2016 NMTA Conference: Love of Music, Gift of a Lifetime

Once again, the Nebraska Music Teachers’ Association will feature wonderful musicians and educators at its annual conference next week. In past years, some of the stunning clinicians, composers, and performers have included Barbara Lister-Sink, Libby Larsen, Tony Caramia, Kurt Knecht, Dmitri Vorobiev, and Polina Khatsko, just to name a few.

The insights and sharing of ideas that these artists bring to the NMTA conferences each year have a far-reaching impact in the state. It’s not just the attendees that benefit but also their students for many years to come. To celebrate 100 years of bringing teachers and ideas together, NMTA will host Phyllis Lehrer in concert on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at the Strauss Performing Arts Center at UNO with tickets available for just $5. Besides talks and sessions with teaching and performing tips and tools, commissioned composer, Anthony Donofrio, of UNK will present and premier his composition, “Canto II,” for soprano and percussion featuring Amanda DeBoer Bartlett and Scott Shinbara, both of Omaha.

Phyllis Alpert Lehrer
2016 NMTA State Conference
Guest Artist and Clinician

Phyllis Lehrer, guest artist and clinician for the conference, and fellow clinician, Ingrid Clarfield, have been friends and colleagues since 1982 and have collaborated on a series called Classics for the Developing Pianist (Books 1-5). Lehrer describes these books as containing “20 pieces each (the 100 pieces ranging from early intermediate through early advanced) that we believe every pianist will enjoy and should learn to play.”

Lehrer and Clarfield both have a passion for teaching. In a LincolnCMN interview, Lehrer shared that she “pretended to be a teacher even before kindergarten; I remember setting up chairs in my basement playroom and talking to my ‘class.’" By 16-years-old, she was teaching her first piano lesson.

Ingrid Clarfield
Guest Clinician

Clarfield has stories about good teachers and bad teachers that helped form her into the educator that she is today a teacher at Julliard taught her “how not to motivate students” and she learned that helping her students love music, feel motivated, and be prepared was of the utmost importance. She always finds something positive to say to her students while still holding the bar very high.

Their work on intermediate repertoire by no means suggests that they overlook the importance of beginner piano students. As Lehrer stated:

“The beginner is probably our most important student. This is when we have the opportunity to share our love of music, to motivate students to discover how extraordinary our instrument is, it's many colors, it's ability to imitate moods, characters, be an orchestra, to keep us company through our own practicing, improvising, composing, to make music with our teacher, parent or friend.  Beginning teachers who have just graduated with performance degrees naturally want to share their recent knowledge and expertise with more advanced students. But with good pedagogy courses that enable interested teachers to learn about the sequences and processes of music learning, the variety of literature available, the possibilities,of group and private instruction, piano parties, chamber music, the rewards and importance of teaching beginners can convince those who are hesitant. In our pedagogy programs at Westminster Choir College, …students… have special opportunities to intern with our faculty, choosing to learn about subjects such as the gifted student, the adult beginner, pre-school music, teaching college students, and to explore all levels of repertoire, technical approaches, learning styles, and more!”

Lehrer also shared that she is “fortunate to love teaching all ages and stages. Right now I am teaching my 8 and 10 year old grandchildren who live in Princeton, the 10 year old daughter of one of my voice teacher colleagues, several teenagers, 9 college students (undergrads and grads) and adults who come on a sometime basis.”

Clarfield’s love of teaching and music is proved beyond a doubt by the perseverance and determination needed to continue teaching and sometimes performing following the loss of the use of her left hand due to a stroke in 2007. Not even a stroke could keep her from sharing her love of music—and she’ll be spreading her passion and knowledge with Nebraska’s music teachers during the course of the conference.

When asked if there was one thing she wishes every music educator or piano teacher could learn and put into practice, Lehrer shared: “I would urge teachers to constantly check that we are teaching skills, musicianship, practice habits, but above all sharing and bringing a love of music to our students. That is the gift of a lifetime."

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Music Outreach Program Receives Gladys Lux Education Award

The 2016 Mayor’s Arts Awards will honor the Music Outreach Program (MOP) of the Lincoln Music Teacher’s Association (LMTA) with the Gladys Lux Education Award. This award “recognizes special initiatives in or dedication to arts education” and could hardly find a better organization to recognize than MOP.

