Teacher Enrichment

Dr. Matt Cooper is a Professor Emeritus of Music at Eastern Oregon University, where he was awarded the 2019 Distinguished Teaching Faculty award, retiring after a 31-year-college-teaching career. He served as OMTA President from 2000 to 2002, during which time he traveled to Khabarovsk, Russia as part of the “Music Without Borders” exchange program, leading to two additional invitations to perform in Khabarovsk in 2002 and 2004.
Dr. Cooper earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has done extensive study in the Taubman approach at the Golandsky Institute and Princeton University, and has studied Tango music in Buenos Aires. A former prizewinner in the Thelonious Monk and Great American Jazz Piano competitions, he is the author of “Duke Ellington: A Study in Styles.”
Dr. Cooper has adjudicated many piano festivals and competitions and has performed numerous solo recitals, chamber recitals, and concerto appearances throughout the Northwest. He has recorded four jazz and classical CDs and is in frequent demand throughout the Northwest as a performer, adjudicator, clinician and presenter.

through Scarlatti’s 160 harpsichord sonatas published by G. Schirmer, with an eye toward successful performance at the piano. Includes historical background, live playing of examples of numerous representative and more-accessible sonatas, and discussion of interpretation and performance practice.

Thomas Otten holds the title of Emeritus Professor, having recently retired as Piano Area Chair from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He now resides in Portland, OR, where he is establishing himself as a master teacher and concert artist. A California native born of German-American parents, Dr. Otten has been hailed by the New York Times as “an extremely original player who puts a formidable technique at the service of his ideas.” He made his debut at age seventeen with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and has since developed a global profile through performances in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Munich, Frankfurt, and Milan, including such venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Severance Hall, the German Embassy, and the National Press Club. He has given guest artist recitals and masterclasses at top music schools and conservatories, such as the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia, the Munich Hochschule für Musik in Germany, as well as the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, and Oberlin Conservatory in the U.S.
A recipient of numerous national and international awards, Dr. Otten has studied with artist teachers John Perry and Nelita True and worked intensively with biomechanics expert Barbara Lister-Sink. He has been on the faculties of the International Young Artists Project (Italy), Saarburger Serenaden International Music Festival (Germany), the American Institute of Musical Studies (Austria), and the Kent/Blossom Festival (Ohio), as well as concerto soloist at the Chautauqua and Brevard Summer Festivals. He has been a member of competition juries in the U.S. and abroad and was founder of the Kent Piano Seminar in Ohio, as well director of the UNC Liszt Festival, UNC Etude Festival, and the Ginastera Centennial Celebration in North Carolina. His discography includes transcriptions of Franz Liszt and a premiere recording of etudes by African American composer Leslie Adams. He is committed to diverse music of our time, having also premiered works by electronic music expert Frances White and jazz pianist/composer Joe Utterback.
Dr. Otten’s former students include prize-winning concert artist Andrew Tyson, along with other professional musicians who are active throughout the country. His collaborations include the Miami and Vega String Quartets, violinist Richard Luby, as well as baritone Marc Callahan and soprano Louise Toppin. For more information on Dr. Otten, please visit his website at www.otten.studio.

 Should we use the same amount of pedal in Mozart as Chopin? How do we choose articulations in Baroque music? These and similar questions will be examined to shed light on the often-confusing musical choices we have when performing and teaching music from many different style periods.

Rebekah Carter, NCTM, maintains a piano studio in eastern Oregon, and has recently settled roots in Boise, Idaho. In addition to teaching in her private studio for over 15 years as an independent piano instructor, Ms. Carter teaches and accompanies as an adjunct instructor at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, OR. Her college studies took her to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA where she studied with Dr. Peter Mack. In addition to teaching, Ms. Carter serves OMTA Blue Mountain District as Secretary and chairs festivals at the district and state level. In 2016-2018, she was a Tholen Fellow through Portland Piano International. In 2020, Ms. Carter presented at the OMTA Virtual Conference from Florence, OR. She is a regular presenter and competition adjudicator throughout Oregon and Idaho.
Ms. Carter enjoys maintaining a professional and friendly relationship with the parents in her studio. She also enjoys hiking, trying new foods, attending concerts, and spending time with her husband and two children.

can relate to stories of “that” parent…you know…that one. However, parents are a determining factor in a student’s success and a necessary part of our daily work as music teachers. So how can we develop a constructive and positive relationship with them? Research shows that communication is the key. This lecture will use humor and interactive activities as well as practical tools and help, and includes: a handout of useful phrases for common “sticky situations,” interactive role-playing, exploration of your studio’s communication style, other not-so-obvious forms of communication you use every day, helpful apps, and a practical look at the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Code of Ethics for professional guidance.

Rebekah Carter, NCTM, maintains a piano studio in eastern Oregon, and has recently settled roots in Boise, Idaho. In addition to teaching in her private studio for over 15 years as an independent piano instructor, Ms. Carter teaches and accompanies as an adjunct instructor at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, OR. Her college studies took her to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA where she studied with Dr. Peter Mack. In addition to teaching, Ms. Carter serves OMTA Blue Mountain District as Secretary and chairs festivals at the district and state level. In 2016-2018, she was a Tholen Fellow through Portland Piano International. In 2020, Ms. Carter presented at the OMTA Virtual Conference from Florence, OR. She is a regular presenter and competition adjudicator throughout Oregon and Idaho.
Ms. Carter enjoys maintaining a professional and friendly relationship with the parents in her studio. She also enjoys hiking, trying new foods, attending concerts, and spending time with her husband and two children.

can relate to stories of “that” parent…you know…that one. However, parents are a determining factor in a student’s success and a necessary part of our daily work as music teachers. So how can we develop a constructive and positive relationship with them? Research shows that communication is the key. This lecture will use humor and interactive activities as well as practical tools and help, and includes: a handout of useful phrases for common “sticky situations,” interactive role-playing, exploration of your studio’s communication style, other not-so-obvious forms of communication you use every day, helpful apps, and a practical look at the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Code of Ethics for professional guidance.