N O R T H S H O R E M U S I C T E A C H E R S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N

1 The SCORE, September 2012

President’s MessageI feel honored to represent such a distinguished group of musicians. I have been fortunate to hear some of you in performance, and I am/was impressed. Thank you for the opportunities. Music is fun. Music is enjoyable and music is necessary for life, I think! Can you imagine a day without singing, making music, or not hearing the methodically arranged pattern of notes. My husband is a science teacher, and he hears beauty in the sound of birds, trees, and blowing sand, so I know there are other kinds of “sounds” and perhaps we musicians are another breed of life!

Now let us go forward and begin a new year of teaching with our returning students, full of energy, ready to receive our inspired teaching again.

Jane McInnis is arranging some fantastic programs for us. Our first meeting will have Kingsley Day discussing music by Chopin. This will be preceded by Jennifer Cohen talking about AIM, and then we

can have some fun playing duets with each other. Following our program we will share lunch. See Sue Corkum’s article in this SCORE. Please let her know if you can attend. This is a wonderful way to get to know your colleagues.

I would like to thank Karen Tobias and Joni Kurtenbach for their past two years of working for NSMTA and keeping us all organized. Marlene Chatain is our new historian and she is already organizing the past files. I am pleased to say we have some new members who have volunteered to help with the Sonata-Sonatina Festival: Regina Syrkin and Anna Trizonova, and Helen LoBosco has offered to work with the Gold Medal Recitals.

Please look at our new logo which is now in place. Mark Adamczyk is keeping our Website up to date. It looks great!

Karen Tobias and Grace Juang are working on the directory for 2012-13. Please come to the meeting and pick up your copy. Of course, if you aren’t there, it will be mailed to you, but that is expensive.

Betty Benton, President

Sept. Program, Competition Auditions, & AIMKingsley Day on creating new editions of masterworksPages 2 & 4

Sonata-Sonatina Festival & Piano Competition NewsNew repertoire possibilities!Page 3

NSMTA Acquires a Logo!We now have a unique and attractive logo for publicity and communications!Page 5

The SCORE Has a New Formatas you can see! Read more about itPage 5

AnnouncementsFrom MTNA, and about local professional opportunities for our membersPages 6-8

ReferenceInformation and forms for the ISMTA NE District auditions, AIM, and the Sonata-Sonatina FestivalPages 9-13

The Monthly e-Newsletter of the NSMTA Bruce Berr, Editor September 2012

Betty Benton

President, NSMTA

THE SCORE

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September 24th program will reveal how new editions of masterworks are createdKingsley Day, a senior editor for publications of Northwestern University, has a special interest in rescuing obscure scores. His latest project is a new edition of Chopin's last mazurka, recently issued by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp. as part of its Schirmer

Performance Editions series. Bring along your score and learn how he created this new edition in his program, “A New Reconstruction of Chopin’s Mazurka in F Minor.”

Outside acclaim and biography

Commenting on the Mazurka in Piano World, distinguished Chopin scholar Jeffrey Kallberg of the University of Pennsylvania says, “Fortunately we are finally in a better position to have access

to all of what Chopin wrote. There has recently appeared a new

edition by Kingsley Day, and it is the best published edition that I have seen.”

Day is not only a writer but also a pianist and a former editor of Clavier magazine. No stranger to rescuing obscure scores, he produced a new performing edition of the piano-vocal score for the 1917 Jerome Kern musical Oh, Boy! for its 2010 Chicago revival, and composed a new score for Gilbert and Sullivan’s lost operetta Thespis that was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “an inspired substitute in the Sullivan style” and “the genuine article, music that would do credit to the master himself.” He is active in the theater as a composer, lyricist, librettist, music director, pianist, and actor, and has performed frequently as a pianist in the Robinson Recital Series at the First Congregational Church of Evanston. He graduated magna cum laude from Lawrence University with a bachelor of music in piano and earned a master of arts in music theory from the Eastman School of Music.

At the next meeting, Sept. 24 . . .9:30-10:00 AM Pre-meeting roundtable on AIM (see next page), and playing of duets (see below)10:00-11:00 Business meeting & refreshments11:00-noon Program—Kingsley Day (see above)Noon Teachers’ Luncheon (see across)

Pre-meeting duet-playing

Jane McInnis, First Vice President, invites us to . . .