Jessica Freeman, MOP Chair, explains that this award is “an honor and wonderful recognition of LMTA's efforts with this program to help at-risk students receive quality instruction in music.” 

“The program is run by a volunteer 9 member committee.  Thirteen LMTA teachers with Professional Status serve 50 students studying piano, voice, violin, viola, guitar, and flute. Music Outreach Students participate fully in their assigned studio teacher's events including studio recitals, participation in LMTA events, and other performance opportunities as their skills develop.”

The benefits of MOP for the community are far reaching. Besides providing lessons to students and families who would otherwise not be able to afford them, it also gives opportunities to teachers to go beyond what they might normally do in their studios and gives others in the community the chance to contribute through grants and donations to a wonderful cause. Just five years ago, LMTA had occasion to begin an Endowment fund that ensures the good work of MOP will continue for many years to come. 

MOP student and teacher performing
credit: LMTA

The students that participate in MOP are already making their own contributions to the community, as Freeman said, “in studio recitals, participation in LMTA events, and other performance opportunities as their skills develop.  All Music Outreach Teachers are encouraged to host outreach recitals for the community. These have included performances at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, various retirement communities, and school performances. Several MOP students have become proficient enough at performing to secure leading positions in the school and youth orchestras and/or perform senior recitals. Others have performed for events such as the Lincoln Community Foundation's Donor Recognition Luncheon.  One MOP student was even inspired to perform on a street corner in the Haymarket to raise funds for a family he had heard about who had recently lost their father/husband and had no funds to pay for funeral expenses.  Several of the MOP students love music so much that they study multiple instruments (often by working out deals with a teacher for a second instrument) or they've quit the Music Outreach Program so that they can become more involved with school musicals and other music opportunities.”

Find out more about how you might contribute to MOP at the LMTA website.

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MarySue Harris: Rewards and Awards of a Life of Teaching

Nebraska Music Teachers Association (NMTA) has much to be proud of this year. In addition to David von Kampen’s award as MTNA 2015 Distinguished Composer of the Year, longtime NMTA teacher MarySue Harris was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. 

Although Harris was “truly in disbelief about receiving the award,” it is certainly a well-deserved recognition for not only 40+ years of teaching, but also many years of involvement in teachers associations at local and national levels. Harris spoke with LincolnCMN this week about the award and her career as a teacher. 

“It is an extremely meaningful award because it validates all of my service (musically and as a  volunteer) for many years!  Hearing them read my service record was truly an amazing realization.....that I actually HAD served my local, state and national organizations, with great joy!”

MarySue Harris MTNA 2015 Distinguished Service

In the 1990s, Harris was twice honored in Nebraska once as Teacher of the Year and later with the Service Award for outstanding service. At the national level, she served as Community Outreach and Education Chair. Harris has also established an endowment fund that “allows qualified the qualified teacher to receive money from the Fellowship to build his/her studio and help it prosper.” Certainly, in this way, Harris will continue helping the music teaching community for many years to come.

“It has been a constant goal to be the best member I could be, of all the music teachers organizations; and they have served me so well as I participated to the fullest!” Harris is a wonderful example of the reciprocity of the music teachers associations—as she gave of her time, she received fellowship and practical help as well.

Harris’ life of teaching has been a joy to her as well as others:

“Having just given a workshop on technic today for Lincoln Music Teachers, I am reminded that the interest, receptivity and thoughtful consideration given to me by the teachers attending were the best rewards I could ever hope for!  There is definitely  a reciprocal element in giving of yourself.  I am most grateful for all the interest and eagerness to learn something new that the teachers showered on me!  I had this same kind of welcome reception from my students when I was teaching!  It was always a real pleasure to teach!”

Harris’ advice for other teachers is to wish them what she has found to be true: “Give it your ALL!  And it will reward you in return!”

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MTNA awards David von Kampen's musical world

David von Kampen is the winner
of the MTNA 2015 Distinguished
Composer of the Year 

David von Kampen has an impressive About page at his website and is currently lecturer of theory and literature at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln among other positions and accomplishments—but you don’t need to know all that to become a fan. 

Just take a listen to his music.

