2021 - 2022 webinar series
MMTA Webinars
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Free for Members | Registration Required
2021-2022 Webinars
MMTA is pleased to launch the inaugural season of MMTA Interactive Webinars for 2021-22. The mission of the MMTA Interactive Webinars is to create an interactive and inspiring learning community within MMTA that equips members to meet the diverse needs of all students. This new initiative will provide professional development and networking opportunities to our members throughout the year using the Zoom video conference platform. Join us for an exciting lineup of incredible speakers and to experience a vibrant community of fellow Michigan music teachers!
Join us!
All webinars are free to MMTA members. Replay videos will be available for viewing up to three weeks after each event. To attend each Zoom webinar and/or receive the replay video, please register for each individual event.
Click an image to jump to information about each webinar.
Friday, September 17, 2021 | 11:00am-12:30pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Jeremy Siskind
5 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Jazz Piano (but is too afraid to ask)
Jazz is often a source of fear for traditional piano teachers. These 5 “Need to Know” Jazz Essentials were created to help teachers be more confident and informed for their next jazz lesson. Learn the details of swing feel, keys to decoding chord symbols, exactly what “comping” is, how to teach beginning improvisation, and more.
Jeremy Siskind, Pianist and Composer
Siskind is also a thought leader in the field of piano education. He’s the author of about 20 books including the very popular “Playing Solo Jazz Piano,” which sells more than 250 copies each month. He teaches for Yamaha, Tone Base, and Piano with Jonny, as well as running his own Youtube channel where he posts videos twice-weekly regarding jazz piano and improvisation. Siskind spreads peace through music in his work with Jazz Education Abroad in places like Lebanon, Cyprus, Tunisia, India, Thailand, China, and Nepal.
Friday, October 1, 2021 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Panel Presentation
Tips for Organization and Success with MMTA's SAT Program
Come learn more about MMTA’s Student Achievement Program (SAT) and gain fresh tips for organizing your time and SAT practice materials. Each panelist will share their best insights and advice for ensuring student success with SAT. Be sure to bring questions or tips to share for the interactive Q&A time at the end!
MMTA SAT Panel Presentation
Jacki VanderSlik loves the SAT program! She encourages her students to participate locally and at Semi-Finals, she has chaired the Holland event many times and enjoys judging technique and sight-reading locally and performance in other chapters. She serves the program at the state level as chair of the MMTA Piano Handbook & Testing committee which produces new tests every year. She is also chairing the SAT Advisory Committee, a recently formed group working on making improvements to the SAT process.
Sarah Hamilton is a pianist and piano teacher based in southeast Michigan. She is the music department accompanist for Scranton Middle School, a pianist for Walled Lake United Methodist Church, and teaches piano lessons at the EMU Community Music Academy. She is an active member of the Michigan Music Teachers Association where she serves on their state board as the SAT coordinator.
Simona Leszinsky was raised in a city called Gomel, which is in Belarus, part of a former USSR. At the age of nineteen, with an associate degree from Gomel’s Music College, she became a piano teacher working at the local music school. In 1987, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Music, Piano, and Pedagogy at Minsk State Gorky Pedagogical Institute. After Simona and her family moved to the U.S. in 1992, she pursued a new career as a medical professional. Piano teaching came back into her life in 2005 when she began giving piano lessons to her seven-year-old daughter. Simona currently serves as an active member and SAT Chairperson for MDML.
Stephanie Thompson has been teaching private piano lessons for over ten years and completed her Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy with a Minor in Music Theory at Oakland University. She is active in her local teaching associations and is a past president of the Metropolitan Detroit Musicians League. She operates a studio in downtown Romeo where she enjoys preparing her students for MMTA’s Student Achievement Testing each year.
Michele Wells is currently enjoying her second year serving as president of the Piano Teachers’ Forum. She has been teaching piano lessons since age 15 when her youth pastor asked if she would teach his triplets. She was hooked! Besides teaching piano, Michele does lots of volunteering for local ministries and at her church. She and her amazing husband have 4 kids ranging in age from 11 to 16.
