NFMC Junior Keynotes, Spring 2016

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS

Junior Keynotes Spring 2016 • Vol. 88, No. 3

2016 NMW Essay Winners SEE PAGES 16-25

NEW AND EXCITING PIANO DUETS FROZEN PIANO DUETS

7 SONGS FOR ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS

arr. Mona Rejino Late Elementary/ Early Intermediate Level Seven duets: Do You Want to Build a Snowman? • For the First Time in Forever • Heimr Arnadalr • In Summer • Let It Go • Love Is an Open Door • Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People.

00144294 1 Piano/4 Hands ........................... $12.99

DISNEY PIANO DUETS

arr. Jennifer and Mike Watts Intermediate Level Here are 8 great Disney hits expertly arranged as intermediate duets: The Bare Necessities • Belle • Chim Chim Cher-ee • Hakuna Matata • I See the Light • Kiss the Girl • When She Loved Me • You’ve Got a Friend in Me. 00113759 1 Piano/4 Hands ........................... $12.99

FOUR HANDS ON BROADWAY

arr. Fred Kern Intermediate Level And All That Jazz • Anything You Can Do • Do You Hear the People Sing? • I Whistle a Happy Tune • In My Own Little Corner • It’s the Hard-Knock Life/Easy Street (Medley) • Put on a Happy Face • Seventy Six Trombones.

00146177 1 Piano/4 Hands ........................... $12.99

JOPLIN RAGTIME DUETS

EIGHT SONGS FOR ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS

JAZZ HITS FOR PIANO DUET

4 CLASSIC RAGS FOR ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS

arr. Fred Kern Intermediate Level Scott Joplin’s rags are twice the fun when played with a partner! Features fullsounding, intermediatelevel arrangements for one piano, four hands of: Heliotrope Bouquet • Magnetic March • Peacherine Rag • The Ragtime Dance.

00296771 1 Piano/4 Hands ............................. $7.99

DOUBLE AGENT! PIANO DUETS

EIGHT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS

arr. Jeremy Siskind Early Intermediate/ Intermediate Level At Last • Beyond the Sea • Blue Skies • Come Fly with Me • Fever • I’ll Be Seeing You • Mona Lisa • The Way You Look Tonight.

00143248 1 Piano/4 Hands ........................... $10.99

Disney characters and artwork © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

EIGHT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS

arr. Jeremy Siskind Duets are double the fun with these jazzed-up gems.

Also excellent for themed recitals! Titles: Get Smart • Inspector Clouseau Theme • Inspector Gadget • James Bond Theme • Mission: Impossible Theme • The Pink Panther • Secret Agent Man • Soul Bossa Nova.

00121595 1 Piano/4 Hands ........................... $10.99

PIANO SOLOS ALSO AVAILABLE

LATE ELEMENTARY TO EARLY INTERMEDIATE SOLOS

CONTEMPORARY POP HITS

arr. Wendy Stevens 00296836......................................................... $8.99

CHART HITS

arr. Mona Rejino 00296710......................................................... $8.99

CONTEMPORARY MOVIE HITS

DISNEY FAVORITES

arr. Phillip Keveren 00296647......................................................... $9.99 EARLY INTERMEDIATE/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL SOLOS

BROADWAY HITS

arr. Carol Klose 00296650......................................................... $8.99

MOVIE FAVORITES

arr. Fred Kern 00296648......................................................... $7.99

THE BEATLES

INTERMEDIATE SOLOS

arr. Carol Klose, Jennifer Linn, Wendy Stevens 00296780......................................................... $8.99

CURRENT HITS

arr. Mona Rejino 00296768......................................................... $8.99

DISNEY FILM FAVORITES

arr. Mona Rejino 00296809....................................................... $10.99

ELTON JOHN

arr. Carol Klose 00296721......................................................... $8.99

arr. Eugénie Rocherolle 00296649....................................................... $10.99

ORDER TODAY!

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Please visit www.halleonard.com to order from any music retailer.

IRVING BERLIN PIANO DUOS

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS 2014-2016 SELECTION arr. Don Heitler and Jim Lyke 00296838....................................................... $14.99

TODAY’S HITS

arr. Mona Rejino 00296646......................................................... $7.99

TOP HITS

arr. Jennifer and Mike Watts 00296894....................................................... $10.99 LATE INTERMEDIATE

CLASSIC JOPLIN RAGS

arr. Fred Kern 00296743......................................................... $7.99

W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

TA B LE OF CONTENTS

SPRING ISSUE, 2016 Vol. 88, No. 3

4 Staff Directory 5 President’s Message 6 NFMC 2016 Convention – Tulsa, OK 9 Junior Division Chairman / Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award 10 Festivals Bulletin Chairman 11 Online Training Workshops / Federation Cup Chairman 12 Federation Cup Winners 13 Junior Club Achievement / Improvisation 14 Martha Marcks Mack Award Winners 15 American Music: John Williams 16 National Music Week 2016 Essay Winners 26 Junior Dance Chairman 28 Summer Music Camps

A DV ER T I S ERS’ I N DE X 2 Hal Leonard 3 Music Teachers National Association 10 Kat Souponetsky Piano 26 NFMC Federation Festivals Bulletin 27

Willis Music

28

Amy Immerman

31 NFMC American Music Posters

29 About the Cover

31

30 Insignia Bulletin Board

Clavier Companion

31 Imagination Nook NFMC_MTNA_Ad_Layout 1 1/24/13 2:56 PM Page 1

Whether you are a seasoned professional or new teacher, membership in Music Teachers National Association is an essential part of your professional life.

Since 1876, MTNA has been the foremost leader in empowering the music-teaching professional by providing valuable resources and networking opportunities for its members.

Spring 2016

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JUNIOR KE YNOTES 3

S TA F F D I R E C T O R Y

NFMC Junior Keynotes Directory National Federation of Music Clubs, Inc. • Chartered by the Congress of the United States (ISSN 0022-6629) W Region: Aaron Bloom, Chairman 4633 Exeter Street West Linn, OR 97068 503-656-6948 abpianolessons@gmail.com

HEADQUARTERS National Federation of Music Clubs 1646 W. Smith Valley Road Greenwood, IN 46142 317-882-4003 Fax 317-882-4019 email: info@nfmc-music.org www.nfmc-music.org

Federation Cups Gloria Lien, Chairman 6738 W. Kimberly Way Glendale, AZ 85308 623-561-2989 Gloria.hope.lien@gmail.com

President Michael R. Edwards 891 NW 73rd Avenue Plantation, FL 33317-1141 Phone: 954-791-9273 Cell: 954-325-00064 micedwards@aol.com

Federation Festivals Database Sandra Preysz, Chairman 2174 E. Lonsdale Drive Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 801-944-1808 sandrapreysz@msn.com

Advertising Jennifer Griffin, Chairman 1646 W, Smith Valley Rd. Greenwood, IN 46142 Phone: 317-882-4003 Mobile: 317-771-5369 Fax: 317-882-4019 info@nfmc-music.org

Junior Club Achievement Mary Thomason, Chairman 130 Creekside Drive Boerne, TX 78006 210-471-8984 mary@icanlearnmusic.com

Junior Division Linda D. Lind, Chairman 8905 Longmead Court Burke, VA 22015 703-569-0014 lindalindva@gmail.com

Junior Composers Deborah De La Torre, Chairman P.O. Box 2680 Centennial, CO 80161 303-519-4395 trazom1234@yahoo.com

Junior Keynotes Magazine Editor, Mary Thomason 130 Creekside Drive Boerne, TX 78006 210-471-8984 nfmcjrkeynotes@gmail.com

NE Region: Judith Dewette 16 Godfrey Road Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 973-746-4254 Judith.dewette@verizon.net

SE Region: Gina Sprunger 4813 Appletree Ct. Greenville, SC 29615 864-284-9127 ginasprunge@bju.edu

Federation Festivals Bulletin Sandra Preysz, Editor/Chairman 2174 E. Lonsdale Drive Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 801-944-1808 sandrapreysz@msn.com

NC Region: Lori Jessen 1912 Locust St., Box 851 Dakota City, NE 68731 712-253-0718 LoriJessen@gmail.com

Federation Festivals Lisa Smith, Chairman 3774 Barbizon Circle S. Jacksonville, FL 32257 904-886-4188 nfmc.festivals.chair@hotmail.com NC Region: Peggy Radmer, Chairman 1930 Sunnyside Drive Waukesha, WI 53186 262-547-2607 Pegs88keys@wi.rr.com NE Region: Virginia Kleeberg, Chairman 200 W. Roosevelt St. Muncie, IN 47303 765-288-6404 ifmc-music@outlook.com SC Region: Lavonna Whitesell, Chairman 5117 NW 161st St. Edmond, OK 73013 405-715-1536 Lswsongbird@yahoo.com SE Region: Cynthia Abernathy, Chairman 13115 Pavilion Ln. Fairfax, VA 22033 703-376-8883 cjaneabernathy@gmail.com

SC Region: Bonnie Dove 4116 Stonewick Drive Arlington, TX 76016 682-429-7273 pianodove@sbcglobal.net

Dance Judy Barger Edgell, Chairman 4023 Hazelridge Road NW Roanoke, VA 24012 540-563-4782 jbarger1234@cox.net

National Music Week Helena Meetze, Chairman 613 Hatrick Road Columbia, SC 29209 803-776-6500 hmeetze@bellsouth.net

Thelma A. Robinson Ballet Award Gay Dill, Chairman 814 South Second Street Atwood, KS 67730 785-626-9434 gaydill1@att.net

NMW Essay: NE Region Mary Ellen Ulmer, Chairman 168 East Branch Road Mercer, PA 16137 724-946-2877 ulmerme@hotmail.com

Wendell Irish Viola Award Dr. George R. Keck, Chairman 2112 Hinson Rd. #23 Little Rock, AR 72212 870-403-2951 keckg@att.net

NMW: SE Region Julianne Edwards, Chairman 116 S. Walnut St., #201 Muncie, IN 47305 561-613-7237 jmedwards220@gmail.com

Angie Greer Music in Poetry Contest Dr. Marie Speece, Chairman P.O. Box 1 Union Grove, NC 28689-9001 704-539-5243 mariespeece@yadtel.net

NMW Essay: NC/SC/W Regions Jan Hansen, Chairman 101 Rio Mesa Drive Grants Pass, OR 97527 541-956-1659 jhansen3536@gmail.com

Stillman Kelley/Byrum Nathalie Steinbach, Chairman 15 Mount Vernon Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22405 540-373-6352 ymsfred@earthlink.net

Summer Music Centers Mary Ellen Nolletti, Chairman 104 County Road 537 Etowah, TN 37331 Phone: 423-263-5889 snupy36@msn.com

Claire Ulrich Whitehurst Piano Solo Award Suzanne Carpenter, Chairman PO Box 357275 Gainesville, FL. 32635-7275 352-373-5049 treasurer@ffmc-music.org

State News Connie Randall, Chairman PO Box 522 Kaufman, TX 75142-0522 248-921-7032 conniebrandall@yahoo.com

Music for the Blind Awards Lee Ann Cummings, Chairman 146 W. Pinebrook Drive Brandon, MS 39047 601.992.9330 cummings-lee28@att.net Marilyn Caldwell Piano Solo Award Marilyn Caldwell, Chairman 2011 St. Francis Street Kennett, MO 63857 573-888-5274 marilyncaldwell5@yahoo.com

W Region: Jodie Jensen 5475 Flag Way Colorado Springs, CO 80919 719-262-0394 jodiejens@yahoo.com

Joyce Walsh Award Anita Blackmon, Chairman 1101 S. Ricky Road Kennett, MO 63857 573-888-3998 anitablackmon@outlook.com

Lynn Freeman Olson Composition Award James Schnars, Chairman 331 Cleveland Street #804 Clearwater, FL 33755 727-400-4305

Martha Marcks Mack Junior Vocal Award Naomi Sanchez, Chairman 671 Ashbury Street San Francisco, CA 94117 415-378-1447 Knsanchez@hotmail.com

Mary Alice Cox Award Matt Miller, Chairman 13819 W. National Avenue New Berlin, WI 53151 262-786-0487, Ext. 743 mattmillerbass@aol.com

Lana M. Bailey Piano Concerto Award Dee Blaser, Chairman 4404 Heritage Drive Lawrence, KS 66047 785-843-8776 dblaser@sunflower.com

Music Clubs Magazine Editor, Jean Moffatt P.O. Box 791 Seminole, TX 79360 Phone: 432-758-2419 Cell: 432-209-0298 jmoffatt20@live.com

REPRINTING: All material is protected by copyright.

Request information and permission from the editor for any reprints.

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the National Federation of Music Cubs or of Junior Keynotes Magazine.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: A subscription is included in each Junior Counselor’s membership dues.

