicks, praised for his ‘gorgeously creative playing’ that ‘transports the listener to another place and time’ is a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. With over 60 concerto appearances and recordings featuring Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Ireland, and others, his album received the American Records Guide’s Critics Choice in 2022. A gold medallist in numerous competitions and Visiting Assistant Professor at Whitman College, Hicks continues to perform for audiences worldwide. Learn more at www.tomhickspianist.com or follow @tomhickspianist on Instagram.
Davis Hill
Turn Your Lead Sheet Into Gold
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Perhaps no modern musical document is as misunderstood as the lead sheet. And yet, they abound: from jazz, to church music, to marching bands and musicals. Join professional jazz pianist Davis G. Hill for a no-nonsense look at lead sheets: how to play from, read, and write them. You will learn:
– What lead sheets don’t (or won’t) tell you
– How to “comp” from a lead sheet, in any common style
– When to improvise—and when not to
– How to write lead sheets that communicate clearly
– How to teach students to play from a lead sheet
Davis G. Hill is a pianist, composer, and educator in Spokane, WA. He teaches at the primary, secondary, and college levels in the greater Spokane region. He leads a music education consultancy, Modern Orpheus LLC, and maintains a private studio of 10-15 students in Spokane. MA & B.Music, EWU.
Alyssa Jacobs
Empowered Teaching: Navigating Student Motivation Through the Lens of Executive Function
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Embark on a pedagogical journey, exploring the challenges in motivating students through the lens of a set of cognitive skills called executive function. This presentation provides pragmatic solutions, emphasizing the crucial link between effective executive function skills and student engagement. Explore adaptive methodologies to refresh teaching approaches, recognizing individual learning styles while motivating children to embrace learning. Gain insights on overcoming challenges like learner resistance and stagnant progress, emphasizing the crucial connection between attention, perception, initiation, inhibition, and working memory. Join us for an empowering session on conquering teaching hurdles and fostering enduring educational impact by motivating every learner.
Alyssa Jacobs, MS, is a piano instructor at the Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene, ID. Her degrees in Education at BYU specialized in childhood musical literacy development, auditory processing, and teaching neurodivergent children. Her postgraduate work has focused on the intersection of musical learning with ADHD and executive function deficits.
Milica Jelača Jovanović, NCTM
Clara, the Other Schumann
I am excited to share my fascination with Clara Wieck-Schumann, who deserves a more adequate place of her own in history! A great romantic composer, and a foremost virtuoso pianist, in the same league as more famous Liszt, but active over much longer time; a wife and a muse to Robert Schumann, a mother of their seven children, and a tireless promoter and editor of his works. The music I will present includes her dramatic, fiery Scherzo; a melancholic Romance composed for her Paris tour in 1839, dedicated to Robert, and an agitated twirling waltz, composed 14 years later, dedicated to Brahms.
Milica Jelača Jovanović enjoys a multifaceted career as a concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and educator. Born into a family of professional musicians in Belgrade, Serbia, she holds degrees from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and U of M, Ann Arbor. She is currently a Professor and Coordinator of the Keyboard Program at Western Washington University.
Yerin Kim
Designing A Music Literacy Program for Historically Excluded Minority Students – Summer Literacy in Youth and Music Program
The CWU Keyboard Area launched a Summer Music Literacy Program in 2022 to teach fundamental music skills to youth in Ellensburg and surrounding communities, especially for students who are HEMS (Historically Excluded Minority Students). With the support from the University, this program has been chosen to expand to include chamber music, choir, and music literature. Designing a curriculum that can nurture both novice teachers as well as young students in the journey of music literacy is the main goal. Through this program, young teachers develop skills including leadership, communication, teaching, and organization; and young students in our communities can deepen their connection to music and its potential in their lives. Every young person deserves to interact with music.
Guided by Dr. Yerin Kim, Director of Keyboard Area and Dr. Ross Salvosa, Full time Lecturer of Piano/Piano Pedagogy, the Piano Studios of CWU Music Department’s Keyboard Area is a vibrant group of undergraduate and graduate pianists that are passionate about performance, pedagogy and community outreach.
Katie Levine
If I Had A Time Machine: Working Smarter not Harder
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 9 a.m.
Maintaining a private studio that provides both joy and financial stability can be a winding road. From advertising to fostering relationships, to the magic of autopay, this session will help you cultivate a thriving studio.
