The NDMTA newsletter is published four times a year. Deadlines for submitting material are May 10, August 10, November 10, and
February 10.
Michelle Kallod, Editor
mkallod@hotmail.com
Phone: 701-235-8517
News Highlights
Dates to Remember and Reminders
2023 NDMTA Board Meeting: October TBA
2023 North Dakota MTNA Competitions: Oct. 28, at Valley City State University. Registration deadline is 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Sept. 13, 2023. Requirements, applications, fees and information is found on the MTNA website. Use this quick link to take you to the MTNA Competitions Page for more information: https://www.mtna.org/MTNA/Engage/Competitions/Competitions.aspx
2023 WCD Competitions: December
2024 MTNA National Conference: March 16-20 in Atlanta, Georgia
2024 NDMTA State Conference: Hosted by Greater Grand Forks MTA in August TBA
2024 Popplers Competition: Grand Forks TBA
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NDMTA Conference Rotation: 2022-2023 Badlands MTA; 2023-2024 Greater Grand Forks MTA
IMTF Luncheon Rotation: 2022-2023: Langdon Area MTA; 2024-25 Minot MTA; 2026-2027 Upper Valley MTA
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Latest Newsletter
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NDMTA Conference: June 7, 8, 9 at Dickinson State University, Hosted by Badlands MTA
Thank you Badlands Music Teachers Association for a great NDMTA Conference in June! It was well organized and the sessions and entertainment were excellent! A small mighty group can produce big results! Thanks again, Badlands MTA!!
A big thanks to Popplers Music for traveling across state to set up a booth for the browsing music teachers at the NDMTA Conference. A fine selection of music was made available for purchase. Music teachers love to shop music and our students love a new piece to play. Thank you, Popplers!
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Robert Groves: 2024 MTNA Foundation Fellow Nominee
Dr. Robert Groves has been nominated to be honored as the 2024 MTNA Foundation Fellow by the members of the NDMTA. With contributions of $1500 to the MTNA Foundation in his name, Groves will be honored at the 2024 MTNA Conference as an MTNA Foundation Fellow. Dr. Groves has been a long time contributor to the NDMTA and has often presented at NDMTA Conferences on teaching piano students. He has held summer workshops for piano teachers to teach pedagogy and give insights into some of the specific problems that arise when teaching piano.
Dr. Groves has been an active performer, clinician, adjudicator and author. He has been a member of the NDSU faculty since 1972 teaching studio piano, piano pedagogy, chamber music, and music history. He has also maintained a private studio of piano students ranging for early elementary through high school. More of Robert Groves academia can be read in his biography below.
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Darla Sheldon is 2023 Foundation Fellow
Dala Sheldon has been selected to be the 2023 MTNA Foundation Fellow. With contributions of $1500 to the MTNA Foundation in her name, Darla will be honored at the 2023 MTNA Conference. Darla was a long time member of Upper Valley MTA in Park River until her retirement and move to Fargo where she has continued her membership with the Fargo Moorhead MTA. Please read about Darla in her biography below.
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Highlights of NDMTA 2023 Conference
A hearty thank you to the Badlands Music Teachers Association for hosting the 2023 NDMTA Conference in June. Thank you to Dickinson State University for the venue site and thank you to all the presenters who shared their knowledge for our benefit. It was wonderful to learn something new, to talk shop with our fellow teachers and listen to the concerts. The programs and sessions were inspiring and provided opportunity to learn some new music and new ways of thinking about our teaching. The ultimate people that benefit from this are the students we teach. Below are some of the pictures from the conference.
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The NDMTA Conference started with a supper meeting with the board members
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NDMTA board members meeting
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The first concert and official opening of the NDMTA 2023 Conference was the Popplers Competition Participants and and the premiere of the 2023 Commissioned Composer work, Dovetail for solo piano by Lisa Bost-Sandberg and performed by Dr. Éva Polgár. Ms. Bost-Sandberg concluded the program with her composition for alto flute, "when it rains / the river stands still". What an enjoyable way to start the conference!
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Popplers Competition Winners: Elementary winner was Cadence You, Student of Yechun Wang; Junior High winners were 1. Grant Geller, student of Dianna Anderson, 2. Elaine Liu, student of Gloria Bethke, 3. Chloe Cox, student of Priscilla Keogh; Senior High winner was Elvin Lin, student of David Poffenberger; Collegiate winner was Emily Storick, student of Michael Langer.
The winners were awarded with a check from Popplers Music, presented by Sharon Pugh. Éva Polgár was the judge.
Left to right in the picture: Éva Polgár, Elvin Lin, Chloe Cox, Elaine Liu, Grant Geller, Emily Storick, Cadence You, Sharon Pugh, and Michael Langer (NDMTA VP and Commissioned Composer Chair)
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Catherine Rollin, pianist, composer, clinician, author and teacher, presented four sessions at the conference.
Session I was titled "Technique and Artistry: You Can't Have One Without the Other". Ms. Rollin talked on technical skills for unity of sound; for detached touches and/or additional articulation interest; and technical solutions for artistic outcomes applied in real life.
Session II was "The Magic of Imagery": Creating mental imagery through song and word, dance and movement, story-telling and instrumental, and art work were all explored in this session.
Session III was a Masterclass with various students.
Session IV was "Spotlight on Style: Classical and Romantic": Making style decisions thru pedal use, accompaniment, overall dynamics, physical approach, and articulation. The three important needs to make style decisions is 1.Know performance practice 'rules', 2. Develop a sense of taste, 3. Know the history of the era.
