Member Associations
of Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association
Willow Grove Chapter
SPECIAL EVENTS
All events are online or at Settlement Music School, 318 Davisville Rd, Willow Grove, PA, 19090
unless specifically noted
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 Settlement Music School, Willow Grove
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Fall “Kick-off” Meeting and Friend Raiser
Zeeshan M. Huque, M.A.
Help Me: Addressing Youth Mental Health Challenges and
their Impact on Success at the Piano
The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the increasing mental health challenges faced by today’s youth, with well-documented negative effects not only on their academic performance and relationships, but potentially also on their piano playing. Piano teachers play a unique role in a child’s life, often teaching them from kindergarten to high school and observing their development over the years. As such, it is important for piano teachers to be knowledgeable about youth mental and behavioral health challenges and their potential effects on piano practice, and to be equipped with the skills to intervene if needed. This workshop will provide information on signs and symptoms of common conditions like depression, anxiety, suicidality, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The effects of stress - including bullying, parental pressure, and social media - on piano practice and performance will also be discussed. Cultural considerations will also be highlighted. Teachers will be advised about strategies to intervene if needed to help their students to continue succeeding at the piano.
Zeeshan M. Huque is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Her research program focuses on the effects of stress on serious mental illness in adolescents and young adults and she has received funding from national, university, and private sources to carry out this work. She is also a graduate student therapist at Temple University’s Psychological Services Center, where she conducts therapy with community individuals with a range of mental health conditions. Previously, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Psychology, after which she worked in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, where she delivered outreach lectures at local universities and community organizations. An amateur classical pianist herself since age six and winner at multiple international music competitions, she is excited to combine her musical, academic, and outreach experiences to offer this unique interdisciplinary workshop.
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Sunday, October 13, 2024 Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
10:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.
Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival
Local Evaluations: By September 15, 2024, teachers should notify Chair Olga Bondarchuk-Huque about the number of participating students from their studio, and request the Excel registration form, and also the Evaluation Form (Judge’s Rating Sheet). Email: Pianofialka@gmail.com
Excel registration deadline for Local WGC/DSP Festival is September 29, 2024. The non-refundable registration fee for the Local Festival, and for the October 27 Honors Recital, is $50 per student. Please make one check payable to WGC/PMTA and mail to Olga Bondarchuk-Huque, 9620 Darlington Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19115 by October 5, 2024.
Email: Pianofialka@gmail.com, tel#267-334-1787 (TEXT ONLY)
Requirements: students of all ages and levels will be judged on their playing of two contrasting pieces of music by memory. All selections must be a minimum of sixteen (16) measures without repeats, including for elementary level students. Simplifications or arrangements are NOT acceptable at the intermediate and advanced levels unless the original composer is the arranger (i.e. Liszt transcriptions, Brahms Waltzes). Auditions and theory tests must be conducted live and under supervised conditions on the same day and at the same site. Participating students must reside in the state of Pennsylvania. Students who receive a Superior or Excellent rating will be eligible to perform in the Local Honors Recital. Please refer to the PMTA website for more detailed information.
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Sunday, October 27, 2024 Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
11:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Dorothy Sutton Local Honors Recital
The multiple Local Honors Recitals will be held at Willow Grove Settlement Music School on Sunday, October 27, starting at 10:00 A.M., in small groups of 15-20 students. Students who are invited to these recitals are selected from those who performed on October 13, 2024 and who received a Superior or Excellent rating. At the end of each recital there will be a Trophy Ceremony.
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Saturday, November 9, 2024 Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA
9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Online registration: www.pamusicteachers.org
2024 PMTA State Solo and Ensemble Showcase Recitals
and the PMTA Keystone Concerto Festival
Performers who received a Superior rating and scored 85% or higher on a theory test may advance to the State level for performance in a Showcase Recital where they must play the one piece the judge has chosen. Teachers and students must live in the state of Pennsylvania. Online registration will open Monday, October 14 and will close on Sunday, October 27.
There will be no charge for student participants thanks to the generosity of the Susan D. Miller Trust Fund from the York Music Teachers’ Association. If a teacher has one or more students participate and the teacher cannot attend for any reason, the teacher will be charged $40.
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TEACHERS WORKSHOPS
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 ZOOM Presentation: ZOOM Link TBA
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Keeping Parents Involved
Dr. Karen Gerelus
Interested & Involved: Music Studio Parents
Parents and the surrounding home culture are the primary influences on children’s early identity, and more specifically, their musical identity. Researcher Stephanie Pitts (2014) has shown that “the attitudes of adults around them to the potential of music, and its relevance to young lives, shape children’s emerging sense of musical identity. This gives teachers and parents a strong responsibility to present clear routes into musical engagement if children’s development in this area is to flourish” (p. 129). This suggests that parents have an important role to play in modelling behaviors which support the study of music. There has been a great deal of research which confirms that parents establish the environment which shapes a child’s musical success, and the parental influence has been identified as a primary external factor affecting a student’s motivation towards achievement and continuation of lessons. However, there is less discussion concerning how to support parents in creating those musical environments. Studies have demonstrated that parents who are involved in, and supportive of, their children’s music lessons had students with stronger self-concepts in music, and developed greater motivation to participate in future musical activities. Yet, teachers are still reticent to allow parents into their studios or participate meaningfully in their child’s weekly lesson. This presentation brings forward the problems with this approach and offers practical suggestions regarding how to engage parents in meaningful ways. By valuing parental involvement - and asking parents to be both interested and involved - there may be significant improvements in student learning and studio culture.
