September 2020 - Vol. 24 No. 1

​JMTA High Notes
September 2020—Vol. 24, no. 1
JMTA General Meeting (using ZOOM):
September 9, 2020: 9:30am - general meeting; 10:30am - program
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From the President’s Pen

Welcome back JMTA members!  Although we’ve had some topsy-turvy months, we’re landing on our feet with some intriguing programs and events lined up for teachers and students.
Be sure to log on to our first business session and program on September 9th on ZOOM.  The business meeting will begin at 9:30 followed by a program featuring Dr. Natalie Indelicato.
See the program information provided by Dr. Michael Mastronicola in this newsletter.

We have been blessed with so many informative webinars over the summer. If you have missed these, go to the MTNA website and peruse all of the topics available there. The Frances Clark
Center has several excellent videos as well. The questions (and answers) provided by peers around the country at the ends of sessions have also been quite helpful.

Our Florida Music Teachers Association Conference, “2020 Vision: Opening Eyes to the Power of Music” will be online, October 23-31. Check out the website for more details. Information about the schedule will be available soon. The August Newsletter for FSMTA is filled with information about student events as well as articles to enrich our teaching.

JMTA is pleased to welcome the following members who have joined in 2020:

Stephanie Blind
Debra East
Lois Gurney
Scott McNinney
Anna Maria Smith

We look forward to greeting our new members and finding out how we can assist them as new teachers in our area. Look for more on new members in the next newsletter.

I recently reread an article by Merlin Thompson from the Feb/March 2016 issue of AMT -  “Understanding and Nurturing Parents.” He states, “through learning to play a musical instrument, people get a sense of who they are as a person. Music gives spark to the flame that is the self. No matter the level of musicianship, music ignites something deep inside everyone.”

That is what we as teachers facilitate- helping students find a sense of self through music. This is a noble calling!

See you in September online!
Anita
Dr. Anita Boyle Renfroe, NCTM
President, JMTA
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JMTA Treasurer Transaction Monthly Report | July 1 - July 31, 2020
                                                                        Debits              Credits
Expenses
Deposits
07/18/20     Deposit MTNA Dues                                                                      $275.00
07/31/20     Deposit Interest Checking                                                                $0.80
07/31/20     Deposit Interest Business Shares                                                    $0.75
07/31/20     Deposit Interest Money Market                                                       $0.49
07/17/20     #1118 D4 Dues Allotment                                                             $225.00
    Current Checking                                                         $4,441.20
    Piano Festival Fund
         (add to Business Shares Acct)                              $3,329.89
    Warren Fund                                                                  $1,527.73
TOTAL Checking Account as of July 31, 2020            $9,298.82
Other Accounts:
Business Money Market (Scholarship)                         $2,276.25
Business Shares (Festival)                                              $8,771.15
TOTAL as of July 31, 2020                                             $11,047.40
TOTAL ASSETS as of July 31, 2020                             $20,346.22
- Submitted by Lorie Burningham 08/04/20
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JMTA Programs: September

JAMTA invites you to join us for Dr. Natalie Indelicato and her presentation, "Addressing & Supporting the Emotional Health of Students & Teachers in the Time of COVID" on ZOOM on Wednesday, September 9, 10:30 am (after the general meeting which will be held at 9:30am).

Dr. Indelicato is Assistant Professor and Clinical Director of Jacksonville University's Mental Health Clinic.  She is a dynamic speaker and specializes in community engagement and the mental health of young people.  THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD OVER ZOOM.

We're asking YOU to submit a question or particular topic you'd like to see her address!  Post them to this post on JAMTA's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JaxMTA or email them to Michael at [email protected]. Topics to be addressed:  typical signs of stress, anxiety, depression; identifying and referring mental health issues; relaxation strategies that could be used at the start and end of a lesson; signs of burnout and self-care strategies for teachers.

The Zoom invite for the program is
https://unf.zoom.us/j/94521646526?pwd=YVpsU0xEZ1pVNnBxeklzMjV0NG5tdz09
Meeting ID is 945 2164 6526.  Passcode is 72378

- Dr. Michael Mastronicola
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WELCOME!

Please welcome our newest JMTA members!
Dayvin Sterling            Sonya Foster          Stephanie Blind
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DISTRICT IV NEWS

Sonatina & Sonata Festival

District IV is launching its inaugural Sonatina & Sonata Festival, to be held virtually due to the pandemic. This non-competitive festival will take place in late Fall (with a video submission deadline of November, 21, 2020). All participants will receive adjudicated feedback, which will also help them prepare for future events in 2021 (Student Day, Federation, auditions, recitals, etc). We welcome students of all ages and levels performing movement(s) of a Sonatina or Sonata for piano by composers from the Classical Era onwards (including modern pedagogical or method book composers). Entries will be submitted as Youtube videos, and the final “event” will consist of a link to a Youtube playlist which can be watched as a recital from your own home.

