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General Meeting and Program
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at Keyboard Connection at 9:30 am Come join us for an exciting presentation by our new member, Dr. Anita Renfroe! Please take a moment to read her bio in the following notes. ________________________________________________________________________ President’s Pen Hello fellow members, I am excited (and a bit nervous) to write my first ‘President’s Pen’ ever. First off, I would like to say I am honored to be your President and it has been a pleasure to be surrounded by so many wonderful musicians and teachers over the past few years since I have become a JMTA member. So many of you have been such wonderful mentors and there is always such a feeling of positivity and professional growth within our organization, it truly makes me proud. That being said, I hope everyone had a wonderful and rejuvenating summer, I know mine went by much too quickly. However, I am ready for the school year, and excited to begin preparing my students for their recitals and Student Day. Lastly, I would just like to say how personally inspiring the Randall Faber Workshop was that was held in August at Keyboard Connection. I have very few personal heroes, but I would say that over the past 10 years that I have been teaching, I have come to deeply respect the Fabers and their work. I am faithful to their books, and the way they present music and learning at all levels is just incredible. It’s the only book series I use. So, getting to hear Randall Faber speak was a truly inspirational experience for me. His workshop really honed in on how adults, and students learn, and the different kinds of students we have that come through our studio and how they actually approach music. He also inspired me to incorporate much more improvisation and creativity into my everyday lessons. Something which is easily overlooked when trying to cram in everything else into a 30 minute lesson. Lastly, I will leave you with this quote from Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This really struck me because we are musicians, but, we are also teachers. We don’t just have a student for 1 year, if we are lucky, we have them for their entire youth, from age 4 to 18. We act as mentors to these students and we get to see them grow up and become young adults. For me, it is such privilege. Lindsay Hardee, JMTA President ________________________________________________________________________ JMTA Minutes from May 11, 2016 Call to order: 9:30 am Members Present: Lorraine Eaton, Lynn Freeman, Laura Peden, Paulette Kilts, Sandra Stewart, Denise Homsley, Pam Searcy, Lindsay Hardee, Susan Figlietti, Sandra Roberts, Kamila Shakhtakhtinski, Betty Atkinson, Ansel Audain Treasury Report: Given by Lorraine Eaton.
Hospitality Committee: Pam Searcy has sent out a Thank You card to Lois Gurney, the music minister at Riverside Presbyterian Church, a Get Well card for Vickie Stake due to a foot injury, and a Get Well card for John Willard Utuk after his surgery. Community Service Awards: Sandra Roberts has nothing to report Scholarship Awards: Kamila Shakhtakhtinski reported there are no applicants for summer scholarship camp. New Business: Installation of Officers -Paulette Kilts introduced the new officers
Other: Denise Homsley thanked everyone for contributing to our lunch. We had a piano performance by Kamila Shakhtakhtinski and Susan Figlietti before lunch. Laura Peden announced she will be closing her piano studio because she is moving to another state. Meeting adjourned: 10:07 am ________________________________________________________________________ Student Recital FALL STUDENT RECITAL–Our Fall student recital will take place on OCTOBER 9th, Sunday, at 3 pm, at ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 4171 Hendricks Avenue (San Marco), 32207. There is a $5 fee per student. Checks should be made payable to JMTA. If repertoire is under 2 minutes, participants are welcome to play a second solo (dependent upon total number of participants). Email student’s name, repertoire, and age/level of repertoire to mastronicola@yahoo.com. NO LATER THAN MONDAY, OCT. 3rd. Teachers should plan to bring a plate of cookies, please. Also: We need 2-3 helpers to roll piano back to rear of sanctuary when recital is over. Please help with providing volunteers. Dr. Michael Mastronicola ________________________________________________________________________ Open Positions in JMTA! Exciting opportunities to serve!
Want to become Nationally Certified? Are you a National Certified Teacher of Music? Check out the Process:
Other helpful materials are available at the MTNA Certification website. (see American Music Teacher, August/September 2016, pp.32, 33) Sue H Holder, District Certification Chair ________________________________________________________________________ District 4 News We have elected a new Treasurer for D4. Current officers are:
District 4 General Meeting
Dr. Anita Renfroe In June 2016, I retired after 22 years with the Millersville University of Pennsylvania as Director of Keyboard Studies and Artist-Professor of Piano. My mission was to teach keyboard performance, prepare teachers of music for classroom and studio work, and to create a life-long love of music in my students. Although I am Professor Emeritus and will remain an active performer and clinician after more than 40 years of university teaching, my primary objective now is to become an integral part of the arts and music community in north Florida. In September 2016, Renfroe Piano Plus, my private music studio, will open in Fernandina Beach to teach piano and provide comprehensive music preparation to beginning students through accomplished players ready for the next level. I am the only Nationally Certified Master Teacher of Music in Nassau County. The Music Teachers National Association grants this earned professional credential after 25 years or more of sustained and documented evidence of teaching excellence. In addition to my university teaching, I have maintained a private studio for more than 40 years. My students have been prizewinners consistently, and many are distinguished performers and educators. Two of my most recent students are noteworthy. The first young lady was 7 years old when she came to me. She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Belmont University in Nashville, where she enjoyed both music and academic scholarships, and was the star keyboard accompanist all four years. She won the coveted concerto competition in her final year, and, in addition to the cash rewards, played twice with the National Symphony Orchestra. She won an Assistantship to work on her Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal College of Music in London, the United Kingdom’s top conservatoire, beginning in September 2016. My second student, a Japanese-American who came to me as a 6th grader with little English, won the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition while in Junior High School and played several times with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. This spring she won the Hershey Symphony Competition and will play engagements with that orchestra in December 2016. She wanted to continue studies with me, but the round trip airfare from Pennsylvania made this impossible. You may know one of my former students, Rev. Don Edwards. This talented musician studied Class Piano under me at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), while I was completing my doctorate there. He is the Associate Pastor and Director of Music at the Amelia Island Plantation Chapel. In addition to earning my Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at SBTS with Dr. Maurice Hinson, I earned the Master of Music in Performance Piano and Harpsichord from The University of Memphis (then Memphis State University) with Carolyn Fruchtman, and the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with an Organ Secondary from Florida State University with Edward Kilenyi and Leonard Mastrogiacomo. Post-doctoral studies have been with Nelita True, Fernando Laires, and Marvin Blickenstaff. During my career, I have worked as an accompanist and chamber musician, collaborating with great artists such as Emilio Colon (cellist) and Charles Rex (violinist), and have performed as guest artist across Europe and the United States, playing solo concerts as well as with orchestras and ensembles. I will provide extensive references and a comprehensive professional resume of my personal career and accomplishments upon request. Although I grew up in Valdosta GA, I was born in Jacksonville. Now, I am home. I hope this introduction will encourage you to help me get the word out that Renfroe’s Piano Plus is open for business in September, with registration for the fall semester in progress! Ansel Audain Hey, I’m Ansel. I’m excited to be apart of MTNA this year with students. I’m especially excited for the opportunity to provide students with access to recitals, student day, & other venues. I hope all our students may find continued inspiration from performing to always strive to be the best they can be as they gain the mental benefits that comes along with the disciplined practice of music. |
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