President’s Letter May 2017

Letter from the President May 2017
Let’s Walk the Walk People!
May 2017 and the countdown is on- just over 2 years until the Conference- I hope it’s on your mind, because it is certainly on ours! A team is being gathered and crazy ideas are spilling out all over the place! I even rapped about this conference in Baltimore, so I hope you are ready for an event to be remembered! We hope to show the rest of Canada that our connections here in Manitoba are long and strong. A few surprises never seen before at a conference are in the works! It is widely known that people from the prairies are creative, funny, and like to have a good time, so let’s walk the walk.
The MTNA conference this past March in Baltimore was a wonderful experience and we will tell you about it at the Wine-up this coming June. I hope you enjoy the articles in Take Note about the conference, master classes, and the write up on our national piano competition winner, Paul Williamson. In the picture of me at the piano, you can see me playing my favorite new video game for sight reading junkies. I didn’t win any national competition, but I sure had fun at the huge trade show! I also bought a “toe”bourine….. again- talk to you in June if you want to know more!
Speaking of games…. How competitive are you? Give yourself a point for each of these statements that are true for you:
 I know that we are hosting the national conference in July 2019;
 I know that our wonderful pianist Paul Williamson won the national competition this past March;
 I participated in/attended: Musicthon; Scholarship competition; Serata; the Janina Fialkowska master class; the Baltimore convention (one point for each);
 I renewed my registration in time for the early bird draw;
 I’m still reading this message from Leanne!
(8-10 points=you must be on the MRMTA executive; 5-7 points= we want you on our executive if you aren’t already; 3-4 points=you are a pretty good MRMTA member; 1-2 points=hang in there, there’s a Wine-up and an AGM in your future!)
Be sure to save the important dates listed in your Take Note Magazine as you read it cover to cover, and enjoy your most recent edition of the Canadian Music Teacher Magazine. CFMTA/FCAPM is offering this magazine digitally now, so please try reading it in an app for your convenience. This link will take you to a page that will lead you to the app in which you’d like to read the magazine: http://www.cfmta.org/en/canadian-music-teacher-magazine/ We did a short survey about how you like to read CMT, but didn’t get much feedback. Do you enjoy getting your print copy in the mail? Do you think receiving one print copy would be enough, then read the rest online? These are the questions that we need answered by you so go to survey monkey if you haven’t already! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F59R57J
Along with this Take Note Issue you are receiving a questionnaire for the 100th Anniversary Book that is being researched and written by Dr. Muriel Smith. Read her letter and dig into that collection of memories and pictures so that we can tell YOUR story! Thanks for your input.
Have a wonderful spring everyone and all the best as you finish your teaching year. Why not plan your Serata performance over the summer? Everyone had a wonderful time this past Sunday (check out the article) and the students that were in attendance were thrilled with the quiz and prizes available. Since we will have 2 pianos available for Serata next May, you might as well go and peruse all the vast quartet and duo repertoire out there and go practise. As I learned in the CMT (thanks Annie Avery from the Yukon!) the Russian word for practise literally means “repeat”!
All the best,
Leanne Hiebert
President, MRMTA