Rules & Regulations: to be published shortly on the JMTA website

Deadline: Video submissions and online applications are due before midnight on November 21, 2020.

Cost: $15 for students of FSMTA members; an additional $10 is required for students of non-member teachers

What to Play: A movement or movements from a Sonatina or Sonata by any composer from the Classical Era to the present day. Repertoire to be performed by memory. 10-minute time limit.

Questions: Contact Erin Bennett at [email protected].
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Over Coffee With . . .

For the next several months, we will be interviewing some of our new members, since we are not yet able to meet or greet them in person. This month we are getting to know Anna DeProspero-Smith and Debbie East. Thank you, ladies, for sharing your passion and experiences with us!

ANNA DePROSPERO-SMITH

Greetings JMTA!  It is my pleasure to share experiences both as a performer and instructor of piano.

I will begin with telling you how I came to the lifelong passion for the piano...my grandmother, piano teacher and Roger Williams.  Listening to my grandmother play piano caught my attention to the sound and resonance.  I was drawn to the instrument.  I asked my parents for piano lessons and they placed me with Mrs. Mauderli, Gainesville, FL.  My instruction under her impeccable tutelage for ten years prepared me to enter the piano performance program at Santa Fe College.  Throughout these formative years I listened to Roger Williams L.P., Greatest Piano Works over and over.  I was enamoured with his musicality even as a young student and tended to style my playing after him.

As a young married mother of two it became increasingly difficult to continue performing so I began serving in the local church as their main pianist for most services.  This opportunity brought a new dimension to my piano education as the primary genre was praise music.  The new style of worship music called for reading lead sheets and chord charts.  I was eager to learn how to play more by ear than read sheet music.  As a classically trained pianist this was a challenge!  Versatility and ability to play within different genres was gained but I always maintained my classical pianistic skills.

In 1984 I began a piano teaching studio with 30 students and grew to over 60 students a week!  I have a passion to teach the art of piano playing.  Most interesting I have found teaching helped "fine tune" my own skills!  Each student is unique and our primary focus is to educate them in the way that speaks...some need strict curriculum and others a variety.  As you are called to this heart warming, gratifying career I give you one thought:  keep learning, attend Master Classes, take musical risks.  As you do you will discover just how wide and deep this exceptional instrument gives to us!

During the late 80's until now I perform at music festivals, recitals, studio recording, private events and church services.  The joy of playing music has stayed with me and I thank those who supported my passion!

Musically Yours,
Anna DeProspero-Smith
St. Augustine, FL

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DEBBIE EAST

Hello, my name is Debbie East and I am a piano teacher and small business founder. My love affair with music and piano began at age 4 when I heard my upstairs neighbor, Izumi, practice her piano. She was practicing Fur Elise. I took piano lessons from the time I was five and have been teaching for 22 years. I teach those who are age 3 and above. I also taught Kindermusik(R) as well as preschool music and movement. While I teach and enjoy all levels, my specialty is beginners because regardless of their age, they are so excited to learn how to play and seeing them bloom is pure joy.

As a literacy teacher educator (Ph.D. in Education), it became clear to me the strong link music has with reading and writing. As a result, our lessons may also incorporate short discussions linking piano and music to our larger world.

Partnering with students and their parents to help their children learn to play will hopefully lead to a life-long appreciation for music. As we develop our partnership, we learn what our favorite style of music is and we explore that genre together. While the content is what I deliver, I strive to give the students a choice in what and how we explore the concepts to be learned. I find that when students are given some autonomy through choices, we both learn more and have more fun on our musical journey.

My favorite piano teacher was Mrs. Polifrone, who lived a short drive away. Her husband was on the faculty of the Indiana State University School of Music. What I liked about her was that she pushed, cajoled, and motivated me to dig deeper when I was tempted to go with the flow and to begin to perform. Like most students, I tended to yield to her suggestions, requirements, and mandates at times. She accepted these challenges in one area while pushing me in another area. She was such a gentle and caring teacher. Mrs. Polifrone along with Annette Burkhart and Dolores Zupan have been the ones to shape my piano teaching life.

