OMTA - Oregon Music Teachers Association

Grant Event - Taubman Approach
2025-04-04 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | OR
Location: Check with district president for location
Presenting District: Salem
Presenter: Deborah Cleaver
Program Description: This presentation will focus on the practical aspects of the Taubman approach that can be incorporated without a lot of training. Teachers will learn the most advantageous physical relation to the keyboard, how to successfully perform leaps, polyrhythms, chords and octaves, and improved tone production.
Presenter Bio: Deborah Ingram Cleaver holds a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Boston University where she studied with the renowned pianist and pedagogue Leonard Shure. After finishing her degree, she worked closely with Shure as his teaching assistant at New England Conservatory.
Ms. Cleaver has also spent many years studying the performance practice of the Baroque and Classic periods with such luminaries as Sandra Rosenblum, Edward Parmentier, and Elisabeth Wright. Her broad interests have resulted in lectures for universities and music teachers’ organizations, ranging from the expressive aspects of Baroque performance practice to the correlation between Romantic literature and music.
Ms. Cleaver previously taught piano at Lewis and Clark College, Willamette University, and Reed College as well as in her private studio. She is a past president of OMTA Portland District where she was chairman of the Baroque/Contemporary Festival. She has been a faculty member of the Golandsky Institute since 2005 and teaches at their annual Summer Symposium. Previous teaching positions have also included St. Andrews College and the South Shore Conservatory in Boston.
An avid performer, she has appeared with the Fear No Music Ensemble, the DeRosa Chamber Players, Cascadia Composers, Friends of Rain, and the Makrokosmos Project. She has had performances aired on the classical music programs Played in Oregon and All Classical Portland. In addition, she has given lectures, workshops, and recitals at Portland State University, Eastern Washington University, the University of Oregon, and the University of New Mexico, as well as for Oregon and Washington music teachers’ associations. She is a frequent adjudicator throughout the Northwest.

Grant Event - Turning Performance Anxiety into a Super Power
2025-04-11 10:45 - 12:15 | OR
Location: Check with district president for location
Presenting District: Central Oregon
Presenter: Melissa Terrall
Program Description: How can music teachers help students face the daunting challenge of performance anxiety? In this practical workshop, we will discuss practical strategies to prepare students for successful performances. Attendees will receive a packet of materials and activities for a fun and insightful studio group class on performance preparation!
Presenter Bio: Melissa Terrall is a classical pianist and piano teacher from Portland, Oregon. As a 2023-24 Fulbright scholar, she studied Mexican piano repertoire with Dr. David Rodríguez de la Peña at Mexico City’s National Conservatory. While abroad, Melissa offered lecture recitals and master classes, expanding her skills in her second language. Melissa holds a master’s in piano performance from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. A passionate educator, Melissa has held interim professorships at Clark College and Linfield University in addition to overseeing her private piano studio.

Grant Event - The Art of Memorization & Masterclass
2025-04-12 10:00 - 15:30 | Hermiston Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 850 SW 11th St, Hermiston, OR, 97838
Presenting District: Umatilla-Morrow
Presenter: Dr. Michelle Huang
This is a two-part class: 10:00 am to 12 pm and 1:30 to 3:30 pm (master class time)
Program Description: “I played through it without the music just fine before!” We have all been there. What makes someone a better memorizer than others? In this talk, we will look at the four different types of memory: visual, tactile, aural, and analytical, and how to best use them to securely memorize our pieces for the next performance. We will learn that there is a direct correlation between excellent practice habits and memory, and how the act of storytelling can really help to secure that memory.
Presenter Bio: A native of Taiwan, pianist Michelle Huang has performed and taught extensively throughout the U.S. as well as abroad in the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Described as a pianist with much sensibility and nuance, Michelle Huang is equally at home as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She has played numerous solo recitals, gave workshops and masterclasses, and collaborated frequently with vocalists and instrumentalists in the Mary L’Engle Ensemble, the River City Trio, the chamber group-in-residence at Friday Musicale in Jacksonville, Florida, and the Jacksonville Symphony and Richmond Symphony musicians. In 2017, she received a grant to commission ten paintings by two graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University art students. These paintings were presented alongside the complete performance of Mussorgsky’s piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition during her concert tour in 2018-19. Deeply committed to community outreach, she launched a concert series during her residency at Edward Waters College, in which high caliber artists performed concerts as well as conducted master classes, workshops, and lectures for the continuing enrichment and exposure of classical music to both the school and the community. She initiated the Mentoring Program as part of the Richmond Music Teachers Association, in which young music teachers can be paired with experienced teachers to help them with aspects of teaching. She is the co-founder of the Online Young Pianist Summer Symposium, which launched in May 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. The Symposium was conducted virtually for pre-college and college students as well as teachers, in which guest speakers were invited to present topics such as the art of practicing, the art of memorization, and Alexander Technique, as well as a masterclass.
Michelle Huang holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Tennessee, and Doctor of Music in Piano Performance from Florida State University. Her principal teachers include Barbara Rowan, David Northington, and Read Gainsford. Dr. Huang has held teaching positions at Walter State Community College and Lincoln Memorial University. In 2011 – 2014, she served as the Assistant Professor of Piano at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. Most recently, she was on the piano faculty at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. In the summer, she served on the faculty of East/West International Piano Festival in Seoul, Korea. In addition to teaching in the collegiate setting, Dr. Huang also maintains a private studio, where she works with talented pre-college students both in her Seattle studio and online. She has served as President and first Vice President of Programming for the Richmond Music Teachers Association. Highly demanded as a speaker and adjudicator, she has frequently presented for the Oregon Music Teachers Association, the Washington Music Teachers Association, and the British Columbia Registered Music Teachers’ Association in workshops, masterclasses, festivals, and competitions.

