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Spring 2015www.ormta.org

PERSONALIZE YOUR BIO

MUSIC TEACHER MEMORIES

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers2

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Contents

The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers NOTES Spring 2015

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

ARTICLESAll submissions must be received by the NOTES editor by the following deadlines: May 1 (summer issue), October 1 (fall issue), February 1 (spring issue). The editor prefers that all text be sent by e-mail using Microsoft Word. Reports from the Branches and OCTA biographies are limited to 400 words. Written permission must accompany all text where applicable.

PHOTOSHigh resolution colour photos in .jpg format are preferred. Email photos directly to: [email protected]

REPRINT PERMISSION All material in this publication is copyrighted and may not be duplicated or reprinted without advance written permission.

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in NOTES are not necessarily those of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, neither are the products or services appearing in advertisements and inserts endorsed by that Association.

ADVERTISING Ad sizes and rates are available from: Tracy Lai 2754 Dempster Ave. Innisfi l, ON. L9S 1C1 Tel: 705-436-2236 E Mail: [email protected] Advertising must be submitted to Tracy by article “due dates” listed above. All fi nal ad artwork must be saved in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. When preparing ads, use high resolution images and fonts, and set the Acrobat Preferences to embed the fonts and images at their original high resolution quality.

NOTES FOR NON-MEMBERSNon-ORMTA members may receive NOTES by submitting an annual fee to Ron Spadafore, Provincial Secretary/Registrar, Box 635, Timmins, ON P4N 7G2. The charge for Canadian residents is $20 per year, $30 for non-residents. Please make the cheque out to ORMTA.

NOTES EDITOR Please send material for review to: Patrick McCormick - Notes Editor 158 McRoberts Avenue, Toronto M6E 4P5Tel: (416) 554 3998email: [email protected]

Calendar of Events 4

Privacy Policy 4

From the Editor 5

From the President 6

From the Branches 7

Personalise It! 13

Review: Peter Rudzik 13

Financial Reports 14

ORMTA – Canada Music Week Reports 19

ORMTA – Young Artist Tour 2014 24

Music Writing Competition 24

Review: MyMuCo 25

Music Teacher Memories 26

Review: MyMusicStaff 27

Awards Luncheon & Competitions 28

Annual General Meeting 29

From the Registrar’s Desk 32

Sense 33

Membership Has its Privileges 34

Provincial Executive and Zone Representatives 35

4

Calendar of Events 2015

The Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association respects your privacy. We protect your personal information and adhere to all legislative requirements with respect to protecting your privacy. We do not rent, sell or trade our mailing lists. The information you provide will be used to deliver services and to keep you informed and up to date on activities of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, including workshops, clinics, conventions, recitals, competitions and other special events, funding needs, opportunities to volunteer or give, newsletters, NOTES magazine, membership, brochures, and web-site information. If at any time you wish to be removed from our mailing list or discuss our privacy policy in greater detail, simply contact us through our Secretary-Registrar at 705-267-1224 or via e-mail at [email protected] and we will gladly accommodate your request. For more info please visit www.ormta.org and click on “Privacy Policy” at the bottom of the page or contact Provincial Secretary-Registrar, Ron Spadafore.

THE ONTARIO REGISTERED MUSIC TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION PRIVACY POLICY

March 1 Deadline for changes of address and/or membership status to Provincial Registrar

March 15 Deadline for Music Writing Competition submissions to CMW Chairperson

March 15 Branch concerns to Zone Representative for presentation to Council Meeting

April 1 Deadline for OCTA submissions

April 18 Provincial Council Executive Meeting

April 19 Provincial Council Meeting

April 30 DEADLINE for ALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT requests for 2015-2016

May 1 “NOTES” DEADLINE FOR SUMMER ISSUE

May 15 Nominations for Zone Representatives, to Provincial Secretary

May 15 Branch Delegate names re Annual Meeting, to Provincial Secretary

May 31 Deadline for Zone entries in the Provincial Student and Young Artist Competitions to Provincial Chairperson

July 1 Membership fees are due

July 1 Deadline for BRANCH EXECUTIVE LISTS for 2015-2016

July 1 Branch concerns to Zone Representative for presentation to Council Meeting

July 24 Provincial Executive & Council Meetings

July 25 AGM, Awards Luncheon and Provincial Performance Competitions

August 1 Requests for ONTARIO YOUNG ARTIST RECITALS to Chairperson

NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers

5NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers NOTES Spring 2015

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Welcome to the latest issue of NOTES. It’s been a long, cold winter which, on the positive side, has given us lots of indoor time to get together and enjoy our musical endeavours. This is certainly borne out by the exciting activities our branches have to report.