Let’s Du-et! Help us kick off the fall season by sharing some of your favorite teaching duets during our pre-meeting roundtable from 9:30-10 AM. We'll grab a partner and read excerpts. What we can't get to, we'll finish during the October roundtable.

Yearbooks

Sue Mueller, Membership Chair, reports that Karen Tobias expects to have the new Yearbooks available at the September meeting. Please pick up your copy then, or ask a friend to get it

for you; this saves us the expense of mailing them. Dues for local, state, and national MTNA must be paid to be included in the 2012-13 directory.

Teachers’ Luncheon

Hospitality Chair Susan Corkum has arranged for a lunch to be served after the meeting on September 24. We will be ordering sandwiches but in order to have enough or not too many, she would like the teachers who are planning to attend to send her a RSVP no later than Sept. 14. This will give her time to place the order. You can e-mail her at kesushan04@gmail.com.

Miscellaneous

• Please bring prospective new members and musical friends to sample our excellent programs and camaraderie. We’re hoping to top our membership total of 147 from last year.

• Please bring used music for sale, just as we did last September.

• Don’t forget—RSVP about lunch for the next meeting!

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Co-chairs Eric Sutz, Yeeseon Kwon, and Bruce Berr have released information for this year’s Sonata-Sonatina Festival.

The event will take place on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at the same location as in past years: The Music Institute of Chicago, 300 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, IL, 60093.

Full details about the Festival can be found in the Reference section on page 12 of this e-newsletter. Here are deadlines and highlights:

Deadline for NSMTA dues: Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Registration begins: Friday, December 14, 2012 Only online applications are accepted

Application deadline: Monday, January 14, 2013 This is a firm deadline

New sonatina possibilities!

The Committee noticed that certain lengthy and weighty sonatina movements were rarely being entered in the Festival, presumably because a second movement would have been required along with it. Therefore, the Committee has added some new exceptions to the list of sonatina movements that may be treated as sonata movements (performance of only one movement is required). Other appropriate pieces may be added in subsequent years.

This year’s additions are all by Kuhlau:

• Op. 20, No. 3 (F) • Op. 59, No. 1 (A) • Op. 59, No. 2, first movement only (F) • Op. 59, No. 3 (C) • Op. 60, No. 2 (A) • Op. 60, No. 3 (C)

Composer of the Year Option

Instead of a sonata or sonatina, your students may play two pieces from Bagatelles, Op. 5, by Alexander Tcherepnin. If selecting this option, students must play either #2 or 3 or 10, and a second selection of their choice in a contrasting style from Op. 5.

Some “insider information” on the Tcherepnin Bagatelles, Op. 5

Standard reference sources tell us that the pieces in Bagatelles were composed in 1912-1918 during the composer’s teen-aged years. He titled this set of unpublished pieces, “Primitives” in Russian (but privately referred to them as “fleas”!). When the Tcherepnin family moved to Paris in the early 1920’s, he showed the collection to his composition teacher, Isidor Philipp, who urged the composer to publish them in small collections, such as Bagatelles, Episodes, Suites, etc., for greater marketability. Therefore, the Op. 5 pieces were drawn from this larger set.

But there’s more about them that you won’t read in standard reference sources!

An Evanston composer and bassoonist, Don Draganski, studied with Tcherepnin in his college days at DePaul University. Don relates that Tcherepnin occasionally talked to him about the origins of the “Primitives.” As a young teenager, Alexander decided that at Christmas time, instead of giving his family members the usual kinds of gifts, he would instead give each an original piece of music. During the year, he composed many small piano pieces, then picked the best ones to present each holiday season!

One final tidbit. Although Tcherepnin was quite tall—6’4”—Philipp liked to refer to him as “mon petit.”

Thanks to Don Draganski for sharing this information.

Sonata-Sonatina Festival details are finalized

Piano Competition RepertoireThis information was released just as The SCORE was being wrapped up. More details will be in the Yearbook and likely in the next SCORE.

