2023 - 2024 webinar series
MMTA Webinars
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Free for Members | Registration Required
About MMTA Interactive Webinars
MMTA is pleased to host our third season of MMTA Interactive Webinars. 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. To attend each Zoom webinar live, please register for each individual event. Replay videos will be available for viewing up to three weeks after each event (link provided to members via email).
Click an image below to jump to information about each webinar.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Janna Williamson:
Taking Off the Training Wheels: Effectively Teaching Past the Method Book and into the Intermediate Level
Friday, September 15, 2023 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Quality beginning piano methods are vital for student success in their earliest years of study. But what do teachers do after the method? How do we navigate the vast sea of repertoire available to piano students and teach the intermediate level with success? In this session, Janna Williamson will offer tips and resources on how to transition out of the elementary and into the intermediate level with confidence as well cover what a well-rounded intermediate curriculum might look like, casting a vision for excellent teaching at the intermediate level.
Pianist Janna Williamson, NCTM, maintains a home studio in West Chicago, Illinois, and previously taught at the Wheaton Yamaha Music School from 2001-2020 where she also served as Supervisor of Private Lessons. A teacher of teachers, Janna is a Content Creator for TopMusicPro and coaches piano teachers around the world through her online Teacher Consultation service. Her YouTube channel features free pedagogical content, particularly focused on how to teach intermediate historical repertoire. Janna holds masters and bachelors degrees in piano performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. When she is not seated at the piano, Janna loves spending her time with her husband and their four children. For more information, please visit www.jannawilliamson.com
MMTA Interactive Webinar led by Jacki VanderSlik:
Favorite Tips for Successful Student Performances
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Join us as we share ideas on preparing students for the SAT performance test focusing on choosing appropriate level and repertoire, helping students memorize more confidently and efficiently, and sharing what judges are listening for in a successful performance.
Vivian Kleinhuizen became a member of the Grand Rapids Piano Teachers Forum in 1971 and has enrolled students in the MMTA SAT testing program for 52 years. She has maintained a private piano studio in southeast Grand Rapids for 62 years along with teaching piano and theory at Calvin University’s Knollcrest Summer Music Camp for a number of years.
Gail Lytle Lira is a performer, an independent music teacher, an adjudicator and a presenter. Living in East Lansing, she has been preparing students for SAT and competitions for more than 30 years. For more information go to gaillytlelira.com
Michelle Mitchum teaches piano to all ages in Petoskey/Boyne City area. She was the SAT Chairperson from 2017-2022.
Jacki VanderSlik has been an active member of MMTA and the Holland Piano Teachers’ Forum for over 40 years. She currently serves as president of HPTF and is on the MMTA Board as chair of the SAT Piano Handbook & Testing committee. She enjoys teaching students of all ages and abilities in her home studio and enrolls many of them in SAT every year.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Janice Cook:
How Many of Your Students Have Hidden Vision Disorders?
November 3, 2023 | 11:30am-1:00pm
We pay attention to students’ fingers, wrists, arms, shoulders, torso, feet, etc., but what about their vision? Hear from a dedicated piano teacher who was never taught about Hidden Vision Disorders until an optometrist spoke at a local MTNA meeting, forty-five years into her teaching career. In the ten years since, Janice Cook has learned from pediatric and developmental optometrists and became a spokesperson for the American Optometric Association. Many students’ lives have been changed for the better because of her newfound knowledge. Learn about Convergence Problems, Accommodative Disorders, Oculomotor Speed Problems and more. 70% of what we learn, comprehend, and remember depends on our visual system. “25% of children have a vision problem, but in my studio, it is just over 50%. Now my eyes are wide open and I see what I had not seen before. If undiagnosed and untreated, these children may never reach their potential in academics, music, and/or sports and may well have self-esteem issues.”