Additional subscriptions are available for $6. See PR 12-1 for bulk pricing.

SINGLE ISSUE: Purchase extra single issues for $3 each.

Use PR 12-1 Magazine Order Form.

The National Federation of Music Clubs is a tax-exempt, non-profit philanthropic and educational organization dedicated to music education and promotion of the creative and performing arts in America since 1898. The Federation became officially chartered by the U.S. Congress on August 9, 1982. The mission of the Federation is to support and develop American music and musicians.

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Spring 2016

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Memo from the President

by Michael R. Edwards

With spring approaching, our Junior Division is busy at work. The majority of our juniors will be participating in Federation Festival auditions across the nation. Good luck to all of our juniors who have been preparing for festival and a big “Thank You!” to all of the volunteers who make this possible.

In March the new Federation Festivals Bulletin is available for purchase. Orders may be placed with Jennifer Griffin at NFMC Headquarters. Speaking of the Junior Federation Festivals Bulletin, a friend recently gave me a copy of the 1977-1978 Bulletin. We have come a long way since that time! In the 1977-1978 Bulletin: $10.00

NFMC

• There were 51 pages compared to the 266 pages of the current Bulletin.

J U LY 2016 – J U N E 2 0 20

• There were five or six selections in the upper piano solo levels.

• The Senior Concerto Event repertoire was selected by the teacher.

• There was no American Patriotic and Folk Song Event.

1646 West Smith

Valley Road // Greenwood, Indian a 46142

www.nfmc-mu sic.org

July 2016 – Jun e 2020

In our new Bulletin, the classes in the American Patriotic and Folk Song Event will be expanded to correlate with all Piano Solo Event classes. We will also be introducing a new event NATIONAL FED ERATION of MU SIC CLUBS – Drum Set Event! A big “Thank You” goes to Editor Sandra Preysz and all NFMC Festivals Bulletin advisers who have worked tirelessly preparing our new Bulletin.

Finally, The Junior Division is busy preparing for the 2016 NFMC Conference. This year three junior scholarship winners will be featured in concert. They include Christina Greenwood,

letin

• In Hymn Playing there was only Class I-V in which the student had to prepare four hymns, and the judge adjudicated three hymns.

Federation Festiva ls Bul

• In the Piano Concerto Event there were four selections in JR I, JR II and JR III.

F E D E R AT I O

Festivals BulleN tin

A project of

NATIONAL FED ERATION of MU SIC CLU

BS

The NEW Federation Festivals Bulletin will be available in April!

Missouri – recipient of the Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award and the PNP Lana Bailey M. Bailey Piano Concerto Award, Abigail Szilagyi, California – recipient of the Joyce Walsh Junior Disability Award and Shan Su, Texas - recipient of the Wendell Irish Viola Award.

Sandra Preysz will be conducting online festival training Tuesday, June 21. Space is limited, so use the internet link provided on page 11 to register for this valuable training session if you plan to transition to online festival registration.

This year Louisiana and Wisconsin will be holding their third annual state competitive event.

Sam Ecoff, Jeanne Hryniewicki and Irene and Mark Vile will conduct a workshop titled “How to Organize a Junior Competitive Event.” Please attend this workshop to learn how Louisiana and Wisconsin have taken their Junior Divisions to the next level. See you in Tulsa!!!

Pre-order yours today from Headquarters

Keeping the Music Alive for the Future!

NFMC’s 33rd President

Connect!

Spring 2016

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Greetings, NFMC Mem

June 21-25 in Tulsa, NFMC 2016 Conference Come one, come all... to our N to attend all the your PERSONAL INVITATIO Oklahoma! Consider this friendships over a friends and renew NFMC new e som ke Ma ies! ivit fest oy a “Hubcap Pancake” Hotel Coffee Shop, or enj great cup of coffee in the cap, but they taste (Yes, they’re as big as a hub in the Hotel Restaurant!

Regency Hotel in will be held at the Hyatt a lot sweeter!) All events nus look fabulous, ns are nearly complete, me Downtown Tulsa! Our pla r reservations! all that’s missing are you rooms are beautiful, and

ntown district. heart of the beautiful dow The Hyatt is located in the and plenty of gs to do around the hotel, There are so many fun thin “Tour” will also be r enturous sight-seers! Ou opportunities for more adv h Opera History with will take a “Tour” throug right there in the Hotel! We rs of Opera in the ner, complete with the Sta our Taste of Opera Gala Din meal prepared by the arias as we enjoy a special Ozarks singing beautiful nned such a variety of d to say that we have pla Hotel Chef! We are please l be pleased. We’ve that we think everyone wil classes and musical events of the people ALL of not being able to please ALL all heard that quote about will come pretty close! the time, but we think we !

R RESERVATION TODAY DON’T DELAY... MAKE YOU tlynn Hayes, Lavonna Whitesell and Na en Co-Chairm

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OFFICIAL CALL NFMC Conference, June 21 - 25, 2016 | Hyatt Regency | Tulsa, OK

Music... Lights the Heart of our Nation An official name badge is necessary for attendance at every NFMC Conference function.

Full Registration $100.00. Entitles the registrant to a program book, admittance to all open meetings and programs, evening concerts and receptions.

Daily Registration $50. Entitles the registrant to a program book and admittance to all open activities for a single day/evening.

Student and Junior member Full Registration $25.

No charge for an official name badge for a single meal function.

Registration hours: Tuesday, June 21 10:00am – 5:00pm Wednesday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm ATTENDANCE All sessions except for the executive committee meetings are open to all registrants. Each state is encouraged to have at least one representative attend each session. The business meeting of a division or committee is for official business and observers can attend but the chairman will control participation. There will be multiple sessions in most time slots to fit the interests of the attendees.

BOARD ATTENDANCE (NFMC Bylaws, Article VI, Section 2C): An unexcused absence from more than one Board session shall be considered a resignation. Board members are asked to inform the recording secretary if they must request an excuse for an absence. The excuse must be received before the conference starts.

NFMC CONFERENCE LOCATION Hyatt Regency 100 E 2nd Street, Tulsa, OK 74103 Phone 1-918-582-9000 Group Block Name/Code: NFMC

Hotel Reservation cutoff date: May 30, 2016.

Each person is responsible for making his/her reservation. Call the Toll Free Number 888-5911234 OR 1-918-582-9000, ask for reservations; or visit us online at www.tulsa.hyatt.com.

If special services are required, please mention

them at the time you make the reservation.

The negotiated rate will be honored after May 30, 2016 only if standard rooms are available.

The hotel accepts all major credit cards.

Group rates per night plus tax: $119 for Club Level King; $99 for King: $99 Two Double Bed. Check in is 3:00pm; check out is 12:00 am.

Conference rates are available for 3 days prior or 3 days following on a space available basis.

The Hyatt Regency Tulsa participates in the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

PARKING AND AIRPORT SHUTTLE There is complimentary self-parking at the hotel for registered overnight guests. Valet parking is also available for $15. The hotel offers a free shuttle from the airport. On arrival, call 918-5829000 and ask for airport shuttle service. The shuttle will pick up outside of baggage claim.

HOTEL AMENITIES All rooms will have complementary internet; there is also a fitness center and pool. Your room will have an ironing board, hairdryer, alarm, coffee maker, cable television and refrigerator.

Microwave is available upon request. Safety deposit box is available at front desk.

Complimentary “Monscierge” moblie device application, which works on Apple and Google devices, is available for all attendees. Application is updated daily and highlights the meeting agenda, hotel layout/amenities, as well as local attractions and neighborhood restaurants.

HOTEL RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE There is a restaurant and lounge in the hotel as well as a coffee shop and gift shop. There are numerous restaurants nearby.

WEARING APPAREL This is summertime in Oklahoma. Dress appropriately. The hotel is air-conditioned.

Comfortable business attire is expected to be worn at all sessions. The final dinner is NOT formal. State presidents will be seated and recognized at designated tables.

American Festival Chorus: White shirts or blouses, dark slacks or skirts, men wear dark ties.

VOTING CREDENTIALS Voting credentials are available for download on the NFMC website or see page _?_ . You can send the application with your registration.

PROPOSED BYLAWS Bylaw changes will be posted in MCM spring issue (30 day notice is required by the bylaws) and on the NFMC website.

MEMORIAL SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS The memorial service is scheduled for Saturday morning.

Memorial Contributions – Any NFMC member may send a memorial contribution to the national memorial chairman, Susan Tury, using the form that appears in this issue of MCM or online.

Deceased Member List – State Presidents are to send a list of names of deceased members since the last NFMC meeting to NFMC Chaplain Connie Randall. Deadline June 1, 2016.

REPORTS State presidents should bring a synopsis of the year’s activities for sharing at the Presidents Council.

No reports will be read at general session meetings. However, all officers and chairmen are expected to have written reports prepared for publication in hard copy or on a CD. The deadlines are as follows: May 15 is postmark deadline for Committee chairmen to email or mail one page report to his/her Division chairman May 25 is postmark deadline for Division chairmen to send compilation of Division committee reports to NFMC Headquarters

May 25 is postmark deadline for Officers to email or mail.

Reports will be compiled for all convention registrants to read at their convenience. CDs and hard copies will be available at the registration desk for convention registrants.

Division Chairmen will be introduced at a general session; they will then introduce their committee chairmen in attendance. No reports will be presented but attendees are encouraged to obtain the packet of reports or the CD, attend Division meetings and meet with chairmen.

REMEMBER: Hotel Deadline is May 30, 2016. Deadline for registration and meal reservations is June 1, 2016.

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DAILY SCHEDULE NFMC Conference, June 21 - 25, 2016 | Hyatt Regency | Tulsa, OK

Music... Lights the Heart of our Nation TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016 9:00am – 5:00pm

State President’s Day

9:00am – 6:30pm

Online Festival Training

10:00am – 5:00pm Registration

3:30pm – 4:30pm Ecoff/Hryniewicki/Vile, Workshop

“How to Organize a Junior

Competitive event” 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Festival Chorus Rehearsal

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Budget Committee

6:00pm – 6:30pm

Opera Prelude

1:30pm – 3:00pm

Finance Committee

6:30pm – 9:00pm

A Taste of Opera

3:00pm – 4:00pm

Young Artist Committee

3:00pm – 4:00pm

Sergeants-at-Arms

3:00pm – 4:00pm Regional Vice Presidents Meeting

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016 Investment Committee

7:30am – 8:45am

Lifer Breakfast

Executive Committee 5:00pm – 6:00pm (closed)

8:00am – 5:00pm

Registration

9:30am – 10:30am

General Session

Festival Chorus 5:00pm – 6:30pm Rehearsal

10:30am – 10:45am Musical Moment

Abigail Szilagyi

Joyce Walsh Disability Award

Protocol Committee

7:30pm – 8:30pm

Cavanal Chorale

8:30pm – 9:30pm

Reception Honoring Newbies and State Presidents

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016 8:00am – 5:00pm

Registration

8:30am – 9:15pm

Formal Opening Session

9:15am – 9:30pm

Musical Moment Christina Greenwood Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award and Lana Bailey PNP Award

9:30am – 10:15pm

Rob Coopman, Speaker “How to Make An Old Club New”

10:15am – 11:30pm Board of Directors 11:30am – 12:15pm Carole Flatau, Workshop

“Woody Guthrie” 12:30pm – 1:45pm Regional Luncheons

8:00am – 5:00pm

Registration

8:30am – 10:00pm

Annual Business meeting / General Session

9:30am – 9:45am

Musical Moment Shan Su Wendell Irish Viola Award

10:00am – 11:00pm Competitions & Awards Board 7:15am – 8:45am

3:00pm – 4:00pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2016

10:45am – 11:45am

Rob Coopman, Speaker “Partnership for Successful Programs” and “Music Club Board Best Practices”

10:00am – 11:00pm Policy Resolution Committee

10:30am – 12:00pm Festival Chorus dress rehearsal 11:00am – 12:00pm Susan Hong, Workshop

Dr. Ouida Keck Award Recipient

“Teaching Music to Students

with Special Needs” 11:00am – 12:00pm Treasurer’s Forum 11:00am – 12:00pm Parliamentary Procedure with Dr. Bierbaum

LUNCH ON YOUR OWN

11:45am – 12:00pm Musical Moment

Jim Mayhew

Native American Flute

1:30pm– 2:30pm

Festival Chorus Concert

12:15pm – 1:45pm Rose Fay Thomas Luncheon

Michelle Place, Speaker

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Finance Division

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Presidents Council

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Arts Division

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Arts Advocacy Committee

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Membership and Education Division

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Periodicals Committee

2:00pm – 3:30pm

Junior Division

5:30pm – 6:00pm

Line up and optional photo opportunity

2:00pm – 3:30pm

FAMA

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Browse and Buy

6:00pm – 7:30pm

Banquet Don Dagenais, Speaker

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Dr. George Keck, Workshop “Arkansas Young Artists”

7:30pm – 8:30pm

Oklahoma Fancy Dancers

8:30pm – 9:30pm

Reception

2:30pm – 3:30pm Headquarters/ Office Committee

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Bylaws Committee

3:45pm – 4:30pm

Jim Mayhew, Workshop “Native American Flute”

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Public Relations Division

4:30pm – 5:30pm

Festival Chorus Rehearsal

2:00pm – 3:00pm

American Music Division

DINNER ON YOUR OWN

8:30 am – 9:15 am

7:30pm – 8:30pm Concert

Nicholas Susi, Young Artist Winner

9:30 am – 12:00pm Board of Directors

followed by Executive committee

8:30pm – 9:30pm

Noon

2:00pm – 3:00pm Student/Collegiate Division 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Festivals committee

3:00pm– 4:00pm

Rob Coopman, Workshop “Using Multimedia for Membership Growth”

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Reception

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 Memorial Service

Adjourn until June 22, 2017 in Dayton, OH

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I hope you’ve made your plans to attend the NFMC Conference, June 21st through June 25th in Tulsa, OK! The South Central Region is our host for the occasion, so the Sunflower State, the Lone Star State, the Show Me State, the Natural State and the Sooner State are all ready to show us a rip-roarin’ good time.