Primary:Kabalevsky - Waltz (in Music for Millions, Vol. 17)Couperin - “Le Petit Rien” (M.M. 17)

Elementary:Kabalevsky - “Fairy Tale” (M.M. 17)Schumann - “Knecht Rupprecht” from Album for the Young

Junior:Debussy - Arabesque No. 1Haydn - Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:48, 2nd movement

Senior:Chopin - Berceuse, Op. 57Ginastera - Sonata No. 1, 1st movement

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ISMTA Northeast District AuditionsThe Northeast District auditions will be held on Sunday, September 30th, 2012 at Northwestern University’s Music Administration Building, located at 711

Elgin Road, Evanston, IL. 60208. The application deadline is September 12, 2012. Any member with active and current membership dues paid by September 1, 2012 may enter students in the auditions. Students must have studied with the teacher at least six months prior to application deadline date. Full details about the auditions, as

well as an Entry Form, can be found in the Reference section on page 9 of this e-newsletter. To enter your students, please print out the Entry Form, fill it out, and mail it to your District Chair, along with payment, no later than September 12: District Chair, Dr. Grace Juang, 2770 Kingston Rd., Northbrook, IL 60062

AIM will be discussed at the Sept. 24 pre-meetingFrom Jennifer Cohen, AIM Chairperson:

Are you looking for an enriching program for you and your students? Why not try AIM? Achievement in

Music, also known as AIM, is a motivating program designed to help students develop strong performance and technical skills, as well as thorough understanding of music theory in a logical progression from early elementary through advanced levels. If you want to know more about the program, plan to attend the 9:30 roundtable discussion at the September 24 meeting. Even if you don’t enter any students this year, please attend the AIM judges meetings in November and March to get a better understanding of the program for possible future

participation. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Cohen at Jicohen1@aol.com.

For current participating AIM teachers, you are probably looking ahead to your students’ participation for this coming year, possibly having begun their theory preparations and even picking out some of the repertoire already.

Full details about guidelines and clarifications of the AIM requirements, as well as repertoire, can be found in the Reference section on page 11 below.

NSMTA website is updatedOur new webmaster, Mark Adamczyk, has made some major changes to our website at www.nsmta.org including an expanded list of members.

Fewer and fewer inquiries for teachers have come to our association phone number. Instead, the vast majority of prospective students are simply visiting our website, probably having arrived there from a Google search. Therefore,

the list now includes all teachers in our group, along with each member’s phone number, city, e-mail address, and—if one exists—the member’s website address. Please check your listing for accuracy and completeness, then e-mail Mark with any changes or additions, especially if your studio’s website is not listed. (If you wish to be removed from this public list, please let Mark know). Additionally, if you do have a studio website, please be sure to post a link back to www.nsmta.org somewhere on your site so that it and the group’s site will enjoy greater visibility on the web.

As of now, there appears to be only a handful of NSMTA members with websites. Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that having a studio website is increasingly important in order to reach prospective new students, even if the website is just a single page. If you would like to have a studio website but feel that you don’t have the technical knowledge to create one, be aware that there are numerous online sites (such as www.weebly.com) that help you create your own website just by filling in some text and dragging some graphics around on the screen—best of all, it’s free! Give it a try.

AIM THEORY EXAM DATES

November 5, 2012 – Theory Judges MeetingDecember 3, 2012 – Online Registration DeadlineJanuary 27, 2013 – AIM Theory ExamsFebruary 3, 2013 – AIM Theory Exams

AIM PERFORMANCE EXAM DATES

March 4, 2013 – Performance Judges MeetingMarch 4, 2013 - Online Registration DeadlineApril 14, 2013 – AIM Performance ExamsApril 21, 2013 – AIM Performance Exams

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Our new logo!A new logo was acquired by the NSMTA in July.

At the Board meeting in May and in subsequent communications among board members, there was discussion about possibly obtaining one to use with NSMTA communications and publicity. The initial effort was spearheaded by the husband of President Betty Benton, Jim, who generously created sixteen different logos for the Board to consider. Louise Chan, NSMTA Treasurer, also contacted a friend in Ottawa, Canada who is a

professional graphics designer, Chris Chow. His company, iamchrischow designs, submitted four different logo designs, each one with a slight variation. Board members examined the pool of possible logos and decided on the one by Chris that you see above.