As we head into spring, Lisa Boynton offers some very useful advice on helping giving your ORMTA web profi le a makeover to help you stand out from the crowd.

And be sure to check out what ORMTA Branches were up to during Canada Music Week – there’s lots of inspiration and some great stories.

Each year we’re excited to announce a new ORMTA Young Artist Competition winner. Charissa Vandikas is our 2014 stand-out; be inspired by her achievements and see how what plans she has for performing this coming year.

Of course, achievements such as Charissa’s couldn’t happen without good teachers. In this issue, Carolynne Davy Godin (North York/York Region Branch) shares her Music Teacher Memories.

Please make every effort to get out to workshops in your area this Spring. Teacher development is something we all need and professional networking remains invaluable.

Happy teaching everyone – I look forward to hearing from you all throughout the year!

Patrick McCormickEditor

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From the President

I had one of THOSE days recently. I was battling a cold and my fi rst student arrived at 8am on a Saturday morning for what was to be a full day teaching. Meanwhile because of being congested all night, I did not sleep a wink.

Two hours into the day, I already felt that I had taught all day. My 10am student arrives proudly announcing that she had not practiced all week since she was busy organizing her friend’s surprise birthday party, which took place the night before. So now there’s an under slept teacher AND student. Suzie’s lesson was painful! Her Baroque dance was hard on the ears because of all the missing F#s and C#s from the key signature. The Sonatina was all over the place metrically. At the start of the Sonatina’s Development section, she asks if she could play separate hands from that point on? As she had played it all both hands the week before, I unintentionally had a minor meltdown and answered, “Suzie, we can’t be going backwards learning this piece. The festival is only 2 months away. The recital 3 months and your exam is 4 months!!!” Without acknowledging my answer or reaction, she turns back to her music and proceeds to play the Development both hands as tears gush down her face. As not to embarrass her, we continued on not acknowledging her tears. From that point in her lesson and the many lessons that came afterwards, my corrections were delivered with a tone that was much more supportive and compassionate, despite my own personal state of health or well-being.

It’s amazing how sometimes when we teach, we need a reminder of why we do this? Each month, I get together with a group of friends and ORMTA colleagues to talk about life and teaching and to answer that very question… Why do we teach? And the answer we always come up with is to spread the joy and love of music to our students. With the pressure of preparing for festivals,

recitals or exams, it’s easy to lose focus of that simple, yet absolutely essential goal, like I felt I had in Suzie’s lesson.

So what I’ve learned over the years is that you sometimes need to throw a curve ball into that repetitive lesson routine. Based on Suzie’s experience and the winter ho-hums that I’ve been seeing in the body language of many of my students lately, I decided to throw a curve ball at my students the following week offering them the opportunity to have us work on a song of their choosing by rote and ear the following week. It’s amazing to see their faces light up with excitement about some new opportunity. The deal of course is that they have to continue working on those spring performance pieces, but my hope is that the diversion will help them get excited about playing again.

After Suzie’s episode, I was determined that the next time she left my studio would have to be with a smile. Leaving twice in tears or a frown could be disastrous and might cause her not to continue and I was not going to let that happen because of my respect to my own personal mantra of why I teach.

So now is your turn to share… What do you change up in your students’ lesson routine when things need to be shaken up? Is it a change in repertoire? Do you get them to compose? Is it certain activities or games? Please share your ideas on ORMTA’s various social media platforms, Discussion Forum or a Reply to the Editor for the next issue of NOTES.

Wishing you all much happiness and fun in spreading the good of music with your students!

- Frank Horvat


Do you ever have a bad day of teaching? Even though I tend to be “Mr. Happy” all the time, there are some occasional days when I ask myself, “How are you going to survive today???”

7

From the Branches

NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers NOTES Spring 2015

BARRIE

A new year full of potential is upon us and our Barrie Branch is busy planning the many events for this Spring Season. A new year also allows us to refl ect on the past couple of months, as we held our annual Canada Music Week recital. As an added bonus to our already successful Awards Recital (in which we gave out $720 to our top RCM examination students), we had Martha Hill Duncan www.redleafpianoworks.com give a workshop and masterclass on the topic of composition. Many thanks go out to the Barrie Branch volunteers and to Martha, for putting on such a lovely day.

