Karl Bruhn and Guy Duckworth receive MTNA Achievement Awards

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2004

Karl Bruhn and Guy Duckworth were honored with the 2004 MTNA Achievement Award at the Awards Brunch during the National Conference in Kansas City.

Karl Bruhn has been active in both the retail and wholesale sides of the music industry. He served as senior vice president of marketing with Yamaha Corporation of America, a position from which he retired in 1989. Later that year, he was invited to become the first director of market development for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). During his time with NAMM, he worked with the music community--educators, manufacturers, technicians and performers to present the work of the National Coalition for Music Education to decision-makers on the national, state and local levels. Bruhn has served as both the executive director and president of the American Music Conference, president of the National Piano Foundation, president of the Piano Manufacturers Association International and presidential advisor to the American Music Therapy Association. Bruhn also served as the first industry member of the MTNA FOUNDATION Board of Trustees.

Also an accomplished musician, Bruhn played professionally and led his own orchestra. He was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree by the Berklee College of Music in Boston for his accomplishments in the advancement of the music education field.

Bruhn is actively leading a series of research projects focused on developing and scientifically testing the bio-psycho-social aspects of recreational music making in collaboration with Barry Bittman, a leading researcher in the field of mind-body medicine.

Bruhn and Bittman currently are working on a series of research studies exploring the development of music-making technologies. These studies also are focusing on the stress-mediated immune responses by recreational music-making strategies.

Guy Duckworth, concert pianist and educator, holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Music Academy of the West, University of California, The Juilliard School of Music and Columbia University as a Florence and William C. Bagley Scholar. He is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Education.

Duckworth began his teaching career at Tranquility Union High School in California as instructor of senior English, third year Spanish, band, chorus, music appreciation and piano classes. He has held the position of associate professor of music at the University of Minnesota, professor of piano at Northwestern University and professor of music emeritus at the University of Colorado. Duckworth, an authority on group teaching, established the D.M.A. degree in group environments while he was professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Duckworth is in demand as a keynote speaker and performer. In addition, he is a widely published author of academic texts and essays. He also is known as a performer on the National Educational Award television series A New Dimension in Piano Instruction, as well as the creator, director and performer of classroom video programs, most notably Person First and Together.

Duckworth was honored as Pioneer in Piano Studies by the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy.

The MTNA Achievement Award is given annually to individuals who have shown significant and lasting contributions to music and music teaching in America.