Grant Event - Masterclasses
2025-04-27 13:30 - 16:45 | OR
Presenting District: Mid-Columbia
Presenter: Dr. Alex Tutunov, NCTM
Two masterclasses with break: 1:30 to 3:00 pm and 3:15 to 4:45 pm
Program Description: The master pianist/teacher will work with piano students in a master class setting while the audience is invited to learn by observing.
Presenter Bio: Alexander Tutunov is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. First Prize winner of the Belarusian National Piano Competition and winner of the Russian National Piano Competition, Tutunov’s playing was described by Soviet Culture, Moscow, as “exhilarating and inspired, and which demonstrated a unique talent.”
Dr. Tutunov maintains a busy performing schedule in Europe, China, Mexico, and the United States as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and on radio and television. Dr. Tutunov is also in demand as an adjudicator for piano competitions.

Tutunov graduated magna cum laude from the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory (studies with Anna Artobolevskaya and Lev Naumov) and University of North Texas (piano studies with Joseph Banowetz). Awarded his doctoral diploma with honors in concert performance from the Belarusian State Conservatory, Dr. Tutunov has taught at the Minsk College of Music, the University of North Texas, and Illinois Wesleyan University.

Alexander Tutunov now lives in Ashland, where he is Professor of Piano and Artist in Residence at Southern Oregon University. A successful piano pedagogue, he continues to prepare award-winning students. Dr. Tutunov has been the Artist in Residence at the University of Alaska Southeast, Artistic director of the SOU International Piano Institute, and the Director of the Chinese-American International Piano Institute in Chengdu, China.

Grant Event - Composition: Stealing from the Masters
2025-06-13 10:45 - 12:15 | OR
Location: Check with district president
Presenting District: Central Oregon
Presenter: Dianne Davies, NCTM
Program Description: This workshop encourages teachers to present repertoire to students as a guide to their own creativity. Dianne’s Rainforest Animals was inspired by two Debussy preludes.
Presenter Bio: Dianne Davies is a solo and collaborative pianist, composer, published arranger and instructor. Her music envelopes the emotions of love, loss, depression and joy to sonic representations of endangered species in the Amazon Rainforest. Her shows range from the dramatic and deeply personal that include drama, live visual art and dance, to the far reaches of slapstick comedy that are accessible to a wide range of audiences. Alongside a full piano teaching studio, she chairs the OMTA State Composition Festival and the MTNA State Composition Competition for the next generation of composers. In 2021, her Romantic Christmas Suite, an amalgam of Chopin nocturnes and traditional Christmas carols, was published by Fred Bock Publishing Company under the umbrella of Hal Leonard. In 2023, her latest arrangement, Impressionist Christmas Suite, received Editor’s Choice from J.W. Pepper and Dianne earned National Certification through MTNA. She holds memberships in: OMTA, MTNA, NACUSA, and CFAMC. Dianne is a self published composer with ASCAP under her own company name, 7Fold Musiq. You can learn more about her and her music at musiqpower.com.

Grant Event - Teaching the Special Learner
2025-09-12 10:45 - 12:15 | OR
Location: Check with district president
Presenting District: Central Oregon
Presenter: Emily Ross
Program Description: We know that studying music is good for everyone. Some children come to us, however, without the attention span or executive functioning skills to excel in private music lessons without some special considerations. Music therapist, Emily Ross, MA, MT-BC, will review the characteristics of autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbance, and outline both specific strategies and general ideas for approaching students who present with these characteristics.
Presenter Bio: Emily Ross holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Colorado and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in music therapy from Naropa University. Her teaching experience includes public school band and general music (7 yrs), English as a Foreign Language (2 yrs) and university courses in music therapy and psychology (15 yrs). Additionally, Emily has taught private lessons in guitar, and French horn, and trained and supervised practicum students in the field. She is the owner of HoofnHorn Music Therapy Studio, hnhmusictherapy.com, where she specializes in connecting with those with learning differences including autism, ADHD, and developmental delay. She also offers trainings throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Information about trainings and workshops for music therapists, teachers and parents can be found at EmilyRossTrainer.com. Emily played French horn in the Portland Wind Symphony for 18 years and is now enjoying learning Celtic harp and singing in the Portland Community Choir.

