Day 3 Highlights from NCKP 2025

[Click to read Day 1 or Day 2.]

Once again, first thing in the morning I went to the exhibit hall to the make sure my Marketplace Table was arranged and ready for the day.

The conference schedule on Friday, July 25 began with a showcase session — presentations given by exhibitors. I attended the one by Hal Leonard. I always enjoy hearing the showcase sessions from the major publishers in order to hear about the latest publications. This session didn’t disappoint. I got to hear Glenda Austin’s incredibly expressive playing, highlighting her Solos for the Sanctuary series and Lyric Waltzes. Charmaine Siagian highlighted a new book called The Eugenie Rocherelle Collection in honor of Rochelle, who passed away earlier this year. Jason Sifford shared about his latest publication titled: “Play Piano Again” — an interesting book for adult students that pulls from the beloved music of John Thompson. And Brendon Fox talked about new releases in terms of classical piano publications.

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Next was a keynote delivered by Stanford Thompson titled: “Keys Towards Equity: Transforming Teaching Through Belonging and Dignity.” Unfortunately, I missed part of this talk — but what I did hear was wonderful!

At 10am, the conference schedule broke out into a variety of sessions to choose from once again. I went to the room where the Young Musicians: Birth to Age 9 Track was taking place, since I am currently service on that committee for the Frances Clark Center. I got to hear Katie Ostrosky give an interactive Dalcroze workshop titled: “Let’s Get Moving! Eurhythmics Applications in the Private Studio.”

Next in our track was Scarlette Kerr presenting: “‘Musiking’ with the Mind and Body: How Rhythm Audiation and Movement Work Together to Develop Piano Technique.” Scarlette led us through activities that develop “embodied cognition” of rhythm and meter by moving, listening, chanting, audiating, and improvising. Scarlette holds certifications in both Gordon’s MLT and the Lister-Sink method, and I always appreciate hearing her insights bringing piano technique to MLT. I was honored to serve as the presider for Scarlette’s session as well as the session following.

The next session of the Young Musicians Track was titled “ERICA: A Framework for Elementary Technique Training” given by Michael Clark. This session was well-delivered and shared practical activities for piano technique organized according to Michael’s acronym: ERICA — Exercises, Rote pieces, Imagery, Cues, and Activities.

Here’s a quick photo my pal Christina Whitlock and I took together!

After those sessions, I spent a bit of time at my Marketplace Table and roaming the exhibit hall before meeting up with a handful of fellow Michigan-based piano teachers for lunch. Here we are, at the hotel restaurant waiting to be seated. Our current MMTA President, Laurie Marshall, is in the middle.

After lunch, the schedule featured another set of PEDx talks. William Westney (author of The Perfect Wrong Note) presented “Celebrating the Human Element: What Piano Study Can Offer in a World of A.I.”. Rochelle Sennet presented “Bach to Black: The Journey of Exploring Piano Suites”, covering her project to record Bach suites alongside suites by Black composers. Roberta Rust presented “Stands With Eagles”, featuring indigenous North American composer Louis W. Ballard’s Four American Indian Preludes. Finally, the four artists from the jazz concert the night before presented a panel discussion titled “Harmony in Contrast: Four Jazz Pianists Discuss Their Visions for Piano Pedagogy.”

Next, I visited the Royal Conservatory of Music’s showcase session for a little bit and spent time at my Marketplace Table near the exhibit hall. I then headed over to a meet-up in the lobby organized by Amy Chaplin and Christina Whitlock. I brought along some of my free swag: pencils and stickers. 🙂

I went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Ancho & Agave with some of those teachers — some who I knew previously, if only from Instagram! — including Andrea Miller (of Music Studio Startup), Amy Elmore, Sonya Poon, Rachel Ehring, Tweena Vuong (of SmartMuse), Christina Agostini, and Jaclyn Mrozek.

This may make you laugh. After dinner, we tried out the “galloping” trend that supposedly creates great candid shots. What can I say…piano teachers know how to have fun!