Katie Levine is a pianist, composer, and teacher. She serves on the Seattle MTA board as past president. She enjoys swimming, dancing, crafting epic cheese boards, and hanging out with her cats, Weasel and Mouse.
Peter Mack, NCTM
“Why would you do that, when you’re not even getting paid?” Reflections as MTNA President
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.
I joined WSMTA because one of my students told me, “You have to join this so that I can do a competition.” So I did. As far as I was concerned, that was going to be the end of it. And yet, things have turned out very differently….
This is a talk about volunteering, Seattle Music Teachers Association/WSMTA/MTNA, overcoming fears of inadequacy, and how my life has been immeasurably enriched.
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy … when you volunteer you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”
– Marjorie Moore
MTNA President Peter Mack, NCTM, is a nationally renowned performer, clinician, and convention artist. Originally from Ireland, he lives in Seattle where he runs a successful private studio.
A veteran volunteer, Peter has served WSMTA and MTNA in many capacities: as a district vice president, education board member, and adjudicator chair. Currently, he is Washington State’s Foundation chair and serves on its nominating committee. For MTNA, Peter served on the national board as Northwest Division director (2010–2012), vice president (2017–2019), and president-elect (2021-2023). He chaired the planning committee for the 2014 Chicago National Conference, coordinated Pedagogy Saturday for the 2012 New York Conference, and has led the Artistry Track multiple times. The 2015 Las Vegas conference saw him honored as a surprise MTNA Foundation Fellow, along with fellow Washingtonian, Robin Chadwick.
Roger McVey, NCTM
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 9 a.m.
This presentation will introduce teachers and students to piano music by representative New Zealand composers. New Zealand (Aotearoa) is a small country with a big focus on living composers and the support of new music. Additionally, the musical culture encompasses a fascinating mix of styles, from European and native Maori culture to Asian and Pacific Island influences. These are often synthesized in the classical art music of New Zealand composers. The repertoire presented in this session will range from early Intermediate to Advanced levels, with music by composers such as John Psathas, Gillian Whitehead, John Elmsly, Gillian Bibby, and Gareth Farr.
Roger McVey has performed throughout the United States, in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and New Zealand. He is currently Professor of Piano and Head of Keyboard Studies at the University of Idaho. Dr. McVey regularly adjudicates for the Washington State Music Teachers Association. He is a Steinway Hall of Fame teacher.
Michelle Mielke, NCTM
Curating a Musical Life
It is easy for the life of an independent music teacher to become simultaneously too full and too isolating. While we may love teaching music, there are other frequently occurring and necessary roles that may chafe (such as administration, marketing, billing, and janitorial duties). This interactive presentation will examine how we balance our passions with the mundane, align our values with the practicalities of our business practices, and how to evaluate and transform the drudgery.
Michelle Mielke earned her M.A. in Piano Performance at Washington State University in 1999, and her B.S. from Eastern Oregon State College in 1995. She was on the piano faculty at WSU until 2017, teaching pedagogy, coordinating the Piano Pedagogy Lab School and implementing an Adopted Composer Program there in 2004 which resulted in the commissioning of over 20 educational piano works and collaboration with a number of eminent pedagogical composers. She has presented programs for WSMTA conventions, is in demand as an adjudicator for regional piano festivals, and an active performer as soloist, collaborator and a member of the Camassia Trio in her community. In 2008 she performed a solo recital, “Inspired by Poets and Painters” in the Pacific Northwest and also in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she was invited to perform the King’s music with Thai musicians. She has been a private piano teacher since 1992.
Marina Munter, NCTM and Moses Lake Teacher Panel
Silver Boxes: The words of encouragement to our students
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 9 a.m.
We as teachers have a great influence on the lives of our students. Our words can build them up, give them confidence, encourage their unique musical abilities, and nourish their love for music.
Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto in his book “The Hidden Messages in Water” discovered that molecules of water were affected by the energy of words. The bottle of water having positive words labeled such as “thank you” on it, formed perfect frozen crystals. When words that indicated harm such as “you fool” were written on the bottle, no crystals were formed. “Let’s do it” created a lovely crystal, while “Do it” created a dark lump, which indicated that force and commands are alien to the principles of nature and harmony. Let our words be gifts to our students like little silver boxes with bows on top.
Marina Munter, NCTM, received her bachelor’s degree in choral conducting from Smolensk Music College, Russia, and a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from Central Washington University. Marina maintains her music studio, where she is teaching private and group piano lessons to her 78 students.
