Gaining access to our annual meetings is one of the biggest benefits of joining our local chapter. Below is a list of upcoming events:

2023-2024 GPC-PMTA General & Board Meetings

• Wednesday, September 27  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Bridgeville Panera Bread, 1025 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017,
  “I Get by With a Little Help from my Friends”  After a fruitful group discussion in the Spring, “Teaching Nuggets”,  we are planning another inspiring session.  Come ready to share your teaching questions and suggestions. Private teaching can be so isolating!  We really benefit from getting together informally.

• Board meeting: Wednesday, October 11 @ 10:00 on ZOOM. Email Raebluhm@att.net for the link.

• Wednesday, October 18  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Joint meeting with PPTA, Amy Simpson “Practice better, Perform better:  Preparing Music Performance According to Modern Neuro-Music Research”  at PYCO, 150 Lake Drive., Suite 103, Wexford PA 15090

• Wednesday, November 15 10:00-12:00:  Shared meeting with PPTA: Do you need a little help with “improvisation? How do you teach jazz in its simplest form to your students? Can we read lead sheets fluently and create smooth rhythmic patterns and comp chords structures easily? Dr. Glenn Utsch of Slippery Rock University will provide guidance on how to teach jazz concepts. Location: PYCO, 150 Lake Drive, Suite 103, Wexford, PA 15090.

• Wednesday, December 20  Our Annual December Luncheon at Dee Ann Symington’s, 412 Fairborough Ct., Coraopolis, PA  15108. Please RSVP what food you’d like to bring.  (865) 604-9467. (Dee Ann is making meatballs.

• Wednesday, January 24 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM A discussion about pianistic technique by Stan Tucker who studied with Menahem Pressler. (Also, he will share his experiences working on Broadway.) A Zoom meeting.  Please look for the email prior with the specific link.

• Board meeting: Wednesday,  February 7 @ 10:00 on ZOOM. Email Raebluhm@att.net for the link.

• Wednesday, March 27 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Jackie Herbein will be sharing about breathing and the physical aspects of playing an instrument.  Location:  Ellen Johnson’s home, 119 Hoodridge Drive, Pittsburgh, PA  15228

• Board meeting: Wednesday, April 10 @ 10:00. A Zoom meeting.  Please look for the email prior with the specific link.

• Wednesday, April 17 Shared meeting with PPTA:  Dr. Kevin Lee Sun, new adjunct professor at Duquesne, will be giving a lecture at PYCO, 150 Lake Dr., Suite 103, Wexford, PA 15090.  Topic to be determined.

• Wednesday,  May 29 at 10:00 AM, General meeting: Planning, Social & Potluck at Nanette Solomon’s home, 300 North Woodland Rd., Pittsburgh, 15232, Please RSVP what you would like to bring to Kim (412) 478-6507 or email her at kimj1@comcast.net.

Past Meetings

2022-2023

• Melody Bober: “Practice Tips for Musicians and Introducing Composition in the Studio”.
• Bonnie Kellert:  “10 Technical Issues Facing Pianists and Suggested Solutions”.
•  Liz Ames: “Coaching for the Collaborative Performer”.
• Stanley Tucker: “Journey to Broadway and a discussion on Arm Weight and Relaxation”.
• Group Discussion:  “Teaching Nuggets from our Members”.
• David Allen Wehr: “A Masterclass on Chopin Nocturnes”

2021-2022

• Wynn-Anne Rossi: “Spark of Creativity”
• Field Trip:  Bayernhof Museum
• Craig Zinger: “Craig Zinger’s Pedagogical Approach”
• Group Discussion: “Motivation: The Key to a Teacher’s Success”
• Frederic Chiu: “Mental Practicing: Learning Without Practicing” 

2020-2021 GPC-PMTA General and Board Meetings

• Group Discussion:”Teaching issues related to Covid-19″
• Shelle Soelberg  “Sound Beginnings and Let’s Play Music”
• Peter Mack (Zoom Webinar): “The Art of the Phrase” 
• Crystal Zimmerman: (Zoom Webinar) “Succeeding with Sonatinas” 
• Theresa Bogard (Zoom Webinar) “Memorization Techniques for Performers, Teachers and Students”  

2019-2020

• Ingrid Jacobson Clarfied: “The Road to Chopin: From Method Book to first Chopin Pieces
• James Inman, presenter: “from Boulanger to Beck, Teaching Pieces by 20th Century Women”
• Jeff Harris: “The Path to Artistry: How to get There from the Beginning”
• Webinar: Peter Mack, presenter “The Art of Phrasing”
• Yeeha Chiu, presenter: “Practical Solutions for Student Practice”

2018-2019

• Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric:  Using the Trivium Model for Musical Interpretation by Kevin Olson
• Performance Anxiety: Exploring the Physical Connection by Jackie Herbein
• Music Therapy 101  by Rebecca Lewis
• Book Discussion: The Success Factor in Piano Teaching by Elvina T. Pearce
• Chad Twedt: The Art of Rubato.
• Wendy Stevens (video): Marketing, Taxes, Business Entities, and Liability for the Piano Teacher.
• Timothy Schaffer: The Heart and Head Genius of Kabalevsky