The design

When first contacting Chris, Louise offered some general suggestions: “I looked up numerous state and local MTA websites for ideas and comparison. The basic design element to represent our chapter (other than music) is the Lake Michigan shoreline/water.”

As you can see, that aspect is elegantly and playfully incorporated into the design. The typeface projects an inviting contemporary and professional feel. Board members also liked the simplicity and the overall design, allowing it to be used in different sizes, and also in either color or greyscale.

Look for our new logo in our Yearbook, The SCORE, website, and possibly elsewhere.

Special thanks go to Jim Benton and Louise Chan for their leadership in this endeavor!

The SCORE is now an e-newsletterThe NSMTA Board voted in May to make The SCORE an e-mail-only publication. This was done to reduce costs and the workload in printing and mailing. It will also allow for tighter deadlines and many more possibilities in the graphic design of the publication since it will no longer need to be produced in high resolution, and color can now be a functional part. Finally, it will also allow members to more easily and quickly search for information in past issues.

This decision will adversely affect few members since only a tiny percentage lack e-mail. This is the last issue that will be automatically snail-mailed to those members. If you would like future issues to be mailed to you, please send 10 self-addressed stamped envelopes to Bruce

Berr, 2927 Covert Rd., Glenview, IL 60025. Each envelope should be pre-stamped with $1.00 and should be 6x9 inches.

The new structure

The first page will now allow you to see at a glance what the main contents are, and what page that content is found on. This is followed by the President’s Message. The rest of the e-newsletter is organized as follows:

• News items pertaining to NSMTA

• Announcements from ISMTA & MTNA

• Announcements from other organizations

• Reference

“Reference” contains detailed documents on NSMTA Festivals, Competitions, etc., items that you may want to refer to later in the school year. The reference section

is easy to locate quickly—look for the brown bar located at the top of each page.

There are also two new “extra” features sprinkled throughout The SCORE—keep an eye out for them!

During the process of converting all of this into a pdf file, there is a slight degradation in the quality of the print. Therefore, this probably looks best viewed at a “zoom” of either 125% or 150%.

It is advisable to keep these e-newsletters on your computer after reading. Their text is searchable by your computer, making it a cinch to locate what you’re looking for.

Thanks go to Jennifer Ryckaert of the Rochester (NY) Piano Teachers’ Guild for advising your new e-newsletter editor on Mac software and templates available for producing this kind of document!

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Have a question for MTNA national?MTNA provides a sounding board and clearing house for members who have questions of a pedagogical or business nature. For more information, contact the MTNA National Headquarters at(888) 512-5278 or e-mail professionalsupport@mtna.org.

Assistance has been provided in the following areas: information on grants, music, acoustical standards of building a new music facility, ASCAP issues, Certification, copyright issues, developing a plan to become a music teacher, creating relationships between other music organizations and local MTNA affiliates, music merchandise questions, prospective member information, lesson fee structures in

the United States, assistance helping a member supplement their dues through local and state support, health insurance, finding music teachers around the world and more. Legal issues have been in the matters of copyright, employee contracts, buying and selling music studios, contractual arrangements with ensembles and partnerships, zoning issues and more.

Music For EveryoneWith the school year right around the corner, it is the perfect time to start thinking about new ideas to better your studio. MTNA’s Music For Everyone is a three-pronged program designed to help music teachers improve their studios and motivate their students. MTNA has recently revised the program and music and materials are now available online.

Music Achievement Award ProgramThe purpose of MTNA’s Music Achievement Award Program is to help encourage ALL the students in the teacher’s studio, especially the

“everyday” students, to continue their music study and to strive to achieve goals that will not only help them become better musicians, but also will enhance their love and appreciation of music.

Music Study Award Program

The MTNA Music Study Award motivates students by acknowledging

their commitment to music lessons. As students progress through music lessons, this program offers elegant certificates celebrating their accomplishments.

Studio Festival Program

The MTNA Studio Festival Program will allow students to soar musically in a nationally sponsored event, held in your own studio. This program is another way to showcase your students’ musical talents in an exciting and meaningful performance opportunity. In addition to enjoying a stimulating performance experience,

your students will receive a supportive critique from an experienced musician.