Our Student Scholarship Evaluations Day has been planned for February and we are pleased to have Nancy Telfer adjudicating piano and vocal. We have a wonderful amount of entries each year! An Awards Recital follows for students who have received an A+, or an A standing in which they will also receive a monetary award.

Our Branch Competition has been set for May 2 and features our senior students. We are also looking forward to hosting the Zone Competition this year in Barrie on May 23. Jennifer Knelman will be adjudicating and giving a workshop. We are also pleased to welcome a new member Margot Hamilton (who

teaches Rudiments and Voice) to our Branch.

We wish everyone the best with the upcoming festivals, recitals, workshops, and exams this year.

– Sarah Lawton

CENTRAL TORONTO

Central Toronto was thrilled to host this year’s Young Artist, Charissa Vandikas at the Canadian Music Centre on October 19th. She wowed us starting with Scarlatti, moving through Liszt and Brahms and ending with Canadian composer David L. McIntyre. Our Children’s Recital

8

From the Branches


in the fall turned out to be more adorable than ever! It was held at The Dunfi eld Retirement Residents, providing an instant and appreciative audience as well as refreshments after. The kids outdid themselves by entertaining not only with their wonderful performances, but also in their various and imaginative costumes. We plan to make this a yearly tradition.

Our Fall Scholarship Recital was a tremendous success for many reasons. Instead of using snail mail this year, we put all of our registration forms online to make it fast and easy to sign up students for our auditions and recital program. The Spring Recital will have the further advantage of being able to pay directly online too along with the forms. Kudos to Liz Craig and Liselotte Jongedijk! The recital, adjudicated by acclaimed pianist and teacher Peter Longworth allowed us

to give $1,700 in scholarships. We are hoping to do even more for our students in the Spring.

This winter and spring are chock-a-block with branch activity. Our Winter General Meeting was held at the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) and the lucky attendees were treated to Guillermo Silva-Marin and his Toronto Operetta Theatre singers performing a medley of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. It was probably one of our best entertainments ever! Our very own Melissa Bencic hosted a very well-attended and enlightening Master Class for young music theatre students at Bravo Academy. Thanks to Melanie Dickson-Smith, our Adult Student Recital is now a yearly event and we are so happy to give our adult students a chance to shine!

March will be an incredible month for the branch. We are hosting our fi rst

ever “Cabaret”, where past branch scholarship winners are invited to perform in a real cabaret space: Jazz Bistro on Victoria Street. There, the audience gets to hear our very best students perform while enjoying a convivial atmosphere with food and drink. Not only does this help us give even more scholarship money to our students but it is a nice variation from the formal recital setting! On March 22nd we are honoured to have Valerie Tryon give a Master Class also at the CMC. To have such venerated artists as Ms. Tryon is defi nitely motivating and inspiring for the entire branch, students and teachers alike. On March 29th, our Teachers in Concert will be held at the Music Gallery. Thank you Jeanette Roberts and Denise Williams for organizing this staple in our branch year. We enjoy hearing our talented teachers show their stuff and the many lovely surprises that make that event so entertaining and fun.

A big thank you to all who worked so hard this year in the branch to make these events come to life!

– Eric Shaw

HAMILTON HALTONA New Year has dawned upon us. On Friday, January 9, 2015 our Branch started the year off on a very professional tone with Frank Horvat’s Provincial Workshop Progressive Theory Teaching. In a very demonstrative and insightful way, Frank shared his own personal success in teaching Music Theory over the years to his students. Frankly speaking (punny?), to a greater extent, Horvat’s approach to teaching a potentially “dry / boring” subject matter from a performance

9

From the Branches


perspective, revealed how music theory can take on an engaging and enlightening life force of it own through the improvisatory / compositional creative process. Those Teachers who attended, no doubt, were left feeling a little more inspired and empowered to tackle that subject with more “gusto”!

