The Guild Gazette. September 2015 (Volume 9, Number 1)

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1 The Guild Gazette September 2015 (Volume 9, Number 1) From the President: Welcome back to a full schedule of teaching! I hope our organization will provide even more opportunities than previous years for your students to perform and learn, and for you to enhance your knowledge in the field of piano pedagogy and music education. This year we will continue to focus our efforts in three areas: 1) Improving communication about our programs both inside our organization and outside in the community: Our website a2pianoteachers.com is a great tool and it is YOURS! We can post YOUR musings on a subject close to your heart on our blog; we can advertise YOUR recitals both on the website and on our Facebook page; we can remind YOU of important deadlines. Please do not hesitate to use this tool and let us know how we can serve you and your students better. Our Monthly Newsletter (Sept-June) is another way to reach all of you and we want to improve its content and its timing. For example, in order to get to know our members better, we hope to feature each of our 8 new members along with longtime members. We will also do our best to send the Newsletter within a week of our board meeting. 2) Mentoring members and team building within the organization: You will notice changes in our board as more members are getting involved and teams are being formed to ease or improve certain tasks: Tracey Baetzel, who has been taking

2 care of our Facebook page last year, will offer her expertise in communication matters; Chris Carlon and Yangwei Situ will join me in organizing and hosting students recitals; Heidi Cowan will be at the helm of the Performers Group; Mary Bates, Nancy Klein and Gaye Thomas will conceive the seminars together and Charlotte Moore-Viculin will join Nancy Klein and Brenda Marshall in the social committee. Finally, we are grateful to Melinda Haithcock and Gail Jennings for becoming our National Guild Auditions liaisons this year. 3) Proposing new events to promote ensemble playing among our students: In June we launched our first Piano Ensemble Camp and it was so well attended and so well received that we are already planning for a second edition in Also, I would like to bring your attention to two events, both held at Kerrytown Concert House this Fall: Nov. 22: Chamber Music Masterclass by the acclaimed Lincoln Trio from Chicago. Dec. 6: Student Ensemble Recital. We hope to hear many of your students in either of these events. All details about our calendar and information about our organization can be found on the website and in the yearbook which is currently being distributed. Please note that, in an effort to minimize the mailing costs, we hope that many of you will be able to pick up your copy at our first formal program on September 24. However, if you would like to have your copy of the Yearbook sooner, please contact Mary Bates at dexteroad@netscape.net. I would like to end this note by thanking the few board members who stepped down last year: Huimin Ponchart (Students Recitals), Daniel Drummond (Adult Recitals) Katherine Mizruchi-Teves (Performers Groups), Jeannette Faber (Seminars), Sara Carriere (telephone). I very much appreciated their dedication and I am also truly grateful to all - past and current board members - for working hard and helping me stay on track.

3 In case I do not see you at Kerrytown on September 24, I hope to have the pleasure of meeting with many of you in Grand Rapids during our annual State conference in October. We are off to a great start! Béatrice Ellis, President Ann Arbor Area Piano Teachers Guild Formal Programs At Kerrytown Concert House Our first formal meeting will be held on the morning of September 24. It features MMTA vice president, Charles Aschbrenner (Hope College), in a body awareness session entitled: Intractable Tension or Rhythmic Incoordination, Chicken or the Egg? Continuing to employ and develop insights gained through the study of Taubman, Alexander and Feldenkrais techniques in addition to his study at New York s Dalcroze School of Music this discussion will present new strategies for helping intermediate through advanced students improve sound quality, phrasing, and pedaling through common technical assignments. An emphasis is placed on relating specific physical motions to relaxation and sound. Please note, the Guild s business meeting convenes officially at 9:15 am, and includes refreshments! (this month provided by Jeanette F., Brenda M., and Mary Sue M. Our guest presenters speak from 10:00-11:00. Our next formal meeting (Oct. 15) will feature our own Gail Davis Barnes discussing (and reintroducing) the Student Achievement Test: its future, what s new this year, how to prepare, and how to get involved!

4 AAAPTG September Calendar of Events As this year s yearbook has arrived later than usual (see below), here is a calendar of this month s activities. It is also found on page 4 of the Yearbook and, of course, on our website! 10 BOARD MEETING: 9:15 a.m. - Home of Gail Davis Barnes 11 AAAPTG FOUNDATION BOARD MEETING 9:15 a.m. - Grace Bible Church 17 PERFORMERS GROUP 9:30 a.m. - Studio of Waleed Howrani 19 STATE CONFERENCE APPLICATION DEADLINE 24 FORMAL PROGRAM 9:00 a.m. - Kerrytown Concert House Intractable Tension or Rhythmic Incoordination, Chicken or the Egg? Continuing to employ and develop insights gained through the study of Dalcroze, Taubman, Alexander and Feldenkrais methods, this discussion will present new strategies for helping intermediate through advanced students improve sound quality, phrasing, and pedaling through common technical assignments. An emphasis is placed on relating specific physical motions to relaxation and sound. - Charles Aschbrenner, Hope College; MMTA Vice President Refreshments: Jeannette Faber, Brenda Marshall, Mary Sue Moore Reminder: September 16 is the deadline for MTNA/MMTA performance competition, held at UofM onnovember 20-22, 2015

