Roanoke Valley Music Teachers Association

Finance Committee Meeting
2023-06-09 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States

Senior Scholarship Winner's Recital
2023-05-12 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Final business meeting. Lunch out on the town!

Roundtable Discussion: Sharing Theory Curriculums and Testing Tips
2023-04-14 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States

Roundtable Discussion: Acclimating our Students to Church Music and Preludes
2023-03-10 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States

RVMTA Student Honors Recital
2023-02-12 15:00 | St. John Lutheran Church, 4608 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke, Virginia, 24018

Developing our Students into Sight-Reading Mavericks!
2023-02-10 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Presented by Erica Sipes, Radford University

About the Presenter

Erica Sipes, pianist, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music. She currently serves on the faculty of Radford University as a collaborative pianist. Previously, she has freelanced as a piano collaborator and coach in Michigan, Idaho, and Virginia. She has also performed with the Roanoke Symphony on occasion and has performed as a piano soloist with the New River Valley Symphony. In the summer of 2012 Ms. Sipes officially launched her own business as a practice coach, offering coaching, workshops, planning sessions, and practice boot-camps for anyone that could use some help with practicing. She is also a prominent blogger, writing frequently about her views on performing, learning music, and the classical music world in general. Her blog, “Beyond the Notes” can be found here.

About the Presentation

Going Beyond Sight-Reading Myths

After teaching piano sight-reading to piano majors at Eastman as a graduate student and spending years researching the topic, Erica has come to some important conclusions regarding how best to approach the topic. Going beyond the myths, she firmly believes that the skills that go into sight-reading music well aren’t usually focused on. Even more importantly, the same skills she encourages teachers and musicians to add into the mix improves anyone’s approach to learning any type of music and instrument, not just one’s sight-reading skills.

To get a glimpse of her sight-reading tricks and tips, drop in on one of her Sight-reading Maverick shows which stream on her YouTube channel most Sunday afternoons at 1pm. Or you can watch over 100 previously streamed episodes at any time by clicking on the Sightreading Videos playlist there.

Roundtable Discussion: Money Matters and Studio Policies
2023-01-13 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave., Roanoke, Virginia, 24015

Jazz and Chopin Preludes, Not Necessarily In That Order!
2022-11-11 10:30 | Grandin Court Baptist Church, 2660 Brambleton Ave, Roanoke, Virginia, 24015
Grandin Court Baptist Church
2660 Brambleton Ave, Roanoke, VA 24015

Workshop and recital presented by Matt Cataldi, Radford University

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

“24 Preludes in Popular Style after Chopin”

Description: Modern piano pedagogy enjoys a wealth of wonderful material geared towards the classical pianist – and suffers a severe lack of quality educational music in popular styles. This arrangement project aims to equip teachers and students with technical vocabulary and stylistic awareness in a wide variety of popular musical styles including swing, blues, gospel, ragtime, funk, hip-hop, bossa nova, bebop, and many more, all based off of Chopin’s 24 Preludes which are already frequently studied and programmed in the teaching studio.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

“Cataldi wasn’t your typical, classically trained pianist –

he was a rockstar and he brought the house down.”*

Dr. Matthew Cataldi has enjoyed a wildly versatile career as a piano soloist, collaborative artist, conductor, composer, and educator. He holds a BM from Florida State University, as well as MM and DM degrees in Piano Performance and Literature from Indiana University where he studied with Brazilian-born pianist Arnaldo Cohen.

As a performer, he has appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in addition to many other venues across the Americas and Canada. He gave his orchestral debut as a teenager playing Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, and has recorded a documentary CD of Spanish and Latin American piano music which was accompanied by an international concert and lecture tour. He is also active as a conductor and musical director in the theatre world, having premiered several new works in New York City in collaboration with Tony Award winning Broadway artists.

As a composer and arranger, he enjoys bridging the classical and popular worlds, creating and presenting exciting new music that caters to his unique background and interests. Recent compositions and premiers include: “Variations and Fugue on a theme by Led Zeppelin” – a classical set of variations on the iconic rock song “Stairway to Heaven”, “Hail to the King” – a virtuosic medley of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, and his most recent project, “24 Preludes in Popular Style after Chopin” – a transcription project that arranges all of Chopin’s Op.28 Preludes in a variety of popular styles, intended to introduce classical piano students to elements of popular music while equipping them with the tools and vocabulary necessary to traverse a diverse range of musical styles.

As an educator, he is active on the local, regional, and national research and pedagogy scenes. He serves as president of the Highlands Chapter of the Virginia Music Teachers Association where he organizes and runs festivals for local piano students, and has presented on multiple occasions for the Music Teachers National Association annual conference on topics including improvisation and cadenza creation. He is frequently invited as an adjudicator for competitions and to present workshops and masterclasses for students across the country. His own students have been active and visible on the national stage as well, being invited to speak on research panels and presenting for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. His articles have been published by the College Music Society and the American Music Teacher.

Dr. Cataldi currently serves as Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Professor of Piano at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, where he was recently awarded the Dalton Eminent Scholar Rising Star award – a university-wide award for creative scholarship that recognizes faculty with distinguished international reputations in their discipline.

