Happy Spring fabulous teachers! This Arizona weather is perfect right now, and I hope you are enjoying it during spring break. I was happy yesterday when I stepped into the backyard and smelled orange blossoms!

The last three months of the school year will be busy ones with the Awards in Excellence competition, April Brunch, Achievement Day, and the Awards Plus recognition ceremony. Like many of you, I’m also preparing for a studio recital. Somewhere in all of this, I will be heading to Houston to meet grandbaby #5 and to help my daughter. I’m feeling somewhat overwhelmed with all that I have on my plate, but a few experiences with my students the last few weeks have reminded me what an honor and joy it is to know them, to be a part of their lives, and to teach them to be musicians.

After searching for the perfect recital piece for one of my teenager students, Lauren turned to me after I played the top contenders and said, “These are just the types of pieces I wanted! You know me so well.” Kelly showed up 10 minutes before her lesson to share her ecstatic news that she finally got her driver’s license. She came early to take me on a drive around my neighborhood. I recently attended a church service where one of my basketball-playing students, Sam, played a beautiful musical number for his congregation. He gave me a cool nod and a smile as he walked back to his seat, and I witnessed happiness on his face as people approached him afterwards to give him compliments and to express gratitude. 2 other students recently got the courage to schedule dates to play for their congregations. I recently received a text from Lucy telling me that she’s always in a better mood after her lesson and thanking me for helping her work through the tough spots in her piece. Maren reluctantly agreed to learn a challenging classical piece for the recital. She now loves the Moonlight Sonata and the feeling of accomplishment she gets when she plays it.

I know all of you experience special moments like these that make the hard days all worth it. They have motivated me to finish the year strong instead of feeling overwhelmed. I was reminded that my efforts matter, and I’m blessed to be an influence in the lives of my students.

“There is music in every child. The teacher’s job is to find it and nurture it.”
– Frances Clark.

Tammy Shorts
DVMTA President 2022-2024

​Read the full March 2024 Newsletter

Amid our Cavalcade rehearsals, members took a break to enjoy our General Meeting on February 23, 2024. We met at My First Piano Rehearsal Hall and heard from our presenter, DVMTA member Lori Weidemann. Lori's presented "Tips for Sight-Reading, Ear Training and Evaluations," and she shared many ideas for preparing students for successful piano evaluations. As teachers we are always looking to help students improve in the fundamentals of reading and hearing music, and we loved hearing Lori's ideas. Thank you, Lori, for sharing your teaching skills with us!

February brings many fun things, but for DVMTA teachers and students, February means it's time for Cavalcade! Months of practicing are over and it's time for the rehearsals. This year the rehearsals were held at Mountain View High School February 5th through February 20th on Mondays and Tuesdays. Students gathered with their groups and practiced their Broadway-inspired duets in an ensemble. The first rehearsal together is always exciting, and there is such energy in the air as they practice following their conductor in unity. This skill is so important for musicians to learn and when they have exciting Broadway tunes to play it's a fun time for everyone. On with the show!!