The judges for the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) 2015 convention must have thought the same thing: out of 32 entries, von Kampen’s song cycle, “Under the Silver and Home Again: Five Walter de la Mare Lyrics for Baritone and Piano” was selected as the winner for 2015 Distinguished Composer of the Year.

von Kampen recently spoke with LincolnCMN about this piece and the award. The piece was commissioned by the Nebraska Music Teachers Association (NMTA), and von Kampen had no trouble choosing to compose for baritone and piano; “I wanted to write something for Nathan Sullivan to perform, and I knew piano/vocal would be easily transportable. I decided it would be a song cycle, then went poem-hunting.”

von Kampen settled on five poems by Walter de la Mare, “The Old Stone House,” “The Buckle,” “The Ride-by-Nights,” “Bunches of Grapes” and “Mistletoe.” When asked to give listening advice for this work, von Kampen said, “in a piece like this, I'm trying to establish contrasting musical characters between the movements. If you listen through the whole thing, hopefully there is a really nice sense of flow from one to the next - where nothing sounds the same, but it all feels like it belongs to the same world.”

Fortunately, you can listen to each movement of “Under the Silver and Home Again” here and get a sense for this “world” that von Kampen has created with this work. Many of von Kampen’s compositions can be heard on soundcloud, and listeners will enjoy the jazz influence in many of his pieces: “When I'm not writing for actual jazz ensembles (instrumental or vocal),” von Kampen shared, “I think my jazz background still comes through the music a little bit. Generally this is more about the harmony than rhythm or style. Jazz harmony is both complex and beautiful, which I think is an appealing combination.” He went on to state, “I like all sorts of different things.” 

As von Kampen enjoys “great songwriters, all sorts of popular and folk music. Choral, chamber music, musical theater,” he says that his career as a musician and composer was thanks to “very supportive parents and teachers” and the fact that “the more I did composed, the more natural it became.”

His advice to aspiring professional musicians and composers is to “Become a decent pianist, learn how to play by ear. Be able to sing (even if you aren't a singer), and be able to sight-read. Get practical experience however you can - composing, performing. Collaborate with friends. Listen to lots of music.”

As a modern composer in today’s world where many still think of classical music as “dead” or at least “boring,” von Kampen brings a sound that is very alive—blending many wonderful styles of music in his own unique style. 

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Chamber Music: Personal skills to a new level

The Lincoln Music Teachers’ Association (LMTA) provides many wonderful opportunities to teachers and students in the community and features in many past interviews and articles. On January 17th, LMTA hosted a Chamber Music Festival featuring members of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Suzuki Talent Education members, members of the Home School Orchestra, and Nebraska Chamber Players (NCP).

Students of LMTA teachers working on their ensemble performance.
photo courtesy: LMTA

Kathleen Nguyen, a student who participated in the event, shared that she put in “a lot of practicing for the festival song” and worked hard “trying to perfect it.” Kathleen enjoyed “learning to play in a group, making new friends, and see[ing] lots of instruments and talented students.”

A string ensemble rehearses.
photo courtesy: LMTA

Parents commented on the opportunity it gave their children to learn to work, like Juanita Trexel put it, as “part of a team,” another mother, Kristen Plock, appreciated the opportunity it gave her daughter, a piano student, to “be exposed to chamber music and meet others who enjoy playing this type of music.”

Besides learning to work together to create music, students had the opportunity to be coached by NCP members and learn a little about conducting. NCP also gave a performance for the students—a chance to hear professional musicians who work together in chamber groups on a regular basis.

This was the second time that NCP participated in the Chamber Music Festival. Becky Van de Bogart, a member of NCP, says that they are “fortunate to be asked to participate.” Because of the level of work and effort that the LMTA teachers and their students have put into preparation for the festival, NCP is able to contribute a lot to the event:

“The Nebraska Chamber Players have the opportunity to coach the chamber ensembles the teachers in LMTA have put together and offer our insights as professional chamber players and soloists/teachers. The young musicians are completely prepared and have spent time working together before the festival so we are able to offer valuable suggestions about playing as an ensemble, tuning, communication and style.  The LMTA teachers are to be congratulated on getting these groups prepared.”

It was the beginning of the day when participants were able to hear NCP’s performance, “before the kids broke into the small groups.” That weekend, all of the participants were also given tickets to attend an NCP concert.