A new year provides the opportunity to look back and refl ect on the last quarter of the 2014 year in which the Branch resumed its Organizational activities for its Members and their Students. The President’s Tea / BBQ-Potluck Social for the Members (to regroup and network after the summer break) has traditionally been scheduled in early September. This event is usually hosted by the current President in his / her home setting. With the reopening of the school term, and in anticipation that many Members will have a busier start to teaching in September, our Social was moved up to August 28th. For a nice change of pace from the norm., a delectable “Wine & Cheese”,

hosted by the Executive, was held at St. Christopher’s United Church, following our fi rst scheduled General Meeting (post May, 2014 AGM).

Halloween, Canada Music Week, and Christmas Recital programs, held in October, November, and December respectively, gave participating Members along with their Students the opportunity to showcase their talents. These Recitals were well attended by parents, siblings, and friends. The Rotary Burlington Music Festival - an event planned out annually by our ORMTA, Hamilton-Halton Branch and the four Burlington Rotary Clubs - was held from November 3 - 15; concluding with the Grand Festival Concert on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. We were quite delighted that Branch Member, Christopher Foley’s student, Harry Lau won the top Scholarship Award in Senior Piano. He presented an outstanding performance of Liszt’s Vallee d’Obermann.

The Calendar is packed with more Student Recitals, Workshop, Meetings, Branch and Zone Competitions. Branch Executive and Conveners are busy “buzzing” to get these up and rolling in the months ahead!

– Kamara Hennessey

From the Branches

10 NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers

HANOVER-WALKERTON

In November medals and certifi cates were awarded to 27 Hanover-Walkerton ORMTA students who achieved excellent conservatory exam results between August 2013 and June 2014.

Branch member, Sharon Johnston joined with adult students for their 2nd annual Harp Retreat in Tobermory, September 2-5, 2014. Sharon facilitated harp classes in practice techniques, improvisation, arranging and learning new repertoire. Students swam, hiked, shopped and enjoyed music-making indoors and out. All agreed that a relaxed learning environment enhanced their learning experience.”

– Lisa Stewart

KINGSTON

Our teachers have had a jam-packed fall and winter so far, with interesting events each month. We started off September with a workshop highlighting the music of Red Leaf Pianoworks in the beautiful new Isabel Bader Centre Rehearsal Hall with a spectacular view of Lake Ontario. This was followed in October by Charissa Vandikas’ polished performance at the Young Artist tour recital.

November brought another well-attended Canada Music Week festival, with composer Susan Griesdale adjudicating about 50 students and selecting some for a celebratory recital. December’s Candy Cane recital was a lot of fun for 28 young performers age 9 and under.

In January we had the privilege of hosting an informative and educational workshop on the new DREAM (Digital Resource Exchange About Music) tool facilitated by one of our members, Dr. Julia Brook of Queen’s University School of Education.

Several non-ORMTA members attended as well, and we all came away with some new ideas on how to incorporate digital technology into our teaching.

– Meg Freer

NORTH BAY

In addition to our normal business this year, we investigated the purchase of a used grand piano for the purposes of student recitals, special events such as the Young Artist Tour as well as practical music examinations. We though we might have found an instrument of quality at a good price but were surprised to fi nd that it was actually produced by an inferior manufacturer other than the one named on the instrument itself. This was brought to light by a trusted piano tuner/tech. who inspected the instrument for us. We are still looking.

Another focus this year has been the production of a website for our local branch. It was completed and published online on January 2, 2015. The address is:www.northbayormta.ca We decided to do this in order to increase our profi le in the community. It is based on the information found in the provincial brochure and has been personalized to refl ect our branch members and activities. Members who have submitted pictures and bios have their own personal page. Prospective members are directed to the provincial website if they wish to get an application to join.

Our Honour Recital took place on November 22, 2014 at Christ Church

in North Bay. The students who received top marks in their practical and theoretical examinations were presented with certifi cates indicative of their achievement. A number of fi nancial awards in memory of deceased branch members were also awarded, namely the Lynda Kennedy award, the Sydna Shorse Award, and the Jennie Morrison Award. The North Bay Elks Club Award, an annual award for the top grade 10 student along with the Jennie Morrison award for the top ARCT student went to Gabriel C. Lavoie a student of Doreen Bryer. The presentations were accompanied by a short recital.

