Executive Director's Greeting

Happy September! It is hard to believe that summer has come to a close, school is back in session and MTAC is already a month into our new fiscal year.

The beginning of a new year can be energizing and bring new possibilities. Many projects have already been completed or are in full swing within the first six weeks of the fiscal year.

The MTAC Directory and Reference Guide has been completed by the State Office. Members can expect this publication to reach them in October. With the assistance of the New Online System, members were able to select what pieces of personal information would display in the MTAC Directory and Reference Guide or if they wished to be included at all. Members can edit their Directory Listing Options at any time from the Teacher Portal under My Profile>Settings.

2018 Convention planning is also underway. In August, State Office and State Board representatives visited the 2018 site for the Convention. Rooms were assigned to specific types of Convention events, placement of signage was planned and the configuration of the Exhibit Hall was designed. It should be a wonderful event. I cannot wait for the program to be unveiled by Janice Sheng, Convention Program Chair, and her committee. The hotel, the Hyatt Regency Orange County, is a beautiful site and is only 1.3 miles from Disneyland.

The Programs department has been busy working with State Chairs to prepare for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Please keep an eye out for new document postings for all State programs in the next few months.

It has been a productive first six weeks for MTAC. Big thanks to the State Office Team, State Board of Directors and State Chairs! As my second grader said after the first day of school, “It is going to be an awesome year!”.

Rhonda Williams
Executive Director
Music Teachers' Association of California

Introducing the Music Teachers' Association of California

2017-2019 State Board of Directors!

President
Gwen Churchill, Sonoma County Branch

First Vice President
Jane Masur, Northern San Diego County Branch

Second Vice President
Janice Sheng, San Mateo County Branch

Treasurer
Nancy Woo, Orange County Branch

Recording Secretary
Marceline Lee, Yolo County Branch

Membership Secretary
Carol Townsend, Contra Costa County Branch

Director 1
Mindy Cabral, Santa Clarita Valley Branch

Director 2
Grace Macatangay Edwards, Delta Branch

Director 3
Debbie Siemer, Conejo Valley Branch

Edward Anthony Francis, Jr., August 12, 1955 - July 6, 2017

Edward was a beloved member of MTAC, Co-President of the Conejo Valley Branch, Founder of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, Professor at his alma mater California State University Northridge as well as at Pepperdine University and Moorpark College. He was a true renaissance man. He is deeply missed.

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Please remember that all programs from Branch recitals, master classes, competitions and private studio recitals of MTAC members, can be mailed to the MTAC State Office Attn: ASCAP, 833 Market St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103 or emailed to Maria Mercado at mariam@mtac.org.

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The State Office Team has had some wonderful additions recently.  If you were at the 2017 Convention chances are good that you may have met them already.  These were the ladies who registered you for Convention, checked you into a banquet or reception, and made the event run so smoothly as they hustled behind the scenes for all of the attendees.  Click the link below to read about them.

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With the new State Board officer change our previous State Membership Secretary, Marceline Lee, has moved on to the Recording Secretary. The State Office is pleased to welcome Carol Townsend as the new State Membership Secretary for 2017-2019. Carol has served 4 years as the Membership Secretary of the Contra Costa County Branch and brings knowledge, experience and creativity to the State Board. We look forward to working with her over the next two years. To view more information about Carol please click the link below. 

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Are you looking forward to the coming 2017-2018 year? The New Year comes with new responsibilities as well as new opportunities to grow and explore various MTAC Programs. For the new online system we have prepared some reminders about what you can do before the application season opens up as well as a quick summary of some of the changes to expect.

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Hello! This is Veronica Reyes, your new and friendly Finance Associate from the MTAC State Office delivering the MTAC Foundation donation figures for fiscal year 2017 (August 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017).

Over the last fiscal year, we have received an exciting $93K in total donations.  This called for a round of applause to all those who gave so generously:

• Individuals - $14K
• Branches - $16K
• Various Foundations and Organizations - $63K

Through our donors, The MTAC Foundation continues to support its various quality music programs and events.  The MTAC Foundation granted $17K in awards, $10K in scholarships and financial assistance to its students during the fiscal year 2017.

