Thoughts From Your President: April 2024

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Colleen Hunter, WSMTA President

Recently as I visited with a piano parent, I happened to see the new start of the Bleeding Heart Bush poking up through the ground by the front door.  Our area had just had a severe cold snap, snow, and blustery weather, so the new growth caught me by surprise.  In just a few days it doubled in size and, as is its nature, continues the rapid growth spurts!  It is the same plant gifted to me by the Spokane chapter as I completed my term as chapter president and reminds me of my fellow WSMTA friends.  What caught my breath was how much had been going on underneath the surface all winter.  The plant has a rough appearing bark root that lays just at the ground surface which makes it look like nothing is happening, when, in fact, a lot is taking place!

And so with WSMTA – the long winter days of consistent and concerted efforts of teachers, students, and mentors is yielding a spring of musical beauty through performances and experiences.  I witnessed a rapid showcase of beauty and success with several focused days as a Visiting Artist, then guided both home and college students through their MAP experience, and completed several intensive days of rehearsal and performance in collaboration with high school students at their solo/ensemble event.  Several days later along with other attendees, I heard our Washington State and Division winners perform spectacularly in the national competition at the MTNA Conference in Atlanta, GA.  Kudos to our students and teachers!

Representing our membership as a Foundation Fellow, Cherie Felts was honored at the MTNA Conference Gala and we cheered for her as she represents years of experience, dedication, service, and positive enthusiasm and collaboration in our Washington State Music Teachers.  Like flowers blooming, the monies raised in her honor pay it forward in scholarships for students and teachers.  In addition, the legacies of two more Washington teachers were honored:  the Michiko Miyamoto Endowment and the Helen Taverniti Fellow.  Many members will remember them fondly and give testimony to their teaching and influence.

The beauty keeps coming!  Join me in registering for the WSMTA Conference, June 27-29, 2024 on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.  We will hear our state and national winners, hear our chapter representatives in the Honors Recitals, hear from Connor Chee, our guest artist, and from two outstanding ensembles, The Sapphire Trio and Tango Volcado, as well as, many fabulous colleagues presenting an array of interesting and captivating topics.  An array of splendid color and tapestries of sound, sight, and senses!

You inspire! Thank you!

Colleen Hunter, NCTM
WSMTA President

Lois Whitner Student Study Grants Deadline May 15

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Do you have a serious student who is committed to music study but is struggling to continue lessons because of financial concerns? This spring encourage that student to apply for a WSMTA Lois Whitner Student Study Grant! Please note: application deadline is May 15, all applications will be online and grants will be available to students currently in grades 7-11.

Questions? Contact Connie Hungate:

cchungate@comcast.net
Land: 206-232-0117
Mobile: 206-849-4303

Music Literacy Program (MLP) High Honors

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Okanogan County Chapter

Lois Rhoads: Avarie Werner (1), Racie Rothrock (2)
Rosalind Nau: Adonijah Boguslavsky (1), Sophia Kiester (1), Trinity Doré (1), Evelyn Sheller (5)

Lynden Chapter

Karen Scholten: Makyla Boon (1), Payson Boon (1), Tess Bosman (1), Titus Chase (1), James Lemperes (1), Liam Foote (2), Kenzie Lankhaar (2), Thomas Leyenhorst (2), Emma Davis (3), Tamsen Kottelenberg (3), Rylea Lodder (3), Kiersten VanDelft (3)
Tammy Rutgers: Reid Elton (1), Gabriel Gassman (1), Max Hamilton (1), Hallie Puckett (1), Clara Bajema (2), Macy Faber (2), Karen Jones (2), Ruth Klein (2), Grace Stevens (5)
Leona Foster: Callum Crompton (1), Thomas Hungerford (1), Seren Kaemingk (1), Gabby Leavitt (1), Ellie Sokol (1), Aaron Presley (1), Will Presley (1), Sara Yue (6)
Karen Visser: Isaiah Kooiman (1), Noelle Lenssen (2), Faye Tamminga (2), Elena Stuart (4), Reta VanderMey (8)
Sherry VandenBos: Elena Slagle (2), Corah VanderMey (3), Lena VanderMey (5), Ava Tyler (6)
Meg Krieg: Lucy Stuart (3), Madeline Morris (9), Clara Rogers (9)
Lulu Johnson: Deklan Hoag (2), Avery Rennie (2), Jack Lovegren (3)
Emily Bailey: Edmund Blair (1), Josh VanWinckel (2), Sam McDough (2), Hannah VanWinckel (2)
Alissa Veeneman: Kaylee Tjoelker (1), Wyatt Johnson (1), James DenHartog (4)
Bethany Hilt: James Tinklenberg (1), Nathan VanderWoude (2)