Janice Cook, NCTM, is a cum laude graduate of the Ohio State University School of Music. She was named Ohio Music Teacher’s Association’s first Nationally Certified Music Teacher of the Year and is a past recipient of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s Community Music Educator award. In 2015, she was named an MTNA Foudation Fellow, for distinguished service to the music teaching profession. She is currently mentoring teachers wishing to become nationally certified. Mrs. Cook was named a Steinway Top Piano Teacher for 2023. Janice has been a presenter at the MTNA Conference four times. In 2022, her session was entitled, “When a Student Struggles to Focus: Opening our Eyes to Student Vision Problems.” She has authored an articles on the same topic for The Piano Magazine and three upcoming issues of American Music Teacher Magazine. Videos of Janice’s teaching have been shown at two MTNA Conferences on Pedagogy Saturday. Mrs. Cook has been an adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers since 1984 and serves as Chairman of the Columbus Piano Guild Center, one of the largest centers in the U.S. For thirty-eight years, Janice performed with The Early Interval, Columbus’ resident early music ensemble specializing in the music of medieval and Renaissance Europe. She plays treble and bass viola da gamba, treble and bass rebec, baroque violin, vielle, recorder, crumhorn and has been a vocal soloist. A former string teacher in Columbus, Janice has enjoyed coaching for Chamber Music Connection for many years. Michigan Connections: A summer at Interlochen National Music Camp, at the age of 16, helped shape Janice’s future career. Her son David is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music where he was a jazz piano major. He played keyboards for N SYNC right out of college and has been Taylor Swift’s Music Director for the past twelve years.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Michele Wells:
Leading With Love: Leadership Skills for Music Teachers
Friday, December 1, 2023 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Many piano teachers find themselves in positions of leadership but have very little training on how to actually lead well. Whether chairing an event, serving as an officer, or running a music studio, strong leadership is an essential skill. In this interactive webinar we will explore how to lead with love for your organization, the people in the organization, and for yourself. We will share ideas on how to create a thriving organizational culture where people are passionate about serving and truly believe in the organization’s purpose.
Michele Wells has been an active member of the Piano Teachers’ Forum of Grand Rapids since 2003 and has served on the executive board since 2008. She is currently serving as president – a job she truly enjoys. In 2015 Michele received the Teacher of the Year award for her service to her local chapter. In the past couple of years she has started two new programs for her local chapter: the Piano Book Club and the Performing Arts Passport. Michele is married to her high school sweetheart, Greg, and together they have four teenagers and a dog. She is passionate about bringing people together around a shared cause to bring beauty and joy to the world.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Gregory Chase
Meaningful Learning in the Private Studio Lesson through Collaboration
Friday, January 12, 2024 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Educational Psychologists and researchers, such as Vygotsky and Gordon, have found that students learn best when learning with other students. With a small adjustment in our studio teaching schedules students can take learning from an individual affair to a collaborative affair. This session will take a look at how collaborative learning enhances deeper musical understanding. Overlapping students’ lessons for 10-30 minutes allows the opportunity for greater meaningful and purposeful learning to occur. Through activities both at and away from the instrument, through singing and movement, and through vocal and instrumental rhythmic and tonal improvisation, we will experience how learning flourishes through collaboration. This will be a practical and interactive session.
Gregory Chase received his Master of Music Education from the University at Buffalo, SUNY; his Bachelor of Music in Performance and Literature from Brandon University; and his Associate Performers diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. He has undertaken doctoral studies in the Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning program at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. He is an online adjunct instructor Graduate School of Education, at the University at Buffalo, SUNY and a sessional lecturer at the University of Regina. He has examined and adjudicated for over 35 years for the Royal Conservatory of Music and Canadian National Conservatory of Music (CNCM). Since 2018 he has served on the Young Musicians Committee of the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). Mr. Chase taught at St. Michael’s Academy and Brandon University Conservatory of Music in Yellowknife, NWT and performed with the Archean Chamber Trio in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He works with students and teachers throughout Canada, the United States, Portugal, Iran, and China and has spoken at numerous Provincial, National and International Conferences. His current studies and research are based on neuroscience and music. His focus is on Music Learning Theory, which concentrates on how our brain learns and processes music when we learn music. In the Spring of 2021 he partnered with Eastside Audiology Rehabilitation in Regina, SK, bringing the program Music for Your Brain: Retraining Your Brain How to Hear for infants and toddlers at risk for auditory skill development or who have been diagnosed with auditory processing disorders. He released a music reading curriculum, Ars Nova de Audiation, based on notational audiation which is being implemented in music schools, universities, and studios throughout North America. Gregory maintains a private music studio and teaches Early Childhood Music Classes, “Music Moves for Kids” at the Regina Conservatory of Performing Arts and First Years Learning Center. He currently resides in Regina, Saskatchewan with his wife and son.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Panel of Six Music Professionals
Exploring Career Pathways in Music
Friday, February 2, 2024 | 11:30am-1:00pm
This panel discussion will provide high school and college students, parents, and teachers an opportunity to learn more about careers in music. Attendees will be able to ask questions of professionals about their lives and jobs in various fields of music including serving as a college professor, independent teacher, performer, collaborative pianist, church musician, music therapist, composer, arranger, entrepreneur, etc. We will also briefly cover the resources available at MMTA, should they choose to join a professional organization during and after college.
Sookkyung Cho is Associate Professor of Piano at Grand Valley State University and Founder/Artistic Director of Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series. She holds a D.M.A. and B.M. from Juilliard, and a M.M. from Peabody.