Dr. Karen Gerelus is a third-generation piano teacher, musician, author, and scholar. She has completed an Associate diploma in Piano Pedagogy from the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT), a Licentiate diploma in Piano Performance from Trinity College of London (LTCL), a Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Ottawa, and recently a PhD at the University of Calgary. Her dissertation titled “The Musical Identities of Piano Students: a Phenomenological Case Study” focused on motivation, social environment, future selves, and identity. She is an examiner with the Royal Conservatory of Music and active member of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations. Her scholarly work has recently been published in the American Music Teacher journal, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, and at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Aside from private studio teaching, Gerelus frequently gives workshops and masterclasses, adjudicates, and is featured on podcasts. Follow her musical life on Instagram @gerelusmusic or at http://www.gerelusmusic.com.
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Wednesday, April 9, 2024 Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
65 Years and Still Teaching
Marvin Blickenstaff
What I Have Learned and What I Believe
Marvin Blickenstaff joins us to share many important lessons from his 65 years of music making at the piano and from teaching students of all ages and levels. Every presentation by Blickenstaff is full of gems for pianists and pedagogues, so you will not want to miss this event!
World-renowned music educator and pianist Marvin Blickenstaff is a leader in the field of piano pedagogy whose career has spanned nearly six decades. He received performance and academic honors at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M.) and Indiana University (M.M) and studied at the Frankfurt (Germany) Hochschule für Musik. Throughout his life, he has traveled the globe, including New Zealand, Switzerland, and Austria, to perform and present workshops to teachers. Blickenstaff received one of MTNA’s highest honors—the MTNA Achievement Award—in 2009 and the Frances Clark Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. He was inducted into Steinway & Sons’ Teacher Hall of Fame in 2019, and in 2023, the Frances Clark Center established the Marvin Blickenstaff Institute for Teaching Excellence in honor of his legacy as a pedagogue.
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HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Location: "Golden Boar" 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. 158 County Line Rd , Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Please join us for our annual luncheon, an opportunity to socialize and celebrate. Reservations will be taken by Olga Bondarchuk-Huque. Please RSVP by December 5 to Pianofialka@gmail.com. Don't miss this annual fun celebration!
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SALON MUSICALE
Friday, May 2, 2024 Host: Sue Bakshi
10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.
Teachers will have an opportunity to perform for each other either alone or in ensemble in the home of a member. This event is open to all members. We invite you to perform selections which need not be memorized. This event is in conjunction with the Philadelphia Music Teachers. If you wish to attend or participate, please contact the host at least one week before the designated date. Luncheon will follow.
Email Sue at herbmusic@comcast.net
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EVENTS
Fall “Kick-Off” Luncheon and Friend Raiser
Zeeshan M. Huque: Youth Mental Health Challenges
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival Local Evaluations
Sunday, October 13, 2024 10:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.
Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
Dorothy Sutton Honors Recitals
Sunday, October 27, 2024 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
State Solo and Showcase Recitals
Saturday, November 9, 2024 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA
Holiday Luncheon
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 P. M.
Location: Golden Boar
Karen Gerelus: Keeping Parents Motivated and Engaged
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Zoom presentation
Marvin Blickenstaff: 65 Years and Still Teaching
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Settlement Music School, Willow Grove, PA
MTNA Conference
March 15-19, 2025 Minneapolis, MN
Salon Musicale
Friday, May 2, 2025 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.
Host – Sue Bakshi
Pennsylvania State Conference
June 6-8, 2025 Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA
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MEMBERSHIP FEES
Active Membership
Membership fee for the year…………………………………………………………………………………….….….$25.00
State PMTA………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….………..$50.00
Senior Discount for members over 70 years of age…………………………………………….…..…….$37.50
National MTNA………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….$101.00
Senior Discount for members over 70 years of age………………………………………………....…….$75.75
Non-Member fee for workshops and Master Classes..…………………………………………...……….$10.00
**It is necessary to pay state and national dues in order to join the Willow Grove Chapter.
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BOARD MEETINGS
September 11, 2024…………………………………………………………………………..10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
November 6, 2024……………………………………………………..……………………….10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
March 5, 2025……………………………………………………………………….…………….10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
May 7, 2025………………………………………………………………………………….…….10:00 A.M. – 12::00 P.M.
All board meetings will be online except for September 11, which will be held at the Willow Grove Settlement Music School preceding our Fall ”Kick-Off” Luncheon and Friend-Raiser.