Grant Event - Adapting to a Changing Online Landscape
2025-10-06 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual/Online
Location: Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81640489726 Meeting ID: 816 4048 9726
Presenting District: Virtual
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Neher
Program Description: If you’ve become accustomed to using social media and online tools to build your music studio, your online world might be getting a bit rocky at the moment. With people moving away from Facebook, the implosion of Twitter, the explosion of TikTok, and the popularity of short form video filtering into all platforms, it’s time for music teachers to rethink and rework their use of the worldwide web. We’ll discuss the state of the internet and social media, options for using your online presence to connect with students who are a good fit, and have time for your questions.
Presenter Bio: New music powerhouse Dr. Lisa Neher is an award-winning composer, mezzo-soprano, and actress on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), and a composer of “varied and imitable” vocal lines (Contemporary Classical), Neher writes music inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of friends, the ambiguities of death, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her EP Of Wind and Waves explores the currents of air, water, and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. Neher’s works have been commissioned and performed by Third Angle New Music, Fear No Music, Opera Elect, Opera Theatre Oregon, Dinosaur Annex, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Delgani String Quartet, Choral Arts Ensemble, OMTA and others across the United States and Europe. She is the winner of the ICDA/ICF Choral Competition, the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Mirror Visions Ensemble Young Composer Competition, and was a NATS Composer Mentee, working with Tom Cipullo.
Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher captivates audiences as a performer with her electrifying dramatic commitment and unforgettable vocal colors. Her performance credits include Really Spicy Opera, Third Angle New Music, the Resonance Ensemble, New Music Gathering, Queer Opera, the International Saxophone Symposium, and Opera Theatre Oregon. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus. She created the roles of Jennifer in Chamber Sounds of Singapore’s world premiere of One Thousand Paper Cranes for Japan by Rita Ueda, Julian of Norwich in Brook Joyce’s monodrama the Showing of Love, and the protagonist in Space Station 189, a sci-fi opera for Instagram by JL Marlor and Aiden Feltkamp. Neher is the curator of the One Voice Project, which champions unaccompanied solo vocal performance.
Neher is a sought-after clinician on topics including composing for singers, networking, music business and entrepreneurship, acting for singers and theatre tools for musicians. Her teaching credits include the Ultimate Music Business Summit, and theToolbox Sessions, as well as guest clinician appearances at Reed College, University of Iowa, Colorado State University, OMTA, Bandung Philharmonic in Indonesia, and more. Her thriving private studio provides graduate-level education and mentorship in singing, composition, and career building for musicians from Australia to Europe. Neher holds degrees from the University of Iowa (DMA), University of Kansas (MM), and Lewis & Clark College (BA). She is an alumnus of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and the Cortona Sessions for New Music. She spends her free time training for triathlons, watching science fiction movies, and baking delicious treats involving copious amounts of chocolate. Her last name is pronounced “NEER.” For more information, visit her website, www.lisanehermusic.com.

Grant Event - Teaching Adult Piano Students
2025-10-14 10:30 - 12:00 | OR
Location: Check with District President
Presenting District: Linn-Benton
Presenter: Andrew D’Antonio, NCTM
Program Description: Most pedagogical training and materials tends to focus on kids, teens, and budding professionals as students. However, many people take up or resume piano study as adults, without any intention of having a musical career. Adults students require a different approach to technique, repertoire, and even lesson format than what is often standard for students under 18. Andrew will share strategies, trends, and teaching techniques for teachers to feel confident and prepared for working with adult students.
Presenter Bio: Andrew D’Antonio, NCTM, is a pianist and teacher based in Portland, Oregon. He has performed throughout North America and Europe, primarily as a soloist and chamber musician. He holds a masters of music in collaborative piano and music history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a masters of science in teaching in early childhood special education from Fordham University, and a bachelors of music in piano performance from Pacific Lutheran University. In Massachusetts, he was a faculty member at Community Music School of Springfield, Bay Path University, and Smith College. Andrew moved to Portland in 2019 and teaches out of his home studio. He is the President for East Portland District and the OMTA State Membership Chair.

Grant Event - Developing Expressive Voice and Musical Agility and Turning Performance Anxiety into a Super Power
2025-10-25 10:00 - 15:30 | OR
Location: To be announced
Presenting District: Blue Mountain
Presenter: Melissa Terrall
Program Description (in two parts): Developing Expressive Voice and Musical Agility 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM In classical music lessons and master classes, students are typically taught to play expressively via a teacher-led model, recreating their teacher’s suggestions for each performance piece. In this presentation I advocate for a student-led approach in which advancing performers develop their personal expressive voice through creative practice assignments and musical treasure hunts. From “opposite practice” to “the Goldilocks game,” this session will cover practical, engaging strategies to guide musicians through the process of crafting a convincing, expressive performance. This approach engages students’ curiosity and creativity, resulting in more agile and independent musicians. Turning Performance Anxiety into a Super Power 1:30 – 3:30 PM How can music teachers help students face the daunting challenge of performance anxiety? In this practical workshop, we will discuss strategies to prepare students for successful performances, from mindset shifts to performance conditioning. Attendees will receive a digital packet of materials and activities for a fun and insightful studio group class on performance preparation!
Presenter Bio: Melissa Terrall is a classical pianist and piano teacher from Portland, Oregon. As a 2023-24 Fulbright scholar, she studied Mexican piano repertoire with Dr. David Rodríguez de la Peña at Mexico City’s National Conservatory. While abroad, Melissa offered lecture recitals and master classes, expanding her skills in her second language. Melissa holds a master’s in piano performance from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. A passionate educator, Melissa has held interim professorships at Clark College and Linfield University in addition to overseeing her private piano studio.

Grant Event - The Four Senses of Piano Playing
2025-11-08 10:00 - 12:00 | OR
Location: Check with event organizer
Presenting District: Eugene
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Lewis, NCTM
Program Description: We will look in depth at the four senses that aid us in learning and performing music: hearing, sight, touch, and proprioception. Dr. Lewis will talk about current scientific understandings of how our brains and bodies process these senses and how we can teach, practice, and perform better if we engage with all of these senses in a conscious manner.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Stephen Lewis, NCTM, is a pianist, composer, conductor, and music teacher living in Portland, Oregon. Stephen performs traditional piano music with a composer’s urgent, expressive power, while bringing to avant-garde and experimental music a classical concert pianist’s devotion to beautiful sound.
Stephen has performed with the Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel Universe, Third Angle, Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, and Cascadia Composers. He has performed in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Miller Theater, Severance Hall, and the San Diego Museum of Art. As a composer, Stephen has been commissioned by Red Fish Blue Fish, Diagenesis Duo, the Wellesley Composers Conference, and soundSCAPE.
Stephen teaches private piano and composition lessons from his home studio in southeast Portland. He also coaches professional musicians, music teachers, and composers in learning advanced repertoire and skills and in completing major creative projects. He earned a D.M.A. in Contemporary Piano Performance in 2017, and a Ph.D. in Composition in 2015 from the University of California San Diego. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Composition and Piano Performance) in 2006.