Van de Bogart’s comments are certainly complimentary to the work of LMTA in our community and also describe a little of what goes into performing as an ensemble at any level:

Clark Potter, a member of LSO and NCP,
coaches a trio at the Chamber Music Festival.
photo courtesy: LMTA

“LMTA has created a wonderful opportunity for young musicians to take their personal skills to a new level in the chamber music environment.  Each player must have total command of their own part, no matter how young they are, in order to be an equal partner in a group.  Then they have to be willing to compromise and be a productive ensemble musician with the goal of creating a quality ensemble performance.  There is quite a level of maturity needed to make this all happen.  The fantastic studio instruction the kids receive make this possible.  There are not enough kudos for the teachers and the kids!”

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2014 NMTA Guest Artist: The luckiest people in the world

This week, music teachers from across the state will join together for a sharing of ideas, performances, and premiers. You can read interviews with the guest clinician and commissioned composer here and here, and now, a little bit about the guest performer: Mark Salman.

Salman has performed around the world and “is perhaps best known for his expertise on Beethoven, having performed the complete cycle of the thirty-two piano sonatas on both coasts as well as in 18 broadcasts on KING-FM in Seatttle.” He also has performed recitals celebrating Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, and Franz Schubert. 

Attendees at the NMTA Conference this year will be treated to Salman’s performance of:

• Mendelssohn's  Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
• Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 54 in F Major
• Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 101 in A major
• Chopin’s Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 6 #2
• Chopin’s Mazurka in C Major, Op. 24 #2
• Chopin’s Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 50 #3
• Liszt, Czarda Macabre
• Liszt, Valle d’Obermann (which is from his Year of Pilgrimage, First Year, Switzerland)

Salman also shared with LincolnCMN about some of the composers that he has performed the most, the emotion and drama that draw him to the works of Beethoven and Liszt, in particular:

Mark Salman - 2014 NMTA Conference
Guest Artist
photo courtesy of NMTA

“I've always felt very close to the works of Beethoven, and have performed them constantly throughout my life. I've always been drawn to Beethoven's comprehensive world - his music has drama, every range of emotion and is intellectually endlessly fascinating and complex.  Every time I come back to a piece of his music after several years I find I experience it anew, and find many new levels of meaning in it.  

Liszt is a composer that I have also spent a great deal of time with. Although on the surface a very different composer in style from Beethoven, I'm drawn to him for many of the same qualities. His music has everything in life in it, and he was more open to every facet of life experience in its full intensity than any other composer, and performing his music is a wide ranging and intense emotional experience. The intellectual underpinning and complexity of his music is often overlooked, but like Beethoven's works, I find my experience of his music to be fresh and new every time I come back to it.”

Aside from those great composers, some particular teachers and pianists that greatly  influenced Salman were “David Dubal, a professor at Juilliard, from whom I learned a great deal  about how to look at music in the context of other arts and general life experience, and…the opportunity to meet and play for Vladimir Horowitz, in whose presence I felt his connection with the long line of composers and pianists from Rachmaninoff going back to Liszt and Beethoven, and his feeling of duty to always do his very best in recreating the music of these great composers whose traditions he had inherited.”

Salman’s words for teachers everywhere, and especially for the teachers that he’ll be meeting and performing for in a few days at the conference are that they should “tell their students that they are the luckiest people in the world — they are able to live in intimate contact with some of the greatest works of art that humanity has ever produced, and live in daily contact with the great minds that produced these works.”

Let us never forget the privilege of being connected to the great artists who left us the amazing music that never ceases to move us as Salman’s performance is sure to do this week!
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2014 NMTA Guest Clinician: Learning from one another

A few days ago, readers were treated to the interview with composer Kurt Knecht as he shared with us about the cello sonata he wrote for the upcoming conference. Today, we get to read an interview with Gail Berenson, the guest clinician at this year’s NMTA Conference (conference details here).

Gail Berenson - Guest Clinician for the
2014 NMTA Conference
photo courtesy of NMTA

Berenson, Professor Emerita at Ohio University, Athens, is a past-president of Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) and enjoys performing and teaching pedagogy. For this conference, she wants to help get teachers “thinking about how they approach their teaching from the various perspectives we will be discussing.” She adds, “in many cases, what I say will simply reinforce things that teachers are already doing.  I hope I might also provide a new way of viewing other ideas.  I certainly don't have all the answers, but in the open discussions we will be having, I hope to be learning as much from those in attendance as they do from me.”