Let us continue in the commitment to pursue excellence in music education by keeping the Foundation always in your generous thoughts.

Here’s hoping that Foundation donations during the fiscal year 2018 will surpass fiscal year 2017’s figures!  

To send in your donation:

• Write a check out to the MTAC Foundation
• Mark the program(s) of your choice for your donation

* Be sure the Branch name is on the check

• Mail it to:

MTAC State Office
833 Market Street, Suite 900
San Francisco CA, 94103.

Thank you very much!

Veronica Reyes
MTAC Finance Associate

Three Dances for Flute, Violin & Piano

by Composer Bruce Stark

Dr. Minji Noh, Friends of Today’s Music Chair

The music of American composer Bruce Stark (born in San Diego) reflects the varied elements of his musical upbringing: early studies in percussion, jazz piano, and classical composition. He completed a Master’s Degree in composition at the Juilliard School in 1984 as a student of Roger Sessions and Vincent Persichetti. Thereafter for more than twenty years he resided in Tokyo, producing a collection of works that reveal a compelling musical voice, drawing from a multiplicity of disciplines and sensibilities. In 2013 he returned to the U.S. and joined the music faculty of DigiPen Institute of Technology (Seattle area) as professor of composition and theory.

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Kern Branch

Donating Musical Instruments
Kern Branch Community Service Project
By Lee Cole
Kern Branch

Sometime early in 2016 MTAC member, Donna Calanchini, had a chance meeting with a new young social worker, Teri Abshier, at the California Keyboards store. Teri told her, because she had enjoyed band and orchestra so much in school, she wanted to start a music program for the foster children in her care. Teri works for the Jamison Emergency Children's Center -- where the Police and Fire Departments take children who are in danger or who are being neglected. But Teri had no budget, no books, and no instruments -- only an empty room she would be allowed to use.

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MTAC Branch Highlight                      

Is your Branch hosting a special event or celebrating an anniversary? If so, we want to hear from you! Please submit your Branch information to Maria Mercado at mariam@mtac.org and we will include it in the MTAC News. Submission deadline for the next issue will be December 1, 2017.

Sincere thanks to the teams of people who helped make the 2017 MTAC Convention "Breaking Barriers" a success: members of the State Board, the State Office, Convention Chair, Convention Program Team,  CM Council, and those that presided and volunteered in numerous ways.  Huge thanks to the Artists, Presenters, Keynote Speaker, Showcase Presenters and Exhibitors for joining us at this special event. Last but not least, we are thankful to our members, students and their family and friends that attended this culminating event of our organization.

Members' feedback via the post-Convention survey was very helpful. We also appreciated your encouraging words and suggestions for future Conventions.

The 2018 MTAC Convention Theme is "Peace Through Musical Harmony".  The Convention Program Team consists of Janice Sheng, Nancy Woo and Jane Masur. We are looking forward to bringing you an enriching and memorable event!  For updated information on the 2018 Convention, please visit: MTAC.org - Convention

Janice Sheng
2018 Convention Program Chair

This year at our annual Convention in Santa Clara, we featured a student track that gave parents and students suggestions of events and concerts that might be of special interest to them. We provided a brochure showing the events at a glance throughout the five-day Convention. This was met with very positive comments, so MTAC will expand this track for the upcoming Convention at the Hyatt Regency Orange County June 29, 2018 through July 3, 2018.

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MTAC NEWS will be published on  December 15, 2017, March 15, 2018 and May 15, 2018. Deadlines for submissions are the first day of each of the above months. Please send any articles electronically to Maria Mercado, at mariam@mtac.org. 

Editor: Maria Mercado
Copy Editor: Jane Masur
MTAC News Team: Jenna Poirier and Melissa Yamanaka
Comments and suggestions should be addressed to Maria Mercado.
Email: mariam@mtac.org