This year we are meeting on five Fridays and two Saturdays. View our line-up of meeting days and speakers and topics below.

FRIDAY September 12, 2025 

9:30am-10:00am Social Time (snacks provided)

10:00-10:30 Informal Business Meeting

10:30-11:30 Presentation by MICHAEL BUCK

“Music Education: Past, Present, Future”

Description coming soon

BIO coming soon

SATURDAY October 11, 2025

9:30am-10:00am Social Time (snacks provided)

10:00-10:30 Informal Business Meeting

10:30-11:30 Presentation by REBEKAH MAXNER

“Frenemies — How the V7 and I Chords get along”

Come join me in a workshop where we’ll delve into the reasons why the V7 and I chords are best friends and sworn enemies. They need each other like Batman and the Joker. One without the other wouldn’t make very interesting listening. We’ll also cover some traditional music that helps teach students the chord progression in a hands-on way. 

BIO: Rebekah loves connecting with other musicians young and young at heart as a blogger, clinician and adjudicator. As a blogger, Rebekah covers topics that help piano teachers run professional studios, from business, to parent relations, to engaging students with motivational learning activities. Rebekah loves traditional rote music and has created YouTube videos that help teach this music. She’s an imaginative composer whose piano music evokes pictures, stories and emotions. Her music is a mixture of styles, blending the influences of Impressionist, jazz, Baroque and popular music, and the folk music of her childhood in Nova Scotia. Her piano solos are listed and published in the UK by the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and London College of Music Examinations (LCM), by the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) in the USA, and in Canada by the Canadian National Conservatory of Music (CNCM) and The Royal Conservatory (RCM). Rebekah has been featured in Tim Topham’s TopMusicSheets in Australia and Nicola Cantan’s Concept series in Ireland. Website: rebekah.maxner.ca

FRIDAY December 12, 2025 

10:00 Informal Business Meeting

10:30 Mini-presentations by WSMTA members

11:30 Salad Luncheon

FRIDAY January 9, 2026

9:30am-10:00am Social Time (snacks provided)

10:00-10:30 Informal Business Meeting

10:30-11:30 Presentation by CHRISTINA WHITLOCK

Busy Teens: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

This session raises a bold question: is it possible for over-scheduled teenagers to progress without ideal amounts of practice time at home?  Join Christina Whitlock as she challenges the age-old cycle of “Assign. Practice. Pass. Repeat.” 

BIO: Christina Whitlock, M.M., N.C.T.M. operates a bustling independent studio in Muncie, Indiana.  Christina earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Kent State University and completed a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Ball State. Christina began teaching in the private setting when she was only fourteen, and has maintained a full studio roster ever since.  Christina has served in adjunct faculty roles at Ball State University and Taylor University; most notably overseeing the Piano Pedagogy program at TU.  She ultimately made the difficult decision to leave academia to create content and offer support for fellow teachers. Christina has served on the Indiana Music Teachers Association Board of Directors since 2006, currently acting as Independent Music Teacher Forum Chair and Past President.  She also serves MTNA as a member of the Editorial Board for the American Music Teacher. Christina’s speaking credits include presentations to numerous collegiate, local, and state teacher groups, as well as sessions at MTNA National Conferences (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023) and NCKP (2023 and 2025). The podcast Beyond Measure with Christina Whitlock launched in October of 2020 and continues as a weekly shout-out of solidarity for the independent teaching profession. Helping other studio teachers find their stride is a strong passion point for Christina.  She enjoys leading her Beyond Measure Community of SuperFriends on Patreon, writing the popular e-letter Piano Teacher Confessions, as well as consulting one-to-one with individual teachers, guiding them in continuing education and enhanced business strategies.  

FRIDAY March 6, 2026

9:30am-10:00am Social Time (snacks provided)

10:00 Business Meeting

10:30 Informal member discussion

SATURDAY April 11, 2026

10:00-10:30 Social Time (snacks provided)

10:30-11:30 Presentation by TULLY HALL

“Introduction to the Alexander Technique: tuning up the musician”

Find out how your mindset affects your muscles, how unconscious habits dictate your posture, and how learning the Technique can enhance your comfort and performance in all your daily activities. Whether it’s practicing vocal or instrumental etudes, working at your desk, carrying your child or swinging a racket, the Alexander Technique can help you discover and change the tension patterns that affect everything you do. In this class we’ll explore the principles of this world-famous method, with a special focus on the needs of musicians. 

BIO: A love of music and movement brought Tully Hall to the Alexander Technique! She’s
certified by the American Society for the Alexander Technique and has been teaching
since 1990. She was guest faculty at Stetson University’s school of music in DeLand,
Florida and has made regular teaching visits to Winter Park, Florida and the Washington
DC area. She’s taught classes and workshops at Shenandoah University, George
Mason University, Catholic University, University of Minnesota, UMD-Duluth, Gustavus
Adolphus College, 3M and many private studios. She played the French horn
professionally for many years and plays the piano and studies voice for fun. Tully has a
private in-person practice in Woodbury and St Paul, in addition to giving online lessons
and a bi-weekly online class. Her students cover a wide spectrum of backgrounds and
motivations for taking lessons.

FRIDAY May 8, 2026

9:30am-10:00am Social Time (snacks provided)

10:00 Business Meeting

10:30 Presentation by HEMDAH SALONIMER-HORNER

“Autistic and Neurodivergent Students”

Description coming soon

BIO coming soon