Li Fengzhe a 15 year old Grade 10 student at Ecole Secondaire Publique Odyssee. and student of Elsa Tafel, won the secondary school level of a competition that was open to all French speaking students which showcased the talents of dancers, musicians and others. There were four categories and an initial night of competition with the fi nalists performing on Jan 28. Feng playing Grade 8 level compositions, fi rst Étude Allegro by Nakada the fi rst evening and Sonata in G Major Op49 No1 First Movement for the fi nal event. He was rewarded with $300 and mitts.

Two of our members are quite active in musical theatre. Frances Balodis is the pit orchestra accompanist for the Wizard of Oz at the Rene Caisse in Bracebridge. It runs from Feb. 26 – March 7th. Also, she is pit orchestra accompanist for The Drowsy Chaperone in Huntsville. It is in the Algonquin Theatre and runs from the 9th of April – 19th of April. Susan Nicholson performed in the band for Seussical The Musical which was produced by Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre and involved 92 children

from grades 3-8. Rehearsals began in September. The band had 10 instrumentalists playing keyboards, percussion, strings, woodwinds and brass. The Capitol Centre was fi lled for 5 performances for school children followed by 2 shows, Jan 23 and 24 for the public.

– Brian McDowell

OTTAWA

The Ottawa Branch had a busy fall. Our fi rst event of the season was a collaboration with Ottawa New Music Creators. In this fi rst of what we hope will become an annual workshop, two of our young composers were able to discuss their work with ONMC composer Christine Donkin.

The following weekend was our turn to hear this year’s Young Artist in concert, and what a brilliant concert it was. In the lovely setting of the Chapel of Tabaret Hall (now Huguette Labelle Hall), Charissa Vandikas thrilled her audience with totally polished and professional interpretations of every piece on her programme.

A month later it was our Canada Music Week Recital. Orleans United Church was fi lled with supportive friends and family who were treated to an exceptional concert by thirty-nine young performers ranging in age from seven to eighteen. We are proud to say that the concert featured a number of original compositions by Ottawa area composers, including two pieces by Christine Donkin, played by her sister, pianist Catherine Donkin, to close the concert.

We also held two well attended information sharing sessions: one on piano selections for the Kiwanis Festival and the other on how to develop a more vibrant and practical relationship with harmony and tonality in your students.

After a break for the holidays, we began our winter with our General Meeting on January 12th. On a cold and snowy day, members trekked to The Mennonite Church to catch up with their friends and colleagues, and to hear about the planned events for the Winter and Spring. In addition to the usual meeting business, we were given a presentation by The Leading Note music store on their on-lineservices, and another by our archivist Ann Babin.

January 18th saw Louis Trépanier give a very successful guitar master class at the University of Ottawa as part of our master class series in collaboration with both UofO and Carleton University.

Things will stay busy through February and March. Events include our Variety Show, piano master classes, a Professional Development

Workshop on Tax Benefi ts for Self-Employed Music Teachers, our First Class Honours recitals, the last of this year’s information sharing sessions, and Adult Workshops, Master Classes and Recital for both piano and voice.

We have no events planned for April, but our teachers will be busy preparing their students for the Competitions in May.

’Til next time ...– Susan Blyth-Schofi eld

11

From the Branches



SARNIA

The Sarnia Branch of ORMTA has had a very busy fall semester.

We were pleased to start our teaching year off to a great start on October 18 with a double event.We were honoured to host a Professional Development morning with Gwen Beamish, nationally recognized performer, teacher, adjudicator , clinician and member of Sarnia Branch.

Gwen presented a truly inspiring workshop called “Take 10 Take 20 Take 30”, and shared her knowledge, during various length sessions, regarding physical warmups before practising, analysis of the music score, technical aspects of tone production as well as an overview of historical styles, all during this excellent session. Thank you Gwen!

This was followed by a wonderful lunch prepared by the ladies of Dunlop Church. Following lunch, we were proud to host the 2014 Young Artist, Charissa Vandikas on her Ontario Tour. Charissa treated us to an incredible performance of her program. We all (teachers, students, parents and visitors) enjoyed the concert very much. Congratulations again Charissa!

We completed the fall with an activity afternoon for our junior students. They performed repertoire currently being studied, followed by a rhythmic activity and Music Bingo. They all seemed to enjoy the social connection with other students, combined with some learning activities and of course treats!

Spring will see an activity afternoon for our intermediate students. We will also be hosting a Musical Variety Show in April , featuring students, teachers and local musicians.

I hope everyone is enjoying their teaching year, from your colleagues at Sarnia Branch.