For more information and to order program

supplies, visit Music For Everyone.

Quotation of the MonthOn practicing: “It is true of any subject that the person who succeeds . . . has a realistic viewpoint from the beginning, knows that the problem is large, knows that he has to take it a step at a time, and that he has to enjoy this step-by-step learning procedure.”

Bill Evans, jazz pianist, in a 1966 TV interview hosted by Steve Allen

Please e-mail your suggestions for a future “Quotation of the Month” to Bruce Berr

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7 The SCORE, September 2012

heidimayer@comcast.net

◊

Be sure to submit news and announcements for the next

SCORE by September 28

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Oakton Six Piano Ensemble AuditionsBe part of a unique musical experience as a member of the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble and perform at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. Auditions for this internationally acclaimed touring group will be on Monday, September 10 and Wednesday, September 12 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in Room 1360 at Oakton Community College, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines. For more information about the auditions, contact Glenna Sprague at gsprague@oakton.edu or 847-635-1905.

Interested pianists may bring a prepared piano piece, but music will be provided. The group performs repertoire from the classical, ragtime, jazz, and popular periods that are transcribed for the six pianos by the ensemble’s founder and conductor, Glenna Sprague, Professor and Coordinator of Music at Oakton, where she also teaches piano. The rich layered

sound of the Six Piano Ensemble is comparable to that of an orchestra, with each member playing a different part of a composition as the melody transfers from pianist to pianist. The ensemble provides an excellent opportunity for those pianists who do not want to perform as soloists,

but want to keep up their playing skills and be part of an ensemble situation.

Critics hail the sound of the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble as “extraordinary”, “unique”, and “musical”. This year, the

group has been invited to perform at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. The artistic success of the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble has resulted in prominent concert performances across the United States and Europe, including the College Music

Society International Conference in Vienna, Austria; Hawaii Music Teachers Association in Honolulu; MTNA National Conferences in Atlanta and Spokane as well as numerous MTNA state conferences; Music Teachers Association of California State Convention in Los Angeles; GP3 National Conference at University of Oklahoma; Harold Washington Library, Navy Pier, and Civic Opera House in Chicago.

In 2008, renowned composer Robert Vandall created a special piece for the Six Piano Ensemble entitled Oakton

Toccata, published by Alfred Music Publishing Company. The group has released compact discs, Oakton Six Piano Ensemble: Live in Concert and Oakton Six Piano Ensemble: Live in Concert II.

Pianist needed for local ballet schoolThe Northwest Ballet Academy in Schaumburg is looking for an additional ballet class accompanist.

The qualified candidate would be at or near advanced level with good sightplaying skills. It is not necessary to be able to improvise but a good variety of music is welcome and appreciated. The pay is hourly for a few evening hours per week.

Any students (or NSMTA members) who wish to get further information should contact Michele Holzman at 847-885-3370. The Northwest Ballet Academy is located near the intersection of Higgins and Golf Roads.

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ISMTA Northeast District AuditionsThe Northeast District auditions will be held on Sunday, September 30th, 2012 at Northwestern University’s Music Administration Building, located at 711 Elgin Road, Evanston, IL. 60208. The application deadline is September 12, 2012. Local chapters in the Northeast District include Chicago (CAMTA), Kankakee Valley, North Shore (NSMTA) and South Suburban. Any member of these chapters with active and current membership dues paid by September 1, 2012 may enter students in the Northeast District auditions. Students must have studied with the teacher at least six months prior to application deadline date.