With her background as a music teacher and past president of MTNA, Berenson is a big supporter of these professional organizations:

“I sincerely believe that one of the important aspects of being a professional is belonging to and supporting one’s professional organization.  MTNA has in turn  helped nurture my growth as a musician and pedagogue.  Since joining, as a very young faculty member still in my early 20's, I have always had the utmost respect for MTNA and the many services it provides its members, and have taken advantage of most of those services.  I attend local association workshops, state and national conferences, each event providing the opportunities to learn from a wide range of talented and dedicated clinicians and performers.  Aside from my formal studies, these educational experiences have resulted in countless positive changes in my teaching and my playing.  I read the American Music Teacher and MTNA's eJournal, two superb resources.  Having the privilege of taking on various leadership positions, it has enabled me to develop leadership skills and learn a tremendous amount about people and about myself.   Most of all, I treasure the many friends that I have met through MTNA, many of whom have become lifelong friends.  Having attended more than 30 MTNA National Conferences, returning each year feels like a fabulous family reunion! Becoming active in both MTNA your MTA state association, you will have the lifelong support of a professional partner.”

Surely, many teachers in NMTA can relate to and agree with Berenson’s positive experiences working with these organizations. Besides state conferences like the upcoming one, how many times teachers are presented with new ideas and ways of thinking about things—whether they are sharing and learning from one another or from the many guest speakers brought in for events.

And who ultimately benefits from MTNA and NMTA events?

“My students are the ultimate beneficiaries of all the pedagogical information I have heard at these meetings and workshops.  Even after all these years, I still come away with something new to integrate into my teaching.  Additionally, students benefit from the many MTNA and state association-sponsored student activities that provide numerous opportunities for students to perform in recitals, master classes, competitions and to receive feedback in non-competitive events. Collegiate students can form collegiate chapters, forging bonds with their peers and initiating meaningful projects that will benefit their community and help them grow as professional musicians.  They will have a network of colleagues and resources that follow with them wherever they their careers take them.”

Berenson’s own music experience began with piano lessons at age six: “I was good at it and enjoyed playing the piano.  As I got older, I especially loved making music with others.  I played violin in the orchestra, sang and played for the choir and accompanied all my friends and peers in solo and ensemble contests.  In fact, they often had to work the contest schedule around my performances since I was playing for so many students.  When the time arrived for me to select a major in college, it seemed to be a natural decision  - I would major in music.  It is interesting that neither of my parents had musical abilities, but both my sister and I ended up being professional musicians.  My sister is a violinist in the Atlanta Symphony (she also plays piano/keyboards for their pops concerts) and is highly in demand as a freelance accompanist in the Atlanta area.”

By participating in the conference and many other opportunities provided by NMTA, not only teachers benefit—we never know in how many ways music teachers affect and inspire their students.

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2014 NMTA Conference: Kurt Knecht's colorful composition

Kurt Knecht has featured in interviews and reviews here quite often from his performances to premieres of his compositions. This year, he is the commissioned composer for the NMTA Conference. Last year, Libby Larsen’s Ghosts of Old Pianos, a solo piano piece, was the commissioned piece for the conference.

Kurt Knecht - 2014 NMTA Commissioned Composer
photo courtesy of Kurt Knecht

This year, NMTA members will be treated to a cello sonata with piano accompaniment. The title of the piece is “El café iridescente.”

“…each movement is named after a color, so:  1. Rojo 2. Azul 3. Perla 4. Morado”

As you might guess from the language of the title and movements, “the whole work is based around Latin rhythms.” Knecht chose to focus on Latin rhythms for a number of reasons:
“I think part of it might come from growing up in Tampa where I was constantly exposed to Cuban culture, so I kind of heard those rhythms growing up. Also, as an undergrad, I was enthralled with any sort of Latin rhythms. I loved Jobim and the whole bossa nova thing. I loved Ginastera. I loved those Saudades do Brasil by Milhaud, and I played in jazz bands where we would do Latin charts. So, it seemed time to concentrate all of that in one piece.”

Hopefully the audience will enjoy this “super fun music.” Knecht says, “most of it is not too heavy or serious. I think there is a problem amongst composers now with this issue. Beethoven wrote a lot of light music, but we never think of that because his ‘light’ works haven’t survived history as well.” Perhaps the music won’t “survive history” as well, but right now, it can be enjoyed and inspire musicians and students to enjoy music right now.

Knecht also described a little bit of the process that went into the creation of this piece:

“As far as the process, it’s not really standardized. When I was in school, one of my composition teachers used to say, ‘You throw more music away than any of my other students.’ He said that because I would be working on a string quartet or something and one week I would have 100 measures of a movement written, and the next week it was replaced. He would say, ‘What happened to the other movement?’ I would say, ‘I’m not using it.'

