Teacher Enrichment

Oregon Music Teachers Association in partnership with the Oregon Community Foundation and the Nellie Tholen Fund present statewide teacher enrichment events. These valuable and varying presentations are free and open to all music educators, members and non-members alike.

For more information about our OMTA/OCF Nellie Tholen District Enrichment Project Programs, contact our grant coordinator, Karen Huntsberger, NCTM.

Upcoming Events

The Creativity of the Baroque Repertoire

Date/Time: Monday, October 10, 2022 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: U of O School of Music – Berwick Hall, Room 101.
Contact: Grace Ho
Presenting District: Eugene
Presenter: Dr. Lark PowersRead Presenter Bio

In demand as a solo and collaborative artist as well as an adjudicator and presenter, Dr. Lark Powers has performed at such venues as Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the 92nd Street Y in New York City and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Internationally she has been heard in Europe, Mexico, and Canada. In addition to numerous collaborations with ensembles, including the Tacoma Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, the Washington-Idaho Symphony, and the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, she appears in frequent two-piano concerts as part of the duo she forms with pianist Ricardo de la Torre. Locally she is a frequent performer on the Listen Live at Lunch series at the First Lutheran Church of Tacoma, the Second City Chamber Series, and the faculty artist series at Pacific Lutheran University.

Lark received a DMA in piano performance from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds three Master’s degrees (in piano, theory pedagogy and in harpsichord) and a graduate performance diploma in piano from the Peabody Institute. Her undergraduate studies occurred at the University of the Pacific, where she earned a BM in piano performance, summa cum laude, after which she attended the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris for three years where she won a premier prix.

A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and a Washington State Visiting Artist, Lark teaches at Pacific Lutheran University where she instructs applied lessons and accompanying and coordinates the group keyboard program. Dr. Powers has presented on topics including managing performance anxiety, the creativity inherent in the Baroque repertoire, the pedagogy of keyboard harmony, and more. She is a proponent of new music, specializing in the music of Latin American composers, and can be heard on recordings with the Pan Pacific Ensemble on Albany records and the Cherry Creek Flute Duo.

Program Description: The Baroque repertoire provides an exceptional resourceRead More

for teaching students to analyze, to develop creativity, and to take charge of their interpretation. This presentation uses compositions from a variety of composers, well known to less well known, and explores pieces in a range of difficulties. The blank scores from this period, in urtext editions free of dynamics and phrasing indications, can provide challenges in developing an idiomatic and effective interpretation, and discussion includes helping students find cadences, establish phrasing, the importance of meter and pulse, articulation, ornamentation, and the treatment of specific dance forms, as well as effectively translating this music for performances on the modern piano.

Training the Ear and the Eye from the Start: The Hoffman Method

Date/Time: Saturday, October 22, 2022 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom, for access please contact Jan Miller
Presenting District: Blue Mountain
Presenter: Joseph HoffmanRead Presenter Bio

Joseph Hoffman began playing the piano at age six. In high school, he studied with Alfred Mouledous, principal pianist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. While continuing his musical studies in piano and conducting at Brigham Young University, Mr. Hoffman was appointed chorusmaster and conductor for numerous BYU opera productions, including Carmen and Pirates of Penzance. He conducted the 300-voice University Chorale and taught courses for music majors in music theory, conducting and sightsinging.

In order to help pay his way through grad school, Mr. Hoffman began teaching piano lessons to kids in the neighborhood. He wanted his students to love music and piano playing as much as he did, but he struggled to find a piano method that provided a rigorous, well-rounded musical training, while still being fun and engaging. Over the next several years, he made it his personal quest to study all he could about learning theory, and he actively researched the best methods available for teaching music. It was from these years of study, exploration, and experimentation that the “Hoffman Method” of teaching piano was born.

Program Description: Researchers have known for decadesRead More

that young children do not learn best from books, but through direct experience. Joseph Hoffman will share techniques and activities which will immerse the children you teach in a rich array of musical experiences through singing, movement, and engaging activities that explore rhythm, pitch, and reading notes on the staff. Building on this solid foundation of musical awareness and skill, children develop a fluent piano technique and acquire an impressive repertoire of piano literature. The end result is students who are adept at playing by both ear and by sight. This program has been used over the last ten years with hundreds of students in both group and private settings, and the results have been remarkably positive..

Workshop Videos

(The following videos are available on this page below this list to active OMTA members only. Members will need to log in to view.)

Pilates For Musicians

Presented by Barbara Chapman NCTM

Nurturing Potential Into Passion

Presented by Leila Viss, 88PianoKeys.me

Starter Steps for Playing Eighteenth-Century Repertoire on the Modern Piano

Presented by Donna Gunn, M.M., NCTM

Teaching the Special Learner: Wisdom and Strategies for the Independent Music Teacher

Presented by Emily Ross, M.A., M.T. – B.C.

Tips For Preparing For Syllabus Exams

Presented by Heidi Evans NCTM

Succeeding With Sonatinas

Presented by Dr. Crystal Zimmerman NCTM, Professor of Piano, Willamette University

Music and the Brain – How We Hear And Understand Melody and Rhythm

Presented by Dr. Crystal Zimmerman NCTM, Professor of Piano, Willamette University

Authentic Baroque Dance

Presented by Daniel Stephens, M.F.A. and Judith Kennedy, M.A.

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