E. L. Lancaster

Sergio Gallo

James Johnson, Conference Artist

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION AFFILIATED WITH MUSIC TEACHERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

FALL 2007 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

IINSIDENSIDE THISTHIS ISSUEISSUE ::

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2

PRESIDENT-ELECT 3

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

4-5

CONFERENCE BIOS 6-11

HOTELS/MEALS 12

FINANCES 13

LOCAL AFFILIATES 14-15

FROM THE STUDIO 16

Calendar 17

This summer term has been fairly calm, except for handling the various correspondences that arise from the national office and from members within the or-ganization and consultation on fall conference plans. The exception has been the search for a new Vice President for Membership and Web Management after the unexpected departure of Kristina Havard. We are all, of course, very pleased for her, but replacing her with someone who has the requisite expertise was a challenge. I would like to introduce Melody Hanberry, a new member of the MC faculty and a recent recipient of her NCTM certification. Melody has accepted the position of Vice President for Membership and Web Management. I have also done some re-search into the process for submitting materials to the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History re-lated to the long-term storage of important documents of the organization. At the

pleasure of the Executive Committee, I will organize and deliver the ma-terials to the office here in Jackson. Thanks to all of those who brought items to the May meeting and helped to sort through the various kinds of records in our possession. Fall plans include attendance at the MTNA Lead-ership Summit in Cincinnati the first weekend in September and visits to scheduled meetings of the local associations. I hope to begin a dialog with the presidents and members of the individual groups with the goal of establishing membership and certification drives for the coming year. Plans also include assisting with the plans for the fall conference and spring competitions.

Angela Willoughby,

President

Message from the President

Angela Willoughby

Plan to attend the MMTA Fall

Conference November 1-3

at USM

Melody Hanberry

VP for Membership and Web Management

PAGE 2 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Plans and final details are being made for our Annual MMTA Conference to be held at the University of Southern Mississippi on November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The schedule is absolutely packed with a wide variety of sessions for everyone. Our MMTA 2007 featured Artists and Presenters include:

E.L. Lancaster – Three Sessions: 1.) Piano Students: Are They Really Different Today? 2.) Capturing the Interest of the Teenage and Adult Piano Student 3.) The Professional Piano Teacher in the 21st Cen-tury: How Can I Really Keep Up? http://www.alfred.com/

James Johnson, pianist: Artist Faculty, University of Nebraska in Omaha, MMTA 2007 Conference Recital, Friday Nov. 2nd http://music.unomaha.edu/faculty_jjohnson.html

Sonata, Op. 53 "The Waldstein" L.v. Beethoven Scherzo in B-flat Minor F. Chopin Selected Mazurkas F. Chopin Capriccio in B Minor E. v. Dohnanyi Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2 J. Brahms Reflets dans L'Eau (Images) C. Debussy Rhapsodie Hongroise No. 6 F. Liszt

Sergio Gallo, pianist, IMTF Luncheon Artist – “Piano Pedagogy: Schumann’s Al-bum for the Young” http://www.music.gsu.edu/directory.aspx?Id=53

Jason Bahr of MSU, MMTA 2007 Commissioned Composer, work performed by Gail Levinsky, saxophone and Jackie Edwards-Henry, piano. http://music.msstate.edu/faculty-staff/jbahr.asp

Please take time to visit their websites! You will soon understand why I am so excited about this year’s conference and why we are so very fortunate to have these artists coming. Come to hear and support our many MMTA members who are contributing their talents.

Libby Vanatta, MMTA Certification Chair - “Preparing for MTNA Certification”

Ellen Price Elder, William Carey University - “Leading Piano Students to the Fugues of the Well-Tempered Cla-vier Through the use of J.S. Bach’s Own Works: An Introduction for Teacher and Student”

Andrea Cheeseman, Delta State University – “Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation for Musicians”

Dana Ragsdale, USM – “Baroque Performance Practice Issues for Pianists”

Amber Shay Nicholson, USM – “Technique: The Multi-faceted Means to a Musical End.”

Rosangela Yazbec Sebba, Mississippi State University – “Technology Applied to Music”

Elaine Peterson, Mississippi State University - “T’ai Chi Chih for Improved Musicality and Injury Prevention”

Panel Discussion with Ian Hominick, Donna Banks and Shelley Collins – “Communicating, Understanding and Dealing with the busy lives of our Students and Parents in the 21st Century”

The opening night of our conference, Thursday evening Nov. 1st, the music faculty of University of Southern Mississippi will pre-sent a “Faculty Showcase” recital followed by a special reception presented at the home of Joanna Burnside along with her friend, colleague and mother Patricia Tuley. While attending the conference you might also want to attend the state level MTNA com-petitions and masterclasses in piano, brass, chamber music, voice, and strings. On Saturday afternoon, our conference will con-clude with the Pre-college concerto competition. Make your plans now! Our conference website has information on how to reg-ister for the conference banquet on Friday evening and Independent Music Teachers Forum luncheon on Saturday. We will also provide information for hotel reservations. I conclude by sending warm thanks to the many USM faculty members who have al-ready contributed many hours to present this exciting conference.

Respectfully submitted, Rachel Heard, President-elect MMTA heardr@millsaps.edu

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Rachel Heard

PAGE 3 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Thursday, November 1, 2007 6:00 p.m. Executive Board Meeting

7:30 p.m. Recital – USM Faculty Showcase

9:00 p.m. Reception sponsored by Joanna Burnside and Patricia Tuley

Friday, November 2, 2007 8:00 a.m. Registration

8:15 a.m. General Business Meeting

9:00 a.m. Session: Baroque Performance Practice – Dana Ragsdale, Harpsichordist, USM

10:00 a.m. Session: Piano Students: Are They Really Different Today? E. L. Lancaster, Alfred

Publishing, Inc. This session will explore the changing lives of children in the 21st century and how this influences piano study. Included are practical suggestions for curriculum development and lesson activities.