The truth is, I save all of that stuff. When I get a commission, I will often look back through those old ideas and rework them. In this case, I had sketches for these movements written from 10 years ago. I completely reworked them. Tried the re-worked version with Justin Lepard who is playing them with me. I listened to the reworked versions and decided that the first three movements needed a complete overhaul again. 

So, to answer how long it takes…Every piece takes my whole life long to write, but checks and deadlines are an incredible tool for focusing years into minutes.”

Hopefully you’ll get the chance to hear this fun music, this culmination of Knecht’s whole life, from Tampa to undergrad to today, but meanwhile, enjoy some of his other works over at his youtube channel.

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Adrienne Wiley on Nebraska, repertoire, and one-handed music

Dr. Adrienne Wiley currently teaches at Central Michigan University, but her visit to Nebraska to talk to the members of LMTA should be no surprise. Dr. Wiley is no stranger to Nebraska: "My husband and I lived in Nebraska for 9 years," she shared with LincolnCMN, "I taught at Hastings College in the music department, and we both taught piano privately."

It was during her time in Hastings that Dr. Wiley became active in the Nebraska Music Teachers Association (NMTA) and served in many capacities on the NMTA Board:

"I had the pleasure of getting to know many of the teachers throughout the state, especially in Lincoln and Omaha, and have kept in touch throughout the years in various ways (conferences usually--we run into each other there!). I love the Lincoln and Omaha areas and I do think the teachers are doing a super job of teaching their students. Plus, they, the teachers, are just incredibly wonderful people."

Following a visit to Omaha last spring, a contact from the Lincoln area asked Dr. Wiley to visit Lincoln in 2013 and talk about sequencing and pacing of classical literature--one of her specialties. In her talk, Dr. Wiley will take the teacher through steps on what literature would be good at certain points and "how to 'build' a student from the ground up." Dr. Wiley hopes that "everyone will enjoy the repertoire and benefit from that." And, she added, hopefully they'll be "having some fun."

Another specialty of Dr. Wiley's, although not the topic of her visit to Lincoln this time, is one-handed piano music.

"My passion about and for one-handed music began as a grad student: I suffered an injury, temporary, and started to play the literature for the left-hand. Since that time, I have continued to play this literature, for the left and right hands alone, and given workshops, lecture recitals, and write articles."

On this particular area and love, Dr. Wiley says she could "ramble on forever"--perhaps it will be the topic of another talk and visit to Lincoln in the future!

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2014 Extravaganza: An afternoon of fanciful flight

On Sunday, January 12, LMTA presented the 2014 Extravaganza. Hosted every three years, the Extravaganza is, according to the Extravaganza's co-chair, Charlotte Heermann, “a special opportunity for students to play in an ensemble.” Marcia Wiebers, who also co-chaired the 2014 Extravaganza, remarked that: “The program was a feast for the eyes with the colorful t-shirts, the wildlife power point photos displayed, the close up shots of the performers on the big screen as Mid America Video Images recorded the event, the balloons, the keyboards, the strings. It was a treat for the ears with the narration and the music. It was heartwarming to observe the teachers helping and encouraging the students as they rehearsed and performed. There was a lot of excitement in the air and big smiles as the students came off the stage from their performance.”

Pianists performing at the 2014 Extravaganza
Photo courtesy of LMTA

Fourteen digital keyboards, provided by Dietze Music House, filled the stage. Under the baton of Del Whitman, string and music instructor at Lincoln East High School and Lux Middle School, the musicians performed. There were 32 LMTA teachers involved and approximately 200 students who registered. “Each teacher helped in some way, shape or form before, at the rehearsal or at the performance,” Wiebers added, “it goes without saying that the teachers of the performing students were invaluable in preparing their students.” It is not possible in this review to thank all of the LMTA members by name who contributed through their committee service and hours spent organizing and preparing for this event—but without each of them, this Extravaganza would not have had the same success.

Without the sponsors, Keith Heckman and Dietze Music House providing the pianos, Nebraska Wesleyan University allowing the use of their facilities, and LMTA members serving on committees, the Extravaganza could not have taken place. A huge thank-you goes out to them. Wiebers added a thank-you to other vital non-members who made this Extravaganza a success including “Del Whitman, the conductor, radio personality Joe Skare who narrated, photographers Steve Zechmann and Joe Wicks, videographer Kyle Wullschleger, members of the Crane Trust, Larry Jones of Nebraska Wesleyan, and Amy Flamminio who assisted with the writing of the narration.”