– Cathy Kihle


One of the best ways to give potential students a fi rst look at what you have to offer is to add a biography to your profi le. But besides the obvious (what you teach) what do you say?

Here are some ideas about what you could include in your profi le to help give you a bit of an edge and get noticed.

Many students say their most memorable learning experiences

happened because they made a connection with their teacher.

That’s why it’s always best to write about yourself in the fi rst

person. Let your potential students hear how you would best

describe you, in your own voice (not in the third person). And

strive to make that fi rst online connection as close to an actual

one-on-one conversation as possible by keeping your writing

short, simple and friendly.

Do you especially enjoy working with gifted students? How

about students with special needs? If so, don’t forget to

highlight your specialties to attract the type of student you’re

best suited for. Teachers with expertise in specifi c types of

learning are always in high demand so give your specialty

prominence in your bio.

What’s your teaching style? Do you teach best with a structured

curriculum or do you prefer to take a more organic approach?

Perhaps you’re well versed in both. Whatever your style, be sure

to mention it in your biography so potential students can get an

idea if you’ll compliment how they like to learn.

This last tip is often overlooked but can be the deciding factor

for many potential students when selecting an instructor. Be

sure to say a few words about why you enjoy teaching. What

does teaching bring to your life? How does teaching make you

feel? Many students like to understand what compelled their

instructors to pursue teaching in the fi rst place. If you’re at a loss

for words, you could add a famous quote or your favourite words

of wisdom. Just be sure to personalize it and say it from the

heart. If you can make a connection where others don’t, you’re

one step ahead of the game.

Looking for a way to help your ORMTAweb profi le stand out from the rest?

Personalize it!By: Lisa Boynton

“Truly Astounding Animals” by Peter Rudzik is a collection of character pieces with rhythmic drive and chromatic harmonies for RCM levels 3 to 9. Students who have an affi nity for 20th and 21st century music would enjoy working on these pieces. The music is playful, percussive, and full of repetitive patterns and sequences. Descriptive titles allow performers to tap into their imagination to create an “Annoying Fly” or a “Boastful Kangaroo”. Students desiring to try these pieces should be warned of the many accidentals strewn throughout the score, but those daunted by accidentals can be comforted by the fact that many of them are embedded in sequential patterns that can facilitate learning. Most of these sequences are chromatic in nature, resulting in interesting and possibly novel fi ngering exercises. Some patterns however present a challenge to play continuously with a relaxed arm and hand. What these pieces lack are long melodic lines and catchy tunes. Those looking for diatonic harmonies with lyrical lines should start with Orange Striped Zebra and Dancing Penguins.

Rudzik’s “Wild Rose Suite” is a more advanced collection of descriptive pieces for RCM levels 10 and up. The music is generally more dissonant in its chromaticism and more challenging to read because of the abundance of accidentals. Perhaps the most accessible pieces in this collection are “Mountain Creek”, “Soaring”, and “New Day Toccata”. Mountain Creek (Gr.9 level) and New Day Toccata (Gr.10 or ARCT level) both employ repeated patterns in one hand with melody lines in the other. The New Day Toccata also includes crossovers between hands. Soaring is an imaginative and lyrical piece with interesting key changes that work well. It could be an option as an own choice selection for RCM grade 10, list E.

If you’re searching for alternative options for 20th and 21st century music, these two collections are worth a look. All of these works and recordings can all be found online at sheetmusicplus.com. Just search under “Peter Rudzik”. Happy listening and happy learning!

– Dorothy Francis, MMus, ARCT

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Central Toronto Branch

For Canada Music Week, Central Toronto Branch hosted our fi rst ever (we think!) Composition Master Class, on Saturday, November 22. The event was graciously hosted at the home of branch president Eric Shaw. Eight composers, from teens to adults, had their works critiqued by Dr. Roger Bergs. One participant, as well as one of the auditors, was from another branch. As well, one of the (Toronto-based) adult composers was in Hong Kong, and one of the teenage composers participated by Skype from Thunder Bay, so the event had a truly broad outreach!

The works presented were for piano, choir, electronic instruments, and full orchestra.

Dr. Bergs kept everyone engaged as he gave advice on dealing with issues of form, phrasing, notation, building energy levels, communicating with the audience, etc.

We are pleased with how the event turned out, and hope to have one involving younger composers in the future.

