On October 7th, teachers attending Gail Lew’s New Materials Review presentation received a glittering presentation of the best of the new releases, just in time for choosing New Materials pieces for students’ Certificate of Merit/Convention pieces. They also received free music and door prizes as well as the opportunity to buy music and music related items at the Bookmarks Music Store which arrived on location for the event.

This program has always been one of the most popular presentation at the MTAC Convention yearly and now continues to be popular as it travels to branches for intimate presentations to members. Due to its success and the enthusiasm of members, we plan to bring her back next year about this time. Watch for notice of it and don’t miss out!

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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

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.