Grant Event - Getting to Know Our Neighbor
2025-11-14 10:00 - 12:00 | OR
Location: Contact event organizer
Presenting District: Central Oregon
Presenter: Dr. Ricardo de la Torre, NCTM
Program Description: Mexican composers have produced a wealth of piano music of pedagogical value. This lecture will offer a panorama of elementary to late intermediate teaching repertoire by Mexican composers from the 19th to the 21st centuries, discuss its main characteristics and performance tradition, and provide information about its availability in the U.S..
Presenter Bio: In demand as a performer, teacher, adjudicator and presenter, Dr. Ricardo de la Torre currently serves as piano instructor for the Community Music Program at the University of Puget Sound, where he was also staff accompanist for the School of Music. Ricardo has played in concert venues in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Spain, Austria, and France. A finalist and prize winner in several competitions in Mexico and the U.S., he received second prize at the Eleventh Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America, sponsored by Indiana University’s Latin American Music Center and the Embassy of Spain. The recordings he made as a result of this competition were included in a two-CD collection released by the LAMC.
Together with his wife, Dr. Lark Powers, Ricardo forms a piano duo that has performed internationally, was a finalist of the United States International Piano Duo Competition in Colorado Springs and received a Silver Award at the first international competition of the Carles & Sofía Foundation of Spain.
Born in Mexico City, Ricardo attended Escuela Superior de Música in his hometown, where he received a Bachelor’s degree cum laude. He continued his studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he received a Master of Music degree and went on to graduating with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he worked as a teaching assistant. An active presenter, he has participated in numerous local, regional, national, and international conferences and the results of his research have been published in specialized journals in the U.S., Mexico and Colombia. He is a visiting artist for the Washington State Music Teachers Association’s Music Artistry Program and has served on the faculties of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and East Central University in Ada, OK. After being pianist at First Lutheran Church in Tacoma and directing its summer concert series Listen Live at Lunch, Ricardo currently works as Curator of Art and Music at Lakewold Gardens in Lakewood, WA.

Grant Event - Artistic Pedaling
2025-11-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Jacksonville Library, 340 West C Street, Jacksonville, OR, 97530, United States
Presenting District: Rogue Valley
Presenter: Deborah Cleaver
Program Description: We will explore the diverse types of pedaling to increase artistic expression, achieve clean, clear sound, and to facilitate fluid movement. In addition we will discuss the importance of posture, bench height, and correct movement.
Presenter Bio: Deborah Ingram Cleaver holds a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Boston University where she studied with the renowned pianist and pedagogue Leonard Shure. After finishing her degree, she worked closely with Shure as his teaching assistant at New England Conservatory.
Ms. Cleaver has also spent many years studying the performance practice of the Baroque and Classic periods with such luminaries as Sandra Rosenblum, Edward Parmentier, and Elisabeth Wright. Her broad interests have resulted in lectures for universities and music teachers’ organizations, ranging from the expressive aspects of Baroque performance practice to the correlation between Romantic literature and music.
Ms. Cleaver previously taught piano at Lewis and Clark College, Willamette University, and Reed College as well as in her private studio. She is a past president of OMTA Portland District where she was chairman of the Baroque/Contemporary Festival. She has been a faculty member of the Golandsky Institute since 2005 and teaches at their annual Summer Symposium. Previous teaching positions have been also included St. Andrews College and the South Shore Conservatory in Boston.
An avid performer, she has appeared with the Fear No Music Ensemble, the DeRosa Chamber Players, Cascadia Composers, Friends of Rain, and the Makrokosmos Project. She has had performances aired on the classical music programs Played in Oregon and All Classical Portland. In addition, she has given lectures, workshops, and recitals at Portland State University, Eastern Washington University, the University of Oregon, and the University of New Mexico, as well as for Oregon and Washington music teachers’ associations. She is a frequent adjudicator throughout the Northwest.

Grant Event - Burnout Prevention Kit for Music Teachers
2026-01-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Calvary Lutheran Church, 937 NE Jackson School Rd, Hillsboro, OR, 97124, United States
Presenting District: Hillsboro
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Neher
Program Description: Teaching one-on-one and managing your own studio can be rewarding, but it can also lead to exhaustion, over scheduled lives, and eventually the dreaded burnout. Meanwhile, “selfcare” and “wellness” have become products to buy and impossible images that we can never live up to rather than ways to actually reclaim agency in our lives. We’ll discuss causes of burnout for music teachers and explore practical solutions, including time management during lessons, establishing & maintaining boundaries, holding time for recreation and a social life, and the balance of supporting your students’ musical goals with nurturing your own artistic growth.
Presenter Bio: New music powerhouse Dr. Lisa Neher is an award-winning composer, mezzo-soprano, and actress on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), and a composer of “varied and imitable” vocal lines (Contemporary Classical), Neher writes music inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of friends, the ambiguities of death, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her EP Of Wind and Waves explores the currents of air, water, and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. Neher’s works have been commissioned and performed by Third Angle New Music, Fear No Music, Opera Elect, Opera Theatre Oregon, Dinosaur Annex, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Delgani String Quartet, Choral Arts Ensemble, and others across the United States and Europe. She is the winner of the ICDA/ICF Choral Competition, the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Mirror Visions Ensemble Young Composer Competition, and was a NATS Composer Mentee, working with Tom Cipullo.
Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher captivates audiences as a performer with her electrifying dramatic commitment and unforgettable vocal colors. Her performance credits include Really Spicy Opera, Third Angle New Music, the Resonance Ensemble, New Music Gathering, Queer Opera, the International Saxophone Symposium, and Opera Theatre Oregon. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus. She created the roles of Jennifer in Chamber Sounds of Singapore’s world premiere of One Thousand Paper Cranes for Japan by Rita Ueda, Julian of Norwich in Brook Joyce’s monodrama the Showing of Love, and the protagonist in Space Station 189, a sci-fi opera for Instagram by JL Marlor and Aiden Feltkamp. Neher is the curator of the One Voice Project, which champions unaccompanied solo vocal performance.
Neher is a sought-after clinician on topics including composing for singers, networking, music business and entrepreneurship, acting for singers and theatre tools for musicians. Her teaching credits include the Ultimate Music Business Summit, and theToolbox Sessions, as well as guest clinician appearances at Reed College, University of Iowa, Colorado State University, OMTA, Bandung Philharmonic in Indonesia, and more. Her thriving private studio provides graduate-level education and mentorship in singing, composition, and career building for musicians from Australia to Europe. Neher holds degrees from the University of Iowa (DMA), University of Kansas (MM), and Lewis & Clark College (BA). She is an alumnus of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and the Cortona Sessions for New Music. She spends her free time training for triathlons, watching science fiction movies, and baking delicious treats involving copious amounts of chocolate. Her last name is pronounced “NEER.” For more information, visit her website, www.lisanehermusic.com.

