Hello, readers! Summer is gone, and we’re now into the groove of the new school year. My last blog post shared the details of my recent Piano Teacher Retreat, held August 1-3, 2019. The rest of August went like a blur, due to a variety of travel. Here’s a little bit of a catch-up post!
NCKP 2019: July 24-27
Backing up just a step… The week before the retreat, I attended NCKP 2019. It was a phenomenal conference, as always!
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e506.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
I attended so many great sessions. My favorite was a session given by Louis Svard, presenting on “The Musical World of Infants: What It Can Tell Us About How Children Actually Learn Music.” She has a blog called The Musician’s Brain you can check out here.
I had the privilege of presenting two sessions during NCKP, both on Wednesday as part of the Pre-Conference Seminars. First, I gave a session for the Wellness Track called “Lessons for Piano Teachers from the Alexander Technique.” In this session, I share my experience as a student of the Alexander Technique and how taking AT lessons has impacted me as a musician and piano teacher.
Later that afternoon, I also presented one of my favorite talks: “Piano Method Mining: Gems from Past and Present.” In this session, I provide a survey of piano methods from past to present, highlighting the ones consider most notable and still useful today. The room was full, and I received such wonderful feedback afterwards!
![](https://i2.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e4dc.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
There were SO many wonderful sessions I attended. I also had the honor of spending time in the exhibit hall helping Paula Dreyer with her booth. (If you haven’t checked out her Little Gems For Piano books, I highly recommend them!)
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e528.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
Most evenings, I joined with a group of teachers to walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e541.jpg?fit=825%2C620&ssl=1)
This is how music teachers occupy themselves while waiting for a table to become available: we figure out how to spell “NCKP”! ๐
![](https://colorinmypiano.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e535.jpg)
I could write much more about the sessions I attended at NCKP but in favor of freeing myself to be able to blog about more recent projects, I’m going to leave it at that!
(By the way, NCKP is a fabulous conference held every-other-year in Lombard, IL. I highly recommend it — perhaps you’ll want to plan to attend NCKP 2021!)
South Shore Piano Camp: August 12-16
Some time ago, my friend Jonathan Roberts from the Boston area had invited me to return this year once again to teach at the summer piano camp he organizes: South Shore Piano Camp.
![](https://colorinmypiano.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e660.jpg)
I joined several other faculty members, including my friend Marilyn Lowe. I flew out to Boston a couple days early, in order to hear Marilyn give a two-day workshop about Music Learning Theory (MLT).
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5fPbUR9fS8WpTquIixR2A_thumb_e602.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1)
It was great to get a refresher on MLT and learn some new things, too!
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e611.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
During Jonathan’s five-day South Shore Piano Camp experience, I taught composition classes and masterclasses.
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6a5.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
For composition class, the goal is for each student to create their own original composition by the end of the week.
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e637.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
To accomplish this, I drew upon many of the composition materials available here on my blog, including the Flashcards for Composition/Improvisation and my So, You Want To Be A Composer? camp curriculum. You might also be interested in seeing my Composition & Improvisation Prompts for Piano resource.
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e694.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
Students worked independently on their compositions and took turns using the pianos we had in our room.
By the end of the week, each student had a final hand-written copy and a professionally engraved (by me!) copy of their composition. They also had the opportunity to perform their composition during one of the end-of-the-day recitals.
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6a4.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
Jon does a great job creating a fun camp experience for students to together share in their love for music. The entire week was a blast.
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e65c.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
One evening during camp, a Boston area teacher friend, Katya, invited Marilyn and I to join her for dinner at a Russian restaurant. I was so excited to try Russian food (it’s not often you see Russian restaurants around!), and we were all so pleased with the delicious meal we enjoyed!
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e665.jpg?fit=770%2C1024&ssl=1)
OregonMTA State Conference: August 21-24
My next August trip was to Eugene, Oregon. Yes, I went from spending time on in the East to spending time out West!
I was honored to be one of three speakers at the OregonMTA‘s 2019 state conference, alongside Helen Marlais and Dennis Alexander. I presented two sessions: “Teaching the Way We Learn: 5 Principles from Gordonโs Music Learning Theory (MLT)” (a session I normally co-present with Amy Chaplin) and “A Quarter Note = 1 beatโ and Other Lies My Music Teacher Told Me”.
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6db.jpg?fit=825%2C525&ssl=1)
Both sessions are FUN, interactive sessions sharing teaching strategies for increasing “audiation” skills in our students based on principles from Edwin E. Gordon’s Music Learning Theory.
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/20190823-OregonMTA.jpg?fit=825%2C825&ssl=1)
I met many wonderful teachers during the OregonMTA conference! And the conference was so well planned and organized.
![](https://i0.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e816.jpg?fit=825%2C462&ssl=1)
One evening, I joined an organized walk/hike to see a lookout spot over Eugene called Skinner’s Butte. The weather was perfect for this.
![](https://i2.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6b3.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
The roses in the park were lovely.
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6cd.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
The view was well worth the hike!
![](https://i1.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6c2.jpg?fit=825%2C620&ssl=1)
I was glad for the opportunity to get out and see a bit of nature during my trip.
![](https://i2.wp.com/colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_e6c4.jpg?fit=825%2C619&ssl=1)
Whew — August was a full month, but I wouldn’t give up any of my trips even if I could. My heart feels full remembering the highlights from each of these trips!
Thanks for vicariously traveling with me through this blog post. ๐ More blog updates coming soon — stay closely tuned!! You won’t want to miss out. ๐
[P.S.: Looking for a speaker for your next music teacher event? Here’s info about my workshop topics.]