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Newsletter​ and blog

January 2019 Newsletter

1/15/2019

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Is it really 2019 already?  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season forming new memories with family and friends!
 
Since the previous newsletter, DVMTA has wrapped up the year with several noteworthy events!  In early November, several teachers and piano families converged on Organ Stop Pizza for a delightful fund-raising event!  Sharing an evening of pizza and unforgettable entertainment with our piano families offered those who attended a unique opportunity to make some new connections!  It was also satisfying to see the awe on the faces of first-time attenders when the mighty Wurlitzer went into action!  An added bonus was that Organ Stop donated back $202 to our organization, which will fund two Devoted Performer awards this year! 

A few weeks later, our Original Composition Festival took place thanks to Toni Tetreau, Debbie Engelsman and Jessica Heidt.  And what an event it was!  I have attended several of the composition recitals in the past, but I have to say that this was one of my favorites!  I loved the venue and the compositions were better than ever!  We continue to be so grateful to Penny Scott, our faithful evaluator, who gives each student the most amazing, thorough feedback year after year!  The learning the students gain from participating in this event is phenomenal and well worth the preparation time!

In November, we also had our general meetingwhich included an extremely worthwhile presentation called “Power Up Practice” put together by our very own DVMTA members – Hollie Lunt, Kelli Riding, Joni Walker, Shannon Payne and Alayne Favreau.  There was a wealth of information presented, and I know that everyone walked away with lots of new ideas that could be put immediately into practice!  Thanks so much, ladies, for sharing all of these wonderful pearls of wisdom with us!

In early December, several of us met at Panera Bread for our December Luncheon.  It was great to fellowship with old friends and new friends!  I love this event, because it is such a great way to network with each other and share studio and life stories!  Teaching piano is such a lonely profession, so it is wonderful to have a chance to meet informally with other people who understand our world!  I’d like to give a shout out to Toni Tetreau who gave the event a special touch by providing adorable handmade ornaments for each participant and some fun door prizes as well!

Now, it is time to gear up for our next big events – Cavalcade, Awards in Excellence andAchievement Day!  Just as you all have contributed to the success of our fall events, I am confident that you will support our spring events as well.  You are all proving the truth in this year’s theme – “Individually we are one drop, but together we are an ocean”!  The opportunities we provide for our students are priceless.  Personally, I can’t fathom what teaching piano would be like without them!  Hurray for DVMTA!
 
Carolyn Rooder
DVMTA President 2018-2019

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November 2018 Newsletter

1/15/2019

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Have you ever noticed that students are never short on excuses for not being prepared for piano lessons each week?  Too much homework…..relatives in town……special event at school……sport practice…….sport practice……..sport practice……..seriously????  Let’s face it, everyone is busy, busy and more busy these days and now we are heading into the busiest season of the whole year!  So, how do we maintain our quality teaching, prepare students for special events, promote student progress and still carve out time to take care of our own busy lives?  After all, we are guilty of being just as busy as our students!
    As we head into year-end holidays, take a deep breath and remember the sayings, “first things first” and “easy does it.”  This is a good time of year to make lots of lists, so that you can more easily take care of “first things first”!  Once the list has transferred all those racing thoughts out of your brain and onto the page, you can analyze how each item fits into your time schedule.  I usually write a deadline next to each item on my list so that they are automatically prioritized.  When I do this, I don’t waste precious time on something that doesn’t need to be done until next Friday when I have three things that need to be done by this Monday.  Once I know what items need attention first, I start on the first item whether I want to do it or not and I see it through to completion.  I then move on to the next item and work on completing that item.  I call this “easy does it” because we can often get overwhelmed even by a prioritized list.  Disciplining ourselves to work through one item at a time, step by step, makes it feel like we really only have one thing to accomplish instead of many.  Focus equals efficiency, and before we know it, we are crossing an item off the list!  A long list of crossed out items can then become quite rewarding because we have a tangible reminder of what we’ve accomplished!
    Using this technique with students can help them with busy times as well.  My students use a goal check sheet rather than a time check sheet.  They are expected to work on at least three of their goals, six days per week.  This offers them an “easy does it” on busy days, because they can accomplish goals that are less time consuming when their time is limited.  They can also prioritize goals related to performance deadlines, “first things first”, so that the most important goals are attended to first.
    I wish for you all a happy, healthy, joyful, productive season relatively free of the stress and frustration of being too busy.  Just remember to tackle “first things first” and go about things with an “easy does it” attitude!