*The Concordian

Virginia State Conference
2022-10-27 12:00 - 2022-10-29 12:00 | VA
Guest Clinician Lori Bastien, Guest Artist Thomas Pandolfi. More information can be found at the VMTA website.

Reaching our Special Learning Students through Music Therapy
2022-10-14 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Presented by Dr. Sekyung Jang, Radford University

Dr. Sekyung Jang, assistant professor of music, earned her Bachelor of Arts from Utah State University. She has her Master of Music from Colorado State University, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education with an emphasis of Music Therapy from the University of Kansas. Dr. Jang teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music therapy which include Psychology of Music, Clinical Orientation in Music Therapy, and Advanced Methods and Materials in Music Therapy.

Prior to her appointment at Radford University, Dr. Jang developed and implemented various music-based interventions as a founder and director of GongGam Music Psychological Institute in South Korea. Through contractual works, she served variety of clientele, including older adults in community-based settings and children and adolescence in public schools. She has also worked with children with developmental delays and emotional/behavioral challenges in both South Korea and the United States.

Her current clinical and research interests are prevention of depression in older persons, theory-based intervention research, intergenerational programming, and music therapy supervision. Dr. Jang received specialized training in Neurologic Music Therapy and presents regularly in regional, national, and international conferences and symposia.

The field of music therapy is rapidly growing. In her workshop, Dr. Jang will engage in discussions about how various music experiences (e.g., singing, instrument playing, song writing) are used to facilitate changes in cognitive, emotional, social, communication, physical, and spiritual domains in music therapy practice. Dr. Jang will demonstrate the use of piano in sensory-motor exercises and self-expression through song writing. In addition, participants will learn how to utilize instruments to address attention, decision making, and social skills.

Fun With Scales!
2022-09-09 10:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Presented by Eric Ruple, James Madison University. Dutch treat lunch to follow.

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

“Fun With Scales…Really”

This workshop is all about the teaching and playing of scales. Is scale practice a daily routine for yourself and your students? Or is it more akin to pulling teeth, a “lost cause” or a Sisyphusian exercise in futility? We will review and explore why they are important, take a fresh look at how we teach them (yes, folks, much of this this WILL be controversial), and show some ways to help you to never get bored playing or teaching them ever again!ABOUT THE PRESENTER​Steinway Artist Eric Ruple is on the piano faculty at James Madison University. He enjoys an active career as a solo and chamber musician, including several performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and Steinway Hall in New York. He is also pianist for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, including principal keyboard role in the ongoing “Harry Potter Live” concerts. He was also featured in Bernstein’s “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs” with the VSO Jazz Ensemble.His recording “Musica Incognito” with hornist Ian Zook has earned unanimously positive reviews from several national and international publications. He is president of the Shenandoah Valley/JMU Chapter of the American Liszt Society and is a regular adjudicator in Hong Kong. In 2019-2020, he served as Interim Director for the JMU School of Music. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Michigan.

Scholarship Winner's Recital and Final Business meeting
2022-05-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
On May 13, 2022, our Scholarship Winner will present their winning selection in a Recital at Apex Piano Showroom. A Business meeting will follow.

Carla Fosbre presents....the Mountain Dulcimer
2022-03-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Carla Fosbre

Ms. Fosbre teaches piano to beginning through advanced students, ages 5 and up as well as returning and/or beginning adults. Ms. Fosbre also teaches lessons on the Mountain Dulcimer to all students using the Danny Shepherd book, Mountain Dulcimer for Children (and the Young at Heart).

Ms. Fosbre studied Piano Performance at Hollins University and has been teaching piano since 1998. Ms. Fosbre is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music with the Music Teachers’ National Association and is an active member of the Roanoke Valley Music Teachers’ Association. Ms. Fosbre is experienced in teaching many different methods and genres including, Alfred, Faber and Faber, Lang Lang, The Royal Academy of Music, and many more.

When not teaching piano or Mountain Dulcimer, Ms. Fosbre loves to play her mountain dulcimer and bowed dulcimer with friends and family. Ms. Fosbre is currently taking lessons on her bowed dulcimer from Ricky’s Bluegrass Connection in Moneta and hopes to perform at some future fiddler’s conventions. Ms. Fosbre lives at Smith Mountain Lake with her husband, Mike, and kitty, Pantera. She is retired from the Virginia Department of Corrections Probation and Parole as a Surveillance Officer after 21 years of service.

Dalcroze Eurhythmics
2022-02-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Mrs. Rachel O’Brien will be presenting Dalcroze Eurhythmics on February 11 at 10:00.

The 2019 Gold Medal winner of the Houston Symphony’s Ima Hogg Competition, Rachel O’Brien has appeared in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Houston’s E. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, and Blossom Music Center. A winner of Astral Artists’ 2017 National Auditions, O’Brien received top prizes from such competitions as the Lyon & Healy Awards, the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) Concerto Competition, and the Saratoga Harp Colony “Play with the Pros” Competition. She is also the recipient of the Alice Chalifoux Award and was the 2015 CIM Presser Scholar. O’Brien has appeared as a soloist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the CIM Symphony Orchestra.

