Friday Finds #272: MTNA 2024 Conference News

Welcome to a special edition of Friday Finds! I thought it would be fun to follow the 2024 Music Teacher National Conference in Atlanta with a list of announcements, favorite new products, and special features. (Thanks to all the teacher friends who sent me items to add to the list! You know who you are! 🙂

Let me know in the comments which item(s) you are most excited about!

1

Announcing: The new CEO of Music Teachers National Association

Effective July 1, 2024, Brian Shepard has been named MTNA’s new CEO. Shepard began his career at MTNA in 2003 as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations. In 2008, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

2

Announcing: Faber’s Piano Adventures Exams.

There will be a free webinar on Tuesday, April 23, @ 1:00 pm EDT for those who want to “get an overview of the exam requirements, explore fun ways to prepare, and learn how to get started.

3

The one piece of material I came home most excited about is a new publication from Piano Safari called Friends at Last: Tuneful Rote Pieces for the Beginning Pianist by Amy Glennon. Here’s the description from their website:

“Friends at Last: Tuneful Rote Pieces for the Beginning Pianist is a collection of ten rote pieces woven into a story about what it means to be a friend. This format is perfect for a recital performance with a narrator telling the story and a group of beginning pianists performing the pieces. It is also provides supplemental repertoire for Piano Safari Friends and Repertoire Book 1.”

Here’s a quick review I did of it on Instagram:

4

Alfred is excited to announce that they will be publishing new educational music to be released this coming fall, featuring many of your favorite composers as well as some new names!

5

Helen Marlais has a new website where she demonstrates all the practice strategies in her Succeeding with the Masters books. You can also find them on YouTube. Here is an example:

6

If you liked Forrest Kinney’s Birthday Variations, you might like Grant Kondo’s 88 Variations on Canon in D (inspired by Forrest!).

Note: Purchases are Pre-order for future publication.

7

Leila Viss is running a free 30-day Noodle Challenge. At the end of April, registrants will receive a calendar with 30 different inspirational activities to “noodle with” and spur their imagination at the keys.

8

Catherine Rollin’s Bean Bag Zoo Collector’s Series Book A now includes teacher accompaniments.

9

Nicola Cantan has taken three of her favorite interval games from Vibrant Music and turned them into a new app called Vibrant Music Intervals. Get in the app store for $1.99.

10

The Practice Space app is offering a free trial for month #1 and then 50% off months #2 and #3. This is the same deal offered at the conference. Use the code FRIDAYFINDS50.

11

One of the technology sessions mentioned an app for Windows PC called Phone Link that allows you to text directly from your desktop. I’ve been playing around with it a bit, and so far, I like having the option as I can type much faster than I can text! (Just FYI, you can’t use it for group texting.)

12

Amy Stephens from Redleaf has a great book for elementary students called “Round the Key Circle We Go! that includes a piece, a printed pentascale/chord skill, and an improv duet—one for each of the 12 major keys.

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Check out this conference recap and list of favorites from elizabethdavispiano.com