Grant Event - An Auditory Lifespan
2026-01-19 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual/Online
Presenting District: Eugene
Presenter: Susan Bruckner
Program Description: Susan Bruckner will present an overview of each life stage from birth to end of life and how music and the brain work in tandem each step of the way. Based on sabbatical interviews with 24 neuroscientists studying music and the brain.
Presenter Bio: Susan Bruckner is a pianist with degrees from Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, and the New School for Music Study with Frances Clark. She is the director of the piano program at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, CA since 2007. She has also taught at Ithaca College in NY and the University of Utah. Susan has given workshops throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. She is the author of two books, The Whole Musician: A Multi-Sensory Guide to Practice, Performance, and Pedagogy and The Whole Pianist, a textbook for college piano classes.

Grant Event - An Auditory Lifespan
2026-02-02 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual/Online
Presenting District: Virtual
Presenter: Susan Bruckner
Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81640489726
Program Description: Susan Bruckner will present an overview of each life stage from birth to end of life and how music and the brain work in tandem each step of the way. Based on sabbatical interviews with 24 neuroscientists studying music and the brain.
Presenter Bio: Susan Bruckner is a pianist with degrees from Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, and the New School for Music Study with Frances Clark. She is the director of the piano program at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, CA since 2007. She has also taught at Ithaca College in NY and the University of Utah. Susan has given workshops throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. She is the author of two books, The Whole Musician: A Multi-Sensory Guide to Practice, Performance, and Pedagogy and The Whole Pianist, a textbook for college piano classes.

Grant Event - Syllabus from a Teacher's Point of View - Syllabus from an Adjudicator's Point of View
2026-02-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Broadway Coffeehouse, 1300 Broadway St NE #100, Salem, Oregon, 97301
Presenting District: Salem
Presenter: Heidi Evans, NCTM
Program Description: Heidi shares tips on preparing students for Syllabus exams at all levels and tiers, combining the perspective of a teacher of average students and the perspective of a Syllabus adjudicator to make the most of each student’s and teacher’s Syllabus experience.
Presenter Bio: Heidi Evans is a Nationally Certified Teacher with a Master’s Degree from Portland State University where she studied with Harold Gray and Mary Hall Kogen. In her nearly three decades of teaching experience with students of all ages and levels, she has adjudicated festivals and events around the state since 2005, was OMTA Syllabus Chair for five years, and currently occupies the position of President of Oregon MTA. She is a member of the 8-hand quartet, “Too Grand,” which has been performing and raising money for scholarships for nearly four decades. Her latest deep dive into piano repertoire research is music by under-represented composers with a focus on pedagogical works. Her ultimate goal is to teach each student to teach themselves, so that music can be a rewarding lifetime experience.

Grant Event - Making Syllabus Relevant: Using OMTA Syllabus Skills to Play Music
2026-02-21 10:00 - 12:00 | Groth Recital Hall, Eastern Oregon University, One University Blvd, La Grande, Oregon, 97850
Presenting District: Blue Mountain
Presenter: Dianne Davies
Program Description: Dianne Davies uses a series of folksongs and Christmas carols to teach all levels of the OMTA Syllabus chord progressions and put them into music. The right hand melodies are given in scale degree numbers and the left hand accompaniment is given in Roman Numerals following each level of syllabus. This way students easily transpose the ideas into all keys and understand the concepts.
Presenter Bio: Dianne Davies is a solo and collaborative pianist, composer, published arranger and instructor. Her music envelopes the emotions of love, loss, depression and joy to sonic representations of endangered species in the Amazon Rainforest. Her shows range from the dramatic and deeply personal that include drama, live visual art and dance, to the far reaches of slapstick comedy that are accessible to a wide range of audiences. Alongside a full piano teaching studio, she chairs the MTNA State Composition Competition and is the Co-President of the Tualatin Valley District. In 2021, her Romantic Christmas Suite, an amalgam of Chopin nocturnes and traditional Christmas carols, was published by Fred Bock Publishing Company under the umbrella of Hal Leonard. In 2023, her latest arrangement, Impressionist Christmas Suite, received Editor’s Choice from J.W. Pepper and Dianne earned National Certification through MTNA. She holds memberships in: OMTA, MTNA, NACUSA, and CFAMC. Dianne is a self published composer with ASCAP under her own company name, 7Fold Musiq. You can learn more about her and her music at musiqpower.com.