Elementary Piano CompetitionAge: 9-11 years old as of January 1, 2013(Teachers note: the age requirements overlap for the elementary and junior piano competitions, please choose the appropriate event for your 11-year old student(s)Each student will perform 2 contrasting pieces. No minimum time is required and pieces must be memorized. Entrance Fee: $20.00; Maximum judging time: 6 minutes

ISMTA Duet Competition – Elementary Division, Junior Division, and Senior Division: For piano, 4 hands onlyAge: 9-10 years old for elementary, 11-14 years old for junior, 15–18 years old for senior, as of January 1, 2013. If both participants are not in the same age group, they will be judged at the level of the older student.The duet team will perform two contrasting selections and must switch parts between selections. No minimum time required and memorization is not required. Entrance Fee: $30 per team; Maximum judging time: 15 minutes

ISMTA Junior Performance Competition Age: 11-14 years old as of January 1, 2013Teachers note: the age requirements overlap for the elementary and junior piano competitions, please choose the appropriate event for your 11-year old student(s)

Students will perform at least two compositions from contrasting periods (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, or contemporary). No minimum performance time is required. All pieces must be memorized. Entrance Fee: $40.00; Maximum judging time: 15 minutes

ISMTA Senior Performance CompetitionAge: 15-18 years old as of January 1, 2013.Students will perform at least three pieces from contrasting periods (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, or contemporary). No minimum performance is required. No concertos. All pieces must be memorized. Entrance Fee: $50.00; Maximum judging time: 20 minutes

Students will receive a score rating of “1”, “2”, or “3.” Winners in the Junior and Senior Competitions that receives a score rating of “1” will move on to the state competition on November 12-13, 2011 at the ISMTA State Conference. Winners of the Elementary level will not compete at the state competition, but will be invited to perform in a “Star Recital” at the state conference.

ISMTA Collegiate Performance CompetitionAge: 19-26 years old as of January 1, 2013.Students will perform at least three pieces from contrasting periods (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, or contemporary). Minimum performance time is 15 minutes. All pieces must be memorized. Entrance Fee: $75.00; Maximum judging time: 20 minutes

ISMTA Collegiate competition is only held at the state level on November 3-4, 2012. Please send application directly to the Collegiate Competitions Coordinator.

Application form is included in this newsletter on the next page. You can also obtain one from the ISMTA website at www.ismta.org. Please follow the age requirements accurately. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. Send applications to:

Dr. Grace Juang, Northeast District chair2770 Kingston RdNorthbrook, Il 60062240-515-6666gracejuang@gmail.com

PresidentBetty Benton847-234-5279jamesbettybenton@gmail.com

First Vice President and Program ChairJane McInnis847-924-7469jane.mcinnis@att.net

Second Vice President and Membership ChairSue Mueller847-272-6475smueller33@gmail.com

Recording SecretaryDebra Stackhouse847-746-3041heartrest@yahoo.com

Corresponding SecretaryBruce Berr847-486-1368bberr@comcast.net

TreasurerLouise Chan585-506-7711louise.k.chan@gmail.com

NSMTA Officers for 2012-13

(To increase the size of the print, zoom in using your Reader)

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Illinois State Music Teachers Association - 2012 Competitions Entry Form

Student’s Name: ___________________________________________ Age (as of 1/1/2013): ______

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________________ State: _____________ Zip Code: __________

Phone: _________________________ E-mail: ____________________________________________

District: _________________________________________

ISMTA Elementary School Competition - $20 Entry Fee

Piano

ISMTA Duet Competition - $30 Per Team Entry Fee

Elementary Junior High Senior

ISMTA Junior Competition - $40 Entry Fee

Piano Strings Brass, Woodwinds

ISMTA Senior Competition - $50 Entry Fee

Piano Voice Strings Brass Woodwinds

ISMTA College Competition - $75 Entry Fee

Piano

ISMTA Composition Competition – (Entry Fee varies by age group)

Elementary ($50) Junior High ($70) Senior ($100) Young Artist ($100)

Repertoire: ________________________________________________________________________ (Composition, Composer, and Performance Time - example: Sonata Op. 27 no. 1 1st mov., Beethoven, 7 min)

Repertoire: ________________________________________________________________________

Repertoire: ________________________________________________________________________

Repertoire: ________________________________________________________________________

Teacher: __________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________________ State: _____________ Zip Code: __________

Phone: _________________________ E-mail: ____________________________________________

District: ___________________________________________________________________________

Local Assoc: ___________________________________________Date Dues Paid: ______________

This student has studied with me 6 months prior to September 2012.

Teacher’s Signature: _____________________________________________ Date: ______________

Make check payable to “ISMTA.” Check must accompany application and is non-refundable. Mail application to

your District Chair. All applications must be postmarked no later than September 12, 2012. District chair contact information is found at www.ismta.org and click on Competitions.