Carolyn Rooder
DVMTA President

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October 2018 Newsletter

10/17/2018

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“If it is to be, it is up to me.”  Ten little two letter words that pack a powerful message!  Good advice for our students to consider in preparing for lessons and events, but also good advice to all of us teachers as members of DVMTA.  It is so easy in an organization that relies solely on volunteers, for members to take a back seat and let someone else get the job done.  After all, someone else must have more time than each of us, right?  And, of course, no monetary reward is involved so why bother, right?  I have been thinking about this tendency to “pass the buck” a lot lately, because we have some critical fund-raising to do in the near future to support our student awards fund.  My fear is that people will mistakenly think that they don’t need to participate, because there are bound to be many others who will participate.  Just imagine what would happen if each and every one of us had that attitude!  The fund-raising effort would fail miserably!  
  
Fortunately, we have found two family-friendly fund-raisers this year to supplement the funds we raise at our Marathon event.  One is our Organ Stop Pizza Night and the other is the Amazon Smile program.   Please read about each of these events below.  If either of these efforts is to succeed, it is up to each and every one of you helping to spread the word to your piano families!  Our student awards fund is depending on you!


Carolyn Rooder
DVMTA President

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September 2018 Newsletter

9/26/2018

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“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”  (Bill Copeland)  An appropriate quote for the onset of football season, this quote also addresses what is currently at the forefront of educational philosophy today – goal setting.  Classrooms across the country are now sporting daily goals for each subject, and students are trained to monitor their achievement of the posted goals continually throughout the day.  Why?  Because, goals give purpose.  Goals breed success.  In my latter years as a public school teacher, the hottest goal lingo was “S.M.A.R.T. goals” – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.  No longer was it adequate to say that my students would learn how to play the recorder.  My new S.M.A.R.T. goal had to sound more like this – “My students will play Hot Cross Buns on the recorder with 3 or less errors by September 23rd”.  A S.M.A.R.T. goal makes it pretty clear to both students and teacher exactly what is to be accomplished and also, helps them know when it has been accomplished.

Lucky for all of us who have become members of DVMTA, we have a variety of events that provide built-in S.M.A.R.T goals for students to achieve.  Each event has specific performance expectations for students to meet by a specific date.  Student success can be measured by the strength of the performance as well as by written critiques in some cases.  Motivation to practice naturally increases as students work to achieve their goals, and students receive intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards for successfully achieving those goals. One such event is right around the corner – Music Marathon!  I love this event, because all of my students have something to work toward right from the beginning of the piano year!  In addition, our Original Composition Festival is another fall event that provides a S.M.A.R.T. goal for students who wish to write their own compositions.  Worried about the time it will take to prepare?  See the website for a new document just added for helping the beginning composer – a fabulous resource for those of you who aren’t sure how to get started!  

I firmly believe that students who lack opportunities to use their piano skills quickly tire of their lessons and soon suspect the futility of learning all those pieces week after week.  Don’t let your students run aimlessly up and down the field.  Give them a chance to score by providing them with the performance goals that will keep them interested and focused on their music education for years to come!
    
Read more about our various events below and please feel free to contact me or any of the event chairs for more information.  Hope to see you all at Marathon!


Carolyn Rooder
DVMTA President 2018-19

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  • Home
  • Find a Teacher
  • Newsletter and Blog
  • Events
    • 2018 Music Marathon >
      • Music Marathon Registration Fees (unavailable)
      • Music Marathon Registration Form (unavailable)
    • 2018 Original Composition Festival
    • 2019 Cavalcade of Rhythm
    • 2019 Awards in Excellence
    • 2019 Achievement Day
    • 2019 Awards Plus
    • Member Events and Calendar
    • General Documents
  • Members
    • New Members
    • Member Renewal
    • Event Registration
    • Membership List
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