The NFMC Junior Division Chairmen will be on hand - ready to hear your ideas and comments. Their #1 goal is to better serve you, the Junior Counselor and your Junior Members. Our time together in Tulsa gives us the opportunity to listen, to discuss and to develop strategies to do just that.

One of our goals for this next year is to work toward uniformity across all the events in the Division. This means forms that are easier to read, with fewer words and provide for clearer understanding of what is required for each.

The Junior Division Meeting is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, June 23rd, so make sure to work it into your Conference schedule.

You might want to attend each and every possible session offered in Tulsa, but don’t miss this one! This is when you have the opportunity to voice questions or concerns about Junior Division requirements, rules, procedures and responsibilities. So, put on your thinking caps and come to Tulsa! Bring your insight, experience, and suggestions.

Greet old friends and make new ones – what an opportunity! See firsthand what is really happening, not only in the Junior Division, but in all of the NFMC. At the conference, President Edwards is featuring the Junior winners

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of the Caldwell and Bailey Awards, the Walsh Award and the Irish Award. Come, enjoy, and support these amazing young American musicians first hand.

A “how-to” workshop about organizing competitive events for Juniors will be presented by Sam Ecoff & Jeanne Hryniewicki of Wisconsin and Irene & Mark Vile of Louisiana. We’ve observed their successes. Benefit from their willingness to share first-hand!

Now, if you haven’t already made your plans to be in Tulsa, what are you waiting for? We will indeed light up the heart of our nation as we celebrate with our Federation Friends!

Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award submitted by Marilyn Caldwell, Chairman Do you have a student who has mastered any of the following repertoire or selections of comparable level? Or, who will have a 10-15 minute “performance ready” program?

• Bach: Any Prelude and Fugue from Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume 1 • Schubert: Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, No. 4 • Debussy: Arabesque in G Major, Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum (The Children’s Corner) • Chopin: Impromptu in A-flat Major, Op. 29; Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 172 • Griffes: Night Winds, Op. 5, No. 2 (American) • One movement from a Sonata by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven (not Op. 49, Nos. 1-2) If so, then record a CD, follow the instructions on NFMC Form JR 19-1, and submit the Application Form JR 19-2 to compete for the $800 First Place Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award ($300 Second Place). All application materials must be in the hands of the chairman by March 1. Email marilyncaldwell5@yahoo.com if you have questions.

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F E S T I VA L S B U L L E T I N

Festivals Report

by Sandra Preysz, Festivals Bulletin Chairman

Festivals Bulletin The 2017-2018-2019-2020 NFMC Festivals Bulletin was compiled using the Online Festivals Management System. The advisers for each instrument have entered the repertoire selections online. This improves accuracy in the printed Bulletin. There is a specific field for catalogue numbers. Publisher information has been updated as selections have been entered.

I am very excited as I work on the edits for the new Bulletin! Our advisers have been meticulous in making selections and in entering the data online. All Federation teachers who participate in Festivals owe so much to these advisers who have volunteered their time and knowledge!

This has been a labor of love by the committee members, all of whom are dedicated musicians and teachers. I know they do this because of their love for good music and the value it has to our students across the nation.

The committees began work in June, 2015 and finished the final edits in February, 2016. This is an amazing nine months of dedicated service to our organization. Thanks to all involved!

Initially proposed by Sam Ecoff, the Drum Set Event repertoire of required pieces has now been established by our Percussion Adviser.

For everyone who is anxiously awaiting the new NFMC Festivals Bulletin, we trust you will enjoy the selections and that it will enrich your teaching and your students for the coming four years.

Remember, the Bulletin will go into effect on July 1, 2016 and continue through June 30, 2020.

Online Festivals Management Update We are now nearing the end of our third year of testing the Online Festivals Management System.

A huge “Thank You!” to all Festivals Chairmen and teachers who have worked with the system during the testing periods! Bugs have been discovered and resolved so that the process for those who begin in 2017 will be much easier.

A major update (1g) is scheduled at the end of this Festival year. I specifically instructed the developer to wait to install the update until we have finished registrations for 2016. This update will enable users to launch the program from ANY browser, including Google Chrome. There may be a few steps to properly configure your browser of choice. These steps are outlined on the Home page and explained in detail in the “Getting Started” section of the Online Manual.

In those areas that have used the system for three years, teachers are becoming much more comfortable with the system. They are beginning to understand all of the benefits, functions, capacities and information formats.

One of the first testing groups has now decided they would like the registration window to start much earlier so that they can register each student as pieces are selected. The system ensures that the rules of progression are followed and teachers find this very reassuring. These teachers have learned the importance of working on the registrations as early as possible. For example, when registering a student transferring from another Federation teacher, the records must be transferred by the local system administrator. These three year “veteran” groups understand the importance of beginning early and finishing well before the registration deadline, just in case there is a detail that requires the help of the administrator. Details are not easily resolved at 11:30 PM on the final day of registration.

Training sessions will be held at our NFMC Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sessions will be two hours long and will require a separate registration.

How many festival events will you enter this year?

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F E D E R AT I O N C U P C H A I R M A N

NFMC Online Training Workshops

BEGINNING AND ESTABLISHED LEVELS June 21, 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma NFMC will again be conducting workshops to train Administrators for the Online Festivals Management System. The workshops will be Tuesday, June 21, 2016, the day prior to the Formal Opening Session of the NFMC Convention in Tulsa. There is no fee for these workshops.

Two levels of instruction will be offered: Beginning and Established • Beginning sessions will be at 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 11:15 AM – 1:15 PM The same material will be covered in each session.

• The established user session will be in the later afternoon from 4:30 PM -6:30 PM Attendance will be limited to 18 people per session and will require confirmation prior to the Conference. The workshop is designed to help Festival Chairmen and other Administrators. These people will be given the first opportunity to attend.

Registration will open beginning March 1 and will close on May 15, 2016.

The nfmc-music.org website will feature a link for registration. It is also provided here: www.SignUpGenius.com/ go/20F0945A4A622A3FD0-online1

Our goal is to train at least one person from each state so they, in turn, can train those within their state. Each state should think carefully about whom to select to receive the training. This person or these persons should be quite computer literate so that they will be able to learn the details of the Online Festivals Management System from the administrative side.

Participants should bring their own laptop.

Either a Mac or PC works well but older computers with aged operating systems have proven problematic. Remember that the Online System cannot yet be accessed from an iPad or mobile device.

After being confirmed, the following items must be completed prior to June 21 so the workshop can run smoothly.

• Java 8 (or latest version) installed on computer.

• e-mail registered with Google for identify verification • e-mail listed with nfmc-festivals.org website (making the person authorized for access) – Sandra Preysz, NCTM NFMC Online Festivals Management System Chairman

Federation Cups

by Gloria Lien, Federation Cup Chairman ‘Tis the season to claim the Federation Grand Cups and President Cups for your Juniors who have earned them this year! As the final points are tallied after Festival 2016 in your area, be sure to complete the NFMC form JR 4-1 to request these cups for your eligible Juniors.

Ultimately, these forms reach my desk for final approval and I eagerly look forward to receiving them! Read more about the process in the 2015 Cups Taskforce results. The cup approval process takes some time, so be sure to submit your JR 4-1 forms as soon as you can include point results from 2016 festivals!

May I be the first to voice a hearty “Congratulations!” to all our Juniors who have earned these prestigious Federation cups as well as to our Juniors on their way to earning them!

2015 Task Force Pertaining to Federation Cups

(passed at the 2015 NFMC Convention in Fargo, N.D.) At our NFMC Session last year in Portland, OR, a task force was put together to study questions pertaining to our Gold and Silver Cups. We have been striving to put together basic guidelines for our NFMC Cups. We have felt a need to standardize nationwide our processes pertaining to Festivals and Cups with the following guidelines.

1) With Festival registration online, the entrant will automatically be enrolled in the Federation Cup plan. If the entrant does not want to participate in the Federation Cup plan, the teacher must make the selection to “opt out”.

2) Each state should have a Federation Cup Chairman. Cup funds should be kept separate from Festival funds. (The funds can be combined by the teacher when applying for the Festival and the Cup fee would be included at that time.)

3) If a junior discontinues being in the Festival, no cup refunds are given.

4) If local clubs or state clubs give out a non-NFMC cup, it is a local or state recognition, not a national recognition. The junior would not be publicized in our national magazines. It should not be called the Federation Cup, nor represented as such.

5) The National Cup Chairman needs to give approval for Grand (75 point) and Presidential (90 point) Cups. The JR 4-1 form should come from the State Cup chairman. The process is from the teacher to local chairman to state chairman to national cup chairman.

6) For complete rules for combining points, refer to the current Festivals Bulletin.

The following does not pertain directly to our Federation Cup program, but questions and comments were raised and discussed, so this is one way to deal with it: Since our Festivals Bulletin is copyrighted, it is encouraged that each senior club, junior club or teacher buy their own Festivals bulletins instead of asking the local music store to purchase them for anyone and everyone.

Task force: Karen Bourne, Marilyn Caldwell, Patty Hadley, Lucinda Lear, Heidi Hong Olson, Gloria Lien (Chairman) Advisery: Linda Lind, Sandra Preysz

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F E D E R AT I O N C U P W I N N E R S

Federation Cup Winners PRESIDENT’S CUP WINNERS Virginia Daniel Schwartz is a multi-talented student becoming exceptionally proficient in both piano and clarinet. His piano study has been with Marilynne Jost in Oakton , Virginia.

Daniel Schwartz Clarinet study was at the Kenneth Lee Clarinet Studio in Vienna, Virginia.

Daniel played clarinet in the American Youth Philharmonic, the McLean Youth Orchestra, James Madison High School Wind Ensemble(1st chair), the Madison High School Marching Band and the All State Virginia Symphonic Band (4th chair).

Ms. Jost supported his composition efforts and for two successive years his compositions for clarinet ensembles (one for five clarinets and one for six clarinets and piano) were selected to be performed at the McLean Symphony Orchestra concerts. At the NFMC Spring Festival, Daniel participated in piano solo, piano concerto and theory events.

Daniel is currently a freshman music major at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

In 2015, he received the President’s Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs.

Cover me, Please!

Submit your original artwork for Junior Keynotes Magazine covers!

Juniors only, 8.5 x 11, pen and ink w/color drawings, collages and photography will be considered. Please send original artwork by mail, or email high resolution PDF files.

Email nfmcjrkeynotes@gmail.com for more information

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Abigail Tam, a President’s Cup recipient, participated in Spring Festival for 13 years receiving a 13 year consecutive superior certificate upon graduation. Abby played in piano solo, Abigail Tam piano concerto, hymn playing and theory events each year. She has used her hymn playing skills regularly at her church.

A lover of Baroque music, Abby participated in the Bach/Baroque Festival sponsored by the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association and was the first student in 34 years to achieve a 12 consecutive Superior rating award. She also completed an eleven year program with the National Guild of Piano Teachers receiving a Paderewski Medal award and her High School Diploma in music this year. In her spare time she loves LaCrosse and treasures her friendships. She is currently a freshman at Ohio State University.

GRAND CUP WINNERS Minnesota Jonathan Yeung, 17 years old, earned two NFMC Federation Grand Cups in 2015, one for Piano Solo & Concerto and one for Violin Solo & Concerto.