– Alice Dearden, Central Toronto Branch Secretary

Hamilton-Halton Branch

The Hamilton-Halton Branch held its annual Canada Music Week recital at St. Matthew’s Church in Burlington on Sunday, November 23 at 3:00 p.m. There were over 30 participants allperforming music by Canadian composers. Convenors Leslie Polci and Natalie Spurrell ran a well organized recital that featured 20 vocalists and only 10 pianists! President Janice Beninger brought greetings from the branch. One of our newest members, Keisha Bell-Kovacs, performed Place St. Henri by Oscar Peterson and several vocal students performed songs written and accompanied by their teacher, Linda Fletcher. One of the highlights of the program was a performance of the Spurrell Studio Choir and Training Chorus, led by member Natalie Spurrell.

These are the children who sang us out so beautifully at the 2012 ORMTA Provincial Convention in Burlington. Once again, they performed a stunning rendition of David McIntyre’s Ave Maria and ended with a beautiful setting of Jack Layton’s “To Young Canadians” set to music by James Wright. It was a moving and fi tting end to the concert.

Afterwards, we all enjoyed a Canada Music Week cake, which was devoured by the hungry choristers, students and teachers alike.

The Hamilton-Halton ORMTA also co-runs the Burlington Rotary Music festival, which fi nished on November 15. As part of this festival, anyone wishing to win a scholarship must perform a Canadian composition. As a result, we have heard wonderful performance of Canadian music forthe past several years in all disciplines at the festival and it has encouraged teachers to research new compositions.

– Andrea Battista, Hamilton-Halton Branch Recital Convenor

Hanover-Walkerton Branch

This year to celebrate Canada Music Week the Hanover-Walkerton ORMTA branch started up a new and innovative initiative called Patriotic Performance Partners. We decided to match up students of similar age groups and have them share a video of themselves performing a Canadian piece. The hope of our teachers is that this initiative will continue throughout the year, or perhaps several years, allowing students to share more performances of their music and develop peer relationships – something like a musical pen pal of the 21st century.

Several of our branch members set to work on fi nding a user-friendly and secure site for the video sharing, which is now up and running. Students in our area are excited to “meet” other music students. With our large geographical area, the Hanover-Walkerton branch felt that it was time to develop another way for students to get together and share music in a supportive and motivating environment that today’s students can relate to easily.

Teachers are fi nding new and exciting ways of using technology in their studios, and supporting our colleagues. As one teacher said, “Why wouldn’t students participate in this great initiative? They (the students) get to give a performance without parents having to drive anywhere, spend any money, dress up, feel the pressure of a live audience, and in addition to the video they make, they will get to watch and learn to comment on other student’s videos at their leisure. They will be exposed to various instruments and new music. How much easier does it get?”

Our branch submitted a proposal for the William Andrews Award, but did not receive the grant this year.


21The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers NOTES Spring 2013

We look forward to seeing the ideas of the recipients in the next CFMTA publication.

– Laura Gray, Hamilton-Walkerton Branch President

Kingston Branch

The Canada Music Week Festival in Kingston went very well. Adjudicator Susan Griesdale heard students on Friday evening and Saturday and was very impressed with the level of teaching and performing here. She offered lovely and encouraging words to the students who participated. The love and care brought forward by the piano students in particular showed that contemporary Canadian music clearly resonates well with our youth (and young at heart) today. Such wonderful colours and interest for everyone in attendance!

We had a really good fi nale concert on Sunday. We also held a draw for tickets for Kingston Frontenacs hockey games. This opportunity to celebrate Canadian Music and our young Canadian musicians is so important in today’s climate where there is so much distrust, fear and lack of communication. The power of music truly crosses all borders and creates happiness. Our teachers sent home lots of smiling students proud of their accomplishments.

– Meg Freer, Kingston Branch President

Kitchener-Waterloo Branch

Nov. 22 was a wonderful celebration in Kitchener Waterloo! A full day of Canadian music was presented by 65 students from beginners to advanced at Wilfrid Laurier University. Masterclasses with clinician Dr. Marnie VanWeelden were fun and informal, and very helpful for students who had prepared Canadian pieces. The highlight was the Canada Music Week

recital held at 5 pm. So many Canadian composers were represented! This event has become a tradition for our branch. It gives our students an opportunity to perform in a comfortable setting early in the school year, and to receive constructive feedback.