Spokane Chapter

Joyce Hawkins: Mary Jensen (1), Emily Jensen (2), Jason Cunningham (2), Sasha Turner (4), Alyna Turner (5), Eshan Reddy (7), Dallin Howard (7), Adam Ling (8), Jason Claypool (8)
Davis Hill: Austin Downey (3)
Anastasia Sinitsa: Sophia Chernyavaskiy (Levei 2), Jason Chernyavaskiy (2)
Carolyn Stuart: Avery Turner (2), Abby Chuang (7), Leroy Koh (8)

Ten Great Reasons to attend the 2024 WSMTA Conference

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Laura Dean, WSMTA IMTF Chair

Ten Great Reasons to attend the 2024 WSMTA Conference

One sunny morning during last year’s WSMTA conference held at Sun Mountain lodge, I sat with the delightful Katie Levine outside on a patio overlooking gorgeous views of the Methow Valley. We were drinking coffee and getting to know each other as we swapped studio stories, chatted about the conference, and exchanged contact information. To me, personal connections and exchanges such as this, are at the heart of the annual WSMTA conference. These connections with colleagues bolster our spirits and make us feel that we’re not alone as independent music teachers.

The WSMTA 2024 conference, Weaving Together Culture and Harmony, is scheduled for June 27-29 at Gonzaga University in Spokane. Perhaps you already plan on attending, or perhaps you are still deciding. If you are on the fence about going, consider a multitude of reasons why you should attend. I’ve spelled out ten reasons to attend the C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E below.

Change of Scenery. What could be better than a trip to the eastern part of our beautiful state, to the historic city of Spokane? Spokane, named for the Spokane tribe, located on the Spokane River, is known as “Lilac City.” It’s also the birthplace of “Father’s Day,” and hosts the annual “Spokane Hoopfest,” the world’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Open your mind! The schedule is packed with over 25 presentations which are sure to fuel your creative fire throughout the year. I’m still working my way through the list of 21st century composers that Michelle Huang introduced us to last year during her inspired presentation on contemporary composers. I can’t wait to attend more informative presentations this year.

Nightly concerts! We will be treated to daily “Honors Recitals,” and nightly concerts by guest artists including award-winning composer and pianist, Connor Chee, as well as music from Sapphire Trio and Tango Volcado, both with WSMTA’s Jody Graves.

Friends! Connect with colleagues that you haven’t seen in a while and make some new musical pals.

Easy! No scheduling, no teaching, no worries, no dishes! Delight in learning, listening, and enjoying yourself at the conference.

Rejuvenation and reflection. Are you feeling burnt out? The conference provides opportunities to rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit as you retool your teaching kit.

Education! There are many opportunities for continuing education with the 25 presentations from experienced teachers, as well as concerts filled with a diverse collection of performers, and repertoire.

New ideas! You’ll leave the conference with exciting new ideas for your studio, your teaching, and your business!

Celebrate another school year in the books! Kick off your shoes and enjoy a well-deserved break.

Engage in meaningful conversations with colleagues over a cup of coffee, a box lunch, or a dinner date!

For more information about the conference and registration information, visit the WSMTA Conference page.

I hope to see you there.

Laura Dean, NCTM
www.lauramusic.biz

MusicLink Foundation: April 2024

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Amanda Snell, Washington MusicLink Coordinator

The MusicLink Foundation (www.musiclinkfoundation.org) is a national non-profit organization linking music teachers with low-income students who are not able to afford music lessons.  MusicLink teachers volunteer to teach these students at up to half of their normal fee, while MusicLink handles the process of determining a student’s financial eligibility and provides support and discounts for participating teachers.

Please consider signing up to be a MusicLink teacher! This strengthens the WSMTA presence in our community by promoting access and widespread availability of music instruction to students in need.

It’s free and easy to register whether you are already teaching a student at a discounted rate, or whether you are looking to begin teaching a new student waiting to be linked.  To become a MusicLink Teacher, contact State Coordinator Amanda Snell (amandacs87@gmail.com) or visit www.musiclinkfoundation.org.

