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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
What seeds are you planting this spring? As of today, we’re about four weeks out from the last frost here in Western Washington and I’m eagerly awaiting being out in my garden more. My climbing clematis just started to bud and grow leaves outside my piano studio entrance and I can’t wait for the purple […]
We are looking forward to a wonderful State Conference this coming June 27-29! The fun will include the annual silent auction of Baskets. Chapters are encouraged to create a themed basket and fill it with delightful gifts: socks, art, music, scarves, chocolates, wine, teaching aids, tea, coffee, jewelry, wellness and spa treats, and other items […]
My dad ran the in-house print shop for Seattle Public Schools, and also had a home publishing business with a printing press in our basement. I don’t remember ever seeing him wearing industrial earmuffs or earplugs, either at his noisy day job or at home. Predictably, his hearing began to fail in his 50’s and […]