Grant Event - Mexican Harmonies: Exploring Piano Repertoire from Mexico
2026-02-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Jacksonville Library, 340 West C Street, Jacksonville, OR, 97530, United States
Presenting District: Rogue Valley
Presenter: Melissa Terrall
Program Description: From Tomás León and Guadalupe Olmeda to José Rolón, Melissa presents profiles and representative works of notable Mexican composers. She will showcase the diversity of Mexican piano repertoire, from salon pieces to folkloric music, while also discussing common misconceptions about Mexican classical music. Attendees are sure to leave more knowledgeable about Mexican composers as well as inspired to interact with their music in a culturally-robust way as teachers and performers.
Presenter Bio: Melissa Terrall is a classical pianist and piano teacher from Portland, Oregon. When a 2023-24 Fulbright scholar, she studied Mexican piano repertoire with Dr. David Rodríguez de la Peña at Mexico City’s National Conservatory. While abroad, Melissa offered lecture recitals and master classes, expanding her skills in her second language. Melissa holds a master’s in piano performance from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. A passionate educator, Melissa has held interim professorships at Clark College and Linfield University in addition to overseeing her private piano studio.

Grant Event - Turning Performance Anxiety into a Super Power
2026-03-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Hermiston Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 850 SW 11th St, Hermiston, OR, 97838
Presenting District: Umatilla-Morrow
Presenter: Melissa Terrall, M.M.
Program Description: How can music teachers help students face the daunting challenge of performance anxiety? In this practical workshop, we will discuss strategies to prepare students for successful performances, from mindset shifts to performance conditioning. Attendees will receive a digital packet of materials and activities for a fun and insightful studio group class on performance preparation!
Presenter Bio: Melissa Terrall is a classical pianist and piano teacher from Portland, Oregon. When a 2023-24 Fulbright scholar, she studied Mexican piano repertoire with Dr. David Rodríguez de la Peña at Mexico City’s National Conservatory. While abroad, Melissa offered lecture recitals and master classes, expanding her skills in her second language. Melissa holds a master’s in piano performance from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. A passionate educator, Melissa has held interim professorships at Clark College and Linfield University in addition to overseeing her private piano studio.

Grant Event - The Taubman Approach to Keyboard Mastery
2026-03-10 10:30 - 12:00 | 2810 NW Skyline Dr, 2810 NW Skyline Dr, Corvallis, OR, 97330, United States
Presenting District: Linn-Benton
Presenter: Deborah Cleaver, M.M.
Program Description: An examination of the technical tools needed for facile, fluid playing.
Presenter Bio: Deborah Ingram Cleaver holds a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Boston University where she studied with the renowned pianist and pedagogue Leonard Shure. After finishing her degree, she worked closely with Shure as his teaching assistant at New England Conservatory.
Ms. Cleaver has also spent many years studying the performance practice of the Baroque and Classic periods with such luminaries as Sandra Rosenblum, Edward Parmentier, and Elisabeth Wright. Her broad interests have resulted in lectures for universities and music teachers’ organizations, ranging from the expressive aspects of Baroque performance practice to the correlation between Romantic literature and music.

Grant Event - Fragile Folks: Working with Anxious Music Students
2026-03-12 10:30 - 12:00 | Heart Strings Music Studio, 2230 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove, OR, 97116, United States
Presenting District: Hillsboro Area
Presenter: Emily Ross, BME, MCP
Program Description: Does it seem like you are seeing more tears in the piano studio than you used to, or students just completely shutting down? You are not alone. Understanding anxiety on a neurological and on a cultural level can help you navigate these tricky waters. Anxiety is a particularly hairy concept as it is both a general descriptor and a diagnosis. Because we have all felt it, it can be uncomfortable to talk about. Emily Ross, board-certified music therapist, has your back. This workshop will focus on clarifying definitions and the cultural context of anxiety. It will also cover newer terminology such as Trauma-Informed Care and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Finally, Emily will present concrete strategies to support a student without crossing into a therapist role.
Presenter Bio: Emily Ross holds a Bachelor of Music Education from University of Colorado and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in music therapy from Naropa University. Her teaching experience includes public school band and general music (7 yrs), English as a Foreign Language (2 yrs) and university courses in music therapy and psychology (15 yrs). Additionally, Emily has taught private lessons in guitar, and French horn, and trained and supervised practicum students in the field. She is the owner of HoofnHorn Music Therapy Studio, hnhmusictherapy.com, where she specializes in connecting with those with learning differences including autism, ADHD, and developmental delay. She also offers trainings throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Information about trainings and workshops for music therapists, teachers and parents can be found at EmilyRossTrainer.com. Emily played French horn in the Portland Wind Symphony for 18 years and is now enjoying learning Celtic harp and singing in the Portland Community Choir.

Grant Event - Fragile Folks: Working with Anxious Music Students
2026-03-14 13:30 - 15:30 | Hermiston Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 850 SW 11th St, Hermiston, OR, 97838
Presenting District: Umatilla-Morrow
Presenter: Emily Ross, BME, MCP
Program Description: Does it seem like you are seeing more tears in the piano studio than you used to, or students just completely shutting down? You are not alone. Understanding anxiety on a neurological and on a cultural level can help you navigate these tricky waters. Anxiety is a particularly hairy concept as it is both a general descriptor and a diagnosis. Because we have all felt it, it can be uncomfortable to talk about. Emily Ross, board-certified music therapist, has your back. This workshop will focus on clarifying definitions and the cultural context of anxiety. It will also cover newer terminology such as Trauma-Informed Care and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Finally, Emily will present concrete strategies to support a student without crossing into a therapist role.
Presenter Bio: Emily Ross holds a Bachelor of Music Education from University of Colorado and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in music therapy from Naropa University. Her teaching experience includes public school band and general music (7 yrs), English as a Foreign Language (2 yrs) and university courses in music therapy and psychology (15 yrs). Additionally, Emily has taught private lessons in guitar, and French horn, and trained and supervised practicum students in the field. She is the owner of HoofnHorn Music Therapy Studio, hnhmusictherapy.com, where she specializes in connecting with those with learning differences including autism, ADHD, and developmental delay. She also offers trainings throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Information about trainings and workshops for music therapists, teachers and parents can be found at EmilyRossTrainer.com. Emily played French horn in the Portland Wind Symphony for 18 years and is now enjoying learning Celtic harp and singing in the Portland Community Choir.

