MTNA leaders attend international music festival

American Music Teacher, Oct-Nov, 2004

Executive Director Gary Ingle and MTNA President Phyllis Pieffer, NCTM, attended the first Beijing Music Festival and School. Pieffer and Ingle were invited by 13eijing Music Festival Executive Director Hai Ou Zhu and Xing Yuan Dai of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China to participate in the opening ceremonies of this international endeavor. Ingle gave the opening address.

The festival offered a summer performing arts program, specifically designed to foster international youth exchange and cultural interaction. Through music making and socializing in an environment of historical and cultural significance, students and professionals from across the globe gathered in Beijing to share goals and ideas and to speak a common language--the language of music. Participating students experienced China's ancient civilization through learning the Chinese language, Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy, attending music training programs, participating in competitions and visiting famous historical monuments and museums in Beijing.