Closing Social Extraorinaire!

 On Tuesday, May 12th, we all gathered at the home of Mark Gubler for our end-of-year social/potluck luncheon.

Everyone brought something to share and we enjoyed mingling with each other.  It was nice to see members we haven't seen for awhile, and also to meet new members.  Our chapter has such a great membership and we really enjoy being together.

One of our members was gifted several pieces of sheet music from World War I and World War II eras.  It was fun to see them before they are donated to the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins.

During lunch, our current president, Tiffany Barnes, passed the torch to our new chapter president, Amanda Horrocks, who has been serving as Vice President.  She will do an amazing job carrying on a great legacy for our chapter.

Thanks to all for being a part of UMTA - St. George!!  See you in the Fall!

Also, REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP HERE:  UMTA/MTNA Membership Renewal

  

  

Un-Broken...

 During April's chapter meeting, I mentioned about my experience using AI to compose lyrics and write a song using AI.  It was a "firehose" experience and was overwhelming until I did it!!  It was all part of "Beyond the Notes" a 4-week piano course I took from Shane Bowles.  

During this meeting I explained that one of my daughters was going through a VERY difficult time...which gave me inspiration for the lyrics.  The rest came from following Shane's easy-to-understand, and follow, instruction!

This song may not win any awards, but it was beyond meaningful to me, and my daughter!!  

I am so grateful for the opportunities we have as muscians to continue to learn and grow!

Un-Broken

Un-Broken by Patrice Hunt

I was walking through the shadows,


Heavy heart and silent cries.


Every echo of the past spoke


Of dreams I’d watched capsize.


I was hurt and I was frightened,


Thought I’d break beneath the strain—

Then Christ stepped into my darkness


And walked with me through the pain.

I whispered “broken” so often it felt true,

But He spoke life to my heart and pulled me through.


Through Christ, I will overcome.  

Even when I fall, His strength is where I run.


I was broken, now I stand—
By His grace, I will overcome.

I was tangled up in anger,


Let it steal what I could be.


Felt inadequate and ignorant,


Blind to what He’d see in me.

But Christ taught me to be honest,


Face the fear I used to hide—

And the moment that I trusted


Was the moment my fear died.

Once terrified of falling, now I walk unafraid—


His truth shatters every lie my doubt has made.


Through Christ, I will overcome.


Even when I fall, His strength is where I run.


I was broken, now I stand—
By His grace, I will overcome.

He sees every scar, every tear I cried.


He walks through the storm, ever by my side.


When the night returns, I won’t run or hide—


His light is the reason I survive.

Through Christ, I will overcome.


Even in the night, His hope will still remain.



Though I’m weak, still I stand—

Held by nail-scarred hands…

Through Christ, I will overcome


I thought I was alone,


'Til He whispered to my soul:  

“In Me, you’ve overcome--


I’ve made you whole.”

April's Appetizer of Teaching Takeaways

 Patrice Hunt was our presenter today and shared some of the "nuggets" she has cleaned from presenters over the past several years.

She described the large black tote with bright yellow lid that has been a thorn in her piano room's side for the past couple of years.  She finally pulled it out of the room, and refused to let it return.  Upon opening the lid, she discovered some treasures:  notes taken at different conferences since 2017 that had great impact on her piano teaching!  She shared five of those with us today.

#1 - Dr. Jared Pearce's explanation of SIPS.  Short Interval Practice Sessions.  He gave out timers (as did Patrice!) to everyone present as he explained their use.  Set the timer for one minute and practice one measure, or one line, depending on need.  See how many times you can get it correct in one minute, even if it's played slowly.  When that part is learned, move to the next section and play for a "SIP" until learned.  Then add those two sections together, etc.  SIPS really work, whether for a beginning student who is getting frustrated with learning, or an advanced student who is trying to learn a difficult piece.

#2  Beyond the Notes was a 4-week teacher training course offered by Shane Bowles at the UMTA Conference in 2025.  Patrice signed up for it and loved it.  There was a whole slew of stuff that was covered in the 4 weeks, but one of the things Patrice shared was the inversions taught.  The handout had some great ways to practice inversions including root position (major and minor), 1st inversion (major and minor) and 2nd inversion (major and minor) with the left hand playing the root note in octave form. 

         

#3  Caroline Jennings at SUPPC 2022.  What causes stress in our students?  NUTS

The acronym stands for the following contributors to stress:

1.  Things that are Novel...or new.  A new piece, new environment, new family situation, and so more.

2.  Things that are Unpredictable.  A sudden fall-apart in a recital; changes that weren't anticipated.

3.  Things that can be perceived as a Threat (to ego or self).  Think safety or competence.

4.  Things that are Stressful.  There are Positive stresses (brief and tolerable) vs Toxic stresses (frequent and prolonged)

Fix the things you can control and it will reduce your stress.  Understanding where it's coming from helps.

#4  Jerald Simon's Variations on Mary Had a Little Lamb.  

Patrice combined several of the variations into one sheet for her students.  The book is a great resource!

         

#5  MTNA's publication AMT.  Sometimes we run out of time to read important things pertaining to our teaching.  Patrice highlighted the last page of the magazine as a MUST READ of every issue, even if you don't read anything else!  "I Named a Feather Macaroni!"

OUR NEXT CHAPTER MEETING WILL BE OUR CLOSING SOCIAL MAY 12th AT MARK GUBLER'S HOME (close to Dixie High School).  Potluck lunch!!

SUPPC 2026 - Southern Utah Piano Pedagogy Conference

 If you missed this amazing Conference, or need a quick reference, here are some important links:

Southern Utah Piano Pedagogy Conference

Dr. Jared Pearce - Minute Measures:  How to Boost Your Productivity

Mark Gubler:  The Inner Game of Music

Patrice Hunt: Tips and Tricks of the Teaching Trade

Caroline Jennings:  Building Passion and Cultural Awareness Through Music

Dr. Jared Pearce - Building Technique

forScore and Mobile Sheets

To find other links: Google Southern Utah Piano Pedagogy Conference 2026