Jonathan Yeung He has studied both instruments since the age of 5 under the instruction of Dr. Jackie Lo. Jonathan has received 12 consecutive years of full score in Violin and 11 consecutive years in Piano from the National Federation of Music Clubs. As a freshman, he is studying violin at the University of Minnesota under the instruction of Professor Young-Nam Kim. In 2015, Jonathan was awarded the Student of the Year Scholarship

by Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) and was named the Student of the Year for his leadership in Orchestra at the Woodbury High School. Throughout high

school, Jonathan has been the Concert Master of multiple ensembles, including District 833 Orchestra, Woodbury High School Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and the MMTA String Group. He has been selected for All-State Orchestra and SEC All-Conference Honors Orchestra. His musical accomplishments include First Place in the MMTA State Young Artist String Contest (2015), First Place in the MMTA State Senior String Contest (2014), Winner at the MMTA State Piano Contests (2011-2015), high score scholarship winner of MMTA comprehensive piano exam, Superior ratings in the MMEA Minnesota State High School League Violin Solo Contest and more.

Virginia Rena Miu, a recipient of the Federation Grand Cup in 2015 for piano solo and concerto events, studied with Marilynne Jost of Oakton, Virginia for 10 years. She also Rena Miu participated in Theory and Hymn Playing events at Spring Festival.

Putting her love for piano on paper, Rena was the Virginia State winner in the National Music Week Essay contest. Her essay was published in Spring 2015 in the NFMC Music Clubs Magazine. Rena was also the recipient of the Paderewski Medal award and passed a High School Diploma exam from the National Guild of Piano Teachers this year. She relaxes by drinking tea and spending time with her family.

She is presently a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University with a double major in Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.

Lesley Phung (not pictured), a student of Marilynne Jost in Oakton, Virginia received her 75 point Federation Grand Cup from Spring Festival by playing piano solos and piano concertos. She also received her cup in Theory. Lesley is a freshman at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT

Harmonica Band?

by Mary Thomason, Junior Club Achievement Chairman

Since the beginning of recorded history, human beings have been measuring all sorts of things!

Time, distance, volume, height and weight immediately come to mind, but we also attempt to measure less concrete concepts such as success and achievement. Every enterprise defines the yardstick by which it measures progress or participation. Within the NFMC Junior Division, that yardstick is the JR 1-1 Junior Achievement Report.

While shopping online earlier this year, I discovered the January/February 1935 issue of NFMC’s Junior Bulletin. It bears no resemblance to our current NFMC Junior Festivals Bulletin but I suspect that it was a precursor to our Junior Keynotes Magazine. Within its pages, there was a detailed list of requirements to be met in order to achieve NFMC Honor Roll recognition. Check out the photo and you’ll see that we’ve been measuring and reporting Junior Club achievement for over 80 years! Who would have thought that points could be earned by forming a Rhythm Orchestra or a Harmonica Band? What fun!!

Today we report about a lot more activities than we did in 1935! Ultimately, all our activities support NFMC’s mission. Reporting on those activities substantiates our status as a nonprofit organization. It’s clear that reporting Junior Club activities has been an important yardstick for measuring Junior Club Achievement for a very long time. You might think that we’d be able to make it easier to do the reports – even though so very much has changed over the years! However, the need for reporting remains constant.

As we go through the process of completing our JR 1-1’s this year, let’s think about ways to improve this measure of Junior Club achievement. All suggestions will be welcomed! We gather information and accumulate points in three areas: Club Organization/Club Activities, Student Member Activities, and Counselor/Teacher Activities. For each line item, we multiply the allowed points either per occurrence (OC), per student (ST), per club/studio (CS) or per $$ as indicated.

This can get complicated very quickly despite our efforts to keep it simple. However, it also allows the accumulation of a lot of points making for some pretty fancy certificates!

Submit your JR 1-1 Junior Club Achievement Report by June 1, 2016. Send me your suggestions for improvement. And, please let me know if we have any Harmonica Bands out there that are deserving of recognition. You’ve worked hard within your Junior Club organizations all over the country. You’ve earned it! Claim your certificate!

January/February 1935 issue of NFMC’s Junior Bulletin

Improvisation

by Leon Whitesell, DMA, Improvisation Bulletin Adviser There have been numerous inquiries as to the method of teaching of improvisation.

While there is no one “ perfect” method, I find the splendid chapter in The Art of Teaching Piano, edited by Denes Agay, and authored by Sylvia Rabinof, to be as inspiring and authoritative as any other material available. Ms. Rabinof addresses a comprehensive system, from the very elementary stages, and gives a solid, stepby-step approach, which is both clear and progressive. (pgs 227-243) The Art of Teaching Piano includes many other chapters which are also helpful to all pianists and teachers.

I offer this as a “ help” to those who are including improvisation as an enrichment and supplement to their Federation pupils.

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M A C K AWA R D W I N N E R S

2015 Martha Marcks Mack Junior Vocal Awards submitted by Naomi Sanchez, Chairman Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 Martha Marcks Mack Junior Vocal Award! This award is now in its third year, and continues to attract talented young singers from across our nation. 2016 winners will be featured in a future Junior Keynotes issue. Voice students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades should consider preparing for next year’s audition. Find out more at www.nfmc-music.org. Annual deadline for application is March 1.

First Place: Shelby Cox is a young mezzosoprano from Cary, North Carolina. She has been singing all her life and has studied classical voice for four years with Catherine Charlton. She has Shelby Cox won numerous awards and has studied with acclaimed teachers and performers such as Juilliard’s Arlene Shrut, Maestro Timothy Myers, and Metropolitan Opera’s Victoria Livengood. Shelby recently appeared in the chorus of North Carolina Opera’s La Traviata and Don Giovanni. She will be attending The Juilliard School in the fall under the instruction of Edith Bers.

Second Place: Laura Lynn Brickle, a native of Branchville, South Carolina began her musical studies at a young age and has always been interested in classical music. Before Laura Brickle attending the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, she studied under Julia Helen

Garris and Stephanie Drawdy. Under the direction of Candace Dickinson, she advanced to regionals in the 2014 NATS competition, and received an honorable mention award in the 2015 Young Arts Competition. She will pursue a degree in vocal performance at Furman University. Laura Lynn is involved with student ministries at Grace Church in Greenville and has frequently served as a church pianist. She is grateful to her family, friends and teachers for their faithful dedication and support of her musical interests.

Honorable Mention: Lilith Sarkar of Los Altos, California, is a student of Iris Fraser. She is a senior at Homestead High School. Active in her studies of classical music and theater, Lilith Sarkar Lilith hopes to pursue a career in opera. Lilith is also the 2015 Western Region winner of the Joyce Walsh Disability Award.

Honorable Mention: Annaka Grismer of Frankfort, Indiana, is a student of Michael J. Peterson. She recently graduated from

Frankfort High School and will be attending Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music as a vocal performance major. Annaka is a two-time winner of the Indiana Annaka Grismer Federation of Music Club’s State Competition.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Melton of Henderson, Colorado, is a student of Renita Conney. He has a great interest in choral music, having served as teaching assistant for the Women’s Andrew Melton Choir at Prairie View High School. Andrew aspires to become a choral director. Among other honors, he has been named Top Performer at the Colorado Federation of Music Clubs Festival.

Honorable Mention: Suzanna Stephenson [not pictured], Overland Park, Kansas Honorable Mention: Grace Vedock [not pictured], Lake Quivira, Kansas

KEEP THIS COMPETITIONS & AWARDS CHART HANDY IN YOUR TEACHER’S TOOLKIT! Check out what’s available to our Juniors. A lot has changed in Competitions & Awards this year so be sure you’re up to date.

DOWNLOAD PUB.CA-20-1 TODAY! www.nfmc-music.org 14 JUNIOR KE YNOTES

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NATIONAL FEDERA OF MUSIC CLU TION BS

COMPETIT AWARDS IONS & CHART 2015 – 20 16

NATIONA L FEDE 1646 West

RATION of MUSIC

Smith Valley email: nfmc@ Road // Greenwood , IN nfmc-music .org // www 46142 // 317-8 82-4003 .nfmc-mus ic.org

CLUBS

AMERICAN MUSIC

John Williams: Star Wars – The Force Awakens

by Deborah Freeman, American Music Division Chairman

John Williams proved to be a force unto himself when the 83-year-old composer behind the latest Star Wars film earned his 50th Oscar nomination. Remembering our NFMC President Michael Edward’s theme, Keeping the Music Alive for the Future, and our National Music Week theme, Music…

Notes to the Future, this article was just begging to be written!

After much prodding from my piano students, with many of them providing a detailed list of episodes to watch, I reluctantly began listening to various sound clips from the movie. I was impressed! With more research, I learned he had studied piano with renowned Rosina Lhevinne at The Juilliard School – now I was really hooked! Time to return the favor and ask my students to do a listening exercise.

Do you hear a fugue? Remember, this is a musical form that is constructed around repetition and surprise. You hear a statement of a melody, and then you hear its alteration.

You hear a new melody in counterpoint, you hear the old melody return. New, old, new, old, new, old. That’s how the fugue works! In the dying moments of the final movie credits suite, John Williams gives us The Force Theme, the most frequently played theme from all six previous Star Wars films. Notice how he merges it – fugue style, with both melodies calling and answering each other – with Rey’s Theme, the most prominent of the new set of musical ideas.

Williams has used fugues in other movies – remember Jaws? He uses a baroque fugue (The Shark Cage Fugue) to underscore the gravity and suspense of the shark chase at the end.

John Williams

Used with permission © Todd Rosenberg Photography

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career spanning over six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial, Home Alone and its sequel, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse, and the first three Harry Potter films. He has had a long association with director Steven Spielberg, composing the music for all but two of Spielberg’s major feature films.

Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and 21 Grammy Awards. With 50 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most

© pinterest.com/sourc e/echomon.co.uk

nominated person after Walt Disney. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.

Enjoy, perform, compose and celebrate American Music from sea to shining sea...

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N M W E S S AY W I N N E R S

W Y A INN S S E ER 6 1 S 0 2

National Music Week May 1-8, 2016

Music... Notes to the Future SOUTH CAROLINA FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS

by Helena S. Meetze National Music Week National Chairman HELENA S. MEETZE, PRESIDENT COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

Our 2016 theme, Music…Notes to the Future, inspired eighty-seven students, grades 7 through 12, to express their interpretations in essay form and to submit essays to our three regional chairmen. These winners spent a lot of time and effort to communicate their bright outlook for the future of music. Congratulations to these Juniors and to the teachers who support and encourage their achievement!

Nineteen states were represented. The essays from the individual states were judged and a winner was selected from each. The winners receive a monetary prize of $50.00 and a Certificate of Merit. The teacher of each winner will also receive a certificate. Included in this issue are the essays and photos of the 2016 winners. I’m sure you will enjoy reading these essays written by our NFMC Juniors! Share them with members and friends alike. Take advantage of this opportunity to continue putting music, NFMC and our young students in the limelight!

Remember to encourage your clubs to publicize National Music Week through local newspapers, radio and television stations. Invite community officials to your recitals. Booklets are available, filled with ideas for celebrating the week. Posters can be obtained for display in music studios, stores, schools and colleges. We hope that your clubs will include special programs for your May meetings. Invite guests who may be interested in becoming a member of NFMC. An inspiring program serves as a great recruiter. Information can be found on the NFMC website. Materials can be ordered from national headquarters. Celebrate the beauty and value of music not only as seen through the eyes of our Juniors, but also as witnessed throughout communities across the nation where we sponsor musical events during National Music Week this May. We thank our dedicated regional chairmen listed below for their involvement in this Essay Contest. They received the essays, handled the judging, and made sure that all was submitted for publication in this issue of Junior Keynotes Magazine. THANK YOU! Mary Ellen Ulmer, Northeastern Region Julianne Edwards, Southeastern Region Jan Hansen, N. Central, S. Central, Western Regions

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N M W E S S AY W I N N E R S

nmw 2016 Essay winners ALABAMA Bryant Barrentine 9th Grade Teacher: Pamela Thomson

Music is all around us. It is in the city and the country. Some play it, some listen to it, and some just cannot sit still when they hear it. Music affects all of us in some way. The question is: how will it affect our future?

Studies have shown that people who listen to music are less stressed and are in better moods than people who do not listen to music.

This is very important in today’s fast-paced society, where almost everyone is stressed about something.

Music has also been shown to help people positively react to high-pressure situations.

Since almost everyone faces these situations at one point or another, this is an important factor. For instance, a few years ago, I was about to get my black belt in Taekwondo. My final test was to fight a man that was almost seven feet tall. Before I came out of the locker room, I listened to some upbeat music which made me feel more relaxed and confident about the fight. I ended up getting my black belt.

Playing an instrument has benefits as well.