11:00 a.m. Session: “T’ai Chi Chih for Improved Musicality and Injury Prevention” Elaine Peterson, Mississippi State University

11:00 a.m. Session: “Leading Piano Students to the Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier Through the use of J.S. Bach’s Own Works: An Introduction for Teacher and Student” – Ellen Price Elder, William Carey University

11:30 a.m. Past-President’s Luncheon – at Chesterfield’s in Hattiesburg

1:30 p.m. Session: Capturing the Interest of the Teenage and Adult Piano Student, E.L. Lancaster, Alfred Publishing, Inc. Showcase Teenage and adult students present special challenges to meet their individual needs. Included in the session will be teaching strategies and new music specially written for these age groups by Alexander, Bober, Coates, Mier, Rollin and Vandall

2:30 p.m. Break: Hospitality Table by Hattiesburg Music Teachers League

3:00 p.m. Session: Technique: The Multi-faceted Means to a Musical End.” – Amber Shay Nichol- son, USM

3:00 p.m. Session: “Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation for Musicians” – Andrea Cheeseman, Delta State University

4:00 p.m. Session: “Technology Applied to Music” – Rosangela Sebba, Mississippi State University

4:00 p.m. Session: Preparing for MTNA Certification - Libby Vanatta, MMTA Certification Chair

5:30 p.m. Commissioned Composition Performance: Jason Bahr, MSU performed by Gail Levin- sky, saxophone and Jackie Edwards-Henry, piano

6:00 p.m. Conference Banquet

7:30 p.m. Conference Recital – James Johnson, piano, University of Nebraska at Omaha

9:00 p.m. Reception sponsored by Hattiesburg Music Teachers League

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

PAGE 4 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

President - Annette Joe NCTM

Bach Festival—February 2 at Hinds CC Music Forum of Jackson was founded April, 1968,

and is affiliated with MMTA and MTNA

HATTIESBURGHATTIESBURGHATTIESBURG

MUSIC TEACHERS LEAGUEMUSIC TEACHERS LEAGUEMUSIC TEACHERS LEAGUE

Saturday, November 3, 2007

8:00 a.m. Session: The Professional Piano Teacher in the 21st Century: How Can I Really Keep

Up? E.L. Lancaster, Alfred Publishing, Inc. 9:00 a.m. Session: Panel Discussion – Ian Hominick, University of Mississippi, Donna Banks, Delta State University, Shelley Collins, Delta State University and E.L. Lancaster, Alfred Pub- lishing, Inc. – “Communicating, Understanding and Dealing with the busy lives of our

Students and Parents in the 21st Century”

10:00 a.m. Session: Piano Masterclass with MMTA 2007 Conference Artist James Johnson, Univer sity of Nebraska, Omaha

11:45 p.m. IMTF Luncheon:“Piano Pedagogy: Schumann’s Album for the Young” Sergio Gallo, Georgia State University

1:00 p.m. Registration for Pre-College Concerto Competition beginning at 1:30pm

1:30 p.m. Session: Introduction to Alexander Technique Patricia O'Neill, LSU

3:30 p.m. Session: Masterclass with Sergio Gallo – at the conclusion of the Pre-college Concerto Competition

MTNA Certification Testing (Time and Location TBA)

Note: Check Conference Program Book for final schedule.

PAGE 5 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER PAGE 6

Dr. Donna Banks received the Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee in 1976 and the master of Music degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta in 1980. At Georgia State she was the prize-winning stu-dent of Eastman School pianist Cary Lewis, winning two concerto competitions and performing with the Atlanta Commu-nity Orchestra and the Georgia State university orchestra in the spring of 1980. At the University of Oklahoma, where she was granted the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1990, Banks was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Soci-ety and received the Elsie Bell Memorial Scholarship which recognizes women pursuing excellence in music while raising families. Other teachers include E.L. Lancaster, now of Alfred Publishing Company, Jane Magrath of the University of Oklahoma and Clavier magazine, Ed Gates, Applied Coordinator of OU, and Daniel Fletcher, an MTNA Master Teacher who has judged the national Collegiate Artist Competitions. Dr. Banks is the director of the DSU Preparatory Piano Pro-gram which matches college piano students with local children who want to study music. Started in 1990, this program has served hundreds of children in the area who have no other place to take lessons.

An active member of Music Teachers National Association, Dr. Banks is a past State President of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association. Her Executive Board positions have included Secretary, Parliamentarian, Vice-president for Competitions, and President-elect. In addition, she has hosted Local Auditions for Pre-College piano students at DSU since 1991.

Composer Jason Bahr (b. 1972, Kansas City, KS) is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Theory and a HARP Research Fellow at Mississippi State University. Bahr received his B.M. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of music where he studied with Gerald Kemner and James Mob-berly. At Indiana University, he received an M.M. and D.M. studying with Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, David Dzubay, Don Freund, and Eugene O'Brien. Bahr's works have received more than 180 combined performances in twenty-nine states and eight foreign countries. These include performances at conferences of the College Music Society, the Society of Composers, Inc. the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Com-posers, the New Music North Festival (Canada), Sound New (CA), Summer Music Series (Chester, Eng-land), the inaugural ppIANISSIMO festival (Sofia, Bulgaria), and the Sixth International Review of Con-temporary Music (Belgrade, Serbia). Performers including Tim Adams, Jr., Winston Choi, Wendy Wendy Gillespie, Volti, the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra, the California State-Northridge Or-chestra, the Butler Symphony Orchestra, the Indiana University Children's Choir, newEar, Nota Bene, Walter Cosand, Paul Higdon, and the Medical Arts Symphony have performed in works by Bahr.

