October 2018 newsletter:
Dear Teachers!
Hello! I trust your studio is already humming along and underway at the start of the new academic year! This is traditionally harvest time, when our ancestors would reap the fruits of their labors—but this is exactly when we get to plant seeds and invent new possibilities together with our students.
I am very excited to announce that in a few days, on Monday the 15th, students and faculty from the Saint Olaf School will stage a lecture/performance at the Steinway Gallery in Pasadena in the morning at 10:30 AM, and a special performance at Fritzie Culick’s home, in Altadena, in the evening at 7 PM. There is room for more at both events.
It looks like the majority of us are participating in Certificate of Merit, as nearly 130 teachers participated in a training session. There is a great variety, with eleven string teachers, six voice teachers, nine winds teachers and even one guitar teacher joining the piano teachers. At least nine teachers new to MTAC Pasadena are going to be involved in Certificate of Merit, and at least three teachers are involved with more than one instrument! Remember, these are the weeks during which we must register our students for Certificate of Merit; the deadline is October 31.
The Theme Festival is coming up December 1, and the deadline to apply is November 1. This year, the theme is composers born in North America- Canada, USA or Mexico. There is more info on the website or you can contact Kelly Anderson, chairman.
Member Natalia Hudson is performing chamber music in a benefit concert, with violinist Agnes Székely Schwartz, on October 20, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Pasadena, at 7:00 p.m. The concert will benefit the Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, which is devoted to victims of domestic violence. The performance will be preceded by a wine reception starting at 6:30.
Looking ahead, on January 6th we will hold our Winter Tea, in the afternoon. This is always a fun event, a casual space in which to chat with colleagues and compare notes, in an especially beautiful setting. Details will be forthcoming.
There was an error in the directory—Carla Barlett received her directory and noticed errors on her particulars. It should be:
Carla Bartlett (with no “e” at the end of Bartlett),
bartlett53@aol.com (no e between t and 5) and her phone number should be
310-503-7817.Remember, the online directory, on our website, is the most up-to-date.
This Friday, October 12, is the deadline to send an application for the October 21st Branch Recital, which will be at Steinway Gallery in Pasadena, at 3:00. Please be sure to email Michiko Hartzberg at
MichikoHartzberg@gmail.com for Information about this important event.
I’d like to pass on some information from Dr. Stephen Cook, Associate Dean of Arts at the School of Music, California School of the Arts, San Gabriel Valley. Please feel free to pass this along to any of your interested students.
“California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley is a public charter school that provides a creative, challenging, and nurturing environment offering bright and talented students a rigorous college-preparatory education and pre-professional arts conservatory training. We do not offer private lessons as part of our curriculum, but work closely with private teachers to support their instructional efforts by offering weekly classes in music theory, history, chamber music, methods & styles, ensembles, piano four hands, etc. We will be holding preview days and auditions in the coming months for limited openings this spring and for the academic year starting late August 2019. For more information, go to www.sgv.csarts.net/audition to find out more.”Remember, if any of us would like to have an item included in this monthly newsletter, the deadline for submitting is the 25th of the month, for the upcoming newsletter, which will be coming out a few days into the next month.
Thank you, as always, for the difference you make!
Sincerely,
David Peck
Co-President, MTAC Pasadena
September 2018 newsletter:
Hello Teachers!
I am so inspired by you and what you do, and the difference you make. Greetings at the start of our new academic year!
Winna Tan and I are co-presidents this year of our MTAC Pasadena Branch. We look forward to a strong and productive year. This newsletter is just to touch on a couple of points so that we get going smoothly.
It is important that as many of us as possible attend the September 16 meeting, at Church of our Saviour, in San Gabriel. We will begin at 3 o’clock. An email went out about this a couple weeks ago. We are waiting for replies, so we know the headcount for the dinner. The deadline for that is this Monday, September 10. Kindly reply as soon as you can, if you have not already done so.
Secondly, directories will be distributed at the September 16th meeting, and there is an option to “opt out” of getting the printed directory. The online directory will be available for all teachers, regardless. If you do not want the hardcopy, please let us know. Only a few have replied so far. Remember, if you don’t reply, you will be getting a hardcopy, as always!
Third, teachers who plan to have any students participate in Certificate of Merit must attend a Certificate of Merit meeting, and there are two more scheduled. The next one will be after our September 16th meeting at 6 PM; or, on September 30 at 3 o’clock. The meeting should take about an hour. It seems our names will be blocked by the State Office until we attend a meeting, so it is important to schedule this with Carol Lee at MTACPasadena1947@gmail.com.
Fourth, September 14 is the deadline to send an application for the September 23 Branch Recital. Please be sure to email Michiko Hartzberg at MichikoHartzberg@gmail.com for Information about this vital event.
And finally, if any of us would like to have an item included in this monthly newsletter, the deadline for submitting is the 25th of the month, for the upcoming newsletter, which will be coming out a few days into the next month.
Let me just say again, it’s extraordinary what you are doing; the commitment you show to your remarkable students, and the things you draw out of them, are truly moving and make a real difference in the world.
Sincerely,
David Peck
Co-President, MTAC Pasadena