2017-2018

• Testing, Teaching, Training (Marina Lupinacci)
• Technic Symposium (Group Discussion led by Jeff Harris)
• Strategies to help Students (and teachers) compose (Stephen Hartke, joint with PPTA)
• Coffehouse Chat
• Burgmuller Bash – 25 New Second Piano Arrangements presented and composed by Chad Twedt (performance by Chad Twedt and other teachers)
• April 2018: Teaching and Performing Schumann (Dr. Caroline Oltmanns, joint with PPTA)

2016-2017

• The Right Wrong Notes: Contemporary Piano Literature for Intermediate Students (Nanette Solomon)
• Contemporary Chording Techniques for Improvisation (Rick Gallagher)
• Coffeehouse Chat
• Don’t Just Practice, MetaPractice! (Chad Twedt)
• How Motion Affects Sound (Sheila Paige, joint with PPTA)

2015-2016

• Sight Reading (Tom Hill)
• Motivating Students (Linda Kobler)
• Creativity in Hard Times: The Federal Music Project of the 1930s (Leslie Amper, joint with PPTA)
• Teaching Group Lessons (Group Discussion led by Dee Ann Symington)
• Improvisation II (Group Discussion led by Jo Ann Wagstaff)

2014-2015

• Teaching Students How to Practice (Group Discussion)
• Pop Music (Scott Anderson)
• Stride Piano & The Chaplin Project (Tom Roberts)
• Coffeehouse Chat (Group Discussion)
• Suzuki Method (Kiki Barley)
• Technology (Group Discussion)

2013-2014

• Teaching Creativity (Group Discussion led by Chad Twedt)
• Uncovering the Secrets of Pedaling (Bonnie Kellert, joint with PPTA)
• The Truth About Small Hands (Deborah Rambo Sinn, joint with PPTA)
• YouTube/App/Website Sharing (Group Discussion led by Chad Twedt)

2012-2013

• The Art of Rubato (Chad Twedt)
• The Use of Improvisation in the Music Study (Isaac Steiner)
• Listening is just the beginning: a critic’s life (Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette Classical Music Critic, joint with PPTA)
• Book Discussion: Not Until You’ve Done Your Practice: The classic survival guide for kids who are learning a musical instrument, but hate practicing by Philip Johnston
• Some Women’s Work That’s Never Done: Intermediate and Early Advanced Piano Literature by Women Composers (Nanette Kaplan Solomon, professor, Slippery Rock University)

2011-2012

• Outside the Methods:  Quality Repertoire in the First Three Years (Group Discussion led by Elizabeth Burnett)
• The Art of Playing from a Lead Sheet or Fake Book & The Mystery of Chord Symbols (Bob Hilf)
• Music, the Brain, and the iGeneration: Teaching the Acoustic in a Digital Age (Andrea McAllister, joint with PPTA)
• Book Review: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin (Group Discussion led by Jo Ann Wagstaff)

2010-2011

• Unique Sight Reading Strategies (Group Discussion led by Lee Kikuchi)
• A Joyful Noise: Come and Play with Us (Jo Ann Wagstaff improvisation session leader)
• Book Review: A Soprano on her Head by Eloise Ristad (Group Discussion led by Jackie Herbein)
• 10 Technical Issues Facing Pianists and Suggested Solutions (Bonnie Kellert, joint with PPTA)
• Music History for Kids (Group Discussion led by Deb Busche

2009-2010

• What in the World Are They Thinking?  A Discussion About Teaching Children to Read Music (Group Discussion led by Jo Ann Wagstaff)
• Performance Opportunities for Students (Group Discussion led by Deb Busche)
• Beethoven and the High School Pianist (Dr. Steven Smith, joint with PPTA)
• Haydn and Mendelssohn Teaching Pieces (Group Discussion led by Jeffry Harris)
• Book Review: William Westney’s The Perfect Wrong Note (Group Discussion led by Jackie Herbein)
• Notational Software and the Music Publishing Industry (Robert Schultz)
• Share Your Favorite Pedagogical teaching pieces (Group Discussion led by Ellen Johnson)
• Beyond the Bench: Non-teaching aspects of the job (Group Discussion led by Lee Kikuchi)

2008-2009

• Instructional Games for the Occasional Group Lesson – bring your favorite ideas to share (Group Discussion led by Ellen Johnson)
• The Lesson:  Overwhelming or Just Right?  A discussion on pacing and planning the music lesson (Group Discussion led by Sue Garnhart)
• Toys and Tools (Jacqueline Herbein, joint with PPTA)
• Music Reading (Jo Ann Wagstaff)
• Only Pianists begin with Middle C: A critical assessment of how theory is taught to non-pianists (Lee Kikuchi)
• Nurtured by Love by Suzuki (Group Discussion led by Candy Hutchins)
• Robert Vandall Workshop (joint with PPTA)
• What We Do for the Money We Earn and How to Communicate that to Students (Group Discussion led by Elizabeth Burnett)

