Northwest Division - Division News - Music Teachers National Association

American Music Teacher, April-May, 2003 by Marilyn Brossard

Northwest Division state presidents met in Boise, Idaho, during the. Division Competitions. Each president shared ideas from his or her state about membership, projects, fundraising, conferences and leadership training. Most States have websites where members and prospective members can find information.

A new project in Idaho is a handbook defining obligations and expectations of state officers and board members. Idaho and Alaska MTAs have invited Amir Khosrowpour, winner of the 2002 MTNA National Collegiate Piano Competition, to be a guest recitalist at their state conferences in May and June. Amir is being sponsored by the MTNA Student Artist Program.

A successful project in Montana is the Fall Festival, a piano competition held at the same time as the MTNA State Competitions. The winners are recognized as state winners, but do not go on to Division Competitions.

Oregon had an Ensemble Festival in November. A very popular annual event, the festival attracted sixty students who performed in a noncompetitive series of three recitals. Each recital was opened or closed by the OMTA Piano Quartet.

Wyoming music teachers have an Achievement Day where students are adjudicated. In one local association, teachers were spread out over a ninety-mile area. Instead of having students travel long distances, a "traveling adjudicator" visited each community, resulting in increased participation among students and teachers.

Washington held an innovative October Trio Festival in Tacoma, where seventy piano students from eight studios participated in a four-concert "Joy of Piano Trios Festival."

--Marilyn Brossard, NCTM Burlington, Washington