The saying “practice makes perfect” applies not only to individual pieces, but also to skills learned while playing an instrument - such as memorization. By memorizing music, you are strengthening the neural connections needed for recalling that information later and thus greatly increasing the capacity of your memory. Not only are you able to memorize music more easily, but you are also able to memorize academic information more easily – which is especially useful for school work and tests. Although critical to success, managing time efficiently and effectively can be difficult. Playing an instrument teaches time management through hands-on experience since you have to schedule time to practice.

Playing in an ensemble is probably the most beneficial thing you can do. It teaches responsibility because you have to know your

Music... Notes to the Future

music since no one can learn your part for you. Just as everyone is counting on you to know your music, you are relying on everyone else to know his or her own, so playing in an ensemble also teaches teamwork. It can also boost your self-esteem and confidence. There is simply no substitute for playing in front of 500 people and nailing your part.

With all these benefits, I think it is safe to say that music really changes us for the better.

We need to make music more prevalent, and I do not just mean listening to some hip-hop. If more people played an instrument or sang in a choir, then the world would be a better place.

People would be engaged, because everyone likes at least one type of music. The bottom line is: if music stays prevalent in our society, then our future will be a good one.

ARKANSAS Alex Guo 7th Grade Teacher: Dr. J. D. Kelly

Music is in everyone, young and old alike.

It is the force that keeps us alive, the beat that pumps life force through our body in a steady rhythm. But this force is ever changing, from Beethoven to Beyoncé, Schubert to Sam Smith. Music is dying and growing, all at the same time. Calming classical is slowly being replaced by the consistent beat of drums in modern music. The piano is losing ground to the keyboard. Soon, music as we know it will be completely changed. People’s preferences change. The way music is portrayed will change. Music, in its entirety, will change.

Music was born when the first heart was born. It first started with that one tiny heart, so insignificant to the newly born world. It started to beat. Ba-dum. The first drum beat, the first sound of music in this world. Then, music evolved, from the voice to the wooden drum to the horn to the panpipe. This goes on and on and on, and over the course of

thousands of years, there were more ways to make music than could be counted. But with rapid progression comes rapid depression.

Now, the guitar is becoming more popular, while the cello is hardly known anymore. Most people want to hear a band concert rather than an orchestra one. If this continues, what will it leave in the future for the “old, timey people?”

Will the piano even be known to anyone after ten thousand years, or even as fast as a thousand? If it will, will the piano live in the museum, piled with dust and misuse while the keys slowly rot away? Will it serve as a symbol of the past and be cherished as an artifact?

Will it still be played on and enjoyed by and audience? Only time can tell.

Music is portrayed today through feelings, with or without words. We use music to get a point across to the audience. If we sing low and mellow with long and connected notes, our audience will know that we are singing about sadness. If we sing high and open with short notes, the audience will know that we are happy. What if, in the future, this way that music is portrayed is exaggerated, and that people will sing a sad song when they get fired, and sing a happy tune obnoxiously loud when they get a raise, or will the way music be portrayed change entirely, from being represented in feelings to being spoken out in words? The songs today are filled with words that sometimes override the music in the song.

What if, in the future, every sentence you say will be sung? You may think this is impossible, but it is already happening.

To conclude, music is a living organism, ever changing, ever growing, ever dying. It is in our hopes that music will change in a pleasant way, and that it never dies and continues to be a symbol of virtue.

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N M W E S S AY W I N N E R S

nmw 2016 Essay winners CALIFORNIA Leila Salem 10th Grade Teacher: Andreas Waldukat

To the Leila of 2026: I hope you are still keeping music as a top priority in your life.

By now, you should be out of college, maybe starting a family of your own. But I want you to remember what it was like for you in high school and the role music has played in your life.

Right at this moment, music embodies your life. It engrosses you every step of your day, whether through marching band, wind ensemble, jazz band, honor band auditions, concert-going requirements, or at-home practice. There is not a day that is not filled with some sort of music. Yet, you never tire. Music brings what you have been missing and what you have been yearning for.

Music brings a sense of belonging, being in a group with others who do not see you as any different from them. Even when you prepare for your trip to Europe through the Southern California Music Ambassadors program, you do not stand out for liking music; you stand out for your individual excellence.

Music gives you confidence. Playing in small ensemble settings, you are obligated to play out and make music yourself, not just sit in a large band and play notes on a page. As your director regularly points out, you need to play stronger.

But eventually, you gain more experience and the confidence that comes with knowing how to play musically.

On top of that, music brings you stress relief.

You are currently in the hardest classes that one could take at your age, yet you keep pushing.

You have a goal in mind--graduating top of your class--but you are not overwhelmed like some in your grade. You push your hardest, but realize that you need activities other than academics to be well-rounded. So you explore and latch on to music as the pursuit to set you free from the stresses of school.

Therefore, music is not what it may seem on the surface. It is not something that sucks up all

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your time, as your dad might argue repeatedly throughout high school. It is not something just for nerds or geeks or outcasts.

It is a gift. It provides you a family; it gives you peace. It unlocks opportunities beyond any of your dreams. And it takes courage to continue your musical education and to take risks.

This is why I hope beyond anything else that you have kept music close to you throughout all these years. I hope that the musical tradition in the family does not end with you, but rather continues with you as your children and grandchildren and every generation following you realize what music can do. And by following your example, I anticipate they, too, will march through the door that music unlocked for you back in high school.

Love, Leila Salem of 2016

FLORIDA Jonah Garcia 7th Grade Teacher: Amy Duncan

Did you know that music notes can change someone’s thoughts about the here and now, as well as the future? Notes aren’t just to be played, but to inspire younger boys and girls to learn the art of voice or to learn how to play an instrument. It can also touch people’s hearts if they are going through a tough time.

Music notes can change someone’s thoughts about the future, because I had an experience while playing with my band at an assisted living facility on Veteran’s Day 2015. After we played “America the Beautiful,” several veterans started weeping. They were touched with memories of past and present while I was touched to see that my saxophone playing with my band could bring out these memories.

This year, 2015, my family had a tough time with a loss of family members and every time I was able to play my instrument, the saxophone, all of that sadness left me and joy replaced it. Over the year and a half of playing an instrument, I learned that music is not just

notes and rhythms; but if you do voice lessons or band practice, you have to have a passion to play or to sing. Music notes also affect the future because the younger generations can pass music knowledge unto other generations. Sadly, we are in a century where millions of kids and adults only think that music is just the push of a button on an electric device. But centuries ago, music was like royalty. It was rich, it required time, patience, and effort. At this rate, musical instruments would be a thing of the past when 2100 comes around. I believe that music is important because developing how to read notes, learn scales, and memorize pieces will hopefully change music for the future.

Music to me is amazing and everyone should learn to play an instrument or use their gifted voice even if they cannot afford lessons and instruments. Music notes can also bring back happy and sad memories of the past. Some synonyms for (music) notes are tone, pitch, and key, but I believe that notes aren’t just to be played with a magnificent pitch, tone, or key but with a desire to play the best as you can even if you don’t receive a trophy or medal.

Doing your best and playing with a passion to do your best now and in the times to come will guide you in the future and all the opportunities and achievements that await.

GEORGIA Kaycee Aultman 12th Grade Teacher: Jeanette Feltman

I’ve been a piano student for eight years and if I were President, I’d have reached the end of my second term. But luckily for me, my campaign doesn’t have to finish- my campaign, my hobby, has only begun.

This year I will graduate high school. I will go to college, register to vote, and pretty much start over with everything I’ve ever known.

But there’s one thing I can count on and that’s music. No matter where I go or what I do, I’ll listen to its cadences. I’ll feel its rhythms.

And hopefully, it’ll (repeat) to me the things

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nmw 2016 Essay winners I don’t want to lose and of the things I need always remember.

So to music l have only one request: Keep me at Middle C – keep me Courageous. Float by with melodies that inspire confidence, bravery, assurance. While I’m sure there will be times at which I’ll feel intimidation, remind me to stay #, sharp on my toes- and fearless.

Keep me at D – keep me Determined. I’m headed towards college, and I’m worried about what that entails. I need perseverance; I need inspiration.

Keep me at E – keep me Elevated, Enthusiastic. Keep me Eager. I love walking in the sun, and music is the light. May my soundtrack only reach a minor key on occasion, and please, don’t ever let the rain drops spoil it.

Keep me at F – keep me Famished. Help me never to get enough out of life. Make me insatiable, until I’ve sucked amusement dry.

Keep me at G – keep me Grateful. The opportunities in this world are sometimes few and far between. Let me be thankful for each.

When I count my blessings, don’t let me forget a single one.

Keep me at A – keep me Ambitious. I hope to never let my dreams fall (flat), never to lose what I want most. Because when that bubble bursts, it’s impossible to get back. I want to always have my eyes on what I’m reaching for, even when my fingers can only brush it.

Because even if I am denied it now, does not mean it won’t ever come back around.

Keep me at B – keep me Breathless. Even when the routines run slow, and the journey becomes mundane, I want to be exhilarated from what is coming. I want to be surprised, confused, touched, understood- all breathlessly.

My cheeks will be red from running too fast, with a grin that rivals the stars.

The future is unknown, that much is obvious.

But by no means should that make it less inviting. Whether I walk by in four-four time, skip through at a staccato, or run in allegro, may music be the welcome mat that greets me there.

Music... Notes to the Future

IDAHO Avery Parks 9th Grade Teacher: Cynthia Waldon

Music has changed so much over time.

We have had many eras, such as baroque, classical, and romanticism, and then to post modernism in our current century. Music is our Notes to the Future because it has helped lead to development of culture in our society.

Music has enhanced intelligence to lead to advances in technology, which in turn has led to advancement in society and music. These advancements are what define the future.

Music enhances intelligence, memory, concentration, attention, IQ, and learning. It has been proven that listening to classical music has a positive effect on cognition. This is called the Mozart effect. Music with 60 beats per music, specifically Mozart’s music and baroque music, activates the left and right sides of the brain.

This simultaneous activation helps to increase information retention and increases learning.

It is also proven that children who take music lessons have a better memory than children who don’t. This increased intelligence helped to lead to new advances in technology.

Secondly, as music fueled growth in technology, technology helped to change music.

The sounds which we create change greatly with time and technology. The first forms of music were simply our voices, then simple instruments, like drums, made out of simple materials. We developed this into instruments made out of wood and metal that were much more complex to make a much more complex sound. Now we have electronics to create a whole new sound; the possibilities of sounds are limitless because of technology. Technology and music have huge effects on each other.

Finally, development in technology also helps to change society. Music also changes as society changes. Events in society, specifically historical events, have effects on music as well. In the 19th century, we were in the Romanticism era. Music was light and happy.

As we transitioned into the 20th century, music

became dark and heavy. We entered a darker period in time, with WW1 and WW2. Music changes as the world changes.

In conclusion, music is the Notes to the Future because music has enhanced technology, and in return technology has fueled growth in music and society for the development of culture. Advancement in society is what defines the future. Music changes the world every single day. We have gained a lot of new ideologies because of it and our society would not be where it is today without music. Music leads a path to the culture and technology of the future.

INDIANA Jessica Myers 11th Grade Teacher: Kim Van Vorst

Alone, the composer sat at the piano, encoding the past into songs so that the future would know. A committee had called upon him to preserve the world’s knowledge and history in a meaningful way. All of the music the composer wrote would be sent into the depths of outer space, in hopes that something, or, rather, someone, would hear it and understand.

The key to the future lay directly in the hands of the present, in the notes that had always been, in melodies that were soon to exist.

At last, the composer began to write. First he wrote about the pains the world had endured and continued to endure. In long-lasting melodies and dark harmonies, the songwriter wove memories into feelings and feelings into passions. He strung melodies into chords and the chords into songs, creating an entire album of music about the world’s struggles.

Somewhere out in the seemingly infinite future, the composer hoped someone would come to understand his world’s pains through music.

Next, the composer began work on the world’s happy memories. Out of minor came major, and the world was at peace. He changed out blues with melodic romance, classical, and pop. Out came the upbeat feelings the world

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nmw 2016 Essay winners had experienced, all to be sent out as notes to the future. When the depths of the unknown listened to this album of songs, pure joy and carefree fun would surely emerge.

However, after the simple emotions were written and done, the composer struggled to convey the more complex, abstract ones. He mixed together minor and major, threw in some dissonance here and there, and eventually came up with an eclectic album of songs. These pieces came to represent mixed feelings that were hard to explain, as they had never been fully understood to begin with. Such emotions the composer wrote about were frustration, fear, guilt, envy, anger, and love. The composer hoped the future being would not only hear, but also listen to the music in order to understand what the world could not.

The last song the composer chose to write about was not about the past – rather, it was about the future. He wanted the future to not be a repetition of the past’s mistakes. Mustering all the strength he could, the songwriter released the world’s worries into his music. The reason for writing all these musical records was rooted in the fear of being forgotten. Therefore, one last time, the composer emptied his mind of all the emotions he felt about the world and the advice he had for the future.

