Music teachers and music lovers invited to classes
The Kalispell Area Music Teachers Association is hosting the annual Montana State Music Teachers Association State Conference in Kalispell on Nov. 1-3 at the Hilton Garden Inn.
The conference is an opportunity for music teachers to attend clinics, seminars, master classes, and concerts, as well as network with other music teachers, and is open to association members and non-members.
The guest clinician will be Robyn Pfeifer. Pfeifer has been teaching piano for 18 years and is the owner and director of MusicWerks Studio in Portland and the blog www.MusicTeachingSuccess.com. She is an educator, clinician and author.
Pfeifer offers a unique expertise in the world of music education as a highly qualified music teacher and successful business owner of multiple businesses. She will present three seminars:
Piano Pixies - Introduction to piano classes for ages 3-5 years. Learn the secret of sowing the seeds for your most successful long-term students, when they are young and excited about music
Business in a Box — Build Your Studio Through Community Collaboration with Local Business, Schools and Other Music Educators;
Business in a Box — Learn How to Creatively and Affordably Market Your Studio Through the Internet.
Pianist Spencer Myer will hold a master class for late-intermediate to advanced piano students on Saturday morning. Myer was the Gold Medalist of the 2008 New Orleans International Piano Competition and is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most outstanding pianists of his generation.
The commissioned composer is Charles Nichols from the University of Montana. He is an Associate Professor of Composition and Music Technology, a violinist, and a computer music researcher.
The premier of his composition, Tango at the Downtown Dance Collective, will be performed by the Sapphire Trio. The trio of piano, clarinet, and violin has been featured in concerts and at national and international conferences. All artists are university faculty members from the Pacific Northwest.
Other programs:
n “Teaching Steady Beat with Drums and Found Instruments” with Sandra McCracken
“Psychology, Music, and Your Brain” with Ivan Lorentzen
“What’s Under The Hood” with Piano Technician Guild Members Grant Sorlie and Jeff Stickney
“The Rewards of Teaching Adult Students” with Molly Morrison
“Mastery - Fostering the Path to Artistic Delivery” with Jody Graves
“Teaching Music Concept Through Melody” with Sherlon Orth
There will also be student competitions for both the Music Teachers National Association and the MSMTA Fall Festival. These will include students of piano, voice and strings.
For more information or to register for any classes, contact KAMTA president Suzanne Rohrbach at 755-3736.