Friday, November 5, 2021 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Paula Dreyer
Piano Flow - Create and Elevate
Paula believes that we can use music making as a calming, therapeutic outlet. She will offer some introductory improvisational exercises that you can use alone or with your students, even while teaching online! Paula uses her Little Gems for Piano pieces as a springboard for creativity. Even if you have never improvised, you will leave the session with some concrete tools that will allow you to explore the piano in fresh, new ways. We will also explore some creative exercises for reaching for your dreams and brainstorming about improving your teaching experience. This nurturing session will end in a meditation while Paula serenades you with her improvisational “Musical Meditations”. Prepare to get inspired and soak in some creative, flowing energy!
Pianist Paula Dreyer
Pianist Paula Dreyer is a composer, educator and performer who seeks to inspire, include, and connect individuals through music. As a recent transplant to Bend, Oregon and an active mother of two, she uses music as a therapeutic form of self expression. She believes that with proper guidance, all people are capable of expressing themselves through music. She is on faculty at the Community Music Center of San Francisco and is the author of the instructional series Little Gems for Piano. She has taught at SF State University, Music at Maple Mount music camp, and privately in San Francisco, Montréal, and Bend, Oregon. Her pieces have been published by Taubman’s Rotation and Alignment and the class piano book PianoLab. Her award winning Little Gems series has sold thousands of copies globally. In addition to teaching, Paula enjoys presenting, adjudicating, collaborating with various chamber ensembles, and collaborative performance. She has played at world class venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Green Music Center, and with the Santa Rosa and Monterey Symphonies. Paula was a band member for San Francisco’s legendary show “Beach Blanket Babylon.” for twelve years. She was the winner of the Montréal Classical Music Festival and was a chamber music semi-finalist in the Concert Artist Guild Competition at New York’s Merkin Hall. She was the recipient of the full scholarship Poné Award during her masters degree in Chamber Music Performance in San Francisco. She also holds music degrees from McGill University in Montréal and Interlochen Arts Academy, and studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Paula completed an artist residency at Obras in Portugal, where she composed much of the music for the Little Gems. She has a real passion for composing unique, accessible, and enjoyable music for aspiring pianists and loves sharing her compositions with students around the globe. The Little Gems have been enjoyed in all 50 United States and in over 30 countries…
Friday, December 3, 2021 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Sheryl Iott
Music Cognition and Effective Practice Strategies for Intermediate-Level Musicians
This session will focus on music cognition specifically as it relates to intermediate musicians, and practice strategies that align with the pathways the mind wants to take anyway. These approaches maximize learning efficiency, leading to more effective practice, and more secure, flexible, and expressive performance.
Sheryl Iott, D.M.A.
Sheryl Iott is an active solo and collaborative performer, speaker, teacher, and adjudicator. She is a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto, for which she also works as a facilitator for their online pedagogy courses and as a Subject Matter Expert in piano and piano pedagogy. She recently spent a semester on a Fulbright Scholarship, teaching piano pedagogy and coaching collaborative piano/chamber music at the University of Brasilia. While there she performed with numerous UnB faculty, featuring music of myriad South American composers. She has also performed in Italy and throughout the U.K. as well as in many cities in the U.S. She has studied with Ralph and Albertine Votapek, Ian Hobson, and Joseph Evans, with additional coachings from Lydia Artimiw, Ward Davenny, and Richard Sim. Dr. Iott is on the faculty of Interlochen Arts Camp, and has served on the faculties of Grand Rapids Community College, Hope College, Michigan State University, and Calvin College. Various appointments have included teaching piano, piano pedagogy, keyboard skills, music appreciation, and duties as staff accompanist. Frequently published in music education and piano pedagogy books and magazines, Dr. Iott’s current research is focusing on music cognition and cognition-enhanced practice strategies. Her book, Thinking and Playing Music: Intentional Strategies for Optimal Practice and Performance has been published recently by Rowman & Littlefield. She has conducted workshops on effective practice strategies at Interlochen as well as for several state conferences, various local teacher groups and in “un” masterclasses. She is in the process of starting a youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/sherijiott/videos), which will include demonstrations of many examples from the book as well as excerpts from lessons and masterclasses demonstrating various cognition-inspired practice strategies.
