Category Archives: Branch News

2018 Sonata Acknowledgement & Results

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There were 265 participants in the 2018 Sonata Contest and I am so grateful for all of those who helped to make this a successful day. First, a very big thank you to MTAC members: Mitzi Kolar, Chutaphin Yeager, Miriam Cole, Jacki Summers, Brian Goral, Lynn Sundfor-McPherson, Magdi Bornemisza, Stuart Thurston, Dan Yu, Sarah Victor, Angelina Hardy, Yuko Maruyama and Hua Wang for their help on the day of the contest and in the preparations for the event.

Thank you to the following volunteers whose help was invaluable: Abby Vickers, David Rudolph, Priscilla Ling, Chelsea Clements, Kevin Korevaar Patty Rudolph, Nancy McClintock, Evan and Austin Killeen, Aurora Gryzbek Renee Chang, Paul Otterson, Han-Min Kim, Jonathan Backues and Leslie Lucas.

Another big thank you to Eric Vickers for his computer technical expertise, and for his encouragement and support with running this event!

Finally, none of this would be possible without the constant help of Dr. Mitzi Kolar and Chutaphin Yeager who worked tirelessly on this and previous years’ contests. Thanks also to San Diego State University for their generous hospitality allowing us to use their facility.

The judges for this year were: Sharon Townsend-Roth (Glendale), Rob and Teri Watson (Fullerton), Matilda Rudolph (Vista), Sanaz Rezai (Los Angeles), Mark Mendez (Montebello), Laurie Meinhold (Aliso Viejo), Jo Ellen Vandruff (Orange) and Erika Ramos (Redlands).

Happy Holidays to all of you and we hope to see you next year.

Please login to view the 2018 Sonata Results below:

2018 Popular Music Festival Acknowledgement

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Thank you for participating in the 2018 Popular Music Festival! We had 15 teachers enter 51 students who performed in recitals on November 3, 2018 at Grossmont College. The four recitals were filled with delightful music ranging from pop and rock to jazz, blues and ragtime.

The 3pm Jazz Improvisation Workshop was led by Yuko Maruyama, and the accompanists were Doug Walker on bass and Matthew Taylor on drums. Students Andrew D., Skylar L., Risa S., Eric T., Michael W., and teacher Claudia Smetona explored improvisation on blues and funk, Latin rhythms, and some jazz standards.

Studios Represented: Irina Bessonova, Miriam Cole, Kathy Kim, Amy Lee, Philip Lim, Brenda Martin, Yuko Maruyama, Leslie Olson, Carol Ong-Chen, Anna Savvas, Claudia Smetona, Anna Stal, Galina Talis, Irina Williams, and Dan Yu

A big thank-you to all the teachers, students and friends who came out and volunteered their time to make this event possible:

Irina Bessonova, Miriam Cole, Kathy Kim, Yuko Maruyama, Leslie Olson, Carol Ong-Chen, Anna Savvas, Risa Schapiro, Claudia Smetona, Irina Williams, Chutaphin Yeager and Dan Yu

President’s Message – 10/5/18

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Dear MTAC San Diego Members,

It was wonderful seeing all of you at the Fall Breakfast Meeting. For those who missed it, please try to come next year. It was a time of connecting and reconnecting with other members, and a time of gathering loads of information for the upcoming year, not to mention the partaking of a delicious breakfast.

By now, order has come to your studios, the dust caused by the activities of the new school year has settled. So we look forward to another year of events to “whip” your students into shape. Our first event, Popular Music Festival, is on November 3 (deadline: October 13). We hope to see your students participate in the light and fun-filled music recitals. After the last recital, our very own 1st Vice President Yuko Maruyama will do a workshop on Jazz Improvisation. Make use of this great opportunity for your students.

I need to mention the change of venue and dates for the 2019 Certificate of Merit. You will note that there are six different dates, (three weekends in March,) for the piano performance evaluations. The CM Committee will try hard to accommodate your schedule needs BUT they would also need your cooperation and understanding. There are about 1,200 students to schedule, so that is a daunting task as it is. As for the CM piano venue, Cuyamaca College is a newer institution. The buildings are clean and new, and most important of all, the rooms are spacious and the College’s grand and upright Steinway pianos are in great condition. So driving more miles for a better CM experience is worth it. Please read carefully the schedule and venue changes and inform the parents as soon as you can.