Violins, guitars, and cello take the stage.
Photo courtesy of LMTA

In every way, this event was the fruit of collaboration. Teachers working with other teachers, teachers and students, student to student, pianists, string players, and different types of media—music, photography, video, etc. The narration helped people know what to listen for in the music. Wiebers shared that: “My husband commented that a young child blurted out, after hearing the Ghost Dance, 'that wasn't so scary.' Many people enjoyed a good chuckle from that, so you know that the little ones were listening to both the narration as well as the music.”

One thing that is particularly memorable about this year's Extravaganza is the story about the commissioned piece, The Great Winged Migration. Nancy Schoen and Debra Heald procured the commission, and Schoen related the story of composer, Carol Klose: “She was excited to do the work. After researching Nebraska, Carol was inspired by the annual spring migration of the Sandhill cranes. Carol knew she was fighting cancer, but she was moved to compose this duet. After she was in hospice care, she expressed deep regret at being unable to complete the piece. After her death last February, anonymous composers collaborated to use the musical ideas Carol had already written.”

The beautiful piece that Carol Klose was inspired to write was performed at the close of the Extravaganza and dedicated to her memory. Thanks to her inspiration and focusing in on the Sandhill cranes, Klose set into motion the selection of the theme for the Extravaganza, “Taking Flight.” This led to the artwork by Zhanna Semm used as the logo on t-shirts, programs, and posters, wildlife photography (courtesy of Steve Zechmann and Joe Wicks) used during all the groups' performances and the Sandhill Crane video (thanks to Kyle Wullschleger and the Crane Trust) played during the premiere of the commissioned piece.

The Great Winged Migration was a wonderful way to close the 2014 Extravaganza—an afternoon of learning and listening.

LMTA presents "Taking Flight" - the 2014 Extravaganza

On Sunday, Jan. 12, LMTA will present the 2014 Extravaganza. The event will be held at the O'Donnell Auditorium on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus at 3:00pm on Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $5 for adult and $3 for ages 16 and under.

What is an Extravaganza?

According to Charlotte Heermann who is co-chairing this year's Extravaganza, "This is a special opportunity for students to play in an ensemble if they haven't done so previously: follow a conductor and listen to others playing to be sure they are together. These things help form their understanding and musicianship, but perhaps just as important, they have a chance to have fun with music and make new friends."

The 2011 Extravaganza - see all the pianos on stage?!
Photo courtesy of Jo Karl

15 digital keyboards, provided by Dietze Music House, will be on stage. 30 pianists will take the stage at a time -- two per piano -- and play a duet under the baton of Del Whitman. Thirteen groups at varying levels will play duets and a brief narration will be read between each group by Joe Skare of B107.3. The narration, written by this LincolnCMN writer, will give insight into the musical ideas to listen for in each piece. Photographs of wildlife will be projected on a screen during each piece. These photographs are courtesy of Steve Zechmann and Joe Wicks.

As you can imagine from the above description, a lot of work has gone into brining this event together. Heermann shared some insight into the process:

"Some of the tasks required to put this event together include securing a venue, a performance date, keyboards, a conductor, a narrator, selection of music, chairmen and committees to work on specific aspects of the production.

We are deeply indebted to Nebraska Wesleyan University for hosting us on January 12, and Keith Heckman of Dietze Music House for providing the Clavinova keyboards for the performance. At least 17 committees have or are working on various aspects of the Extravaganza, and we have been working on this since August 2012."

This is LMTA's tenth Extravaganza, besides the pianos on stage, several groups of violins and other strings will take the stage to perform together as well. Since 1983, LMTA has been providing this experience of ensemble playing for young musicians.

Besides the committees and sponsors, the teachers, parents, and students have also put in a great deal of time and effort--and Sunday will be a wonderful time to enjoy the fruits of their labors as the young musicians "take flight" and the audience listens...

...for bees, balloons, and butterflies, kites and clouds, phantoms, and fire-breathing dragons!

