Each meeting’s schedule is as follows:

• 9:30am-10:00am Social Time
• 10:00-10:30 Informal Business Meeting
• 10:30-11:30 Presentation

FRIDAY October 11, 2024

Sharon Kaplan

“How to plan ahead and organize, so that students can successfully and happily do more”

“Contest, Exams, MMTA, MMTF, Theory, Federation, Composition.  I can’t do it all!”  But with planning, you can do more than you think you can.  Let’s see how.

FRIDAY December 13, 2024 

• 10:00 Business Meeting
• 10:30 Mini-presentations by WSMTA members
• 11:30 Salad Luncheon

FRIDAY January 10, 2025

Dr. Jena Root 

“Solfege is Power”

By the end of this presentation, you will know how to use solfege to empower you and your students to use solfege in your everyday practice and make the process of understanding music easier and more enriching.

FRIDAY March 7, 2025

Dr. Rebecca Shockley 

“Percy Grainger: Pianist, Composer, Eccentric Genius, My Mother’s Close Friend and Mentor”

Percy Grainger conducted the first Monster Concert at the MMTA Convention in 1937.  This will be a living history report. Dr. Shockley’s mother had a personal friendship with Percy Grainger. This presentation will include some examples of Grainger’s piano works. 

SATURDAY April 5, 2025

Anthony Molinaro

“Music IS Movement – Feeling First with Dalcroze Eurhythmics”

How can this 100 year old method for music and movement be relevant to students in the 21st Century? Join internationally recognized Dalcroze educator Anthony Molinaro as he shares some tips, tools, and techniques to use movement to develop a more natural and free musicianship in students. Be ready to move as Anthony guides you through the principles, philosophies, and experiences associated with Dalcroze Eurhythmics and its modern applications.

BIO: As a music educator, multi-instrumentalist, podcaster, and producer; Anthony Molinaro has always kept the Dalcroze approach central to his philosophy. With over 17 years experience in public school classrooms on both coasts of the United States, Anthony created an authentic Dalcroze classroom in his elementary school in Grove City, PA. He is also a faculty member and guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University where he earned a Masters in Music Education. A sought after clinician and presenter, Anthony has been a featured presenter at PMEA and OMEA state conferences, district events, AOSA chapter events in Raleigh/Durham, NC, Lexington, KY, and many other institutions. He has served as the board chair and treasurer of the Dalcroze Society of America as well as a presenter at three national conferences and several national virtual events. Anthony offered the Demonstration Lesson at the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies in 2023. He has presented workshops for Music Construct ED as well as the Virtual Dalcroze Meetup, and runs an online roundtable forum for the leadership of the major national pedagogical organizations. Through a partnership with QuaverEd, Anthony created a series of Dalcroze-based lessons for the platform, making his work available for millions of students. His podcast, The New Dalcrozian, has an international listenership that spans over 48 countries. His popular SubStack newsletter, MusicXT – Moments and Movement, allows subscribers to follow his thoughts and career in real time, with many instructional videos and content to help embrace the Dalcroze approach in a public school setting.

FRIDAY May 2, 2025

Dr. David Jenkins

“So, your piano student wants to play the organ?  A guide to teachers”

• Guidance and resources for introducing the organ to piano students.
• Trends in organ pedagogy and differences between playing the organ and the piano.
• Basic knowledge about the organ for piano teachers.

BIO: David Jenkins teaches organ for the Department of Music at the College of St.
Benedict/Saint John’s University. He retired in 2022 after serving 34 years in music
ministry at the Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and as an instructor in organ
and harpsichord for the Music Department of the University of St. Thomas. He is active
in the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and a former Dean.
Currently he is co-director for an upcoming Pipe Organ Encounter to be hosted by the
AGO at St. Olaf College this coming June 15-20. This five-day summer camp is for
teens interested in learning more about the pipe organ and how to play it. He earned a
DMA in Organ Performance and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of
Music. He also holds degrees in organ performance and pedagogy from Oberlin
Conservatory and the University of Iowa.