CONNECTIONS ON THE COLUMBIA
June 28-30, 2025
Saturday, June 28, 2025 • Sunday, June 29, 2025 • Monday, June 30, 2025
Click on the session title to learn more about the session and the presenter.
*Please note, schedule, and presenters are subject to change.
SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2025
1:00 – 1:15 pm
Welcome to the 2025 WSMTA Conference:
WSMTA President Colleen Hunter, NCTM
Conference Co-Chairs Carol Cross and Dorothy Bauer
1:15 – 2:45 pm
Conference Guest Artists: Artina McCain and Martin McCain
Pushing The Needle: Conversations about career building and expanding repertoire
2:45 – 3:00 pm
Coffee, tea, and treats
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Jensina Oliver, NCTM
Maestro! Cultivating Artistry and Nuance Through Conducting
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Frances Goei, NCTM
So You Want to Compose?
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Honors Recital #1
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Sarah Silvia, NCTM and Matt Cleman
American Folk Song Singalong
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Sarah Barclay, NCTM
Keys to Crossover: Classical to Jazz
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner on your own
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Natalie Kahler, NCTM
Bird-watching walk around Lake Sacajawea
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Young Composers Project and Commissioned Composer of the Year Concert
(reception to follow)
9:00 – 10:30 pm
Trivia Night
SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2025
8:00 – 9:00 am
Coffee, tea, and treats
9:00 – 9:45 am
Kay Zavislak, NCTM
From the land of the Rising Sun: Introduction to Japanese Composers
9:00 – 9:45 am
Sarah Lightfoot
Creative & Confident
9:45 – 10:30 am
Coffee and tea top up
10:00 – 10:45 am
Leann Osterkamp He
Baby of a Concert Pianist: Building Technical Foundations Away from an Instrument
10:00 – 10:45 am
Michelle Rahn
Finding comfort while playing a Chin-strument
11:00 am – noon
Honors Recital #2
11:00 – 11:45 am
Rose Freeman, NCTM
MTNA Certification for You
11:00 – 11:45 am
Darin Kaschmitter, NCTM
Musical Theatre (Pit)falls
Noon – 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Annual Members Meeting
2:00 – 2:45
Brian Shepard
The Power of Community
2:45 – 3:00 pm
Coffee, tea, and treats
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Gabriel Merrill-Steskal
Playing the Right Wrong Notes: Melodic Ornamentation in Mozart and Chopin
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Rose Johnson
Are Copyright Laws Helping or Hurting The Classical Music Community?
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Honors Recital #3
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Christina Liu, NCTM
Level Up! Using Gamification to Enhance Learning
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Natalie Kahler, NTCM
Harnessing the power of solfege to teach theory, reading, and composition
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Happy Hour
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Banquet
(advance ticket purchase required)
7:30 – 9:00 pm
Guest Artist Concert:
Artina McCain and Martin McCain
(reception to follow)
MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2025
8:00 – 9:00 am
Coffee, tea, and treats
9:00 – 9:45 am
Ricardo de la Torre, NCTM
(Not Another) Lecture on Bach Performance on the Piano
9:00 – 9:45 am
Representation and Advocacy
Moderated discussion
9:45 – 10:30 am
Coffee and tea top up
10:00 – 10:45 am
Laura Dean, NCTM
Beyond the Studio Walls: Creating opportunities and building connections in a variety of educational settings
10:00 – 10:45 am
Mengyiyi Chen
Rhythms of Heritage: Exploring Chinese contemporary piano suite ‘Long and Short’ (1984)
11:00 am – noon
Honors Recital #4
11:00 – 11:45 am
Carmen Still, NCTM
Studio Management: Wrangling the Business Side of the Private Studio
11:00 – 11:45 am
Anna Schultz
Curriculum and Montessori Music boards for teaching ages 4-7
Noon – 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Lesson with the Guest Artists: Artina McCain, piano, and Martin McCain, trombone
2:30 – 3:00 pm
Coffee, tea, and treats
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Michelle Mielke, NCTM
A Year of Living Dangerously: My Ill-Prepared Studio Year Emphasizing Underrepresented Composers
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Zachariah Mayberry, Kate Gordon, and Clara Brown
Introducing Improvisation Into Your Studio
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Honors Recital #5
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Lark Powers, NCTM
Tic Toc: A Metronome on Every Piano? The Transformation of Tempo and Expression
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Ryan Sowers
Piano Technology for Teachers
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner on your own
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Washington Winners and Chamber Music Concert
(reception to follow)
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