After the songwriter had completed his task, he gathered up his songs and took them to the aerospace agency that had requested them. The complicated tunes of tomorrow were condensed into a radio signal and, one by one, they were sent out into the depths of outer space. The signal dispersed into the everlasting night, in search of a listener – and one day, it was heard.

KANSAS Courtney Fisk 7th Grade Teacher: Vickie Burroughs

Dear People of the Future, Music is a wonderful thing which some people might take for granted. Music is a true gift of God because the smallest sounds, when

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joined together, make a melody for everyone to hear. When I listen to music it’s like my safe place. Throughout time all things change, including music. If you look back, music from the past is totally different now than back then.

The evolution of music blows my mind.

Beethoven is the oldest composer and music artist I can think of, and he made extremely beautiful and peaceful music. Back in the 1980’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s, Michael Jackson was very popular. He is dead but never forgotten. He was and still is known as the inventor of the moon walk and the King of Pop. Justin Bieber was the biggest thing in 2010. After he was noticed, girls all over the world adored him because of his hair and love songs. Although it is 2016, and 2010 was only six years ago, a lot of things have changed in a small time frame. Justin’s fan base transitioned from 6-10 year old girls to almost everyone and his well-known sweep to the side later turned into a spiked up do. Becky G. has also changed a lot. As a young Mexican teen, she wanted to make it big. Patiently she waited, dedicating everything she had towards music as if it was the only thing she wanted to do. She made it near 2011. Katy Perry has been on the music scene for a while. She is known for her crazy costumes, make up, and performances. Note to future: Katy Perry ... stop wearing food.

But what all these people have in common is that they all had a dream, and since they worked hard, they accomplished their goals of becoming musicians. Dedicating yourself to things you love can get you far in life. What I am trying to say is, music reflects that year and that point in time. This is my note to the future: what do you want people to remember about this time? Because when you and other people look back, this will show how you felt, what you did and the memories you made. So what do you want to remember? The music you listen to will always have a memory that nobody else will understand. So dear future people, remember that your music says a lot about you and people will remember you for the music you made. This is my note to the future of music.

KENTUCKY Sarah Sturgeon 12th Grade Teacher: Jacob Cook

In music, there is always an ending to a song, aria, or a simple choir selection; however, the concept of music is endless and will forever reign in human society. To think of a future without music saddens me. How would artists, such as myself, be able to express themselves, deliver their emotions, and share their talents with the world? It just simply would not be fair. Music is a cherished gift to society, and I can definitely say I will always cherish the privilege to experience this amazing world of different melodies and harmonies. There is no doubt that music will carry on in the future. If there were any evidence stating that it wouldn’t, then I would suggest that in that given time, we will be witnessing the end of our world. I know I sound over dramatic with this whole idea, however music means more to me than I could ever put into words. You see, normal people in our world will claim that they “hear” music.

However, music is not something I just simply “hear”, it is something I feel deep down inside.

It is a roaring, hungry fire that ignites in my heart when I sing. The sensation I feel is almost like some type of high. I crave the energy and anxiety of the performance. That is why when those normal people in the audience watch me sing, they are basically blind. They see what appears on the outside of my body. They will see my mouth shape different vowels, or my abdomen stretch out inhaling and exhaling for breath. All of this is true, however when I sing, a lot more is going on past what a natural eye can see. The music consumes my entire body and takes control. I can feel it pulsing throughout every single artery and vein. The music travels all throughout me and creates this glorious, passionate flame that burns within my soul and manifests light into my eyes. This is not a regular flame that most have seen in their life, it is an eternal flame that can never be put out, but always will remain. Music brings my body and mind alive.

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nmw 2016 Essay winners Music is what has brought me this far, and what will roar inside me through my journey all the way to the finish line of life. After my finish line is met, music will carry generations beyond generations to the finish line as well.

LOUISIANA Chizoba Ogbuefi 11th Grade Teacher: Sylvia Palmer

Past composers probably hoped their music would still be heard in the future but could never be certain. Nevertheless, those composers have greatly impacted today’s music. They led the way to great music that evokes powerful emotion. Past composers worked hard so that listeners would appreciate their work. What they probably did not know is that many years in the future, musicians would use their work as a guide and reference to develop their technique and create their own work that listeners enjoy today.

Past composers are the forefathers of the music industry. Present musicians use those composers’ works as a formula to create their own music. For example, If I Ain’t Got You

by Alisha Keys, one of my favorite songs, is influenced by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

I also like to listen to Adele’s music because it is soothing, beautiful, and unique, but the musical chord sequences that she and most pop writers use today have been around for a very long time. Through recitals and professional performances, piano students show their appreciation for past compositions along with current music. We also play past compositions for recreation, such as music played in the background while we work or music used for contemporary dances. For instance, I enjoy playing music while studying to calm my nerves for tests and exams. Although the compositions were created many years in the past, the music will never be considered outdated because it continues to be influential.

Music... Notes to the Future

MINNESOTA Winston Anderson 10th Grade Teacher: Marcia N. Benson

Notes to the Future; an interesting prompt to say the least. Perhaps a nod to the idea of music capturing the spirit of the time in which it was written, preserving the intent, the style, the heart of the men and women who passionately strove to mirror themselves in art; their spirit preserved forever in the notes - only awakened today by the stroke of a key, a bow gliding across a string, or a hand striking a drum.

Music is poetic and also profoundly personal, in the absence of words to guide our thoughts.

Our minds are in a sense freed of their cages, able to explore tone, rhythm, and dynamics with reckless abandon. The greatest poet in the world couldn’t even match a mediocre musician; from a lack of words, springs up something malleable.

Music draws boundaries hazy, making a piece different for each person. In short, music far surpasses even the poet, because no individual is able to write in such a way that every man, woman, and child can relate, and are thereby impacted.

Music transcends language’s mess, channeling our unfiltered emotion, and letting the you interpret the notes. Music will always be superior to words, because you decide what it means for yourself, using the ears as a personal poet who always knows just what to say.

Look back on the greatest works of ancient literature and attempt to read and fully understand the subtle, underlying themes in poetry from say the 15th century. Though the writing may be brilliant, elegant, and at times deeply personal, this fact would fly right over our heads, because of the fact that we simply can’t fall in love with what we can’t fully understand. The words of advice to the future will go largely unrecognized, due to a simple language barrier.

When one listens to the greatest works of music, even from centuries long gone, they still

feel the same pains, joys, and near religious overtones being elicited by piece. The heart of the piece lives on, and the greatest works of that time will continue to persevere, grow, and inspire. Music is one of the rare things in this world able to defy the tight grip of time, surpassing silly things such as the time it was written, who it was by, or what language the composer spoke. These notes have spoken, and continue to speak to the future. Entire generations, movements, and classes of people have been defined by their musical contributions; it’s a near certainty that we will do something quite similar. I just wonder, and am excited to hear, what our society will have to say.

MISSOURI Gunner Smith 11th Grade Teacher: Marilyn Caldwell

Ever since the early twentieth century, each generation has been characterized by its music.

From the disco of the 70’s, to the rock and roll of the 80’s, to the pop of the present day, music has defined each generation, allowing it to discover its unique sound and personality.

Without my impression of the music my father listened to in his childhood, I would never be able to thoroughly understand what his generation reached out to succeed. After all, music is the feeling and creative interpretation of history. The generation I live in today will leave a mark on history, and the music that we leave behind will allow future generations to comprehend artistically the society I grew up in, in a way words alone cannot achieve.

Music has defined each generation allowing it to discover its unique sound, purpose, and personality. The flower children of the 1970’s yearned for peace, and their disco sounds made the rest of the world feel the need for tranquility and nonviolence. The heavy metal fans of the 1980’s wanted to achieve a world that relied on free will, but how would anyone be able to understand that feeling without the strong beats

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nmw 2016 Essay winners of a drum and the radical use of an electric guitar? Our sounds have categorized us into generations. Music is a time capsule that when listened to, allows a feeling of the past. As a young person growing up, it is vital that my music, which contains my heart and soul, are preserved for future generations.

Music is history, a type of history that is more than just a textbook. It is a feeling of suffering and triumph that is bound to repeat itself. The music that reflects our history is a unique spectrum that captures the moods, ideas, and emotions of previous generations.

Understanding a feeling is universal with the help of music. Anyone who listens to notes of the past is reaching the goal of universal unity.

Once a person can begin to understand different cultures and past generations, he or she can then begin to relate to others in a way that couldn’t have been imagined before.

In conclusion, my generation seeks a world of peace and tolerance that is free of all discrimination. Our notes to the future have been much more than just words in a textbook; they have been a feeling. Our notes are our music, and they will be remembered for years to come. The emotional core of our music represents the impact my generation will make.

That late-night car ride or those clichĂŠ school dances might not mean much right now, but they were indeed a feeling like no other. These feelings that my generation has accomplished to capture are one of a kind. The bass has gotten deeper, and the music has gotten louder.

We give all of this music full of knowledge, motivation, culture, and feeling to decades and centuries to come like notes to the future.

MISSISSIPPI Malorie Monroe 12th Grade Teacher: Susan Walker

Music, specifically classical, is not as appreciated as it once was, nor is it taken as seriously as it deserves. The effort that musicians put into their practices and

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performances is often taken lightly. Some people do not care at all. Either way, music will always be with us, the true musicians. It will always hold a special place in our hearts. That being said, it is our job to keep the love and amazement of music alive.

Classical music faces many challenges today. With the rise of popular genres of music such as pop or punk, classical music is definitely pushed to the side. In addition, many orchestras face financial problems today because of the lack of funding and support.

My own generation, as a whole, is not very interested in classical music. This is a major problem considering we are the future of music.

If classical music is to continue on, as it has for centuries before us, we must have a passion to change the direction it is headed.

Classical music can be reborn. It can also be reinvented. I believe that in order to reach my generation, we must first stress the importance of classical music. It is a genre that has soothed and comforted the hearts of many for years before us. It is the most timeless form of music and art that there is. Many believe that playing an instrument is just a pastime. However, they are very wrong. A pianist, a true one, spends hours a day playing, her fingers gliding effortlessly across the keys, losing herself in the music, almost becoming the music herself.

It is not just a mere hobby. It is her whole life.

It is a part of her just as much as the family she belongs to or the people she associates herself with. When she performs, she does not think of the people around her. She only thinks of what she is playing. The song is a part of her, too. Everything else around her is forgotten.

Even if a person does not appreciate classical music, they cannot watch a true musician play and not believe it to be a beautiful thing to witness. A musician has a way about them that is real and passionate. That is something that deserves to belong in this world. It is its own form of beauty and nothing compares.

However, if it continues to slowly be pushed aside and unappreciated, as it is right now, it will eventually die.

Our job as musicians is to protect our music and to keep it alive. We must continue to play with passion, no matter who is watching. We must show people the importance of it, to us

and to society as a whole. It connects us to the beautiful parts of the past. It is a timeless treasure that can never be replaced. In the end, no matter what happens, do not stop playing.

Even though the goal is to keep music alive, do not forget that it is your love of the music that keeps you playing. Hold that love close to your heart and never give up on the power of music and the indescribable future that is waiting before us.

NORTH CAROLINA Ashna Patel 8th Grade Teacher: Diane W. Higgins

When people think about music, they may not think about the futuristic qualities about music. Sure they think about the new songs that are coming out or they may look forward to a favorite artist coming into town for a concert. They may think about music in a panic about practicing for an upcoming recital or performance. But, to me, music prepares us for the future in many unpredictable and amazing ways. When I first started playing the piano six years ago, never did I realize that it would teach me to play incredible music, improve my handeye coordination, shape my way of thinking, define who I am today and help me look into the future.

Music made me a more logical thinker because I learned how to take the time to assess my notes, rhythm, speed, accuracy and learn to follow the many cues on the music sheets.

I did not feel it at the time, but the future told what I learned. I did not realize playing piano for so many years would be give me the strong fingers, good balance and the logical thinking I have today. When I learned to compose my own music, it allowed me to express myself and not be afraid of allowing my ideas to come out. It taught me that it is okay to fail at this moment; but that if I try again, I will get better in the future.

I learned that I can be powerful with my fingers and read the notes at the same time.

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nmw 2016 Essay winners The music of the past brought me my balance of today—to see the left and right side of my piece, to play so that it brings pleasure to both ears, to think about what the piece could sound like.

I never realized music would make me think differently and define my attitudes and ambitions later in life. I hope someday to be a physician and to use my skills to help heal people. And music taught me another form of healing, that it itself could be used as a medicine for treatment. Music has such strong qualities that studies have shown that many patients heal with the power of music. It helps sooth their pain and forget the suffering they are going through at this moment. It takes them into a future where they can imagine being pain-free, happier and healthier. Parents use music to calm their children down and to teach them to learn to relax, and doctors can use music the same way to help their patients.

