SEPTEMBER 2010 MINUTES

St George Chapter UMTA/MTNA
September 9, 2010
Minutes

Attendees: Members: Cynthia Coombs, Randalin Hilton, Patrice Hunt, Caroline Jennings, Julia Monson, Carole Terry, Rhanda Todd; Visitors: Laura Leavitt, Jamie Stucki, Sidney Leake.

Chapter President Caroline Jennings welcomed all to the meeting. She stressed the need for a secretary and asked for a volunteer. A brief discussion of the State UMTA website revealed that under ‘find a teacher’ non UMTA members can locate teachers’ names. More details are available to members only. The State UMTA Conference will be held November 5 and 6. Details are on the UtahMTA.org website. All former members are encouraged to pay their national/state/local dues as soon as possible.

PROGRAM: Jamie Stucki presented a structural approach to teaching technique and theory to students. She introduced the state sponsored Achievement in Music syllabus and suggested order of presentation. She covered Technic, Theory, Music History, Sight Reading, Ear Training, Creative Musicianship and Performance preparation. She invited all members to enter students in the AIM evaluations which will probably be held the first Saturday in May this year.

Caroline said that the new syllabus for AIM will be available at the State Conference. It will be in CD form and study guides will be available for each level. Heather Smith is in charge, on the state level, of AIM materials. They may be purchased by contacting her.

For the State Convention, only students who are members of FAIM will play in the master classes. William Westney, author of The Perfect Wrong Note, and Robert Vandall are guest presenters at the convention this year.   Both will also conduct master classes.

Ear Training Ideas

Having trouble fitting in a little ear training? Here are some suggestions from Dr. Martha Lewis, in order of presentation.

* Is the second note above or below the first one? (Use large distances such as 2 octaves at first; then narrow it down--this will take several weeks or even months to get to a second. Don't sweat it if it takes a long time. You're not under any deadline, are you?)
* Is the second note far away or close to the first one? (This is sort of corollary to the previous item and one you should teach concurrently as a way to discover the answer to #1.)
* Is this an octave or not an octave? (Start with melodic octaves; then go to harmonic.)
* Is this a dissonance or not? (Knowing this helps them decide whether they've played a wrong note or not.) Which hand has the dissonance? (This helps them pinpoint which hand might be wrong.) Where is the resolution? (Is it the very next note or later? Several dissonances in a row? This also gives you the opportunity to do a little analysis: why would the composer do this?)
* Is this a major or minor triad? (Start with harmonic, then arpeggiated.)
* Is this an empty triad (open fifth) or not?
* Is this pattern a I-V-I? (By this, I mean a melodic pattern. Start with the descending I-V-I pattern because it's heard more often even though ascending makes better immediate sense as to why it's named one-five-one. I often tell the student's that the I-V-I pattern sings "it's the end!")
* Is this pattern a V-I cadence? (Similarly, this pattern sings, "the end!").
* Do other cadences as you see fit. (Most kids get a honk out of V-vi cadence: "the...woops!")

Dr. Nancy Allred - Intermediate Level Technique & Literature

Utah Music Teachers Association
St. George Chapter

Presentation:
Randalin Hilton introduced our presenter, Dr. Nancy Allred, who in addition to being a long-time member of our chapter, is the head of the Piano Pedagogy Department at DSC, and is the accompanist and assistant director of the Heritage Choir.

Nancy talked to us about “discovering intermediate piano levels”, with a “focus on technique and literature”. She gave out several handouts. One of them was her Piano Technique steps that she uses with her students. She said that she does not move students on to the next level until they can play the step they are on easily at the metronome level listed. She stressed the importance of teaching scales and having them practice them regularly so that “with each level, they have the goods to play” the literature. She gives her students four scales each week. She asked teachers at what level of their method books do they branch out into intermediate material.

Nancy feels that AIM and other adjudication are helpful guides as long as the teacher doesn't narrowly teach to the test. She talked about her other handouts. One was the “Licentiate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance Syllabus”, which contained the repertoire list that they use for their LRCM examination. She said about it that it is the “Magnum opi of what you would want your students to know. She had made copies of the first few pages of each level of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers and gave us the website for it.
Nancy showed us two books that are very useful in determining levels: Standard Piano Teaching Literature by Jane McGrath, and Guide to the Piansist's Repertoire by Maurice Hinson. She also discussed leveled literature series such as those put out by Bastien and Snell. Her favorite of those is Bastien Piano Literature, Book 3.
Nancy shared other helpful insights that made for a very practical, informative meeting.

Reading Keyboard Music

Merrilee Webb presented a fascinating workshop on this new method of teaching piano.  It was extremely interesting and does work as easily as she showed.  Check out the link below for more information.

Easy Piano Lessons, Music Instruction Videos, Piano Lesson Books, DVD

TRICKY TEACHING TECHNIQUES - Dr. Lynn Dean

Wow! Another great motivating workshop this month!! We were privileged to be taught, in rapid-fire mode, MANY teaching techniques acquired by Dr. Dean over his career. Here are just a few:

1. DUCKS are to be kept out of the piano studio! (Those obnoxious loud chords that should be played in the background as accompaniment, but are blasted out as loud "quacks"!) Have fun with your students as you get the ducks out of the studio!!

2. Students who say they've practiced but can't play their piece should play it for you hands alone. If they can't play it one hand at a time, they WON'T be able to play it together! Practice it this way first if they aren't getting it.

Tips for learning a new/difficult piece:
a. Hands alone, following the "yellow brick road" (fingering) consistently;
b. SLOWLY put hands together . . . no "schtoppink" allowed!!
c. GRADUALLY increase speed using a metronome.

3. Getting hands to chord positions that are giving students problems:
a. Hands on knees - then jump to chords on teacher's command.
b. "Find the thumbs" - student focuses on thumb position of the chords, not where every single finger goes. Everything but the thumb should be "in the computer."

4. Pedaling - The feet like to do what the hands do - DON'T!! Have student place hands on knees. Then, lift hands high off knees, when hands hit knees, the foot lifts up (pedals). Repeat slowly until student consistently "pedals" correctly.


JUST A FEW OF THE GREAT TIPS SHARED!

THANK-YOU, DR. DEAN, FOR A FUN WORKSHOP!!

SCALES - Dr. Dan Harrison

One suggestion from Dr. Harrison's presentation:

Scales should be played four different ways (whether 5 Finger series or full sets).

1. Legato
2. Legato with pedal depressed entire scale
3. Staccato
4. Staccato with pedal depressed entire scale

When asked why, Dr. Harrison replied simply, "Because it makes the student play his scales FOUR TIMES! Aren't we trying to get our students to play their scales?" :-)

It works BEAUTIFULLY!! Thank you Dr. Harrison!

Piano Technique Reminders

(from Dr. Harrison's Lecture...)

1. Sit on the last 6-9 inches of the bench.
2. Don't hunch shoulders. RELAX!
3. Forearms should be parallel to the floor.
4. Angle of the elbow must be obtuse (larger than 90 degrees). If not, you're too close!
5. Rotate the forearm from the elbow. This allows "mini" muscle relaxation.