He has received awards and grants from the Fromm Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, Northridge Composition Prize, the American Music Center, Renee B. Fischer Piano Competition, Kubik International Prize, ASCAP, SCI, and the Cambridge Madrigal Singers Bahr has received commissions from the Moun-tain Chamber Players, percussionist Grant Braddock (Exit 9), conductor Theresa Spencer (Cottey Col-lege), the University of Oklahoma Percussion Ensemble, and English hornist Krista Riggs. Tauromee Mu-sic and Keyboard Percussion Publications publish his works. He is a member of ASCAP, the College Music Society, the Society of Composers, Inc., and the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers.

When not composing, Bahr frets over his student loan debt and the fate of the Kansas City Royals. During the 2003 baseball season, Bahr actually caught a foul ball, but later lost it down a sewer. Ironically, this incident encapsulates the 2003 Royals' season precisely.

Dr. Andrea Cheeseman is Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at Delta State University. Seeking to enrich students’ educations, Cheeseman has organized and hosted festivals unique to Mississippi: the Mississippi Clarinet Symposium and "Celebrating Woodwinds." As a clinician, Cheeseman has visited schools in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. An active performer, Cheeseman has given recitals throughout the country, most recently in Michigan, New York, Tennessee and Mississippi. In the summer of 2003, Cheeseman was named First Runner-Up in the Mu Phi Epsilon In-ternational Competition. She has performed at the College Music Society Annual Meeting, the Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival, the Michigan Contemporary Clarinet Festival, the Eastern Kentucky University Clarinet Festival and the Okla-homa Clarinet Symposium. Prior to her appointment at DSU, Cheeseman was on the faculties of Alma College and Hillsdale College. Cheeseman also taught at Michigan State University as a graduate assistant through the Integrative Arts and Humanities department, working with courses in Music Appreciation, African and African American Music

and the Music of Jamaica. She received the Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in clarinet performance from Michigan State University and the Bachelor of Music degrees in clarinet performance and music education from Ithaca College.

Biographies of Conference Artists and Presenters (in alphabetical order)

Dr. Shelley Collins was appointed Assistant Professor of Flute at Delta State University in 2006. She was ap-pointed Assistant Secretary of the National Flute Association in 2007 and is on the Mid South Flute Society Board of Directors. She served as President of the Seattle Flute Society from 2003 to 2006 and of the Colorado Flute Association from 2000-2001. She also serves on the advisory board of FlutewiseUSA.

An enthusiastic and encouraging clinician, Dr. Collins has adjudicated music festivals in Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Alabama, and Arizona and has presented workshops for the Los Angeles, Greater Portland (OR), and Seattle flute societies. She has been a performer or presenter at six National Flute Association conventions in Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., and she has served twice as a judge for the NFA's Newly Published Music Competition. Federation of South Africa.

She has also taught at Seattle Pacific University, Colorado Christian University, and the University of Colorado-Boulder Division of Continuing Education. As a flute ensemble conductor, she has directed the Rocky Mountain Flute Choir, SPU Flute Ensemble, and Arizona Flute Society Flute Choir.

A native of Montana, Dr. Collins received the Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Arizona State University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Perform-ance and Music Education at Seattle Pacific University.

Jackie Edwards-Henry is professor of piano and piano pedagogy and the keyboard area chair at Mississippi State University. He has directed Mississippi Piano Showcase and is a past Vice-President for Membership for Mississippi Music Teachers Association. In addition to her university and professional service responsibilities, she maintains an active schedule as a performer, clinician and adjudicator. She has performed throughout the South-ern, Midwestern and Eastern United States, as well as in Canada and Great Britain with Gail Levinsky, saxophon-ist, Lana Johns, flutist and The Langston Trio [Barrington Coleman, tenor, Gail Levinsky, alto saxophone, and Jackie Edwards-Henry, piano] in concerts and at regional, national and international conferences. Recent accom-plishments by Dr. Edwards include the following: a premier of "Call and Response" for alto saxophone and piano by James Aikman at the 2002 British Saxophone Congress, Cardiff, Wales; the release of a CD in July 2002, Saxo-phone and Other Voices, with saxo-phonist Gail Levin-

sky; and an article, "Sonata by Mozart, Lyrics by Ima Desperate Teacher," published in the April/May 2002 issue of American Music Teacher. Dr. Edwards received a Ph.D. in piano pedagogy from The University of Oklahoma, B.S. and M.M. degrees in performance and pedagogy from William Jewell College and The University of Illinois, and pursued additional piano study in Bordeaux, France as the recipient of a Rotary Scholarship.

Check out the roses at USM.

PAGE 7 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Dr. Ellen Price Elder joined the faculty of the Winters School of Music in Fall, 2005. She teaches applied and class piano and related courses in piano literature and pedagogy, and she teaches in and coordinates the piano division of CIFA—Carey Institute of Fine Arts, the preparatory program offered by the college. Dr. Elder holds the D.M.A. in Piano Peda-gogy and Performance and the M.M. in Piano Performance and Literature from the University of Michigan; and the B.M. in Piano Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has held faculty positions at the Uni-versity of Michigan, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Eastern Michigan University, and Schoolcraft College. Dr. Elder is the winner of many competitions and awards, including the Ann Arbor Society for the Musical Arts Competition, the Lansing Matinee Musicale Competition, and second-place award winner of the Memphis Interna-tional Beethoven Sonata Competition. As winner of the Young Artist Competition, she has appeared as soloist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and the Mississippi Symphony Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and the University of Michigan Philharmonia Or-chestra (as winner of the concerto competitions at those institutions).