Music is simply incredible and it has the ability to do so much in the future. If you allow it to be a part of you and think ahead, it too will shape who you are, how you think, and it can be used in unique and interesting ways in the future.

NEW JERSEY Simerjeet Mudhar 7th Grade Teacher: Lisa Villamaria Casia

Music has continued to change throughout each decade. From smashing sticks onto rocks to listening to a singer using autotune, music sets the mood for many events and celebrations of our lives. Music has been used to pass on stories, communicate with others, healing, worship, and entertainment. Each generation has several specific songs that define that generation. Every song has different lyrics that describe the emotions that the artists are feeling.

The songs connect to each individual in many different ways. Lyrics to a song are what make music wonderful. This all started when one rock hit another.

Music... Notes to the Future

In the early ages, music was used as a way of communication. Stories were passed from generation to generation through songs. In more sophisticated countries, hearing music was like winning the lottery. You had to pay to get into concerts, which was the only way you could hear music apart from playing your own instrument or listening to a street band. “It’s a privilege to play music for a living. Even more, it’s a privilege to have an audience” said Bob Lefsetz, American music industry analyst and critic. Classical music was popular back in time.

Most people did not know of jazz, rap and pop.

Jazz emerged in 1917, when Nick LaRocca and his Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first Jazz record, “Livery Stable Blues”.

Pop was developed from rock and roll and was introduced in the 1950’s to the 1960s. Rap was introduced in the 1970s when DJ Kool Here started delivering simple raps. Without classical music, this music may not have been possible.

In the past, we used phonographs and Walkmans to listen to music. Now, we use iPods and iPhones to listen to music. Pop, hip hop and rap have all evolved with synthesizer beats and electronic sounds in this digital age. Technology in music is combined with instruments to enhance the listening experience.

I think that technology will be more present in music of the future. Technology will be like electricity or everyday water in the future.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

This quote was said by Victor Hugo. Victor Hugo was trying to say, music is another language that can be used to express emotions that words cannot. No matter which century you live in, music has always been a way to express emotion where words fail. Each age had music to define itself. Throughout time, music has been an important factor to life everywhere because of its ability to connect to the human emotion. Music is a big part of my life. I’ve learned that music is a way to express things that any culture in any time can relate to. I’ve learned that music is a language that every culture in any time can relate to. Music may evolve in the future but I believe it is a universal language that will continue to touch the hearts of millions no matter how old or young they are.

OKLAHOMA Cadence LeBoeuf 8th Grade Teacher: Larry Baldwin

Whitney Houston sang I Believe the Children are Our Future. What sort of future will the children of today face if the scholastic music programs are gone? A controversial growing trend throughout the nation is the disappearance of Fine Art programs. It would seem that the removal of drama, music, band and orchestra are among the first programs that are discontinued due to budget cuts nationwide.

Harvard President Drew Faust recently wrote of students overlooking the benefit of following their “interest in art or linguistics or any of the other humanity disciplines.” Funds have been cut in more than eighty percent of US school districts since 2008. The first programs to go are often disciplines such as music. A study

by Virginia Penhune at Concordia University shows that musical training, particularly instrumental training, produces long lasting changes in motor abilities and brain structure.

Many successful intellectuals all studied music for years as children. Condoleeza Rice, Alan Greenspan, Paul Allen, James Wolfensohn, and Albert Einstein are among some of those specified. According to scientists, children, and even adults, who play an instrument thirty minutes a week over the course of a year have highly developed brains.

We, as a society, can’t allow music programs to disappear. James Joseph Sylvester said, “May not music be described as the mathematics of the sense, mathematics as music of the reason?” In fact, great societies even including the ancient Greeks “figured out that the integers correspond to musical notes.” Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that retain the highest scores for math and science, for example: Japan, Hungary and the Netherlands. Even Leonhard Euler, who developed the concept which would become quantum theory, took note of the application of mathematical ideas in music.

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nmw 2016 Essay winners Music teaches much more than only math and rhythms. The empathy felt during a scene with only the background music to guide you is proof enough. “Music is the ethereal connection between this world.” (Stella Benson) The growing concern is simple; risk versus reward. Although music programs can be expensive, their benefits have been proven through the ages. US News and World Report stated, “A child involved in the Arts is forty-one percent more likely to achieve the honor roll”.

The benefits of music in education will never appear in the sterile data represented by test scores however. The practical applications of art and music add a new dimension of team work, perseverance as well as commitment.

Additionally students learn all of the TwentyFirst century skills “corporate education reformers” claim are essential to employers.

These skills include aspects like project management, team building, administration and leadership, which are skills that music education presents.

It is my thinking that instead of berating these programs we should bolster those in support of them. Like Plato said, “Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education.” He also said, “I would teach children music, physics and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.”

References: 1. Music, Art and Language programs in schools have long lasting effects- US News and World Report- 2014 2. 11 facts about Arts and Education- Dosomething.org 3. As school trims budgets the arts lose their place- New York Times-1993 Music education funding- Huffington Post-2014 4. quotesgram.com/quotes-about-music/#0YfPxAoqfi 5. www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_joseph_sylvester.html

TENNESSEE Emily Bruner 10th Grade Teacher: Karen G. Gilbert

Dear Future Music Students, The first time you ever play an instrument will probably be at your first lesson. Your little bodies will squirm and fidget constantly,

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Music... Notes to the Future

but all you’ll remember is the image of your tiny hands clumsily making their way around your new instrument for the first time. You’ll remember the thrill of your first melody, despite the fact that it was probably four stiff quarter notes played incredibly unevenly. You’ll go home eager to show off your newly acquired skills to your family and, for the next few weeks, simple notes and melodies will echo constantly throughout the house. You will have a voracious desire to progress as quickly as possible and continue to show off to everyone you know.

However, after the initial excitement trickles away, you’ll fall into a fairly regular pattern.

Even so, there will be days where 24 hours isn’t nearly long enough, and there will be weeks where it’s an incredible success to play for more than fifteen minutes. Somewhere along the line, your teacher will mention something about a performance, and it will soon register in your mind that you will actually have to play for an audience. It will be at this point that you begin to learn a real piece, one you intend to play for your peers and parents. Maybe it’s a Christmas piece, or a simple nursery rhyme (probably Baa Baa Black Sheep).

When your big moment comes, neither the crowd nor the stage will be quite as large as you imagined. Nevertheless, you will march up onto the stage in a determined fashion. You’ll sit down hastily, shuffle your music in front of you, and bang out your piece as quickly as possible. Once you finish, you’ll rush offstage and back to your seat, relieved you’re finally done.

That is, until you hear the older, more experienced kids play and you realize you’re nowhere near done. There is so much left for you to learn, and you want to learn it all.

You will learn that ‘Grizzly Bears Don’t Fear Anything’,’ All Cows Eat Grass’, and ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge’. You will learn majors, minors, arpeggios, and cadences. You’ll learn how to count whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes. You’ll learn which notes to accentuate and which ones to play softly.

You’ll learn how to take an objective piece of music and make it your own. However, the most important lesson music can teach you has hardly anything to do with Für Elise or Flight

of the Bumblebee. Among the many, many lessons music has to offer, by far the most important is the feeling you convey in your pieces. You know that sensation of fulfillment blooming inside you when you really put your heart and soul into a piece? When you do, you’ll realize what music really has to offer: the ability to communicate feelings. It’s truly incredible what we can create with some wood, wire, and an amazing teacher, isn’t it?

Sincerely, Emily

WASHINGTON Lauren Barkley 8th Grade Teacher: Sharon Van Valin

Music is a necessity to life. It shapes our emotions. It can make us feel happy when we are sad and motivated when we are tired. Music is often overlooked by many people simply because they do not play an instrument and do not value it for its listening pleasure. Most people do not realize that without music, our lives would be extremely bleak and desolate.

Music has taken on many forms, but I often wonder, what form will music take in the future?

Music has come a long way since its earliest forms. Music was once only our singing voice or tapping sticks together. Music has changed drastically and evolved over the centuries from A Capella singing, to large, grandiose symphonies, to synthesized electronic only music.

This leads me to wonder, what will music be like in the future? Will it still have the same style that it has today? Most people believe that electronically created sounds saved in MP3 will be an item of the past and that hit music will be created solely using mathematical algorithms with minimal, if any, human involvement. Even if these changes happen to music in the future, my hope for the future is that classical music never stops being taught and admired. To me, music is taught to create a lifelong appreciation and love of music, and to understand the

N M W E S S AY W I N N E R S

nmw 2016 Essay winners importance of music in our daily lives. If you know where it has come from, you can help understand where it takes you, and the impact classical composers have had over the centuries.

Music is taught in most schools across America. In fact, most public schools require a student to learn an instrument and the basic fundamental structure of music, for example, reading notes. Music has been scientifically proven to improve cognitive function and link the left and right sides of the brain. In my opinion, music should be taught at all schools to broaden a student’s horizons and to give them a possible interest in making music a career.

Learning music gives children a sense of accomplishment for what they created all by themselves. It also makes them understand on a deeper level what hard work and determination goes into making good music. Teaching music instills a love and appreciation of music that can improve your enjoyment and happiness throughout your life.

Music has taken on many forms since the dawn of man, and over the centuries it has been taught in many ways. Music has improved our lives and it continues to spread its positive energy to everyone. What is most important about music is that it can send you on a beautiful journey, shaping your life, your values, and your dreams for the future.

To me, this is the true essence of my notes to and hopes for the future of music and it should never be lost from the creative minds of our composers of tomorrow.

Music... Notes to the Future

WISCONSIN Tim Wang 7th Grade Teacher: Sam Ecoff

Music has always been a part of human life. Our ancestors may have beat out tunes on primordial instruments for ceremonies and festivals. For centuries, people have invented a variety of constantly evolving instruments to harness the power of music, to produce and manipulate the notes that can be the lifeblood of civilization.

Music has, and will continue to take a part of our lives. All that changes is the tone and texture of music, as well as the way people use and develop instruments. The style of music will always be changing and developing over time. To the future, music styles will branch out, sometimes imitating history, sometimes inventing new styles.

I have noticed that music carries a different meaning for me now, than five years ago when I started playing the piano. Five years ago, I thought music was just a meaningless sound, a series of notes that had a satisfying rhythm, or an exciting beat. Then, after I started playing and reading music, I realized that music was completely different than I thought. Music can carry a part of the composer, it can be the unspoken feeling never shared. Each individual note has a meaning why it is placed there.

Feelings, thoughts, even memories can be

transposed into music.

The pieces I have played on the piano all are unique in their own way. Baroque pieces are charming and gentle, meant for dances, events, or performance on the harpsichord. The oldest styles and forms can be found in these pieces. Classical Period music strives for a better taste, adding new dynamics, character, and articulation to their music. Romantic pieces have solid themes and power resonating through the last chord, symbolizing the evolution of the era’s developing technology.

The 20th Century musicians are experimenting and mixing new styles, rhythms, and tones to create a unique, special feel to their music.

The future holds many appeals, as well as concerns. The future may produce higher quality sounds or improve traditional instruments to be easier to learn, helping more people to find a musical talent. The world’s advancing technology could also mean an end to traditional instruments, stopping many musicians from being able to buy or play modern instruments. Our world is already starting to abandon the use of traditional instruments, using synthesized audio or prerecorded music. But modernizing our music has its benefits, bringing more forms and styles of music, as well as more technologically advanced music production methods.

As time advances, music must advance with it to catch up with the most popular, modern styles. Whether it be at a fancy restaurant, listening at home through earphones, or just tuning in on a radio station, music occupies a part of our lives that we can never lose.

LANA M. BAILEY PIANO CONCERTO AWARD Are you a high school senior who will be majoring in music next year at a college, university or conservatory? Check out the Lana M. Bailey Piano Concerto Award forms JR 20-1 and JR 20-2 to find the rules and application for this $800 annual award ($200 2nd Place). The competition has a postmark deadline date of .May 1st, 2016 so polish your performance and submit your CDs! First or last movement from one of the following concerti meets the repertoire requirements: • Beethoven Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 • Beethoven Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 • Gershwin Concerto in F • Grieg Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16

• Mendelssohn Concerto in G Minor, Op. 25 • Prokofiev Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 • Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 • Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22

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JUNIOR KE YNOTES 25

Keep Spreading the News!!

by Judy Barger Edgell, NFMC Dance Chairman

News about our NFMC Dance Events is reaching new ears! Phone calls about our programs and scholarships are increasing. Thank you for your excellent response to our Call to Action! Keep up your good work and spread the news about wonderful opportunities available through NFMC Junior Dance.

Recently, two state presidents contacted me for information about Dance Studios wanting to federate their students. After speaking with the inquisitive dance teachers in these states, they got more and more excited about involving their students.