2007-2008

• After the Method Books: A Discussion of Piano Literature (Group Discussion)
• A Workshop for Piano Teachers: Reading, Technique, Interpretation (Marvin Blickenstaff, joint with PPTA)
• Pedaling with Style: From Baroque to Fox-Trots (Nancy Bachus, joint with PPTA)
• Teaching with Technology (Becky Lewis)
• Discussion on The Practice Revolution (Group Discussion)
• Pupil Savers: A Discussion of Favorite Teaching Pieces (Group Discussion)
• How Motion Affects Sound (Shelia Page)
• BYO Teaching and Studio Policy/Business Questions/Social

2006-2007

• Teaching Beginning Technique (Group Discussion)
• Self-Directed Practice: The Key to Student Success and Motivation (Elvina Truman Pearce, joint with PPTA)
• The Zen of Piano Teaching (Group Discussion)
• Alexander Technique (Lisa Levinson)
• Preparation and Timing for Performance (Group Discussion)
• Training Students as Accompanists (Luz Manriquez)
• Composition in the Lesson (Elizabeth Burnett)
• BYO Teaching and Studio Policy/Business Questions/Social

2005-2006

• For Pianists Only: Sequencing Repertoire (Group Discussion led by Jeffry Harris)
• What We Charge and Why (Beth Klingenstein)
• Problem Students and Parents, Firing Students (Group Discussion led by Elizabeth Burnett)
• Russian Teaching Techniques in America (Katherine Fefer)
• Insurance and Liability (Jerry Stahovic)
• Share a Teaching QUestion (Group Discussion led by Eileen Nadzam)
• For Pianists Only: A Comparison of Method Books (Group Discussion led by Connie Kean)

2004-2005

• Intermediate Piano Literature by Twentieth Century Women Composers (Becky Billock)
• Capture the Spirit…..of the Romantic Period (Nancy Bachus, joint with PPTA)
• How to Fine Tune Your Taxes-Don’t End the Year on a Flat Note (Johanna Guehl, C.P.A.)
• Dealing with Teacher Burnout (Group Discussion led by Deb Busche)
• Seldom Encountered Treasures for the Intermediate/Early Advanced Student (Deb Ronning)
• Suzuki and Traditional Music Lessons: Parallels and Contrasts (Jo Ann Wagstaff)
• Share Your Favorite Pedagogical Teaching Pieces (Group Discussion led by Sue Garnhart)

2003-2004

• Capture the Spirit…of the Classical Period (Nancy Bachus, joint with PPTA)
• Performance Anxiety (Sanna Carapellotti)
• Meeting the Challenge of Teaching High School Students (Group Discussion led by Deb Busche)
• It’s Not Just About the Fingers:  A Look at Technique Books and Exercises (Jacqueline Herbein)
• An Invitation to Create: How to guide students on the path to successful, rewarding student composition (Carol Klose, joint with PPTA)
• The Dummy’s Guide to Creating a Studio Computer Lab (Group Discussion led by Rebecca Lewis)
• Polish Up Your Policy: Exploring New Ideas for the Upcoming Year (Group Discussion led by Connie Kean)

2001-2002

(no historical records – please contact the webmaster if you have information on this year)

2002-2003

(no historical records – please contact the webmaster if you have information on this year)

2000-2001

• Vroom! Making Your Studio Run Better (Paula Terrana)
• The Well-Organized Music Teacher (Group Discussion)
• Careers in Music (Nancy Boston)
• Music Advocacy and the Private Teacher (Rebecca Lewis)
• What Music Majors Entering College Should Know (Eugene Alcalay)
• MTNA Convention Wrap-Up (Group Discussion)
• Performance/Social

1999-2000

• We Teach Who We Are (Christine Kefferstan)
• Policies and Business Practices (Group Discussion)
• Judging (Group Discussion)
• Creating and Composing (Bill Tobin)
• Favorite Pieces by Lesser-Known Composers (Group Discussion)
• Teaching Rhythm – From Simple to Complex (Group Discussion)
• Performance/Social

1998-1999

• Play it Any Way – Improvisation Techniques (Lyn Gentry)
• Method Book Review (Group Discussion)
• Ensemble Music (Group Discussion)
• Business Organization of Your Studio (Group Discussion)
• Communication with Parents and Students (Group Discussion)
• Performance/Social

1997-1998

• Tricks of the Trade (Group Discussion)
• Avoiding Sour Notes: Prevention and Detection of Sexual Harassment Claims (John A. Lee)
• Certification (Beverly Taylor)
• Computer Software
• The Legacy of Tobias Matthay (Dorothy Whitlinger)
• Performance/Social

1996-1997

• Teaching of Technique (Group Discussion)
• Humor in Music (Dominic Intili)
• Piano Technicians Guild Q&A (Randy Mangus and David Barr)
• Reconsideration of French Piano Music at the Turn of the Century (Henry Spinelli)
• Music Marketing to Enhance Your Career
• Performance/social