My advice to new teachers is to find a mentor. I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of finding a mentor and teaching piano. I didn’t know how to begin or if I could/should begin to teach piano. I had long since lost contact with Mrs. Polifrone, but there was a concert pianist, Annette Burkhart, who was a member of my church. She began to mentor me at my request. A little later, I met Dolores Zupan briefly as she lived in my neighborhood and she was so welcoming and helpful. I didn’t realize that what I needed was a mentor, but I did get two who brought different aspects of teaching piano to light. It was after meeting them I realized that I needed to join the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) for the opportunity to learn more about teaching, making, and sharing music and to join local piano teachers groups.

I feel such a strong passion for teaching piano that I custom create my curriculum based on the instrument each student has in their home. I have never believed that the type of instrument should be a limitation to what they can learn. I am happy to travel to each of their homes to provide these lessons. My hope is that I can teach different students within singular neighborhoods.

What I do miss the most about having lessons in my home are the piano pizza parties which are celebrations of both performing and being audience members followed by pizza. I believe it is best that we prepare students to be both performers and audience members to as well as remove that frightening form of stage fright that freezes one in place. I hope to start these up again once we are over the major humps of our new normal.

Currently, in addition to teaching piano, I am Founder and CEO of Debbie East Coaching LLC where I am a communication and leadership coach. I have been a member of MTNA off and on since 1989 and look forward to becoming an active member of Jacksonville Music Teachers Association (JMTA). I moved to Jacksonville in 2015 and love every minute of living in the Jacksonville area. I am so pleased that we get three seasons and I can wear a sweatshirt!

Contact Information: Piano: (904)-460-4530 and [email protected]
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Florida State Music Teachers Association

2020 FSMTA Conference -
"2020 Vision: Opening Eyes to the Power of Music”

October 23-31, 2020 - Virtual Conference
FREE TO ALL

The Virtual Conference will be FREE and still include a variety of engaging presenters, the annual teacher's recital, several student recitals, virtual exhibitors and more!

Visit www.fmta.org
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Music Teachers National Association

Florida 2020 MTNA Competitive Events

Format: Video
Video Upload Deadline: October 26, 2020

Registration Deadline: 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time, September 16, 2020
Winners will advance to the Southern Division Online-only Video Competitions.

For more information, visit the MTNA website:
https://www.mtna.org/MTNA/Engage/Competitions/Competitions_Guidelines.aspx
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The Friday Musicale

131st Season Opening Night Concert –
Daniel Rodriguez “The Singing Policeman”

October 23 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Limited Seating – RSVP required.
Please RSVP through email ([email protected]) or call 904-355-7584.

“Daniel Rodriguez, the now-retired NYPD officer, helped bring the country an uplifting spirit of promise and hope with his stirring rendition of ‘God Bless America’ after the September 11th terrorist attacks.”

Read more at https://fridaymusicale.com/event/daniel-rodriguez/
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Find A Teacher Section on Jaxmta.org
Teachers,
Please take a moment to check out your information on our Find a Teacher page.  If you would like to edit, add, or delete your information, please send whatever you would like changed to our Internet Media chairperson Angie Holt at [email protected].
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Need a Sponsor?
Does anyone in the JMTA need a sponsor or need help in any way? If so, John Scott, owner of Great Scott Music School, is interested in helping our organization. If interested, contact John at [email protected].
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Music Exchange
Do you have too much music collected in your studio?  Is there some you think you'll never use?  Let's have a music exchange!  Bring your unwanted music to any JMTA meeting. Bring home something new to you!  Look for the "Free Music" spot.  Music does not have to be brand new.
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Have you found us on Facebook?
Follow JaxMTA on Facebook for the latest happenings, photos, videos, and more!
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Events Calendar

Please view our website for any updates or additions to these events, as well as for more details including application deadlines: www.jaxmta.org.

September 9
(on Zoom)
9:30am - meeting
10:30am - program
JMTA General Meeting followed by program on emotional health in time of Covid
Zoom (see email for link)

October 14
(on Zoom)
9:30am - meeting
10:30am - program
JMTA General Meeting followed by program (TBD)
Zoom (see email for link)

October 23-31
As Scheduled
FSMTA Conference: Opening Eyes to the Power of Music
Online

Submissions Due October 26
MTNA Competitive Events (registration deadline 3pm 9/16)
Online

November 11
(on Zoom)
9:30am - meeting
10:30am - program
JMTA General Meeting followed by program (TBD)
Zoom (see email for link)

Submissions Due November 21
Sonatina & Sonata Festival
Held Virtually


Stay tuned for more events to come!  High Notes is distributed on the first of the month excluding June-August and December.  All submissions are due by the 20th of the month prior to distribution.  Submissions may be sent to [email protected].