Milwaukee Music Teachers Association

We managed to get our workshop in on Sunday before the snow! Dr. Kunsmann took us through parts of the new jazz syllabus for Piano Olympics. The syllabus is an incredible resource for teachers, thanks to the PO committee for all their work and to Dr. Kunsmann for his thoughtful breakdown of the skills students need to be successful.

Hello WFMC teachers!
Now is a great time to think ahead to nominations for the Apple for the Teacher Awards. Nominations are due March 15th, but NOW is a great time to think ahead.

The Apple for the Teacher project is designed to assist a kindergarten through 8th grade public, parochial or private school music teacher purchase items for their school music classroom. Any member of a WFMC Senior Club may nominate one teacher. An explanation of how the money is to be used to benefit the teacher’s students is required in the application. Recipients are eligible to reapply every other year. The award check will be mailed to the nominating member for presentation, and made payable to the school to benefit the music teacher’s classroom and students.
Some suggested uses for the award: instrument repair, tuning, maintenance, transportation to concerts, instrument purchases, classroom supplies, music, and musical games.

WFMC $500 Apple for the Teacher Award Application Deadline: March 15th of the Award Year

Tuesday Teaching Tip for you!!!

Did you know that Dr Becker has a youtube channel called Knitting the Notes? She has a lot of great ideas there! Check it out!

Piano Technique: Combine Firm Fingertips and Relaxed Arm Weight (Knitting the Notes with Dr. B #2) Learning the importance of using firm fingertips, relaxed arm weight, and lateral wrist rotation to control the tone you make at the piano. (Shawl is the Cof...

Here's an upcoming event some students might be interested in attending.
https://facebook.com/events/s/uw-whitewater-piano-day/1908687853416710/

Here is a teaching tip for your Tuesday! This author recently presented on the topic of rote teaching at the WMTA conference. It's definitely som**hing we should be thinking about as we set up our teaching curriculum.

The Rationale for Rote Teaching During my years as an undergraduate piano major and a graduate piano pedagogy student, I spent many happy hours reviewing both current and historical piano m**h

One more Student Spotlight before the recital tomorrow!

Benjamin Friederichs is 17 years old and is a senior at Homestead High School in Mequon. He has been studying piano with Victoria Stepanova since he was in kindergarten. He has won numerous awards for his playing, including multiple gold cups from the WFMC, four appearances at the state solo and ensemble competition including State Festival Exemplary Performance awards in 2024 and 2025. He has also been recognized as an outstanding musician by the faculty at Homestead. He was also featured multiple times as the soloist for Sarah Chudnow’s Mother’s Day celebration. In addition to piano, Ben plays trombone in Homestead’s symphonic band, jazz band, symphony orchestra, and marching band. He completed his Eagle Scout award in 2024. Ben is a 4.0 student and plans to attend the University of Wisconsin to study engineering.

Student Spotlight!!
My name is Qiuhe Gao, a junior international student from China. I have been studying at Martin Luther High School since my freshman year and began my piano studies in elementary school. Recent achievements include earning a superior rating at the WSMA District Solo & Ensemble Festival and placing in the 11th Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Piano Competition. I have a deep love for classical music, with a special interest in contemporary jazz. Whether I'm feeling melancholy or joyful, I turn to the piano to express my emotions and find solace in music.

We are looking forward to Qiuhe's upcoming performance!

Student Spotlight!!!
Anson Li is a 10th grader at Brookfield East High School. He has played the piano for 7 years. He has attended state Solo and Ensemble twice. In school, he does Debate and Robotics. He won 2nd place at state for debate in 2024. Outside of school, he also enjoys playing tennis.

His program for the upcoming Honors Recital is
Clair De Lune - Debussy
Polonaise Op. 71 No. 2 - Chopin

This Sunday, 105 students are going for the gold at our 12th Annual Piano Olympics. In particular, we wish our seniors good luck as they try to pick up enough points to earn their senior trophies.

Piano Olympics is on Sunday!!!! We are looking forward to seeing pianists show their technical skills! Here is a picture from one of our stellar pianists who participated 11 years ago.

The most amazing resources in our organization are the members who organize activities and encourage each other. We have decades of teaching experience and have touched the lives of thousands of students. This year we are going to post introductions to help you get to know who we are. Our first member video is from Carmen Horvath. Thanks Carmen Dawn Horvath !!!

MMTA Carmen Horvath Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.