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The Independent Music Teachers Forum was presented by Beth Gigante Klingenstein. The topic was "Self-Care for the Independent Music Teacher." Emotional and Mental Health, Physical Health, Financial Health, Professional Health, and Business Health were all touched on in Beth's talk. "A lot of our health is under our own power to control" was her ending take away. Along with her talk, Beth handed out three pages of internet articles to search for and read concerning self-care.
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The 2023 NDMTA General Member Meeting was conducted by President Tamara Bertram. Installation of officers was held: Lisa Schuler was elected to fill the term of Vice President/Commissioning Composer Chair for Michael Langer as he is leaving the state. Officers for 2023-24 includes returning officers, President Tamara Bertram, Secretary Sheryl Kjelland, and Treasurer Michelle Kallod.
Pictured is the installation of Lisa Schuler for Vice President with President Tamara Bertram .
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Amy Mercer was presented with a 25 Year Member certificate at the banquet. On the left is Amy Mercer and on the right is Lisa Schuler, Membership Chair. Also receiving 25 year certificates were Monica Wolff and Nancy Harsch who were unable to be at the conference.
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Four NDMTA members achieved the status of retaining their membership for 50 years. Receiving certificates for this achievement are Beth Klingenstein, Priscilla Keogh, Ellen Croy and Sharon Wesbrook. Pictured are Beth Klingenstein and Priscilla Keogh receiving certificates from Lisa Schuler, Membership Chair. Ellen Croy and Sharon Wesbrook were unable to attend the conference. Congratulations to these members for their continued membership and contributions to the NDMTA.
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The Service to the Profession Award was given to Kathleen Johnson for her work for/with teachers, community, church and NDMTA. She was nominated by a former student, and now teacher and music leader, Lisa Schuler. Giving the award is Amy Mercer, Service to the Profession Chair.
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The Thursday night concert featured Ubuntu Marimba. Ubuntu means 'community' and is a group of Dickinson High School students. The group has been performing for the past 7 years and is under the direction of Laurae Dykema, Music Director at Dickinson Middle School. The music was delightful to listen to and the students were a joy to watch.
The second part of the Thursday night concert featured Catherine Rollin, performing music from her student works including "Museum Masterpieces: The Premier Exhibition". The piano solos were inspired by famous paintings and before each piece, Rollin shared the history of the painter and explained what it was about the painting that inspired her pieces.
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Friday morning session included a session with Beth Klingenstein in which she highlighted all of the excellent resources on the MTNA website. Titled "MTNA Hidden Gems" Beth took us through the many places that teachers can find information for teaching, for students and parents. Beth broke the areas down into "Student Opportunities", "Teacher Opportunities", "Commercial Benefits" and "Benefits for State and Local Associations". The MTNA website isn't just about business and membership. It also contains a wealth of information for members to benefit from.
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The 2023 NDMTA Conference was a great success thanks to the Badlands Music Teachers Association. We are grateful for all the work that went into the conference and thank the Badlands MTA for hosting the Conference. Next summer we will travel to the Grand Forks for the conference and keep a look out for the dates! It may be in August, right in time to get us geared up for our fall teaching schedule.
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New: North Dakota Virtual MTA
The North Dakota Music Teachers Association has created a new association, the NDVMTA (North Dakota Virtual Music Teachers Association). The idea is to connect more teachers in rural areas across North Dakota and the goal is to offer membership to teachers across the state who do not have a local association near them.
The NDVMTA hopes to reach out to and support rural teachers, while also attracting young tech-savvy teachers and training student teachers, who find a virtual local meeting more accessible. The MTNA and NDVMTA are offering financial incentives for first-time members so if you are a teacher in a rural community this is a great opportunity to connect with other music teachers.
To sign up, send a text to (701) 620-9043. Please include your name, location and email address.
(Paraphrased from the August 2022 NDMTA Newsletter article by Tamara Bertram)
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MTNA Competitions held Oct. 22 at VCSU
The three-tiered MTNA Performance Competitions (Junior, Senior and Young Artist) began with the state competitions level held at Valley City State University, on Oct. 22, 2022. Categories of performance competitions include string, brass, woodwind, piano, piano duet, voice and chamber music in string and woodwind with 3-6 performers. The non performance category includes composition in the levels stated above and also an elementary level.
This year there was just one competition entered, the Young Artist piano competition. Pictured is Lydia Watson, honorable mention, student of Oswald Johnson, VCSU; Zhouya Yang, winner, student of Dr. Tyler Wottrich, NDSU; Kevin Vandal, alternate, student of Dr. Dianna Anderson, MSU.
In addition, NDMTA will be sending these representatives: Vedant Srivastava in Junior Composition, Enoch-Adeogo Orukotan in Junior Wind, Gabe Sagini in Senior Strings, Katelyn Albers in Senior Woodwinds, and Danica Rumney in Young Artist Wind.
The winners of the state performance competitions will advance to the video-only Division level and the winners of the Division level advance to the in-person national finals to be held during the MTNA Conference in Reno, Nevada, March 25-29, 2023
Enoch-Adeogo Orukotan Wins Division Junior Winds
The Division Rounds were completed in January, and ND has a WINNER! Enoch-Adeogo Orukotan is an 8th grade saxophone who studies with Russ Peterson. His family moved here from Nigeria when he was young and his dad is a pastor in Fargo for the Nigerian community. They have very limited funds, so his band teacher at Liberty Middle School in West Fargo, Lindsay Boyd, along with her mother, Linda Boyd and Russ, are helping to raise money for him to travel to Reno.
Their goal is $6000, which includes air travel, hotel, food, uber, accompanist, and they’d love to get him a new saxophone (he currently borrows one from the school). Sue Nagel was fortunate to accompany Enoch for his MTNA performances, and can vouch that he is an exceptionally talented, and dedicated young man. If anyone can help this young performer, please contact Sue Nagel at nagstur82@gmail.com.
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