Grant Event - Burnout Prevention Kit for Music Teachers
2026-03-16 10:00 - 12:00 | First Congregational Church – Eugene, 1050 E 23rd Ave, Eugene, OR, 97405
Presenting District: Eugene
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Neher
Program Description: Teaching one-on-one and managing your own studio can be rewarding, but it can also lead to exhaustion, over-scheduled lives, and eventually the dreaded burnout. Meanwhile, “selfcare” and “wellness” have become products to buy and impossible images that we can never live up to rather than ways to actually reclaim agency in our lives. We’ll discuss causes of burnout for music teachers and explore practical solutions, including time management during lessons, establishing and maintaining boundaries, holding time for recreation and a social life, and the balance of supporting your students’ musical goals with nurturing your own artistic growth.
Presenter Bio: New music powerhouse Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her) is an award-winning composer, mezzo-soprano, and actress on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), and a composer of “varied and imitable” vocal lines (Contemporary Classical), Neher writes music inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of friends, the ambiguities of death, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her EP Of Wind and Waves explores the currents of air, water, and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. Neher’s works have been commissioned and performed by Third Angle New Music, Fear No Music, Opera Elect, Opera Theatre Oregon, Dinosaur Annex, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Delgani String Quartet, Choral Arts Ensemble, and others across the United States and Europe. She is the winner of the ICDA/ICF Choral Competition, the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Mirror Visions Ensemble Young Composer Competition, and was a NATS Composer Mentee, working with Tom Cipullo.
Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher captivates audiences as a performer with her electrifying dramatic commitment and unforgettable vocal colors. Her performance credits include Really Spicy Opera, Third Angle New Music, the Resonance Ensemble, New Music Gathering, Queer Opera, the International Saxophone Symposium, and Opera Theatre Oregon. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus. She created the roles of Jennifer in Chamber Sounds of Singapore’s world premiere of One Thousand Paper Cranes for Japan by Rita Ueda, Julian of Norwich in Brook Joyce’s monodrama the Showing of Love, and the protagonist in Space Station 189, a sci-fi opera for Instagram by JL Marlor and Aiden Feltkamp. Neher is the curator of the One Voice Project, which champions unaccompanied solo vocal performance.
Neher is a sought-after clinician on topics including composing for singers, networking, music business and entrepreneurship, acting for singers and theatre tools for musicians. Her teaching credits include the Ultimate Music Business Summit, and theToolbox Sessions, as well as guest clinician appearances at Reed College, University of Iowa, Colorado State University, OMTA, Bandung Philharmonic in Indonesia, and more. Her thriving private studio provides graduate-level education and mentorship in singing, composition, and career building for musicians from Australia to Europe. Neher holds degrees from the University of Iowa (DMA), University of Kansas (MM), and Lewis & Clark College (BA). She is an alumnus of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and the Cortona Sessions for New Music. She spends her free time training for triathlons, watching science fiction movies, and baking delicious treats involving copious amounts of chocolate. Her last name is pronounced “NEER.” For more information, visit her website, www.lisanehermusic.com.

Grant Event - Burnout Prevention Kit for Music Teachers
2026-04-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Broadway Coffeehouse, 1300 Broadway St NE #100, Salem, Oregon, 97301
Presenting District: Salem
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Neher
Program Description: Teaching one-on-one and managing your own studio can be rewarding, but it can also lead to exhaustion, over-scheduled lives, and eventually the dreaded burnout. Meanwhile, “selfcare” and “wellness” have become products to buy and impossible images that we can never live up to rather than ways to actually reclaim agency in our lives. We’ll discuss causes of burnout for music teachers and explore practical solutions, including time management during lessons, establishing and maintaining boundaries, holding time for recreation and a social life, and the balance of supporting your students’ musical goals with nurturing your own artistic growth.
Presenter Bio: New music powerhouse Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her) is an award-winning composer, mezzo-soprano, and actress on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), and a composer of “varied and imitable” vocal lines (Contemporary Classical), Neher writes music inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of friends, the ambiguities of death, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her EP Of Wind and Waves explores the currents of air, water, and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. Neher’s works have been commissioned and performed by Third Angle New Music, Fear No Music, Opera Elect, Opera Theatre Oregon, Dinosaur Annex, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Delgani String Quartet, Choral Arts Ensemble, and others across the United States and Europe. She is the winner of the ICDA/ICF Choral Competition, the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Mirror Visions Ensemble Young Composer Competition, and was a NATS Composer Mentee, working with Tom Cipullo.
Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher captivates audiences as a performer with her electrifying dramatic commitment and unforgettable vocal colors. Her performance credits include Really Spicy Opera, Third Angle New Music, the Resonance Ensemble, New Music Gathering, Queer Opera, the International Saxophone Symposium, and Opera Theatre Oregon. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus. She created the roles of Jennifer in Chamber Sounds of Singapore’s world premiere of One Thousand Paper Cranes for Japan by Rita Ueda, Julian of Norwich in Brook Joyce’s monodrama the Showing of Love, and the protagonist in Space Station 189, a sci-fi opera for Instagram by JL Marlor and Aiden Feltkamp. Neher is the curator of the One Voice Project, which champions unaccompanied solo vocal performance.
Neher is a sought-after clinician on topics including composing for singers, networking, music business and entrepreneurship, acting for singers and theatre tools for musicians. Her teaching credits include the Ultimate Music Business Summit, and theToolbox Sessions, as well as guest clinician appearances at Reed College, University of Iowa, Colorado State University, OMTA, Bandung Philharmonic in Indonesia, and more. Her thriving private studio provides graduate-level education and mentorship in singing, composition, and career building for musicians from Australia to Europe. Neher holds degrees from the University of Iowa (DMA), University of Kansas (MM), and Lewis & Clark College (BA). She is an alumnus of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and the Cortona Sessions for New Music. She spends her free time training for triathlons, watching science fiction movies, and baking delicious treats involving copious amounts of chocolate. Her last name is pronounced “NEER.” For more information, visit her website, www.lisanehermusic.com.

