Elementary Winner: Benjamin Hyde (Garden Bugs) - student of Starlett Shipp (Tulsa) Second Place: Willow Aran (Emotions) - student of Lauren Sonder (Norman) Junior High School Winner: Connor Young (Pizza Parlor Waltz) - student of SHirley Johnson (Norman) Second Place: Holden Hill (Warrior's Call to Duty) - student of Fran Young (Edmond) Honorable Mention: Delaney Meade (Glorious Rain) - student of Shirley Johnson (Norman) Senior High School Winner: Issac Reel (The Donning of Spring) - student of Marilyn Johnson (Edmond)

Dear MTNA Member:

I think we need a book like Chicken Music for the Soul for music teachers!

I think we need a chicken‐soup‐for‐the‐soul‐like book for music teachers! During my years of memberships in MTNA, I have heard many wonderful personal stories that have inspired me to create a collection of stories from music teachers, especially those with private studios. Most of us have a wealth of memories of weird/touching/funny things that have been said to us as well as of unique experiences we have had during our teaching careers. You may even recall your own least professional, funny, or embarrassing moment as a teacher (I have a humdinger!).

I plan to publish the best of these stories and hope that everyone reading this will be willing to share one or more special stories; anywhere from one sentence to a few pages would be fine. Here are some types of stories to consider:

• Funny things said by students, parents, family, or acquaintances
• Embarrassing, funny, or special things your did as a teacher
• Sad, touching, rewarding, funny stories from teaching
• Ironic or unbelievable event
• Stories about some stereotype others have of the independent music teacher
• Any story you think other teachers would enjoy hearing
Please send your stories to:
Please send your stories to:
beth.klingenstein@vcsu.edu
OR
Beth Gigante Klingenstein
341 3rd Avenue NW
Valley City, ND 58072

No real names of students, parents, or others will be used in the stories. If I may use your name, please send your name, contact information, and state along with the story. If you wish to remain anonymous, please indicate your state only. I look forward to hearing from you. I am excited to share the stories I already have; I can't wait to hear
yours!

Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM
Author of The Independent Piano Teacher's Studio Handbook and A Business Guide for the Music Teacher

Start now to prepare for audition repertoire selection—test your skills with this REPERTOIRE TRUE-FALSE QUIZ courtesy of Sandra Meyer, OMTA President! T F 1. The abbreviation "Arr." stands for "Awfully Rough Rhythm." False—it stands for "arrangement" or "arranged by"… don't use this for OMTA Competitions or District Achievement Auditions. T F 2. My student didn't have time to learn the whole piece, so it's OK if he just plays the first page. False—the entire piece must be played. T F 3. It is OK for my student to play a folk song arrangement with primary chords. False—this is not an original piece for piano. T F 4. It is OK to play a short arrangement of a symphonic theme or a concerto theme. False—these are works that were not originally written for piano solo. T F 5. I didn't read the paragraph at the front of the piano book I'm using where the editor stated that all pieces in the book are arrangements that are not acceptable for many auditions and competitions. So that lets me off the hook. False—come on now! Don't forget to read "the fine print"! T F 6. D-flat major is really a hard key to play in, and I found the same piece rewritten in C major. The piece was originally written for piano and that key is easier for my student, so I can use this simplified arrangement for an audition. False—you have the pattern by now, right? Use pieces that were originally written for piano solo, not simplified, not arranged from something written for another instrument, orchestra, etc. Watch for your membership handbook, which will have further clarification. When in doubt, consult your district achievement audition chair or an OMTA officer…. or select another piece! Teach whatever you want but follow the rules for each audition or competition. Have a balanced diet of many different kinds of pieces. Take advantage of a number of festivals in our state, sponsored by a number of local associations, where you can play anything you want to. Usually you do not need to be a member of that association to enter their festival. (For one upcoming festival open to all, see information about the NAMTA Fall Festival elsewhere in this OMT.) Watch for further installments from Rosie the Repertoire-ist. Send her any questions you may have in care of email: sgmeyeromta@gmail.com.

•The OMTA Executive Committee will have a planning meeting this summer. Several other standing committees will also be meeting at various times. • Contributions to the MTNA Foundation will be made in memory of OMTA teachers who have passed away since the last conference: Kay Scott (Okmulgee), Mary Spyres (McAlester), Frances Thompson (Ponca City), and Virginia Wheeler (Enid) • There will be a concerted effort to make sure that all teachers entering students in auditions understand and follow the rules for each audition. • Audition rules in the membership handbook will be edited and rewritten in an effort to clarify things that seem to be overlooked. These areas will include procedures to follow regarding entries, state achievement cards and payments, and how to determine whether the piece being submitted is originally written for piano (or harpsichord in the case of J. S. Bach and certain other early composers). • Policies are being developed to constructively address situations and assist teachers when rules have been broken with efforts being made to not penalize the students. • There are a number of new procedures that will be followed for the State Achievement Awards. Read the OMTs carefully and when you receive emailings and regular mailings in the spring, look at them immediately. These changes are for the benefit of the over 2200 students who participate. • A new Theory Award, separate from the Claudia Busse Award for outstanding achievement in music theory, will be instituted. It will be called the OMTA Theory Award for Outstanding Progress in Music Theory and will be for the older piano beginner and instrumental students who typically do not begin their study as early as many piano students. The student must take progressing levels for five years and make a grade of at least 90% each year, starting in 8th grade with the minimum of Level 4. This award would begin in 2012. • Auda Marie Thomas has agreed to look into having State Achievement T-shirts for sale at the State Achievement Audition site. Stay tuned for more information!