Doreen Slaugh, NCTM, received a degree in elementary education with a minor in music from Brigham Young University. She received her MTNA Professional Certification in 2006. Doreen has been teaching piano students 50 plus years and is still learning. Her philosophy is teachers who stop learning also stop being good teachers. Doreen is a wife, Mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother of a family she loves dearly.
Preta Laughlin, NCTM, has been teaching private piano lessons for 43 years. She studied with Margaret Ott and Dr. Bonalyn Bricker-Smith. She is an adjudicator for National Guild Auditions and received her MTNA Professional certification.
Harriet West has taught private and group piano lessons (and some organ lessons) to students, ages 3-75, for over 50 years. She has been a member of WSMTA for 46 years and last year was inducted into the WSMTA Hall of Fame. She is excited to be part of the presentation because she believes “words matter”.
Jensina Oliver, NCTM
The Building Blocks of Phrasing; Help your students discover common musical building blocks such as four-bar phrases, sequences, musical sentences, and more!
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 4 p.m.
When a student understands four-bar phrases, sequences, musical sentences, and other typical compositional structures, their ability organize their interpretation improves and subsequently they become able to express more artistically and with more variety. Furthermore, they become empowered to make logical and meaningful choices about dynamics, nuances, and communication. Come discover the building blocks of phrasing!
Known for her expressive and passionate performances, pianist Jensina Oliver has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in diverse venues around the world. Dr. Oliver travels and teaches around the Pacific Northwest, providing meaningful artistic instruction to students and teachers alike. She resides with her family in Seattle, where she is a well-known performer, instructor, clinician, and adjudicator.
Leann Osterkamp He
Neurodivergence, Flying Chickens, and Chain Learning: Developing Instructional Flexibility to Become Culturally Responsive
This seminar teaches how to support and build the mental health of all neurodivergent students, using music as a tool for empowerment in all areas of their lives, as well as building fantastic performers. To be effective/inclusive educators, we cannot teach in an identical way to any two students we encounter. This seminar will focus on understanding and embracing neurodivergence, skills for quickly determining what a student individually needs in both studio/classroom settings, and proven strategies (such as chain learning and spatial-verbal instruction) that increase instructional flexibility.
Steinway Artist, Dr. Leann Osterkamp He, is a passionate educator with an impressive performance/recording career. A Presidential Scholar of the Arts (Obama) and an international competition winner, she is a frequent conference presenter. Formerly faculty at Juilliard, she currently owns RioPiano, an international online education company. www.leannosterkamp.com
Katie O’Rourke, NCTM
Part Versus Whole: Brain Lateralization and Integrative Learning
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 11 a.m.
Although the idea that some people are right-brained and others are left-brained is a myth through and through, new findings from neuroscience clarify how each hemisphere of the brain influences thought, action and learning. In this interactive session, we will dive into the world of the right brain to explore how holistic and contextualized thinking shapes musicianship. Join us as we uncover the many ways that the right brain brings harmony, depth and beauty to our craft!
Morning Movement
Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 8:15 a.m.
Start the day right with a gentle movement practice to awaken the body and the mind. The Feldenkrais Method® explores novel movements in a gentle yet thrilling way to increase body awareness, mobility, and overall ease in movement. While seated in chairs, we will explore posture to improve self-awareness and enhance your ability to communicate creatively and authentically through the arts. This class is suitable for anyone regardless of level of physical fitness. Join us to prepare yourself for a day filled with learning!
Katie O’Rourke, NCTM, is a piano instructor, Feldenkrais Practitioner®, and Oxygen Advantage® Functional Breathing Instructor offering private lessons and movement coaching in the Seattle area and online. Katie also runs the Awareness Through Music Blog, which is dedicated to providing free resources on injury prevention, musicians’ wellness, and mindful pedagogy.
Mary Kaye Owen, NCTM
Friday, June 28, 2024 at 11 a.m.
One way to prepare students for performances is to have a rehearsal in front of other students. Hosting all students at a fun Piano Party has benefits that include performance preparation, development of peer support, and relieving the feeling of being alone in piano study. Session attendees will experience a Piano Party not unlike those held at The Red Door Music Studio in Renton.
With degrees from University of Washington and Multnomah University, Mary Kaye Owen has enjoyed her MTNA lifestyle, serving in many positions at local, state, and national levels. Even when being a member with no responsibilities, Mary Kaye found her membership in MTNA to be one filled with both social (friends & fun) and financial (lots of students and gigs) benefits.