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AIM Guidelines & Repertoire

Here are a few guidelines and clarifications of the AIM requirements for you to consider.

• Students must pass the theory exam before entering the performance exam in the same level.

• Levels IA, IB, IC and level II is not divided into 2 separate exams, but must prepare all material including theory, technique and repertoire for the same exam. Please check the syllabus for all requirements at each level.

• Although any piece in the anthologies and collections listed on the first page of each level is acceptable repertoire, use your discretion in choosing pieces that are not more than 1 level below. You can check this by looking at the lower levels in the syllabus.

• Try not to have more than 1 piece that is below the level that a student is entered. If 2 or more of the pieces are listed at a lower level, that student does not belong in the higher level. One option is to wait another year until the student has acquired more skills to enter at the higher level.

• If a piece that you are considering is not listed in the syllabus, you may still use it as long as you obtain permission from the State Repertoire Chair, Lynette Zelis. Requests must be sent in writing no later than January 15, 2013.

Send requests by e-mail at lzmusic@sbcglobal.net or by mail to: Lynette Zelis, 203 E. Hawthorne, Wheaton, IL 60187

• Permission for substitution of pieces is only good for the year that the permission is obtained. Even if you are considering a piece that you have obtained permission in the past, you must obtain permission again.

• At levels X, XI and XII, all repertoire selections MUST be selected from the list in the syllabus or obtain permission from the State Repertoire Chair. Although anthologies and collections are listed on the first page of these levels, these are suggested resources to find some of the repertoire listed. Any piece from these anthologies and collections ARE NOT acceptable, only those that are listed separately at each level.

• All Level XII repertoire must be approved by the State Repertoire Chair no later than January 15, 2013

• Repertoire requirements are as follows:

o At level III, only 2 pieces are required, one piece from either Baroque or Classical Period and one piece from either Romantic or Contemporary Period.

o At levels IV – IX, 3 pieces are required. One piece from the Baroque Period, one piece from the Classical Period and one piece from either the Romantic (Impressionistic) or Contemporary Period.

o At level X – XII, 4 pieces are required. One piece from the Baroque Period, one piece from the Classical Period, one piece from the Romantic Period and one piece from either the Impressionistic Period or Contemporary (20th /21st Century) Period.

o Two memorized pieces are required at ALL levels.

Please be sure to take care in selecting repertoire for your students. If an error is detected after the Performance Exam applications are sent and repertoire is checked by the chairpersons, it may be too late to select another piece!

Jennifer Cohen, AIM chairperson

Jicohen1@aol.com

AIM THEORY EXAM DATES

November 5, 2012 – Theory Judges MeetingDecember 3, 2012 – Online Registration DeadlineJanuary 27, 2013 – AIM Theory ExamsFebruary 3, 2013 – AIM Theory Exams

AIM PERFORMANCE EXAM DATES

March 4, 2013 – Performance Judges MeetingMarch 4, 2013 - Online Registration DeadlineApril 14, 2013 – AIM Performance ExamsApril 21, 2013 – AIM Performance Exams

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The following can also be found in the current Yearbook(To increase the size of the print, zoom in using your Reader)

SONATA-SONATINA FESTIVALSunday, February 17, 2013Music Institute of Chicago

300 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, IL 60093

Application Deadline: Monday, January 14th, 2013 Registration Begins: Friday, December 14th, 2012Applications are only accepted online. There are no exceptions to the deadline.

The NSMTA Sonata-Sonatina Festival was created to give the students of NSMTA teachers the opportunity to perform their piece before two judges. All entrants will receive a written critique and the opportunity to receive a bronze, silver or gold medal.

Application ProcedureThe application deadline is January 14th 2013. The registration process is easy. Go to www.NSMTA.org and look at the left column. Click on programs and forms. Scroll down to the Sonata/Sonatina Festival and click on the online registration link. You will then be directed to the registration page.

Remember: Your NSMTA dues must be paid by October 31st 2012 to be eligible. Non-members pay must pay an additional $25. This is a one-time fee per calendar year.