The idea that dancers are also musicians may seem foreign to many. But think about it a while and you see that the wonderful world of dance provides ways to create an environment conducive to new musical venues. This allows talented dancers to become aware of our Federation and be a part of the process for years to come. Their

NFMC

J U LY

vals Federation Festi

2016

parents will hopefully wish to contribute to the Federation by becoming members of senior clubs. This seems a ‘Win-Win’ for all concerned!

Many times we get caught up in doing the same thing year after year and never opening our eyes to possibilities outside our comfort zone.

So, let’s open our ears. Listen to the dance teachers in your area. Then use your voice. Tell them about NFMC and Dance. They will be excited to hear what we have to offer their students! Reach out and contact someone in your town or city who may be interested. I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to include dancers in your Junior Club programs. This is my challenge to you in 2016: federate one additional dance studio in each state. You can do this! Let me know how it goes and feel free to ask questions.

NOW

– J U N E 20 20

IS THE TIME!

N F E D E R AT I O

Festivals Bulletin

Bulletin

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Music...

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2015 National Music Week Essay Winners SEE PAGES 14 – 23

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26 JUNIOR KE YNOTES

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Spring 2016

As a Junior Counselor, you already get one copy included in your membership.

I’m talking about subscriptions for your student families or individual students! For the cost of your average lesson book, three issues of Junior Keynotes Magazine open up the world of NFMC Juniors to your students. Parents and friends also enjoy reading about Junior Division accomplishments and happenings all over the country.

What a fabulous resource this magazine provides! Take advantage of it!

The lazy days of summer are almost here! Keep your students motivated with pop hits, Disney favorites, Broadway classics, and movie music!

EASY BROADWAY DUETS Later Elementary to Early Intermediate Level arr. Glenda Austin/Eric Baumgartner/Carolyn Miller 7 great arrangements, plus access to audio files online for downloading or streaming if your favorite duet partner is unavailable!

Close Every Door (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat) • Happiness (You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown) • I Whistle a Happy Tune (The King and I) • Matchmaker (Fiddler on the Roof) • On My Own (Les Misérables) • The Phantom of the Opera • The Sound of Music.

00145766 Book/Online Audio .....................$10.99

EASY POP DUETS Later Elementary to Early Intermediate Level arr. Glenda Austin/Eric Baumgartner/Carolyn Miller 7 pop duet arrangements, plus access to audio files online for downloading or streaming if your favorite duet partner is unavailable! Bad Romance • Can You Feel the Love Tonight • Love Story • My Heart Will Go On • Paradise • Tears in Heaven • Yesterday.

00145768 Book/Online Audio .....................$10.99

FIRST CHART HITS Later Elementary Level 8 popular songs: All of Me • Cups (When I’m Gone) • Happy • Home • Let Her Go • Love Runs Out • Roar • Stay.

00141171 ..........................................................$9.99

FIRST DISNEY SONGS arr. Carolyn Miller • Elementary Level 8 Disney solos: Beauty and the Beast • Chim Chim Cher-ee • Friend Like Me • Hakuna Matata • Lavender Blue • Les Poissons • Reflection • You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! 00416880 ......................................................$9.99

FIRST POP SONGS arr. Carolyn Miller • Elementary Level 8 great classic pop songs: Endless Love • I’m a Believer • Right Here Waiting • Tears in Heaven • Top of the World • What a Wonderful World • Yesterday • You Raise Me Up. 00416954 ...................................................... $8.99 Disney characters and artwork © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

TEACHING LITTLE FINGERS TO PLAY DISNEY TUNES arr. Glenda Austin • Early Elementary Level 10 Disney songs: The Bare Necessities • Can You Feel the Love Tonight • Candle on the Water • Winnie the Pooh • You’ll Be in My Heart (Pop Version) • Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah • and more.

00416749 Book/CD Pack............................................................................................. $12.99 00416748 Book Only ...................................................................................................... $8.99

TEACHING LITTLE FINGERS TO PLAY MORE DISNEY TUNES arr. Glenda Austin • Mid-Elementary Level 9 songs: Circle of Life • Colors of the Wind • A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes • A Spoonful of Sugar • Under the Sea • A Whole New World • and more.

00416751 Book/CD Pack ................................. $12.99 00416750 Book Only ..........................................$7.99

TEACHING LITTLE FINGERS TO PLAY MOVIE MUSIC arr. Carolyn Miller • Elementary Level 9 magical movie arrangements: Dawn (Pride and Prejudice) • Deep in the Meadow (The Hunger Games) • He’s a Pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean) • My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) • Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People (Frozen) • Suddenly (Les Misérables) • When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2) • and more.

00139189 Book/Online Audio....................................................................................$10.99

TEACHING LITTLE FINGERS TO PLAY MORE MOVIE MUSIC arr. Carolyn Miller • Later Elementary Level 10 more magical movie arrangements: Bella’s Lullaby (Twilight) • Forrest Gump • I See the Light (Tangled) • Somewhere Out There (An American Tail) • The Sound of Music • Summer Nights (Grease) • True Love’s Kiss (Enchanted) • and more.

00139190 Book/Online Audio .......................$10.99

ORDER TODAY!

Please visit www.willispianomusic.com or any music retailer.

SUMMER MUSIC CAMPS

Alumnus Notes: Chautauqua Music Camp 1975 submitted by Barbara Kemper Hois By 1975, at age 15, I already knew I was going to have a musical career. I loved playing the flute and had spent years practicing hours a day to become skilled. My life had always been surrounded by classical music because my parents were musicians and professors at Mansfield State College (now University). When I was 12 years old, I realized I had talent, opportunity, and drive for music, thanks to my parents, an excellent flute teacher from the University, and the self-realization that practice made me a better flutist. And that drive was important, because it gave me the discipline to practice consistently and intensely. Although the town of Mansfield, Pennsylvania had little cultural activity in the north, central wilderness of the state, we went to every concert and recital, of all instruments, at this very active music department. My sister, Rebecca Kemper Scarnati, absorbed the same culture and she is currently the oboe teacher at Northern Arizona University and Flagstaff Symphony’s principal oboist. Actually, she was at Chautauqua in 1975 also, playing in the Music Festival Orchestra.

Following high school, I completed a music education degree from Arizona State University and a flute performance degree from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Shortly after, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to play in the Con Spirito Woodwind Quintet. I loved chamber music since the days my family would gather in a baroque quartet of flute, oboe, bassoon (Dad), and piano (Mom), so it was a perfect match and a job that I savored. The other musicians were excellent and we had an active performance calendar, traveling for weeks at a time, which I thoroughly enjoyed in those younger years.

Meanwhile, I started teaching a few flutists at the University of Pittsburgh and playing in local orchestras when I had time, sitting next

Vivid Camp Memories:  Practicing outside in the rose trellis since practice shacks were hard to find, by the tennis courts, now the Garden District homes.

to my future husband, an oboist, in one 1975 Chautauqua of them. We are approaching our 29th School of Music. Barbara Kemper, middle of the anniversary. row standing behind the Family became a priority in the piano. Photo supplied by Dr. 1990’s. I slowed down and eventually George Keck, NFMC Archives stopped most of my performing, but Committee Chairman continued my teaching at the University.

My three children are now 22, 20 and 16. Throughout their young years, I appreciated having a few days to teach, while still being their primary at-home parent. My husband was frequently handed a baby to entertain in the evenings when I would teach private lessons at home, and we began to appreciate the bond that gave him with each child. Flute teaching gave me a “second” career that

 Pounding out the opening notes to Daphnis et Chloé by Ravel,

“be honest, but say it kindly”

 Eating homemade blueberry jam with friend, Debbie Shovlin

Music Adjudicator’s Little Black Book What to say and how to say it

which I mastered so didn’t have to learn in college.

(Wanninkhof), a violinist, on a warm summer day at the University Beach. Her dad had made the jam and I was sure it was the most delicious thing in the world, probably after eating mostly cafeteria food for weeks.

 Flute lessons with Bonita Boyd early morning in a cold flute

shack, her singing to express phrasing, her stories about the noisy squirrels in the roof of her cabin that kept her up at night.

 Flute lessons with Stephanie Jutt after she had spent a year

living with flute master Marcel Moyse and really learning about “tone” from her experience.

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$

Includes Shipping

Contact Amy Immerman at: amy@cincinnatimusicacademy.com

was easy to maintain with full-time family duties. Once they were all nestled in school most of the time, I expanded my role at the University of Pittsburgh, now teaching flute lessons, chamber music, and Alexander Technique. I still practice every day and perform occasionally, especially in the summers at Chautauqua.

My days at Chautauqua were not limited to summer 1975. I had visited there every year with my family since 1966, attending high school camps in1975 and 1976 and playing in the Festival (college) Orchestra in 1979. Later, my parents bought a house in Chautauqua Institution. Since my husband’s family had a cottage on Chautauqua lake, we have made it our summer home with our children now for decades.

Now when I go to Chautauqua, I sing in the Motet and Chautauqua (Sunday) Choirs which is also a great way to keep playing the flute. I often play in the Amphitheater for anthems and continue Thursday morning prelude chamber performances which my father started years ago.

My family plays at the church houses for mid-week and Sunday services.

Summer music camp was a tremendous educational opportunity for me, whether at Mansfield’s smaller intensive weeks or Chautauqua, with its full spectrum of arts. Working with master flutists, playing with other excellent dedicated students, spending every possible moment practicing, and, at Chautauqua, attending every evening concert to hear amazing performers (which I still do!), gave me a full view of being a performer and living in a healthy artistic community. I have taught and performed at a few summer music camps as faculty, including Brevard, NC and Symphony School in Wisconsin, both gratifying experiences.

Two things I can’t imagine my life without are summer music camps and the Alexander Technique. I cringe whenever I hear public school administrators talk about year-long school.

What would happen to all of us with a passion? We need that summer-time to develop our skills and have intensive experiences with like-minded kids!

I discovered the Alexander Technique in college and had a mind-blowing experience when the guest teacher eliminated my pain following a bicycle accident. She gave me a whole body, whole world feeling that I realized I had been lacking for years. Flute practicing had taken its toll on my body – compressing and twisting my spine and encouraging focus on the music rather than balancing the music with myself, kinesthetically. I vowed to search out Alexander teachers wherever I lived which I did, continuing my study in Philadelphia in the early 1990’s to complete my Alexander Technique certification. It taught me how to take care of myself. I can consciously free tight muscles, lengthen my spine in all activities, and find balance physically and emotionally in my daily life.

OUR COVER ARTIST

Ashlee-Marie Joseph is a 12 year-old student of Angeline Pugliese and a member of the Melody Junior Music Club in Hollywood, Florida. Ashlee-Marie also studies ballet, plays volleyball, loves to draw and would like to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She recently had the opportunity to sing with the Girl Choir of South Florida for the President and First Lady at the White House.

Currently employed: University of Pittsburgh, flute, chamber music, Alexander Technique instructor Private flute lessons taught at my home Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy, Alexander Technique instructor Chautauqua Special Studies Program, Alexander Technique instructor

Ouida Keck

[

$1500 ANNUAL AWARD

for the Independent Piano Teacher

Dr. Ouida Keck

NFMC President, 1999-2003

to be used for Professional Development

]

This award provides financial assistance to an independent piano teacher who demonstrates superior teaching in the private studio and wishes to further enhance teaching skills. This award is endowed by funds given to honor Past National Federation of Music Clubs President, Dr. Ouida Keck.

For information see the NFMC website at nfmc-music.org. Click on Competitions and Award Division/Sr. Annual Awards.

The application form is CA13-1 and deadline for entry is June 1.

For additional information contact Laurel Ince at ljince@gvtc.com.

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JUNIOR KE YNOTES 29

INSIGNIA PHOTOS

d r a o B n i t e l l u B a i Insign Vintage N FM for sale on C patches were disc ov eB American M ay by Deborah Free ered m u who was su sic Division Chairma an, ccessful at n, purchasing hundreds o f patches fou them! Many of thes e n bags distr d their way into goo ibuted to p die articipants the 2013 N at F held in Gre MC National Conven e t show how t nville, but these pho ion tos he rest of t hem are be used! Phot in os downloade of the pins were eith g d er insignia th from eBay or show t he at I wear o n my “Fes Fedora” st tiv ra State Fest w hat for District an al ivals. Show d me your NF pride!

MC

ture photos for fu r u o y it m b Su s! publication 30 JUNIOR KE YNOTES

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Spring 2016

I M A G I N AT I O N N O O K

American Music

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Farrah Laurent, age 9, studies piano with Sylvia Palmer. She loves school choir, art and musicals at St. Pius X Catholic School in New Orleans, LA.

Spring 2016

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JUNIOR KE YNOTES 31

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