Friday, January 7, 2022 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Amy Chaplin
Taming the Jungle: Digital Management Strategies for the Independent Music Teacher
Even though the digital age has placed a plethora of content, programs, and digital management tools at our fingertips it can very quickly become overwhelming and feel harder and harder to stay organized. In this session, we will look at six major areas of digital management independent music teachers deal with daily including file storage, communication, influencer content, media, basic lists, and office/business management. We’ll discuss everything from taking online payments and giving online assignments to following your favorite online creators, email management, and more. Attendees will gain invaluable time-saving strategies for dealing with information and communication as music teacher professionals and will walk away feeling equipped and supported to better manage not only their business but their daily lives.
Amy Chaplin, M.M.
Amy Chaplin is a pianist, educator, entrepreneur, writer, and active presenter at the local, state, and national levels. She enjoys talking about all things piano teaching, studio business, organization, and good-food related, combining all these passions at PianoPantry.com. Chaplin runs a successful independent piano studio in Northeast Indiana. She holds a Master’s in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Ball State University, a Bachelor of Music in Choral Education K-12 from Huntington University, and a certification in Music Learning Theory (MLT) and its practical application for piano from the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (GIML). Amy has been on the Indiana Music Teachers Association board for over ten years in various leadership roles, including state President. She has been a guest writer/speaker for several professional piano teacher outlets, including Piano Bench Magazine, Alfred Music Blog, Top Music Co., Vibrant Music Teachers, and Key Ideas podcast with Leila Viss. Her “Happy Birthday by Ear” product was featured on episode 28 of the Beyond Measure Podcast with Christina Whitlock.
Friday, February 4, 2022 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Anne Katherine Davis
Music Learning Theory & Rote Teaching
Music Learning Theory is the body of research by cognitive psychologist and Eastman School of Music alumnus Dr. Edwin E. Gordon. He theorized that music learning shares important similarities with language learning. We listen, we babble, we imitate, and then we speak, read, and write.
Rote teaching usually focuses on just the imitation stage, but when viewed through the lens of Gordon’s work we can discover the musical thoughts of our students and understand how best to guide them.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the learning sequence in Music Learning Theory, experiences of listening to music vs. the ability to audiate music, demonstrations of the learning activities, and participation opportunities for attendees.
Anne Katherine Davis
Pianist and pedagogue Anne Katherine Davis is based in central Mexico but tutors pianists of all ages/ levels and teachers from around the world. A medalist in numerous competitions and recipient of multiple Steinway Top Teacher awards, Anne is a graduate of the University of Missouri and The Boston Conservatory where she earned two graduate degrees in piano performance. An advocate of Gordon’s Music Learning Theory, trained in Alexander technique and influenced by the Taubman approach, she is the creator of The Rote Repertoire Project.
Friday, March 4, 2022 | 11:00am-1:30pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Derek Kealii Polischuk
Fundamentals of Working with Musicians with High-Functioning Autism
Musicians with high-functioning autism present an exciting challenge in our studios. I will discuss the fundamentals of working with these students supported by research in education, psychology, and piano pedagogy, and present examples of how you might work with these students. Additionally, I will highlight work happening at MSU at the “Celebrating the Spectrum” summer festival for pianists on the Autism Spectrum.
Derek Kealii Polischuk
Derek Kealii Polischuk is professor of piano and director of piano pedagogy at the Michigan State University College of Music. Originally from San Diego, Polischuk studied with Krzysztof Brzuza before attending the University of Southern California, where he received the Doctor of Music Arts degree in Piano Performance with distinction under the tutelage of Daniel Pollack.