Dr. Elder enjoys performing in solo as well as collaborative settings. During the summer months, she teaches at the University of Michigan All-State Piano Program at Interlochen, and the Solo and Concerto Camps sponsored by the Schoolcraft College Summer Piano School.

SERGIO GALLO is Assistant Professor of Piano at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he currently teaches piano, as well as, courses in piano pedagogy and group piano. Previously he served as Associate Professor and Director of Piano Studies at the University of North Dakota, and as Adjunct Professor at Millikin University. He received his degrees from the Conservatoire Européen de Musique in Paris (Diplôme d’Excellence), the Franz Liszt Academy of Budapest, Hungary, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (Master of Music and Artist Diploma), and the University of California (DMA). Dr. Gallo has per-formed with orchestras throughout the Americas and has recorded recitals for Radio France and Radio Cultura. Recently, he has performed solo recitals in Taiwan, Korea, China, Por-tugal, Norway, at the American Musicological Society meeting in Eugene, OR, the Univer-sity of Manitoba, the Brazilian-American Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., the North Dakota Music Teachers Association meeting in Grand Forks, the American Musicological Society meeting in Calgary, Canada, the Guest Artists Concert Series of City College at the City University of New York, NY, the Mozarteum Concert Series in São Paulo, Brazil, and at the Peakarts Academy in Boulder, CO. He was the adjudicator for the International Piano Performance Examinations in Taichung, Taiwan, and for the World Piano Pedagogy Confer-ence in Atlanta. In July, he will make a presentation at the CMS International meeting in Bangkok. His interests include nineteenth century piano music, in particular French Pianism and related performance practice and pedagogical issues. Sergio Gallo has been appointed a Bosendorfer artist recently.

A native of Nova Scotia, pianist Ian Hominick has performed internationally, earn-ing critical acclaim for his virtuoso performances of the major concert repertoire. While placing special emphasis on the large romantic masterpieces of Brahms, Cho-pin, Schumann and Liszt, his repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary. In

addition, his programs often introduce audi-ences to works by lesser known composers such as Hummel, Medtner or Thalberg. Audi-ences and presenters have praised Hominick's relaxed manner and entertaining commentary on stage. He is on the music faculty at the Uni-versity of Mississippi and is available for piano master classes, workshops and residencies.

PAGE 8 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

James Johnson has earned a distinguished international reputation through his re-cordings and performances with the Royal Philharmonic in London, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Prague Chamber Soloists, the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony, and the Boston Pops. Compared in the European press to such legendary giants as Horowitz, Gilels, Kempf, and Arrau, James Johnson is a pianist of spellbinding technique, whose playing reveals "enthralling dynamic and agogic work, enormous richness of tone," (Saarbruecker Zeitung) and "a difficult-to-explain mystical quality." (Die Rheinpfalz) His performances of works of Chaminade and Dohnanyi ap-peared on Clavier magazine's list of "Best Recent Recordings", and his recordings of Mendelssohn and Beethoven concerti were featured as Records-of-the-Month by Musi-cal Heritage Society. His Centaur CD, featuring works of Kabalevsky and Muczynski, was included on Bound for Sound's list of the "Best Recordings of 1991." Also active as a chamber musician, he has performed with such ensembles as the Cambridge String Quartet, the Alaska Chamber Ensemble, and the North Star Consort, praised by the New York Times for its premiers of new music.

His lineage as a pianist can be traced back to Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Beethoven through links with his teachers, Ozan and Patricia Benkman Marsh, who in turn had studied with Rachmaninoff himself, as well as with Emil von Sauer, and Ferruccio Bu-soni. As an organist, Dr. Johnson’s career has included performances of organ concerti with Sandor Salgo, conductorof the Carmel Bach Festival, as well as many solo recitals. His inaugural recital of the Gress-Miles organ at the University of Alaska was nationally broadcast on public radio. His English organ recital tours have included performances in London, Surrey, Essex, and Leicester Cathedral.

As an educator, Johnson was winner of the Award for Inspirational Teaching at the Uni-versity of Alaska, where he taught for twenty years. In 2001 he was named winner of the Excellence in Teaching award at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. From among the ranks of his piano and organ students have come well over two hundred winners of area, state, and regional competitions. In 2002, he was awarded the Robert M. Spire professorship in Music at the University of Nebraska. In 2004, he was selected as the Nebraska Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year. In 2005, he was named as an MTNA National Foundation Fellow.

Dr. Johnson’s biography appears in Who’s Who in America, American Keyboard Artists, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in the World and The International Who’s Who of Music and Musicians. A native of South Carolina, James Johnson earned his BM, MM and DMA degrees at the University of Arizona. Prior to his tenure at UNO, he

was Professor of Music and Chairman of the Music Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Also an organist and conductor, he earned a post-doctoral MM at Westminster Choir College, as a pupil of Joan Lippincott.

Dr. E. L. Lancaster is Vice President and Keyboard Editor-in-Chief of Alfred Publishing. Dr. Lancaster holds degrees from Murray (KY) State University, the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Prior to joining Alfred, Dr. Lancaster was Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. During that time, he and his wife, Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk, operated a large independent piano studio in Norman, Oklahoma. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 publications de-signed for students of all ages.