Send in a check that includes the fee amounts for the total amount of all of your students or use the PayPal option on the registration form. No cash please. A $26.00 non-refundable fee should be submitted for each student. There is a maximum of seven (7) students per teacher that can be entered.

Running this festival is a huge job that needs a great deal of support from the participating teachers. All teachers are asked to help with the festival. If you are unable to take a job or help with the festival you will need to pay a fee. The fee is $15 per student entered with a maximum cap of $45 per teacher. Add this amount to your check if need be.

If you choose to mail a check instead of using the Pay Pal option, please be certain to make the check out to: NSMTA Student Foundation and send the check along with a print-out of your registered students and festival job status to: Yeeseon Kwon, Sonata-Sonatina Chair, 8300 Concord Dr. Unit 311, Morton Grove, IL 60053

Please read all of this information carefully. If you have questions you can text, call, or e-mail Eric Sutz at 847 204-6954. His e-mail is Esutz@musicinst.org

Additional Festival Information

Students may request either AM or PM, but specific time requests cannot be honored. However, if there are siblings playing in the festival, please indicate that in the registration form and they will be scheduled within the same hour. Be certain to double-check all of your information.

Location: Music Institute of Chicago, 300 Greenbay Road, Winnetka, IL 60093

Only students and room monitors will be allowed in the hallways to reduce congestion. Parents will need to wait in the central lobby. Only students and judges will be allowed in the performance rooms.

All music must be memorized and without repeats. Judges must be provided with a clean unmarked copy of the same edition that the student uses and measure numbers marked at the beginning of every system. No photocopies are allowed.

The judges will have the authority to stop an entrant before the end of a performance and their decisions will be final.

Participating Teacher Jobs for the FestivalAll participating teachers are expected to help in some way to support the Festival. When you register please indicate AM or PM availability to help on the festival day. Or, if you wish to help at the Gold Medal Recital, you may indicate that option instead. Jobs will be assigned.

AWARDSAll entrants will receive award ribbons for participating in the Festival. Medals are awarded for the following scores:

Gold 96-100Silver 93-95Bronze 90-92 No Medal 89 and below

Participants who receive gold medals will be invited to perform in a Gold Medal Recital scheduled the week following the Festival. They will also be listed in our newsletter, The Score.

REQUIREMENTS: Two contrasting movements of a sonatina OR one movement (first or last) of a sonata. Also, students may perform the repertoire requirement from our featured composer instead of a sonatina or sonata if they wish.

FOR SONATINASEntrants will play two movements from the same sonatina that must be contrasting in mood and tempo (i.e., movements 1 and 2 or 2 and 3.) In the case of sonatinas with only two movements, the student shall play both movements. The following Sonatas will count as Sonatinas for this event due to shortness of length and complexity. Two contrasting movements are required.

• Haydn Sonatas Hoboken XVI:7, 8 and 9 • Camidge Sonata No. 6.

FOR SONATASEntrants will play either the first or last movement of a sonata chosen from the classical through modern periods. This excludes sonatas by Scarlatti and other bipartite sonatas.

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R E F E R E N C E

13 The SCORE, September 2012

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The following compositions qualify as sonatas due to the length of the pieces and complexity:

Beethoven, Op. 49, No. 1 (Gm)Beethoven, Op. 49, No. 2 (G)Kabalevsky, Op. 13, No. 1 (C)Khachaturian, Sonatina in CRavel, Sonatine

New additions to this list:Kuhlau, Op. 20, No. 3 (F) Kuhlau, Op. 59, No. 1, (A)

Kuhlau, Op. 59, No. 2 (F) 1st movement onlyKuhlau, Op. 59, No. 3, (C)Kuhlau,Op. 60, No. 2 (A)Kuhlau, Op. 60, No. 3 (C)

Composer of the Year OptionThis year we are honoring the music of Alexander Tcherepnin. Instead of a Sonata or Sonatina a student may play two selections from Op. 5 Bagatelles with the following requirement: Students must play either #2, 3, or 10 and a second selection of their choice in a contrasting style from Op. 5.

Please e-mail any lighthearted or humorous studio photos for “Scherzo Finale” to Bruce Berr

Scherzo Finale

Fingernail polish? Or Lithuanian flags??