Greg Presley, NCTM
All I Really Need to Know I Could Have Learned from CPE Bach
In his time and into the early 19th century, CPE was by far the most famous Bach, and familiar quotes, such as Mozart’s – “Bach is the father, we are the children” – referred to him, not to JS Bach. His famous “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments” was a musical bible to composers, performers, teachers and students. Much of that book has to do with fingering and figured bass improvisation, but we can trace nearly every aspect of musicality and interpretation still taught today to his chapters on performance, and I’ll be exploring those principles in this presentation.
Greg Presley has appeared as soloist with the Spokane Symphony, the Washington-Idaho Symphony, the Yale Symphony and the Spokane Opera Orchestra. He frequently performs two-piano and chamber music works, and presents and adjudicates throughout the Pacific Northwest. He is principal keyboard player for the Spokane Symphony. He currently teaches applied piano at Gonzaga University.
Ross Salvosa
Breaking Free from Debussy’s Shackles
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 2 p.m.
This presentation aims to illuminate the richness of Filipino musical heritage through the exploration of piano compositions by esteemed composers Antonio Molina (Malikmata), Lucio San Pedro (Salamisim), and Ramon Tapales (Mindanao Orchids). Delving into the intricate nuances of each piece, the audience will gain a deeper understanding of the unique blend of cultural influences, historical context, and artistic expression that characterize these works. Additionally, the discussion will extend to the broader musical landscape, addressing the cultural appropriation of Southeast Asian gamelan sonorities by Claude Debussy. This appropriation’s societal impact on the reception of Southeast Asian composers’ works will be scrutinized, shedding light on the interconnectedness of musical traditions and the broader socio-cultural implications of cross-cultural artistic influences.
Ross Salvosa is a Piano/Piano Pedagogy faculty at CWU and co-director/advisor of its PianoFest and MTNA Collegiate Chapter. He is also a faculty at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and is serving in the WSMTA DEI Task Force. He was a member of the 2023 MTNA Conference Planning Committee and was the 2023 MTNA Poster Session Chair.
Rachelle Ventura
When Repetition isn’t enough: Using contextual interference in the practice room
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 10 a.m.
How often have you drilled a passage diligently one day, but returned to it the next only to stumble through like you’ve hardly seen it before? This session will address the reason this happens and offer a practice tool well-researched in the fields of motor skills, cognitive and sports psychology, and more recently, music. Learn how to empower your students to practice more efficiently and effectively with results that can better withstand the pressure of performance. Practical examples will be given of how strategies can be implemented for beginner through advanced musicians.
Rachelle Ventura has taught piano privately and at Whitworth University and performed with symphonies, Best of Broadway shows, and operas. With postgraduate training in performance psychology and experience as a licensed mental health counselor, she is committed to helping musicians learn the skills they need to deliver optimal performances.
Kayden Warwick and Clara Brown
Unlocking Music Magic: Teaching Preschoolers Through Musical Play
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 2 p.m.
We will explore creative games to instruct preschool-aged students that capitalize on their inclination for imagination. Tools such as storytelling, drawing, and make-believe play can be used to teach students without using materials that require them to be proficient in reading and counting.
Kayden Warwick is a recent graduate of Washington State University where she earned a degree in piano performance. She has been teaching for seven years both at the WSU Piano Pedagogy Lab School, and privately in the Clarkston area.
Clara Brown is a student at Washington State University pursuing a degree in piano performance and pedagogy. She is involved in the Pullman MTNA chapter, as well as being president of the WSU collegiate chapter. Clara also teaches several young beginner students with WSU’s Piano Pedagogy Lab School.
Yimo Zhang
Repertoire choices for the intermediate-level Piano Students
Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 11 a.m.
Many people have wondered what appropriate repertoire to assign for their intermediate level students, so they can progress steadily. This presentation seeks to provide practical tools for the teachers, by identifying selected areas of focus in our teaching, and using excerpts of repertoire from a variety of stylistic periods. These areas cover both pianistic development and musicianship. We will exam excerpts and identify technically/musically challenging passages, then use problem solving skills to come up with creative exercises. We will explore overlooked repertoire which could be motivating, at the same time reinforcing a solid foundation.
Dr. Yimo Zhang has performed both as a soloist and collaborative pianist in the United States, Germany, Austria, and China. She enjoys teaching as an independent music educator, working with a student population from diverse ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. Her students have won multiple awards locally and statewide.