PAGE 9 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

Gail B. Levinsky has performed within the United States, Canada, and Europe. Her most recent performances have included presentations at the North American Saxophone Alliance, World Saxo-phone Congress, British Saxophone Congress, United States Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, Festi-val of Women Composers, Southeast Composers League, and the Indiana State Contemporary Music Festival. As a solo performer, she is active in commissioning and premiering new works for saxophone including Concerto for Alto Saxophone & Wind Ensemble by Patrick Long, Sundance by Matthew Quayle, Call and Response for Saxophone and Piano by James Aikman, Bacarolle for Saxophone and Live Electronics by Pat-rick Long; Langston's Lot for Alto Saxophone, Tenor Voice, and Piano by Douglas McConnell; Around the Clock for Alto Saxophone and Electronic Tape by Michael Kallstrom; and Nebulae for Alto Saxophone and Organ by Frank Ferko. The release of her recording, Saxsounds: Saxophone & Other Voices (2002) features many of these works. Her second compact disc recording is soon be released. Dr. Levinsky presently serves on the faculty of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA as an Associ-ate Professor of Music. She previously served as a faculty member at Mississippi State University from 1994-2000. Dr. Levinsky received her Bachelor of Music from Butler University, the Master of Music, Graduate Certificate in Performance, and Doctorate in Music from Northwestern University where she studied with Dr. Frederick L. Hemke. Levinsky has held a number of elected offices with the North American Saxophone Alliance and presently serves as its Region VIII Director. Dr. Levinsky is a clinician for The Conn-Selmer Company, and during the summer months serves on the faculty of New England Music Camp in Sidney, ME.

Amber Shay Nicholson holds a doctorate in piano performance from Eastman School of Music and has been an assistant professor of piano at The University of Southern Mississippi since 2004. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she performs regularly as both a solo pianist and a collaborative artist.

In 2002, Dr. Nicholson was invited to be assistant accompanist at the International Workshops in Stavanger, Norway, where she also performed as soloist. She gave several solo performances at the 2002 International Summer Music Academy in Leipzig, Germany. She was the only United States citizen to be accepted into the 2001 TCU/Van Cliburn International Piano Institute in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 2001, she won the Rachmaninoff #3 piano concerto competition at Eastman and later performed it with orchestra. In 1998, Dr. Nicholson earned the prestigious ESM Performer's Certificate in piano. In 1997, she received a special award at the International Vladimir Horowitz Competition in Kiev, Ukraine. From 1996-2004, she was named a Liberace Scholar and received scholarship support from the Liberace Foundation.

Patricia O'Neill's career has taken her throughout much of the United States, to Germany and the Far East. Among others, she has appeared with the Frankfurt Opera, Stuttgart Opera, Berlin Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Op-era Midwest, Baton Rouge Opera, Utah Opera, Birmingham Civic Opera, Chicago Symphony, Utah Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic(New Orleans) and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Some of her operatic roles have in-cluded Pamina in The Magic Flute, Gilda in Rigoletto, Violetta in La Traviata, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Mimi in La Boheme, Micaela in Carmen, and Marguerite in Faust. Educated at Louisiana State University, O'Neill then studied in Berlin with the famous pedagogue, Margarete von Winterfeldt. O'Neill has performed exten-sively as a recitalist. The art song recital is a medium she especially enjoys, "because of its intimacy." In addition to performances throughout the U.S., her travels have taken her to Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, Ire-land, S. Korea and on a month-long tour of The People's Republic of China for both recitals and master classes.

Recently promoted to Professor of Voice, Ms. O’Neill continues to offer recitals, vocal master classes and work-shops in the Alexander Technique at several universities in the U.S. and abroad. In March she presented The Quiet Land of Erin at Reinhardt College in Atlanta. Summer, 2006, saw her fifth visit to Des Moines Metro Opera where she offers a workshop and classes in the Alexander Technique. She returned to the University of Costa Rica in May, 2006 to teach classes in the Alexander Technique. In October of 2006, she visited Seoul, Korea for the fourth time, also teaching Alexander Technique and Vocal Master Classes to various univer-sities and arts high schools. In 2005, her lecture Thought Shepherding in Singing presented in Oxford, England at the 7th International Congress for the F.M. Alexander Technique was published in the Congress Papers.

For nine years O'Neill sat on the voice faculty of Northwestern University in Illinois. Since 1990 she has been on the voice faculty at Louisiana State University, where she teaches applied voice and graduate courses in German, French and Italian Diction. Particularly dear to her heart is a course she continues to develop called Performance Craft. It is designed to facilitate emergence of the young singer's own personal artistry. A graduate of Philadelphia's Alexander Alliance, and an ATI Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique she offers a class in The Alexander Technique every fall. She is also a stage director for the LSU Opera Theater when her schedule allows.

PAGE 10 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Dr. Elaine Peterson serves as assistant professor of Music History and Double Reeds at Mississippi State Univer-sity. In this position, she teaches music history and private oboe and bassoon lessons, in addition to classes such as music appreciation and instrumental methods. Dr. Peterson holds music performance degrees from Alma College (Alma, MI), the Hartt School of Music (Hartford, CT), and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she was a Hayes Fellow and served for two years as the director of the UNCG Collegium Musicum. She has also studied early music performance and dance at the Amherst Early Music Festival and with several leading scholars living in North Carolina. Dr. Peterson currently directs the Mississippi State Early Music Ensemble, a consort of recorders that plays Medieval and Renaissance music.

Dr. Peterson was invited to be a soloist with the Toledo Symphony in March 2004, in a sold-out performance of Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in a minor RV 497. She has also performed Michael Daugherty's Dead Elvis by invita-tion of the UNCG Contemporary Chamber Players. She continues to perform regularly as a soloist, in recital and accompanied by large ensemble. She is also a member of the Magnolia Trio, a faculty chamber ensemble of flute, clarinet and bassoon.

Dr. Dana Ragsdale is professor of harpsichord and piano and director of the Collegium Musicum (Southern Arts Pro Musica) at Southern Miss. Having played her New York debut recital in 1977 in Weil Recital Hall, she also has been a guest artist on the Winterfest Concerts and with the Fiati Chamber Players in New York City. A participant in the Performing Arts Touring program (1986-1989), sponsored by the Southern Arts Federation, Dr. Ragsdale also has made numerous appearances at Piccolo Spoleto USA in Charleston, S.C. (1983-1995).