We currently have an urgent need for:

  • Violin teacher in Puyallup
  • Guitar donation for a student in Issaquah
  • Saxophone donation for a student in Issaquah
  • Early childhood piano teacher in North Seattle
  • At the end of the school year we will need a piano teacher for 3 different students in Renton area

Commissioned Composer of the Year: April 2024

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Louise Nedela

Louise Nedela, WSMTA Commissioned Composer of the Year Chair

Mission Statement: The WSMTA Commissioned Composer of the Year is the Washington State segment of the MTNA Composer Commissioning Program.  MTNA is dedicated to encouraging the creation of new works by American composers, and annually assists its affiliated State Associations with the generation and performance of new music through the national Composer Commissioning program. A newly commissioned work receives its premiere performance at the convention of the State MTA, which is then submitted to a panel of recognized composers for selection of the MTNA Distinguished Composer of the Year.

Nathan Campbell, WSMTA Commissioned Composer, 2024

Our 2024 Commissioned Composer of the Year, Nathan Campbell, composer, pianist, and music educator in Bellingham, Washington, will present his commissioned work at the June Conference.  A reminder of his background, Nathan earned a BM in Composition at Chapman University, and completed his MM in Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  Nathan was the winner of the 2013 San Francisco Shanghai International Chamber Music Competition.  He also was the winner of the 2014 Highsmith competition, and the 2023 Marsha Wright Sonatina Festival.  He has worked with such groups as Friction Quartet, FEARnoMUSIC, The Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, The SFCM Orchestra, The Firebird Ensemble, Beyond Pluck, Phonochrome, and the International Low Brass Trio.

More about Nathan and his music can be found on his website and on SoundCloud:

www.nathancampbellmusic.com

https://soundcloud.com/nathan-campbell-composer

Nathan’s commissioned work for the WSMTA 2024 CCOY, to be performed at the 2024 WSMTA Conference, is titled Orbits, for cello and piano.  It will be performed by cellist Ben Workman Smith, with the composer on the piano.  Ben earned a cello performance degree from Western Washington University, and is currently enrolled in the masters of Music Education program there.  A description of the piece:

“Having watched a few recent interviews with the crew of NASA’s next Artemis mission, I’ve found myself spending more time gazing up at the stars and thinking about the planets and their orbits around the sun. I’ve found myself comparing our own routines to the orbits of planets. We pass in and out of each other’s lives on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis, but yet somehow, we remain connected through the influence of these orbits as our routines bring us in and out of each other’s lives.”

“Orbits is a piece for cello and piano and is designed to create a space for reflection on our routines in life and the relationships that result from those routines. The piano creates a minimalistic texture of overlapping harmonic progressions moving at different speeds, with each progression representing an orbit. Over this, the cello presents a melodic line highlighting the shared notes of each progression. The melody acts as a representation of the connection and influence between the orbits.”

Other CCOY news:

Note: The process for selecting the WSMTA Commissioned Composer of the Year has changed. By members’ request, and as one of the preferences indicated in the member survey in 2020, the CCOY committee will appoint a Commissioned Composer for 2025.  That appointment will be announced in the September edition of the Clarion.  If anyone wishes to nominate a composer (especially those who might not see the Clarion), please contact me with your nomination.

Attention past CCOYs:  We would like to include your commissioned piece on the WSMTA website via a link.  Please contact louisenedela@gmail.com for more information.  We look forward to compiling the compositions of past CCOYs!

Music Literacy Program: April 2024

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Melanie Stroud, WSMTA Music Literacy Program Chair

Spring has sprung, and my students are busily preparing for the Music Literacy Program!

I want to take this article to focus on one specific testing area: Sight Reading. This is the one that tends to stress my students out the most. They’re so concerned with making a mistake that they “can’t see the forest for the trees.” This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about how to tackle a new piece. It doesn’t matter how many times we have introduced new pieces to them (on a weekly basis, every lesson for years!), when we ask them to sight read something new, they become a deer in the headlights. So, when preparing for the MLP, we will do at least two practice tests.

During the first one, I talk them through it. “What’s the key signature? What’s the hand position? Do your hands move ever?” I have them count through the rhythm in their head, think through each hand, maybe even play on their laps! Then they play through it. We talk through what went well, what they should have maybe spent some more time thinking through, and the second test they do all the prep on their own. By the time they get to our event, the test is a piece of cake. Ultimately, student success and literacy is our main goal, and whatever makes them successful is a win!