Texas is State Affiliate of the Year - Association News - Brief Article

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2003

Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) is the 2003 Music Teachers National Association State Affiliate of the Year. The association was awarded $1,000 and a plaque; they donated the cash prize to the MTNA FOUNDATION.

"We are proud of this MTA's achievements. They have shown their commitment to music teaching by providing numerous opportunities for members to promote music in their communities and celebrate musical excellence," says MTNA President R. Wayne Gibson, NCTM.

TMTA, with Celinda Hallbauer, NCTM, currently serving as president, is 2,089 members strong. This organization provides myriad opportunities for student and teacher enrichment. Ongoing projects include the Texas Student Affiliate Program, which runs a chamber music festival, convention ensembles, original composition contests, performance contests, publication contests, theory tests, and World of Music (music history) syllabi and tests. More than 16,000 students participate, with 1,068 students participating in the 2002 annual TMTA Convention.

TMTA's Media Lending Library offers videotapes for teacher enrichment, and the TMTA Foundation gives teachers Professional Enrichment Grants at the state level. This year, TMTA officers provided a leadership handbook for thirty-eight board members and sixty-three local association presidents. Also, the forty-page Texas Music Teacher Magazine, published three times a year, contains news for members, instructional articles and advertisements; it includes the Student Affiliate Newsletter. TMTA actively promotes national programs as well.

The State Affiliate of the Year Award recognizes the state Music Teachers Association that makes the most significant contribution to the music teaching profession through participation in MTNA national programs and additional, state-established programs. MTNA has fifty-one state affiliates including the District of Columbia.