She has performed on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dear-born, and in harpsichord festivals at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1994, she toured the United States with the Vivaldi Orchestra of Moscow, an all-women chamber orchestra from Russia.

Dr. Ragsdale has collaborated with several world-renowned early music artists, including Steven Rosenberg, recorder, and Julianne Baird, soprano. Promenade, the Southern Miss faculty Baroque ensemble that includes Dr. Ragsdale, may be heard on a compact disc, Music from the Court of Versailles. A recent Albany Records compact disc release, featuring the works by the American composer Samuel Adler, include a performance of his chamber work, Acrostics, performed by Dr. Ragsdale and four Southern Miss School of Music colleagues.

Dr. Rosângela Sebba is a native of Brazil where she won many prizes in national competitions. In 1990 she won the prize "Most Talented and Musical" in the National Piano Competition "Paulo Giovanini," in São Paulo, and was awarded a series of recitals in Brazil. Her major professors were Belkiss S. Carneiro de Men-donça, Gary Smart, and Stanley Waldoff, and master classes with: Arnaldo Cohen, Miguel Proença, Antonio Guedes Barbosa, Luís de Moura Castro, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and John Browning. In the United States, Rosângela accompanied master classes and concerts of the following renowned artists: Simon Estes, Wynton Marsalis, Emerson String Quartet, Joseph Robinson, Csaba Erdelyi, and Leontyne Price. She is specialized in Brazilian music and has given lectures, lectures/recitals and recitals in Brazil, United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. She is the founder and coordinator of the "Brazilian Festival" held annually at MSU. Her biogra-phy is featured in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders and she is part of the Mississippi Arts Commission Roster as well as chair of the Independent Music Teachers Forum, part of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association.

Rosângela has presented papers, recitals and lecture/recitals in the College Music Society international and regional conferences and the International Double Reed Society. During the summer, she teaches piano, piano pedagogy and master classes and performs as soloists and accompanist in Brazil. She is also an active accompanist in United States, working with her colleagues in the Mississippi area. Prior to her appointment at MSU, she has served on the faculty of Gustav Ritter State Conservatory - Brazil, University of Southern Mississippi and Pear River Community College.

Libby Vanatta, MMTA Certification Chair and a member of the Music Department staff at USM will present a program on certification. She has collaborated as a pianist on many faculty and student instrumental recitals at USM.

PAGE 11 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Don’t forget to make a reservation for this year’s special conference meals. Deadline for sending in your reserva-tion is Friday, Oct. 26.

To reserve your place please send a check made out to “MMTA” to:

Amber Shay Nicholson 312 Woodshire Drive

Hattiesburg, MS 39402

The menu for this year’s buffet is: FRIDAY BANQUET - "Golden Eagle Buffet" - $18/person Entrees: Crispy Baked Chicken & Vegetable Lasagna Sides: Seasoned Green Beans, Parsley New Potatoes, & Squash Casserole Desserts: Peach Cobbler & Double Chocolate Cake Also, Garden Green Salad, dinner rolls, iced tea, coffee, and water

SATURDAY LUNCHEON - "The Sandwich Sym-phony" - $13.50/person Turkey breast, ham, pepperoni, roast beef, chicken salad Swiss, Provolone, and American cheese Lettuce, tomato, red onion, roasted red peppers, olive salad Croissants, assorted breads, mini French rolls Potato salad & Pasta Salad Fresh Tomato Bisque Sour Cream Pound Cake Iced Tea

Conference Hotel:

Hampton Inn

4301 Hardy Street Hattiesburg, MS 39401 (601) 264-8080

Mention the MTNA conference to receive the confer-ence rate of $93.00 + tax. A block of 30 rooms have been held for conference attendees.

We have several hotels within five minutes of campus (near the intersection of I-59 and MS 98/Hardy Street). Rates are between $85-$99/night as of 9/7/07. * New property.

Baymont Inn & Suites*

123 Plaza Dr Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 264-8380

Best Western

2 Churchill Drive Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 264-7668

Comfort Suites*

122 Plaza Dr.

Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 261-5555

Hilton Garden Inn & Suites*

126 Plaza Drive Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 271-3770

Microtel Inn & Suites*

105 Westover Drive Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 450-1592

CONFERENCE MEAL INFORMATION CONFERENCE HOTEL INFORMATION

PAGE 12 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Profit and Loss July 1, 2006 – August, 2007

Income Convention $9,024.00 (includes $4525. in grants) Interest, Katrina, dues rebates 17,404.96 Pre-College 14,589.00 MMT Ads 70.00 Total Income $41,087.96 Expense Convention Expense $13,893.52 Executive Committee Expense 4,773.21 Operating Expense 14,480.51 Newsletter /Website 1,476.05 Pre-College Expense 11,530.55 Total Expense $46,153.84 Net Income: -5,065.88 August 15, 2007 Total Assets: $20,610.27

Andrea Cheeseman Treasurer

PAGE 13 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4 PAGE 14

http://MississippiMusic.com

601-264-0150 Hattiesburg

601-922-1200 Jackson

601-693-6317 Meridian

228-388-6547 Biloxi

LOCAL AFFILIATE NEWS

An update from Gulf Coast Music Teachers Association: Member teachers along the Coast usually “take off summers” for meetings; but there was much

work to be done these past few months. One primary task was to re-write our local constitution and by-laws to be more in alignment with the MMTA Constitution. This was accomplished and revisions were approved in our September meeting. The new GCMTA Constitution and Bylaws has been forwarded to MMTA and will be published in our local 2007-2008 handbook.