Polischuk’s 2013 solo piano recording “Terra Incognita” for the Blue Griffin label has received international critical acclaim. Colin Clark of Fanfare Magazine wrote, “The Schubert receives an excellent performance from Polischuk. Shadings are perfectly judged, and Schubert’s sense of timelessness is superbly judged, finding the pianist testing the boundaries of what constitutes too much without actually transgressing. The playful F-Minor offers pure joy.” Lawrence Consentino wrote, “Polischuk hits every chord with a sweet weight. Every now and then, a set of notes tumbles down like flecks of snow breezed from a crow’s nest, with no evident human touch. With a warm but not ingratiating touch, he lets the music resound as if it were coming from inside your mind… ‘Terra Incognita’ is a thought-provoking mix of sensual pleasure and deep reflection.” Of Polischuk’s recording “Latin American Music for 2 Pianos” with pianist Sarkis Baltaian, James Harrington of American Record Guide wrote, “I cannot imagine anyone listening to this and not being drawn in.”
An enthusiastic supporter of the education of musicians at every age, ability and background, Polischuk has been a clinician at conferences around the world, including the Music Teachers National Association, the National Group Piano and Pedagogy Conference, the Multidisciplinary Research in Music Pedagogy Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the DOCTRID Conference in Ireland, the ABLE Assembly at Berklee College, and at universities and conservatories across China. Polischuk serves on the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy’s Committee for Teaching Students with Special Needs, the Advisory Board of the Orange County School of the Arts Pianist Program, the Board of Directors of the San Diego Musical Merit Foundation, and is Vice President of the Michigan Music Teachers Association.
Polischuk is a founder and director of the “Celebrating the Spectrum” Piano Festival for advanced pianists on the Autism Spectrum. Polischuk’s book “Transformational Piano Teaching,” described by Dr. Alice M. Hammel of James Madison University as “a world of piano pedagogy where anyone and everyone is welcome and included in the art and joy of playing the piano” and Stewart Gordon of the University of Southern California as “a landmark in the field of piano pedagogy” is available from Oxford University Press. At Michigan State University, Polischuk has been the recipient of the Curricular Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Award, the MSU College of Music Excellence in Diversity Award, and the Teacher-Scholar Award, given in recognition of exceptional skill in teaching.
Friday, April 1, 2022 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Christina Whitlock, MM, NCTM
The Art of Self-Reflection in the Studio
As piano teachers, we spend enormous amounts of time imagining what is going on inside our students’ heads. While this is, indeed, a hallmark of effective teaching, we are sometimes guilty of neglecting our own internal experiences in the process. This thought-provoking session walks you through a few key questions, providing meaningful insights into your own studio interactions. Attendees will leave feeling encouraged and better-informed to tackle their next steps toward a balanced life.
Christina Whitlock
Christina Whitlock, M.M., N.C.T.M. operates a vibrant independent studio in Muncie, Indiana. Christina earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Kent State University in 2004 (summa cum laude), and completed a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Ball State in 2006. Christina began teaching in the private setting when she was only fourteen, and has maintained a full studio roster ever since. She is proud to be celebrating over twenty-six years of teaching at the age of 39.
Christina is happy to have returned to the Taylor University faculty as Instructor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy, as well as Director of their Center for Musical Development. As an active freelance artist, Christina enjoys working with several local school districts and independent studios on a regular basis. Christina has served on the Indiana Music Teachers Association Board of Directors since graduating in 2006, currently acting as Independent Music Teacher Forum Chair and Recording Secretary. Christina’s speaking credits include presentations to numerous collegiate, local, and state teacher groups, as well as sessions at MTNA National Conferences. And, because a music teacher’s job is never done, Christina has recently launched a podcast. Beyond Measure with Christina Whitlock is a weekly shout-out of solidarity for the independent teaching profession (https://anchor.fm/beyondmeasure).
Christina is an active member of the Northside Church of God in Muncie, serving as choral director and teaching in children’s ministries. She and her husband, Michael, met at Northside, and were married there in 2006. They have been blessed with two daughters, who keep them humbled and on their toes (in the best possible way, of course).
Friday, May 6, 2022 | 11:30am-1:00pm
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Dr. Lia Jensen-Abbott
The Unsung Voice of Florence Price: Her Teaching and Performing Repertoire As Framed By Her History
This interactive webinar will explore the historical and cultural significance of the life of Florence Price as seen through her teaching and performing piano music. Understanding the difficult times of Price’s life and work will allow us to hear and understand her music in more expressive depth and context. Working with a definitive text as a backdrop, participants will hear demonstrations of excerpts of Price’s teaching and advanced repertoire. There will also be opportunities to explore Price’s music through small practice segments and to ask live questions/discussions about teaching strategies in order to incorporate this music into the studio.