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NMTA Guest Artist and Clinicians: Spend your life with music

Libby Larsen, Dmitri Vorobiev, and Polina Khatsko are the guest artists/presenters for the 2013 NMTA State Conference. Larsen, the commissioned composer, will share “The Art of Composing Music” and will be present for the premiere of her new piece which you can read more about in her interview here. Vorobiev will perform ($15/adult, $10/student) on Thursday, 7:30pm, in O’Donnell Auditorium on the Wesleyan campus. He and Khatsko took the time to share a little about themselves and what they will be bringing to the conference.

 

Polina Khatsko - guest clinician at the
NMTA 2013 State Conference

Khatsko, guest clinician this week, has a special place in her heart for Nebraska already, having studied at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

“Kearney, NE, was my first American home... It’s hard for me to think of another place as ideal as Nebraska to start my journey in the U.S. The sincerity, simplicity, and generosity of Midwestern people is extraordinary, and it’s what stole my heart from the very beginning—what made me feel incredibly welcomed, encouraged me, and helped to overcome any hurdles on the way to assimilating into a new culture.”

Indeed, Khatsko shared, “Kearney, Nebraska, is also the place where I truly learned to smile – a quality that in the 1990’s, wasn’t too common among people of Belarus, where I came from.”

Khatsko will bring her smile back to Nebraska as she and her husband, Vorobiev, will present a Master Class on Friday afternoon for the winners of the MTNA Piano Competition. Khatsko will also be giving two presentations on the Russian School of Piano Playing; she wants her audience to be aware of the importance attached to “the culture of sound, or more precisely, sound production as related to piano playing.

Vorobiev, who will be performing Thursday evening, at 7:30pm, in O’Donnell Auditorium, says that for him, the “culture of sound production” that is so vital to the Russian school of piano playing, is the way that he was taught from an early age.

“I am thankful for that particular way of upbringing that I had. It really gave me so much in depth and dedication to help me get where I am now. Focusing on: how you listen, what you listen for, and how you respond to certain things when you play.”

In addition to the focus on listening, Vorobiev said that he received a “vigorous training in music history and music theory.” Music was certainly in his blood, Vorobiev’s grandpa and mom were both musicians, and he was enrolled in music school, “not just lessons, actual music school—theory, history, and two lessons per week,” from the age of 6. His love for the piano was especially strengthened by going to concerts, and he remembers fondly hearing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto when he was six.

Dmitri Vorobiev - performing
Liszt and Beethoven on
Thursday at 7:30pm in
Wesleyan's O'Donnell Auditorium

Vorobiev went on to explain that he was not only involved in classical music. Around the age of 13 or 14, he got into heavy metal. “It was all part of me. But, something about classical music was always sacred for me, I guess.”

Like any kid, he studied and practiced, but at times, “I was lazy, too.”

Ultimately, about the age of 14, Vorobiev made the decision to become a professional musician—because he really loved piano. Although he had not heard the phrase yet, “One of the best ways to spend your life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it,” Vorobiev says that it sums up what was at the back of his mind with that decision.

Khatsko says that, for her, pursuing music as a career has to do with “the privilege of making an impact on and enriching people's lives, and the privilege of connecting to people on any level, at any time, in any place.”

On Vorobiev’s program for Thursday night, he will be sharing a little bit of himself by playing works of Liszt and Beethoven. A year ago, he recorded a CD of Liszt, and right now, Vorobiev has set himself the goal of performing the complete solo piano works of Beethoven. Therefore, this performance of two composers very close to him will represent “who I am, and what I am doing.”

Both Khatsko and Vorobiev have advice for young musicians.

Khatsko reminds them:

“Aside from all the known benefits of having music in your life, you should realize that music has unique power... power that lets you open up, express the inexpressible, find comfort, unleash worries and tame anger, and most importantly - discover yourself, find sides of yourself that you didn't even know were there.”

And Vorobiev, while relating a story of a young student who couldn’t remember where Middle C was from week to week, reminds parents:

“Inspiration also comes from parents—how much do they do. Take the kids to concerts. Teachers can tell you all these great things, but if the parents do not participate, it just stays on the side and doesn’t become a part of life. I wish that kids would have a little more eagerness to learn classical music.

‘Live your life...’ might not mean much to an 8-year-old, but learn how to practice, learn in piano, or violin, or whatever. It will ensure that you will have a very successful life. A recent Nobel prize winner, a chemist, in his acceptance speech said he owes everything to his music teacher—because that’s where he learned to practice.”

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