One other interesting task was to fulfill a request by the Memphis Area Music Teachers to provide a video of Katrina-hit teachers who benefited from their fund-raisers. At first we didn’t know how we would accomplish this in the time they indicated and the budget we didn’t have! We made it happen, though, using one member’s digital video camera. In an interview-type format, four of our members expressed appreciation and told how the funds helped them and their students. This was sent on DVD and shown at the Tennessee state association meeting.

I was recently been contacted by a representative of a teachers group in the San Jose area. They are still thinking about us and want to know if there is still some way they can help. Our local effort now, though, is to see if we can help the teachers so hard-hit by tornado and flood activity in the central U.S. early this summer. I replied I would forward what we learn about providing assistance there. Peggy Pe-terson is trying to get ideas and information for this effort.

Yvonne Young-McGrath, B.M.

President, GCMTA

PAGE 15 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

Hattiesburg Music Teachers League will present Timothy Brown in their annual Composer Festi-val November 16-17. Laura Broughton is in charge of the composer event and Janice Mesrobian is President of HMTL.

Timothy Brown’s music has been influenced greatly by the Italian film composer Ennio Morricone and also by the composer Luciano Berio. His music is noted for it’s “immediate emotional impact” and it’s roots in the neo-romantic style. His traditional formal structural elements are em-bedded in his wide array of compositions which includes orchestral, ballet, and cham-ber works and specifically music written for the piano and pedagogical purposes. He did his undergraduate studies at Bowling Green State University and received his mas-ters degree from the University of North Texas where he studied piano with Adam Wodnicki, and music composition with Newel Kay Brown . He later was a recipient of a research fellowship from the Royal Holloway, University of London where he did his post-graduate studies in music composition and orchestration studying with the English composer, Brian Lock. He later continued his research at the well known “Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia” in Rome, Italy. His numerous credits as a composer include the first prize at the “Alienor International Harpsichord Competition “ for his harpsichord solo “Suite Espanola”. (Centaur records). He leads a very active career as an exclusive composer for the FJH Music Co. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with over one hundred com-positions now in print. His works are frequently performed throughout North America and Europe and at numerous international venues such as “The World Piano Pedagogy Conference,” the “Festival Internacional de Musica de Te-cla Espanola” and the MTNA national convention. His music has been performed by concert artist Elaine Funaro on National Public Radio , and most recently at the Speleto Music Festival, and the Library of Congress Concert Series in Washington D.C.

His numerous commissions include the 2007 Hattiesburg composer festival and also a commissioned work by the concert pianist, Helen Marlais. Other commissions include an article by “Clavier Magazine” for his piano solo“ Once Upon a Time” edited by Denes Agay and a recent commission by the Dallas Ballet Foundation to write the orchestral score for the Ballet “The Happy Prince” based on a short story by Oscar Wilde. Mr Brown is currently a fine arts spe-cialist for the Dallas Public Schools and serves on the advisory board of the “Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts” in Dallas, Texas.

LOCAL AFFILIATE NEWS

Pianos, teacher referrals, rentals, digital pianos, organs, band instruments, books, software, leasing & moving

127 dyess road, ridgeland, ms 39157-4411

morrison brothers music inc. 1-800-932-0934 601-956-0135

http://www.mobro.net “your full line music store since 1972”

Adam Perry: sales

Vicksburg Music Teachers Association met for lunch with MMTA President Angela Willoughby for an update on the upcoming 2007 Fall Conference and certification information. Plans for the annual VMTA Boys’ Recital at First Presbyterian Chapel were finalized. VMTA welcomes Denise Ragsdale as a new member. Denise is active in the music program at Porters Chapel UMC where her husband is pas-tor. She is the accompanist for the Vicksburg Chamber Choir in addition to teaching piano. VMTA wel-comed Lena Erekson as a guest at the meeting. Barbara Tracy

From the Studio: Music Teaching Products

The picture on the left fea-tures a sculpture displayed in a corner window. It re-

minds me of the opportunity we have as music teachers to open a student’s mind to the beauty and art of music. These students are not always young elementary children—we are now seeing many teens and adults as music “beginners.” Most of this issue is devoted to our 2007 MMTA Conference at USM on November 1-3. The program has something for everyone and will provide that extra spark to stimulate your creativity and help you impart musical art to your students of all ages.

Conference presenters, please check out your picture in this issue. If you would like to substitute another image, please email me a copy to use in the 2007 Conference Program Book. We also tried an email attachment to the membership so you would have a confer-ence brochure available for your needs and for general publicity. Share this with a non-MMTA member so they can see what they are missing and invite them to the Conference recitals. See you at USM, Barbara Tracy tracy@vicksburg.com

CLASSICAL LISTENING

Even the youngest music students are internet computer experts. Cincinnati Classical Public Ra-dio, Inc., has set up a website for kids who would like to hear and learn more about classical mu-sic. The website is: http://www.classicsforkids.com

This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to develop their listening skills and interact with the great composers.

The website features a weekly show about a classical composer and also includes musical exam-ples. Past shows are also available in addition to radio show schedule information. Other avail-able selections this week include articles on Ballet, Selecting an Instrument, and Classical Music Periods. There is also a “Music is Fun” section that includes several games for students such as note naming and going through time with a composer. Regular menu items include an online musical dictionary, information on instruments and a section where you can play music from past programs. The website has a section for parents and teachers. Activities are also included.

The site has a lot of privacy options in place to make it a safe site for kids and they offer a contact email for questions and comments. They also have a store where you can order music such as the seasonal CD: “Tunes from the Crypt Goes to the Movies.”

Take a look and see if this might be useful for your students.

FROM THE MMT EDITOR

Please send your favorite successful teaching product information to the MMT Editor via email: tracy@vicksburg.com. Please include the title of the product, the company that produces it, cost, and a short description of the product and how it has been helpful in your studio.