Passionate about inspiring musicians around the world, O’Brien maintains a significant social media following, with around 50,000 followers on Instagram. She is the author of “Purpose in Practice: 26 Rules for the Practicing Musician,” a book designed to motivate musicians to achieve higher practicing goals. O’Brien teaches privately and also serves on faculty at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.

Rachel O’Brien holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied harp performance under Yolanda Kondonassis.

VMTA State Conference
2021-11-04 12:00 - 2021-11-06 12:00 | DoubleTree Inn by Hilton, 50 Kingsmill Rd, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185, United States
The VMTA 2021 State Conference will be held on November 4th through 6th in Williamsburg at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Williamsburg. This hotel and conference center is beautiful and spacious with many amenities. It has everything we need for a successful conference! More information will be forthcoming as available.

Guest Artist Dr. Lister-Sink will be with us on Friday and Saturday. Her presentations include:

Friday – ConcertSaturday – Master ClassSaturday – Interactive Teacher Technique

Guest Clinician Lisa Bastien will be presenting workshops for us on Friday and Saturday. They include:

The Bastien Family: A Tribute to Jane & Jim BastienBastien New Traditions: Inspiring the Next Generation of Beginning PianistSuccessful Piano Teaching in a Rapidly Changing World

Conference Fees

VMTA Members

Early Bird Registration – $95.00(Deadline: Monday, October 4, 2021)Registration after October 4, 2021 – $110.00Daily Registration – $75.00Banquet Fee – $49.00

The banquet will be on Friday night before the Guest Artist Concert. When registering, please note which entree you prefer. The choices are Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast in Cranberry Orange Glaze or Sesame Crusted Salmon Filet. All meals come with rolls & butter, salad, red roasted potatoes, a vegetable and dessert. You also have the choice of Starbucks coffee and assorted Teavana teas.

Non-members

Early Bird Registration – $120.00(Deadline: Monday, October 4, 2021)Registration after October 4, 2021 – $140.00Individual Workshops for non-members – $30.00 per workshopConcert Ticket for non-members – $25 per person per concertBanquet Fee – $49.00

Full registration includes:

All workshopsOne ticket for the Guest Artist Concert – Dr. Barbara Lister-SinkOne ticket to the Concerto Winners ConcertHospitality table throughout the day

How To Register

Please go to the website to register. To do so, click the following link that will take you to the VMTA website: https://www.virginiamta.org. Select “Annual Conference” from the “Activities” dropdown menu. Scroll down to the “Conference Prices” and click on “HERE“ to register. It is best to fill out the form completely before printing. Please note that there is a $5.00 fee for using PayPal.

Please send your check to: Mun Lee Han, NCTMVMTA Treasurer3969 Wyckoff DriveVirginia Beach, VA 23452

Remember to register early so you don’t miss the early bird special rate!

One Note At A Time: A Beginner's Guide to a Lifetime of Exploration
2021-10-08 09:30 - 12:30 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
Dr. Louise Billaud of New River Valley Community College will present One Note At A Time: A Beginner’s Guide to a Lifetime of Exploration. After a short break, she will present Kabalevsky Preludes: an intimate look into the Russian soul of a Soviet composer.

Trained in the United States and France, Louise Billaud studied under the guidance of her husband, French-born American professor, Steinway artist Jean-Paul Billaud. Through him she felt the influence of his former teachers: Marguerite Long, Jacques Février, Alfred Cortot and Polish pianist Auguste de Radwan.

Laureate of several piano competitions and winner of the Bartók-Kabalevsky International Competition, she was recently recognized as a 2015 American Prize semi-finalist. She has performed in the United States and Europe in solo and lecture-recitals and as soloist with orchestra, including lecture-recitals at the 2009 and 2019 CMS International Conferences in Croatia and Belgium. Her recordings include three compact discs and a DVD featuring the lecture-recital Mazeppa – An Inspirational Living Legend.

Billaud received her BM in Piano Performance from the University of Alaska and MA degree from Radford University in Virginia. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), earned a D.M.A. in Music Education from Boston University and was honored by the National Association for Music Education ACME SRIG with the award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. Dr. Billaud has presented research findings at NAfME, Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium and Music and Lifelong Learning national and international conferences. She was Keynote Speaker for the Virginia Community College System’s New Faculty Forum and for Education Symposia.

Most recently honored with the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Professor Billaud teaches Music in Society, History of Western Music, History of Jazz, World Music and Fundamentals in lecture and online formats at New River Community College.

“Meet” Dr. Billaud here: https://youtu.be/mUrWwbA-7fA

Unveiling RVMTA’s New Website
2021-09-10 10:00 - 13:00 | Apex Piano Showroom, 2134 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA, 24015, United States
We will be unveiling the new RVMTA website at our next meeting! We will learn how to navigate the new site, plus how to log in and edit pages and events. It’ll be fun!
