Eastside MTA
Monthly Programs
Archive
Please scroll below to view past programs.
2023-2024 Season
Eastside MTA Monthly Programs are presented each month by knowledgeable speakers at the general meetings.
Our first meeting of the new academic year. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your fellow colleagues. This will also be the time for you to learn about the coming events for the year and pick up your yearbook.
Luncheon will be provided.
Eliana Yi: Program Speaker
Title: “Within My Reach: An introduction to alternatively-sized keyboards and how they help create a more diverse and inclusive piano world”
Eliana Yi has been performing and practicing on a custom-made keyboard that has keys 7/8 the width of a conventional keyboard. This allows her to access the piano repertoire that she would normally struggle to play due to her small hand size. In this program, she will share information about these keyboards and talk about the growing movement of pianists worldwide who have pianos like hers.
Steven Spooner: Workshop
10AM – Noon
Title: “Developing Style in Romantic Piano Music”
This interactive workshop examines the subtle style differences, teaching strategies, and interpretational concerns between the major composers of Romanticism and post-Romanticism, including Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about specific pieces and everyone will be provided a handout on recommended recordings.
ONLINE – TBA
Judith Schoepflin: ONLINE Workshop
10:30AM – 12:30PM
Title: “Women Composers and Their Music: A Perspective”
Judith Cohen: Program Speaker
Title: “Bartok, Prokofiev and Ginastera: Sparkling gems for the contemporary student”
Speaker: Ross Salvosa, Workshop
Topic 1: “The Inherent Language of Touch”
This lecture will discuss how the different types of legatos and staccatos naturally convey the language of expression within the context of pianism.
Topic 2: ”Breaking Free from Debussy’s Shackles”
This lecture will survey the gamelan inspired music of Filipino composers Lucio San Pedro, Ramon Tapales, and Antonio Molina as well as the cultural appropriation of Southeast Asian gamelan music by Debussy.
Our first meeting in person at Newport Covenant Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your fellow
colleagues. This will also be the time for you to learn about the coming events for the year and pick up your yearbook.
Luncheon will be provided.
Peter Mack: Workshop
Title: “Marvelous Moderns and their Needlessly Neglected Mid-Level Masterpieces”
In this repertoire lecture Peter Mack explores mostly modern shorter works, offering an alternative to the tried-and-true twentieth
century favorites that we hear again and again. There is a vast body of neglected repertoire out there. This demonstration. uncovers unknown pieces to spark the interest of students, teachers, adjudicators, and audiences alike. Most of the pieces played are of mid-range difficulty. Sections from over forty works are performed, and there is an extensive handout in which the difficulty for each piece is assessed, along with its publishing information.
Jody Graves: Program Speaker
Title: “Mastery – Fostering the Journey”
A workshop on the process of mastery, and how to foster an appreciation for the ‘step-by-step’ journey in musical development in our students, in the midst of a culture that promotes a ‘drive-through, McMusic’ attitude!
Jeffrey Gilliam: Workshop
Title: “Going beyond the score: Chick Corea Children’s Songs.”
The composer-pianist’s own recording will be shown to be more insightful than the published edition. The recording becomes the Urtext. Necessary changes to the score include: -the addition of ornamentation and ad lib’s, -the transcription of entire sections of improvisation that are missing in the score, -the correction of time signatures to create the feeling of playing in two different meters at the same time. Some of the songs were composed for a Fender Rhodes piano. He will offer ways to imitate an electric piano on the modern Steinway.
Corey Hamm: Workshop, 10:00 – 12:30
Judith Cohen: Program Speaker
Title: “Bartok, Prokofiev and Ginastera: Sparkling gems for the contemporary student”
Ross Salvosa: Workshop
Topic 1: “The Inherent Language of Touch”
This lecture will discuss how the different types of legatos and staccatos naturally convey the language of expression within the context of pianism
Topic 2: ”Breaking Free from Debussy’s Shackles”
This lecture will survey the gamelan inspired music of Filipino composers Lucio San Pedro, Ramon Tapales, and Antonio Molina as well as the cultural appropriation of Southeast Asian gamelan music by Debussy.
Our first meeting in person at Newport Covenant Church. This will be a wonderful meeting where we get to see each other again and share new teaching experiences with one another. We will also be honoring EMTA member Connie Hungate.
Speaker: Michelle Huang
Title: “Mind and Body Connections for Practicing and performing”
This workshop will explore different ways to strengthen and connect our mind and body for practicing and performing. We will examine how our physical and mental struggles are inseparable and how they affect our playing in a profound way. We will delve deeper into specific strategies on how to alleviate these struggles so that we cultivate the ‘thinking musician’ in ourselves and our students, where music making becomes more rewarding and meaningful.
Speaker: Jacques Després Workshop
Topic: See workshop page.
Speaker: Sarah Silvia
Title: “Tools to Jumpstart More Expressive Performances”
Interactive exercises: we’ll try on Guided Story Improv, Immersive Visualization, and Pre-Performance Placemaking to help you and your students’ performance come alive!
Speaker: Yerin Kim
Title: ”Tone and Touch: A Pianist’s Acoustical, Psychological, and Physical Connection”
What makes pianists decide on the type of touch when playing the instrument? There is often a disconnect between what pianists “physically feel” and what listeners “hear” when it comes to tone quality. The pianist’s self perception of tone production starts from the contact point and the “attitude” in touch, while for a listener it starts when the hammer hits the string. In this talk, I will discuss and demonstrate some technical, musical, and listening tools that can better achieve the connection between tone and touch.
Speaker: Yelena Balabanova
Title: ”Wigs Tuxedos and Passion”
In this dynamic presentation with many videos of her current students Dr. Yelena Balabanova will share tips on why and how we teach the repertoire from four historical style periods. The presentation will highlight proven methods
general info & inquiry
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