MTAC Santa Clara County Branch

Presenter: Christopher Fisher

Date: Wednesday, February 12th, 2025

Time: 10 AM PST

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86969247527?pwd=Zbj73Na3fYtxtLRlOOa6JBEyZCbsle.1

Topic: Motivation, Mindset, and Grit; the Powerful Role of Parents;
A Practical Guide to Student Practice

Dr. Christopher Fisher is Professor of Piano at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he co-chairs the Keyboard Division. He is the Artistic Director of the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar and is a Faculty Fellow for the 1804 Scholars Program. Dr. Fisher is the author of Teaching Piano in Groups, co-author of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire, and co-author of Functional Skills for Pianists. To find more about him, check his website below:
http://www.chrisfisherpiano.com/

Presenter: Ory Shihor

Date: Wednesday, January 8th, 2025

Time: 10 am

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83177708740

Topic: Physical Gestures at the Piano – When Musical Expression Meets Kinesics

Bio: Ory Shihor is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning pianist and renowned master teacher who has spent the last 25 years helping young gifted pianists develop their musical talent to its fullest potential.

He has helped countless students ace their college auditions and get accepted into the world’s top music conservatories and universities, such as The Juilliard School and Yale University.

To date, his students have received over $3 million in scholarship offers, performing on the world’s premiere stages and winning top prizes in prestigious piano competitions.

A graduate of Juilliard and Curtis, Mr. Shihor is a frequent speaker and master class teacher at major conservatories and universities around the globe such as the Beijing and Shanghai Conservatories, Seoul National University, Taiwan National Normal University, Northwestern University, San Francisco Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory and the Royal Northern College of Music.

For over a decade, he served as piano professor at the Colburn Conservatory and as founding dean of its pre-college academy for highly gifted young musicians.

After a 20-year teaching career in higher education, Mr. Shihor co-founded the Ory Shihor Institute (OSI) together with his wife, Maria Liu, where he continues to teach young gifted pianists and train a new generation of piano teachers using his proven teaching approach.

Ory Shihor is a Bösendorfer and Yamaha artist.

Are you interested in learning more about what sets Piano Safari apart from other methods? Join co-author and internationally respected pedagogue Katherine Fisher as she provides an overview of this highly acclaimed piano series that is revolutionizing piano teaching and learning around the world. Topics covered include the essentials of elementary technique, the development of reading and rhythm, and incorporating improvisation into lessons for beginners. 

Presenter：Katherine Fisher
Time: Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 10 AM PST
Zoom Link：
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2395165866

The upcoming monthly program Daily Rituals of the Modern Music Teacher is about organization and studio management. It includes technology and apps, studio policy must-haves. Here is the  landing page and registration URL for Santa Clara branch members. Upon registration, members will receive the Zoom link.

Landing Page URL: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/pqnjk4k/lp/5a2b0e84-87d0-4107-b9cd-e6df8c2f1753
Registration URL: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/pqnjk4k

Presenter: Noreen Wenjen

Time: Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 10 AM PST

After a relaxing summer, we are ready to start the new academic year! Our annual branch general meeting will cover topics including monthly programs, branch recitals, Steinway Society concerts, and scholarship foundation.  Please join us on:

September 11, Wednesday, 10 AM, via Zoom  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85404037961

I look forward to seeing you!

1.  Technique and Artistry:  You Can’t Have One Without the Other – how to master technical skills and how to implement them to make the playing of the music more beautiful, fluid, artistic and simultaneously maintain relaxed physicality. 

2. The Magic of Imagery: Unlocking Creative Potential – how using imagery can inspire us as teachers and inspire our students  to connect to the emotional and expressive character of the music as well as being more confident and intuitive interpreters. 

Presenter: Catherine Rollin

Date: Wednesday, February 14th, 2024

Time: 10 am

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88636307163?pwd=1E68ToNOB52owB9YXZbHBeqDEDEgSR.1

We will begin our year with an informative meeting covering significant changes in our monthly student recital program, details of this year’s pedagogy seminar, and an overview of several state programs that are available to members.

Meeting is Wednesday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom

Please join this meeting using this link: MTAC Zoom Meeting Sept 13

By Dr. Svetlana Belsky

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Time: 10 am

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84200630766?pwd=UlNGRGdydlBpQXVTOUh0K3ZMZHVnZz09

“Bach’s 18 Little Preludes, too rarely taught and performed, offer an unparalleled window into Bach’s own pedagogy.  While Inventions and Sinfonias teach the contrapuntal style and compositional techniques, the Preludes concern themselves with expressive playing. Each one focuses on a specific challenge of technique, touch, style, or character – in a setting so beautiful that the students are meant to enjoy the struggle, as they prepare to tackle the great masterpieces of the Baroque Era.”

Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Time: 10 am

Presenter: Nicola Cantan

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rcO2qrzgoG9yCMTqCYFO6n34Kh6DId-hb

Interleaved Teaching: Taking Practice and Lessons to the Next Level

Teaching this way so that our teaching can also be more efficient and so that our students can learn interleaved practice by osmosis.
The concept of interleaved teaching is really very simple, but it can provide extraordinary results for students in so many areas such as: reading, rote learning, and technique. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the benefits of interleaved teaching and practice.

Move it or lose it! 17 Easy Strategies for Rock Solid Rhythm Skills

The nitty gritty of teaching and what the students consistently struggle with, rhythm is a common topic of much agitation and exasperation. In this interactive session, we’ll play 17 different rhythm games that can be used with students of all ages and levels. 

Bio

Nicola Cantan is a piano teacher, author, blogger and creator of imaginative and engaging teaching resources. She loves getting piano students learning through laughter, and exploring the diverse world of music making; through improvisation, composition and games. 

Nicola’s membership site Vibrant Music Teaching is helping teachers all over the world to include more games and off-bench activities in their lessons, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress. Nicola also runs a popular blog, Colourful Keys, where she shares creative ideas and teaching strategies, and hosts regular training events for piano teachers.  

When: Wednesday , November 9, 2023

Time: 10 am

Presenter: Eik Siang Mar

Eik Mar has always been interested in making theory fun for students.  In graduate school, she earned the nickname of “Master of Games” after showing up with hand-drawn Disney characters and a homemade velcro keyboard for a pedagogy class presentation.  Her 20+ years of teaching experience gives her the insight into how individual needs differ from student to student, and she has first-hand experience with the hassle of finding good theory resources to supplement the existing available methods. In 2014, Eik founded SproutBeat to provide high quality worksheets for teachers. SproutBeat has since added interactive games to the platform and is used by teachers around the globe.