PAGE 16 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Calendar October 27, Duet Fest at MC

Nov. 1-3: 2007 Conference USM, Hattiesburg February 2, Bach Festival At Hinds CC

2008 Audition dates: March 29 for Group A: Jackson, Hattiesburg, Tupelo,

Cleveland, Meridian April 5 for Group B: Ellisville, Gulf Coast, Columbus/Starkville, Oxford, Vicksburg

2008 SSRR May 3 at Meridian Community College

Experience the Organ 

http://www.agocal.org

Need a Sunday job?

Consider organ study… Jackson Chapter American Guild of Organists

PAGE 17 MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

Golden Triangle Music Forum

Laura Stokes Stokesstudio@yahoo.com (new address)

3995 Webster St., Maben, MS 39750 (662)769-1778

Gulf Coast Music Teachers Association

Yvonne Young-McGrath mcgmomx4@bellsouth.net

753 Canterbury Dr, Biloxi, MS 39532-4303 (228) 617-9127

Hattiesburg Music Teachers League

Janice Mesrobian jmesrob@msn.com

221 E. Lakeside Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601)268-0806

Jones County Music Teachers Association

Janine Beasley music@beasinc.com

3122 N. 5th Ave., laurel, MS 39440 (601) 649-9240

League of Meridian Music Teachers

June Williams 100 38th St.,, Meridian, MS 39311 (601) 482-4107

Music Forum of Jackson

Annette Joe edwardjoe@bellsouth.net

620 Wendover Dr, Ridgeland, MS39157-2849 (601) 853-6867

Music Forum of Tupelo

Sandy Coutoumanos sandycoutoumanos@msn.com

102 Hinton Circle, Tupelo, MS 38801 (662) 840-2200

Vicksburg Music Teachers Association

Barbara Tracy tracy@vicksburg.com

617 Holly Ridge Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (601) 638-3453

WEBMASTER

Handmade Designs www.handmadedesigns.com

Toll free: 1-877-467-2660

PRESIDENT

Angela Willoughby willough@mc.edu

100 Murial St., Clinton, MS 39056 (601) 906-8040

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Rachel Heard heardr@millsaps.edu

3821 Montrose Circle, Jackson,MS 39216 (601)987-8414

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Joanna Burnside inkki@aol.com

148 Jervis Mims Road, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 (601) 310-1807

VP for STATE, COLLEGE, and NATIONAL COMPETITIONS

Sharon Lebsack sharon_lebsack@comcast.net

P. O. Box 15905

Hattiesburg, MS 39404-5905 (601) 543-7096

VP for MEMBERSHIP and WEBSITE

Melody Hanberry hanberry@mc.edu

Mississippi College, Box 4021, Clinton, MS 39056 (601) 925-3230

VP for PRE-COLLEGE AUDITIONS—VACANT

VP for PRE-COLLEGE PERFORMANCES

Janet Gray hgraycpa@bellsouth.net

4176 Harper Road, Corinth, MS 38834 (662) 286-6101

VP for PUBLIC RELATIONS

Barbara Tracy tracy@vicksburg.com

617 Holly Ridge Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (601)638-3453

TREASURER

Andrea Cheeseman alcheeseman@yahoo.com

313 S. Bolivar Ave, Cleveland, MS 38732 (662) 846-4608

SECRETARY

Kimberley Davis Kimberley.Davis@usm.edu

Box 5081, School of Music, USM, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5081

(601) 266-6941

CHAIR of THEORY and COMPOSITION

Carol Schutzmann PianoMom7@aol.com

7 Pecan Circle, Long Beach, MS 39560 (228) 863-5198

CHAIR of INDEPENDENT MUSIC TEACHERS FORUM

Rosangela Yazbec Sebba rys@colled.msstate.edu

1212 Hwy. 25 South, Apt. 1, Starkville, MS 39759 (662) 325-2854

CERTIFICATION CHAIR

Libby Vanatta ballade2@aol.com

30 Overlook Pt., Hattiesburg, MS 39402 (601) 819-0139

ASSISTANT to VP for PUBLIC RELATIONS

Jeanne Evans ajevans88@bellsouth.net

3140 Drummond St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 (601) 634-0826

MMTA OFFICERS

LOCAL AFFILIATE PRESIDENTS

PAGE 18 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

Membership in Mississippi Music Teachers Association is open to individuals professionally engaged in any field of musical activity. Since MMTA is a state

affiliate of Music Teachers National Association, all membership is handled through national headquarters. Please check the MTNA website http://

www.mtna.org/home.htm or the MMTA VP for Membership for membership infor-mation or application forms.

Mississippi Music Teacher is issued three times per year. Address all communications, articles, and pictures to the Editor. The MMT is now

available to the public on the MMTA website in PDF format.

ADVERTISING: Limited advertising space is available for firms or indi-viduals who have a product or service of specific interest or benefit to MMTA members. All correspondence regarding advertising should be

sent to the assistant editor.

YEARLY ADVERTISING RATES (size in inches)

2 ¼ x 1 $70

2 ¼ x 2 ¼ $120

2 ¼ x 4 5/8 $170

2 ¼ x 7 $240

4 5/8 x 4 5/8 $275

4 5/8 x 7 (half page) $500

7 x 9 ¼ (full page) $900

Barbara Tracy, MMT Editor EMAIL: tracy@vicksburg.com

617 Holly Ridge Drive Vicksburg, MS 39180

(601) 638-3453

Jeanne Evans, Assistant Editor EMAIL: ajevans88@bellsouth.net

3140 Drummond St. Vicksburg, MS 39180

(601) 634-0826

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

AFFILIATED WITH MUSIC TEACHERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC TEACHER

W E’RE ON THE WEB

HTTP:// MSMUSICTEACHERS.ORG