Dr. Lia Jensen-Abbott
Dr. Lia Jensen-Abbott is an Associate Professor of Music at Albion College. Awarded the Arthur Andersen New Faculty of the Year award in 2016 from Albion College, Lia is well known for her interdisciplinary lecture recitals based on semiotic analysis, Fanny Hensel, Florence Price, Beethoven and Anton Diabelli, and the connections between athletics and music. Her solo and collaborative performances with Dr. Karen Kness have taken her around the United States, Europe, and Central America. In 2012 she performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City.
As a clinician and adjudicator, Lia has been invited to judge the MTNA National Finals in San Antonio and Chicago, and she has presented at the MTNA National Conference two times (Orlando and Baltimore) a CMS International Conference, and three WPTA Conferences. Recently, Lia has recorded a three-volume CD set entitled The Albion College Diabelli Squared Project, which presents Beethoven’s Op. 120, the original Fifty Variations written for Anton Diabelli’s philanthropic project, and thirteen newly commissioned variations on the same Waltz theme. Recently Lia has presented webinars for the Frances Clark Center.
An active member of the Music Teachers National Association, Lia is now the Past President of the Michigan MTA. She is a member of the European Piano Teachers Association and the World Piano Teachers Association, and President of the WPTA Michigan Chapter. Lia earned degrees from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (BM, DMA), Indiana University (Performer Diploma), and The Pennsylvania State University (MM, MA). Her teachers have included Timothy Shafer, Edmund Battersby, Jeremy Denk, and Mark Clinton. She is a co-founder of the Albion College International Piano Festival and Competition and lives in Albion, Michigan with her husband, pianist Dr. David Abbott, her son Charlie, and two dogs. In her spare time, Lia competes in triathlons, plays golf, and reads.
2020 - 2022 webinar series
April 17, 2021 | Avoiding Burnout
Approximately eight out of every ten employees are over-stressed. This statistic is up over 10 percent in the last decade and the issue of mental health has exponentially increased during the pandemic. Your personal health and productivity is the key to excellence.
Michelle L Steffes, CPS, CPLC is the CEO/Founder of IPV Consulting and Grand Rapids Business Breakfast. She is the author of Reframe and Rewire: Greatness Through Daily Routine. Michelle will approach the topic of Avoiding Burn out with an understanding of Neuroscience and Physiology accompanied by stories, analogies, statistics and examples from 20 years of leadership and team building.
In this webinar, you will learn how to take back control. We will reveal the major causes of burnout and help you to diagnose where you might fall in the 12 Stages of Burnout. We will also reveal 6 crucial Keys to Avoiding Burnout including insights and applications. You will feel empowered and equipped with specific ways to manage your stress, your time and your tasks more effectively.
A Few Take-Aways:
- The 12 Stages of Burnout
- Stress, Burnout and Physiology – How it Affects our Brains and Well-Being
- Six Keys to Avoiding Burnout
- The Neuroscience behind a Healthy State of Mind
- Physiological Changes We can Make from the Outside
- Retraining your Brain
- Make a Plan with Vision and Purpose
- Effective Time/Task Management
- Empowering You and Empowering Others for a Better Work Environment
We are excited to open this webinar to Non Members with registration fee of $10 before April 1 and $15 after April 1, 2021. Registration closes Thursday, April 15 at 11:59pm.
February 20, 2021 | Online Teaching
Effective Virtual Lessons During COVID-19 with Joy Morin
January 30, 2021 | SAT Technique, Sight Reading and Melody Playbacks
Registration will be required ahead of time to communicate information about materials used. WHO should register?
- Teachers entering students in SAT
- Teachers new to SAT or simply curious about it
- Experienced judges wanting to sharpen their skills
- Teachers interested in becoming a judge in these areas
- Teachers who would like to better prepare their students after learning how judges come up with a grade