Elizabeth Nonnenmacher is a pianist and church musician based in Northwest Ohio. She has been teaching piano lessons to pre-college students for over 40 years. She also has served as Music Director for several churches, fulfilling duties as pianist, organist, and choral director.
Brianna Matzke hails from Cincinnati, where she serves as Associate Professor at Wilmington College. She is President/CEO of the International Foundation for Contemporary Music and specializes in the commissioning and performance of new works.
Jonathan Roberts is the owner and director of the South Shore Piano School in the Boston area. He also serves as president of the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association and as an examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Chrissy Ricker is a piano teacher, composer, and arranger from North Carolina. She has published over 40 collections of educational piano music for students. Chrissy is also a “Signature Artist” for the online music retailer Musicnotes, where she has arranged hundreds of popular titles for pianists at all levels.
Alisha Snyder has a bachelor of arts from Calvin University, a Masters in Music Therapy from Western Michigan University, and has maintained a piano studio for over 25 years. She currently volunteers at the local, state, and regional/national level for a variety of music therapy and music teacher organizations.
Have a question for our panelists? Send it to us below!
Teachers: Help us spread the word! Share about this event with your students and parents by sharing the flyer below.
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Heather Smith:
Silent Film Recitals
Friday, March 1, 2024 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Are you looking for an exciting performance opportunity for students of all levels, instruments, and abilities? Are you interested in promoting the arts or raising money to support your community? Discover how to run a silent film recital for your studio or silent film festival in your community. Students will find joy in preparing and performing for an audience as they accompany classic, humorous silent films starring luminaries like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Mabel Normand.
Heather Smith, MM, MBA, NCTM is the Director of Development and Advancement for The Frances Clark Center and is the co-creator of the Center’s online course, A Pianist’s Guide to Studio Management. She serves as the MTNA National Secretary-Treasurer and is on the MTNA Foundation Fund Development Committee as well as the MTNA Business Network. She is an examiner for The Royal Conservatory of Music and runs an independent music studio in Centerville, Utah. She is also the founding executive director of Silent Film Celebration, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, that supports students, teachers, and music programs in developing countries through silent films and music.
MMTA Member Chat:
Studio Year Planning
Friday, April 5, 2024 | 11:30am-1:00pm
Come enjoy social time and stimulating discussion with your fellow MMTA colleagues. This session will give you the opportunity to share your ideas on all things related to planning your studio year and learn some tips from your fellow teachers. We will discuss questions such as: How do you plan for your studio calendar? What are your best planning strategies to make your year run smoothly? What are your favorite recitals or events? and more. You will also have the time to get to know some of your colleagues better through small group discussions. Due to the interactive nature of this session, it will be offered as a live event only (no replay video). Hope you can join us!
MMTA Interactive Webinar with Dr. Paola Savvidou:
Armor up! Self-Care Strategies for Preventing Teacher Burnout
Friday, May 3, 2024 | 11:30am-1:00pm
The end of the academic year can be exhausting for piano teachers. Between preparing students for recitals, competitions, adjudicated events, other work responsibilities, and managing every day life, we often find ourselves drained of both emotional and physical energy. In this workshop, we will learn strategies for preventing burnout and ideas for replenishing our reserves during times of stress and low energy.
Paola Savvidou, DMA, NCTM, is a pianist, pedagogue, and wellness advocate. On a daily basis she wears many hats serving as Wellness Initiative Program Manager and Lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, while also running her own piano studio called Music Lotus in Ann Arbor, MI. In her role at UM she develops partnerships within the University of Michigan health services and beyond to provide education, injury-preventive services and recovery support for students, faculty and staff. In her teaching, she incorporates mindfulness and yoga concepts to facilitate a balanced and healthy approach to music-making. She frequently presents related research at prominent conferences including the MTNA National Conference, the International Society for Music Education Conference, the European Association for Schools of Music Conference, College Music Society’s International Conference, and the European Piano Teachers Association. Dr. Savvidou’s book entitled Teaching the Whole Musician: A Guide to Supporting Music Students’ Wellness was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Her work has won Article of the Year through MTNA two years in a row. She has also published in the Piano Pedagogy Forum, MMTA NOTES, and The Piano Magazine. She co-authored At the Piano with Yoga with Haley Myers; a collection of duets for beginning piano students coupled with yoga poses. She serves as Chair of the Editorial Board for the MTNA e-Journal and as a member of the Wellness Committee for the National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy. She is a trained kids yoga teacher with Rainbow Kids Yoga, holds a Wellness Counseling Certification, a BM from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and graduate degrees (MM and DMA) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.