One of the “perks” of our MTAC membership is a subscription to the state MTAC magazine, California Music Teacher. Our very own member Eileen Wingard wrote an article entitled, “Karl Moldrem: Violin Teacher of Toddlers,” (p.32-33, Fall 2018 edition.) It is an account of Mr. Moldrem’s teaching practices and influence on certain musical giants. Congratulations, Eileen, for your article!

Hats off to all of you for this new school year!

Sincerely,
Miriam Cole
President
MTAC San Diego

2018 Fall Breakfast Meeting Report

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Fall season in our MTAC San Diego Branch got off to a glorious start. The atmosphere was joyful – we all enjoy reconnecting with our friends and making new acquaintances and I really want to say “Thank you” to the MTACSD Board of Directors for their excellent preparation for all of us.

Brian Goral, 2ndV.P. made the room very inviting with the beautiful bouquets which some lucky teachers got to take home! Yuko Maruyama put together a very helpful and well-written brochure, as well as a handy bookmark, both of which we can use as we organize our annual teaching calendars.

The chairs who spoke about their events gave precise details and updates and there wasn’t a wasted minute as Eleanor Hum took us through the entire CM guideline booklet which she had put together.

President Miriam Cole brought more excitement to the proceedings as she honored volunteers for their service, withholding the first “Harmony Award” until the very last announcement. The first recipient of that new award is Sun Yung Cho who was an ever-present figure at our events, always willing to give time and energy to help make events run smoothly. Of special interest in the honoring of volunteers was the award that went to Risa S. who is a music student and who was present and volunteering at almost every event in our 2017-2018 year.

Another special thank you goes to each teacher who brought books for the Music Exchange Table and to those who took some books and left a donation. The amount collected this year was $299. That amount will be added to the KIM fund, allowing a low-income, gifted child to have music lessons.

We are truly a blessed branch. The thoughtful plans that our Board of Directors put into action are meant to provide paths to professionalism. The wonderful aspect of their planning is that our Board makes the whole proceedings enjoyable!

Submitted by:
Jaclyn Summers
H. B. Goodlin Foundation Chair

2018 Fall Breakfast Meeting – RSVP Required

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All MTACSD members are invited to this breakfast meeting on September 17, 2018. An email invitation has been sent to all members with a link to the RSVP Form. If you have missed the email invitation, you may login to the website and find the RSVP Form under the Member Area. You only need to submit this form once. We hope to see you in September!

President’s Message – 8/6/18

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We are halfway through the summer and some of the students will be starting their school year soon. The big question is: ARE YOU READY?

To enhance your readiness, our branch celebrates the new school year by gathering together for our Annual Fall Breakfast. It is a time of acquaintance and “touching base” with colleagues and also a time of information for the upcoming year. We will highlight the event chairs so you may approach them to thank them and ask questions about their event. This wonderful Breakfast is mandatory for teachers of students who participate in Certificate of Merit.* Attendance is vital because there are many changes to CM this year. We are also going to honor a teacher who will be receiving our branch “Harmony Award.” This award is given to the teacher who gave the most volunteer hours of his/her time to help out with events. These are a few items we have for you.

I would like to welcome Rachel Mendoza, our new Corresponding Secretary. When you have questions about the website or would like to send relevant informational email to the membership, she is the one to contact. We are so happy to have her join the Board!

We hope to see you there on September 17, 2018.

Sincerely,

Miriam Cole
President
MTAC San Diego Branch

*CM Teachers who could not attend the Fall Breakfast have alternative sessions to go to.

2018 State Convention Photos

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The 2018 MTAC convention featured many San Diego musicians and a big contingent of teachers. Two YAG winners, Cameron L. and Zackery E., the VOCE string quartet, and Panel winners. Congratulations to teachers and students.

Thank you to all the teachers and parents for sending in the photos!

MTAC Membership Renewal Reminder

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MTACSD Teachers can now renew their membership by logging in to the Teacher Portal on the state MTAC website at new.mtac.org.

Membership renewals must be postmarked by July 31, 2018, in order to keep your membership current, to be eligible to enroll students in the state programs (2018-19 Certificate of Merit® or VOCE), and to be listed in the printed State Membership Directory. For questions about the MTAC San Diego branch membership, contact Chutaphin Yeager, MTACSD Membership Secretary, at chutaphin@icloud.com.