5 SEMINARS Where your vote counts! Seminar meetings are going to be somewhat experimental this year. The committee Mary Bates, Nancy Klein, and Gaye Thomas will be coming up with topics based on membership input and subjects of interest that arise during formal programs. We will keep the format informal and the topics flexible. We need your help! If you have ideas for seminar, please write them on the clipboard that will be passed around at the September formal program. Please contact Gaye, Nancy, or Mary with any questions or suggestions. We hope to see you at the first Seminar on October 29 at Natalie Matovinovic s house! Yearbooks The Yearbook/Directory is available now! We are distributing the yearbook at meetings and through hand delivery. Mary Bates will have the yearbooks with her at all September meetings. We are trying to save money by not mailing books if we don t have to. So, please come to the September formal program on the 24th. Or, make arrangements to get your copy from Mary. Remaining yearbooks will be mailed after the 24th. Mary s contact info: dexteroad@netscape.net, Clavier Companion Subscriptions to Clavier Companion are available at the group rate of $20 per year. If you would like to subscribe or to renew your subscription please get a check payable to Linda Crooker. She will send in the group subscription with one check and must have your subscription by October 24th.

Yamaha G2R Grand piano, 5'7" (#4215136) - polished ebony - purchased new in 1986 from Tim Hoy at Hammell Music Inc in Livonia - excellent condition - tuned twice a year - voicing regulation

6 For Sale After 29 years of faithful service, I am finally selling my Yamaha Grand Piano in order to upgrade to a Steinway Grand model A3. Please let me know if you or any of your students or friends would be interested in purchasing this beloved instrument. Yamaha G2R Grand piano, 5'7" (# ) - polished ebony - purchased new in 1986 from Tim Hoy at Hammell Music Inc in Livonia - excellent condition - tuned twice a year - voicing regulation by Robert Grijhalva in May, 2013 $8,000 or best offer contact: joan@jaynes.org Yamaha Disclavier for Sale. Originally $10, Very light use. Will sell for $4, Please contact Judithmwaller@gmail.com and you will be directed to the owner. Picture below:

7 HALLOWEEN HOOT RECITAL The first AAAPTG Foundation Benefit Recital of the year is the Just for Fun Halloween Hoot. It will be held on Sunday, November 1, 1:00, at Kerrytown Concert House. Students of all ages are invited to play solos and ensemble pieces outside the normal standard repertoire. Halloween pieces, pop, jazz, and showtunes are the flavor of the day! Costumes are encouraged! Further information, flyers and applications will be available at the Sept. 24th formal program and on-line at the Foundation website, AAAPTGF.org. Contact person is Mary Bates: FOUNDATION NEWS May 2015 website: FOUNDATION ANNUAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE: The AAAPTG Foundation s 2015 Annual Campaign was launched last April. To date we have received donations totaling $2, toward our goal of $2, Our thanks to those who have contributed to date. If you have not yet made a contribution, please consider doing so today. Send your check, addressed and made out to: AAAPTG Foundation, P.O. Box 3139, Ann Arbor, MI AAAPTG Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Your donation is income tax deductible! MOSTLY MUSIC CAMP UP-DATE: Even though the camp was canceled for the second year in a row and there are no plans to form another camp next year, those who worked for the camp over the years of its existence can celebrate the success of the camp that was held from 1994 to 2013 in other words, for nineteen years. THANKS and APPRECIATION TO ALL WHO WERE PART OF THIS EFFORT!

8 SUPPLIES, SUPLIES AND MORE SUPPLIES! The Foundation has several storage tubs full of supplies that were used at the Mostly Music Camp or games and instruments, etc. that were available for loaning. At their September meeting, the board approved offering them for sale or for a donation to guild members. Watch for them to show up at formal meetings throughout the year. UPCOMING EVENTS HALLOWEEN HOOT Just for Fun Recital is just around the corner; Sunday, November 1, 2015 at Kerrytown Concert House, 1:00 p.m. See Chairperson Mary Bates article with all the details. The Foundation Board s next meeting is 9:15 a.m. November 13th at Grace Bible Church. The 2015 AWARDS AUDITIONS are scheduled for Saturday, March 12 at EMU; the RECITAL for 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 13 at Kerrytown Concert House. Updated information will be on the website soon. THE COMPLETE LIST OF AWARDS AND ASSISTANCE OFFERED by the FOUNDATION Partial Scholarships to Guild sponsored camps; available at camp times Financial Awards for musical excellence to Guild members students Teacher Enrichment Grants for private study, college level course work and more-deadline every year is April 15 Discretionary Assistance to students in financial need General Support Grant to organizations & individuals for various musical projects/events that serve the musical community & promote music education (detail below) Support for local arts organizations More information available on our website or contact Mary Sue msjoe56@aol.com

Events Programs Fundraisers Other Back to School Family Picnic & Outdoor Movie

Events Programs Fundraisers Other Back to School Family Picnic & Outdoor Movie September 2017 Dear CSE Family and Friends, Welcome back for those of you returning to CSE and welcome to our family and friends who are new to CSE! We hope you and your family had a wonderful summer!