General Meetings
SMTA hosts General Meetings for members, either in-person or on Zoom.
Meeting Schedule
9:00 coffee/pastries
9:30 business
10:00 guest lecture
September 19 - In-person
SMTA Open House: come get a to know a little bit about all of the different programs SMTA has to offer.
WSMTA President, Kira Miller, will speak about higher level happenings.
October 17 - In-person
Demystifying Rhythm
The best musical performances have both rhythmic drive and subtle nuance. In this session we'll discuss how to help your students level-up in their understanding of meter, time signature, and underlying pulse. Topics will include poetic meter as it relates to time signatures, compound meter, common problems in iconic teaching pieces, and helping your students conduct their music to achieve compelling results!
JENSINA OLIVER Known for her expressive and passionate performances, pianist Jensina Oliver has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, China, Canada, Costa Rica, Israel, and throughout Europe. She was a national finalist of the MTNA Chamber Competition, a resident artist at the Banff Chamber Music Festival and has won several solo and concerto competitions throughout the US. Ms. Oliver is well-known for providing meaningful artistic instruction to students and teachers alike. She is a frequent presenter both locally, regionally, and nationally, and enjoys inspiring all with whom she works to reach their full creative potential. She currently resides with her family in Seattle, where she enjoys the beautiful mountains, trees, and water that the PNW provides.
November 21 - Online
TBD
Dr. Curtis Pavey, NCTM is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator based in Columbia, Missouri where he serves as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Missouri. Prior to his appointment at MU, he taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of Cincinnati (CCM). As an active performer, his recent residences include the University of Alabama and the University of Akron as well as performances at Forte|Piano 2025 (Cornell University), the Oklahoma Mozart Festival, Montreal’s Kin Experience, the Bloomington Early Music Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Madison Performing Arts Foundation. Beginning in 2025, Pavey will perform the complete solo piano music of Maurice Ravel in a series of interdisciplinary concerts marking the 150th anniversary of his birth.
In addition to his performances, Pavey has presented talks at many prominent conferences including the MTNA National Conference, The Piano Conference: NCKP, and the College Music Society National Conference. In July 2023, he was invited to present a live webinar for MTNA titled “Reimagining the Baroque: Reflections from Performance Practice,” which is archived on the MTNA website. At The Frances Clark Center, Pavey serves as Manager of Online Publications, assisting with the Piano Inspires Discovery Page, managing the Journal of Piano Research, and serving as digital copy editor for Piano Magazine.
Pavey received his DMA from the University of Cincinnati under the tutelage of James Tocco and Dr. Michael Unger, as well as piano and harpsichord degrees from Indiana University under Edward Auer and Elisabeth Wright.
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January 16 - Online
Biomechanics of Piano Playing at MIT
Dr. Mi-Eun Kim's research explores the biomechanics of piano playing, using technologies like motion capture and ultrasound to study how pianists optimize movement for performance and injury prevention. Her work aims to uncover the link between body mechanics and musical expression, with the goal of improving both technical skills and artistic performance.
DR. MI-EUN KIM is a Korean-American pianist and Director of Keyboard Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she also leads pioneering research on the biomechanics of piano playing, using wearable ultrasound and motion-capture technology to study elastic movements during performance. She has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops, Chelsea Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Omaha Symphony. She is Artistic Director of the Hansong Summer Music Festival in South Korea, and Collaborative Piano Faculty at Center Stage Strings.
February 20 - Online
What Makes A Method Work?
Why are some methods more popular than others? Is it because the music is more interesting? Is the pedagogy cleaner? What is the purpose of even having a method in the first place? We will investigate these questions and more using the first two books of The Music Tree by Francis Clark; its advantages, its disadvantages, and what teachers can do to bridge that gap.
Michael Zutis is a pianist/composer in Kalamazoo, MI who works to emphasize the role of music in the greater community. He is the immediate past-president of the Kalamazoo Area Music Teacher’s Association, and represents them on Michigan’s state board as the Arts Advocacy and Awareness chair. Additionally, he is the keyboard area chair at the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, Director of Music at St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish, and co-founder and president of Arts In Action, an organization which raises money for various charitable causes through the performance of music and the auctioning of visual art pieces. Currently, he is working on his master’s degree in piano performance at Western Michigan University under Professor Lori Sims and Dr. Yu-Lien The.
April 10 - In-person
When Repetition Isn't Enough: Using Contextual Interference in the Practice Room
How often have you drilled a passage diligently one day, but returned to it the next only to stumble through like you’ve hardly seen it before? This session will address the reason this happens and offer a practice tool well-researched in the fields of motor skills, cognitive and sports psychology, and more recently, music. Learn how to empower your students to practice more efficiently and effectively with results that can better withstand the pressure of performance. Practice examples will be given of how strategies can be implemented for beginner through advanced musicians.
Rachelle Ventura, NCTM, teaches piano and is in private practice as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. With Masters degrees in Music and Counselor Education, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Psychology, she specializes in helping clients overcome anxiety, heal from trauma, and reach new levels of performance excellence. Rachelle has taught at Whitworth University and has an extensive background as a collaborative pianist, performing with choirs, symphonies, Best of Broadway productions, operas, and in chamber music. Outside the studio and counseling room, Rachelle enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and exploring the outdoors with her dog.
May 15 - In-person
Baby of a Concert Pianist: Building Technical Foundations Away from an Instrument
All practice rooms are occupied. No piano at home. Your apartment has quiet hours when you are off work. Baby is sleeping, so it needs to be silent. You’re traveling. All these illustrate a musician eager to practice without access to a physical instrument. When I brought my baby home, I assumed I wouldn’t be introducing him to music study for a few years. However, he showed a focused interest in music/piano by 3 months. I learned that there was a lot about music that he could already understand/internalize, despite not having developed language or physically being at an instrument yet. It was thrilling to see that I could use the same pre-instrumental methods I provide to my older students on my baby! This session shows that it is not only possible to teach/learn foundational technique away from an instrument, for all ages/instruments, but preferred! I will discuss equitable neurodivergent-sensitive practices to create a pre-instrumental curriculum for all ages of beginning students.
Dr. Leann Osterkamp He is an international award-winning Steinway Artist. A passionate educator with an impressive performance/recording career, she is a Presidential Scholar of the Arts under President Obama. Outside of her international competition wins, she has lectured/performed at The Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, Bellco Theater, Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, and many notable universities, while being a frequent conference lecturer and judge. She has taught all ages, formerly on faculty at The Juilliard School and Regis Jesuit HS. Based in Seattle, she is currently the business owner of RioPiano, an international online music learning platform and the founder of Mozart & Mutts, a charitable concert series that benefits rescue dogs in partnership with the 501c(3) Saving Great Animals.