Grant Event - The Mighty Wrist
2026-04-10 10:45 - 12:15 | Studio of Renee Dugan, 526 NE Rimrock Ct, Redmond, OR, 97756, United States
Presenting District: Central Oregon
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Lewis, NCTM
Program Description: This talk is an in-depth look at the wrist motions involved in piano playing (lateral, up-down, elliptical, rotational, drawer, and stationary) and how they help various techniques and textures we often teach or play. Dr. Lewis will explore how and why these motions are so crucial to piano playing, and provide knowledge and flexibility to the teachers present in how to make your own determinations regarding teaching using the wrists.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Stephen Lewis, NCTM, is a pianist, composer, conductor, and music teacher living in Portland, Oregon. Stephen performs traditional piano music with a composer’s urgent, expressive power, while bringing to avant-garde and experimental music a classical concert pianist’s devotion to beautiful sound.
Stephen has performed with the Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel Universe, Third Angle, Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, and Cascadia Composers. He has performed in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Miller Theater, Severance Hall, and the San Diego Museum of Art. As a composer, Stephen has been commissioned by Red Fish Blue Fish, Diagenesis Duo, the Wellesley Composers Conference, and soundSCAPE.
Stephen teaches private piano and composition lessons from his home studio in southeast Portland. He also coaches professional musicians, music teachers, and composers in learning advanced repertoire and skills and in completing major creative projects.
Stephen earned a D.M.A. in Contemporary Piano Performance in 2017, and a Ph.D. in Composition in 2015 from the University of California San Diego. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Composition and Piano Performance) in 2006.
Read more at his websites: chopinois.com (teaching) and stephenlewiscomposer.com (artistic).

Grant Event - Mexican Harmonies: Exploring Piano Repertoire from Mexico
2026-04-14 10:30 - 12:00 | 1825 Lance Way, 1825 NW Lance Way, Corvallis, OR, 97330, United States
Presenting District: Linn-Benton
Presenter: Melissa Terrall, M. M.
Program Description: From Tomás León and Guadalupe Olmeda to José Rolón, Melissa presents profiles and representative works of notable Mexican composers. Drawing on her experience as a Fulbright scholar in Mexico City, she will showcase the diversity of Mexican piano repertoire – from salon pieces to folkloric music – while also discussing common misconceptions about Mexican classical music. Attendees are sure to leave more knowledgeable about Mexican composers as well as inspired to interact with their music in a culturally-robust way as teachers and performers.
Presenter Bio: Melissa Terrall is a classical pianist and piano teacher from Portland, Oregon. As a 2023-24 Fulbright scholar, she studied Mexican piano repertoire with Dr. David Rodríguez de la Peña at Mexico City’s National Conservatory. While abroad, Melissa offered lecture recitals and master classes, expanding her skills in her second language. Melissa holds a master’s in piano performance from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. A passionate educator, Melissa has held interim professorships at Clark College and Linfield University in addition to overseeing her private piano studio.

Grant Event - Masterclasses
2026-04-26 13:30 - 16:45 | Shepherd of the Valley Church, 1631 8th St, Hood River, OR, 97031
Presenting District: Mid-Columbia
Presenter: Dr. Alex Tutunov, NCTM
Program Description: Dr. Tutunov will work with piano students in a master class setting while the audience is invited to learn by observing.
In two sessions: 1:30 to 3 PM, and 3:15 to 4:45 PM.
Presenter Bio: Alexander Tutunov is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. First Prize winner of the Belarusian National Piano Competition and winner of the Russian National Piano Competition, Tutunov’s playing was described by Soviet Culture, Moscow, as “exhilarating and inspired, and which demonstrated a unique talent.”
Dr. Tutunov maintains a busy performing schedule in Europe, China, Mexico, and the United States as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and on radio and television. Dr. Tutunov is also in demand as an adjudicator for piano competitions.
Tutunov graduated magna cum laude from the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory (studies with Anna Artobolevskaya and Lev Naumov) and University of North Texas (piano studies with Joseph Banowetz). Awarded his doctoral diploma with honors in concert performance from the Belarusian State Conservatory, Dr. Tutunov has taught at the Minsk College of Music, the University of North Texas, and Illinois Wesleyan University.
Alexander Tutunov now lives in Ashland, where he is Professor of Piano and Artist in Residence at Southern Oregon University. A successful piano pedagogue, he continues to prepare award-winning students. Dr. Tutunov has been the Artist in Residence at the University of Alaska Southeast, Artistic director of the SOU International Piano Institute, and the Director of the Chinese-American International Piano Institute in Chengdu, China.