Teachers appreciate the chance to hear new music and to learn new ways of teaching and interpretation. At the end of the day, we all feel proud of our branch and of the tremendous talent we have in our Canadian music scene! We look forward to our next celebration of Canada Music Week!

– Joanne Bender, Kitchener-Waterloo Branch

London Branch

The London, Ont. ORMTA branch was thrilled to give the Young Artist Award Winner, Charissa Vandikas ( student of Dr. Michael Esch) the Aeolian Hall performance experience and felt it was perfect to host it during Canada Music Week allowing students to hear and see what others their age were able to accomplish.

Four of Marion Miller’s piano students, Hannah, Clara, Angela and Susannah Salamon, best summoned up the evening with the following:

“My sisters and I really enjoyed Charissa’s performance. It was so inspiring and we learned so much from watching her. The ease and maturity with which she plays the most demanding piano repertoire is astonishing. Her performance made us want to go home and practice even harder!”

– Debbie Talbot and Bev Barrett

Newmarket and Area Branch

The Newmarket & Area Branch got an early start to 2014 Canada Music Week events this year. Three separate events featuring teachers, clinicians, students and a general audience were the focus of our CMW activities:

Our initial celebration began at our fi nal branch luncheon in June. Two of our branch members, Paulette Popp and Dianne Hughes, were invited to perform some of their own piano


works. Paulette performed pieces for beginner students in solo and duet format from her beginner bookThe Peter Linden Piano Course, while Dianne showcased two of her own compositions entitled Spanish Fantasy and The Ancient Dance.

As members of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, both were encouraged to look into having their works published!

Our teachers were also encouraged to get an early start on music selection for the CMW recitals in the Fall. On September 19, our branch hosted a workshop with Red Leaf Composers and clinicians Susan Griesdale and Martha Hill Duncan. We heard a variety of performances from several new Canadian composer collections; Creatures Great and Small by Joanne Bender, Journey Through The Galaxy by Irene Voros, Precipitations by Martha Hill Duncan, Arctic Voices, by Susan Griesdale, and many others. Martha and Susan enjoyed performing both solos and duets!

Compositions for violin and fl ute were also made available to those in attendance.

The workshop was very well attended; 20 people, including both ORMTA and non-ORMTA teachers, as well as one student. It was inspiring and fun. We all had an opportunity to browse and/or purchase many composer collections after the workshop.

On November 8th, the branch hosted our annual Recital of Canadian Composers and Their Music. Eighty students took part in three back-to-back recitals featuring performances by piano, vocal, harp, cello, and fl ute students.

It has become a tradition at our recitals to include our “So You Think You Know Your Canadian Composers” matching game, and to serve Canadian cupcakes and refreshments after our recitals.All who attended had an enjoyable afternoon of performance and Canadian celebration!

Many thanks to those teachers who helped make this event a success. The $300 that was raised will be awarded to students at the Newmarket & Area Awards Festival held each May.

– Sheila McLean, Newmarket and Area Branch

North Bay Branch

The North Bay Branch of ORMTA celebrated Canada Music Week with an Honour Recital. All students who received honour marks in examinations throughout the year were invited to perform and students who received the highest marks in practical and theory examinations were presented with certifi cates and awards. The Mayor of North Bay presented us with a Proclamation and the Supreme Ruler of the Elks Lodge presented Gabriel Lavoie with the Grade Ten award in memory of Ernie Ervine (who was married to one of our members). I mention Gabriel, student of Doreen Bryer, as he received the award for both Grade Ten piano and ARCT as well as our ORMTA Advanced Theory award. What a busy year for him! We celebrated the efforts of all our students, memories of past teachers and Canadian composers.

– Nancy Hughes, North Bay Branch President



North York/York Region Branch

Every year for Canada Music Week, the North York/York Region Branch gives a special trophy for the highest mark of the performance of a Canadian composition during the Fall Auditions (which fall during Canada Music Week). All levels are involved, and one performer of each Junior, Intermediate and Senior Piano and Voice will receive a special trophy. Thus six trophiesare awarded.

– Carolynne Godin, North York/York Region Branch President

Ottawa Region Branch

Wow, what a night! Orleans United Church was jam packed with supportive family and friends Sunday November 23rd for the 2014 Canada Music Week recital. The crowds were treated to

the music performed by 39 young musicians ranging in age from 7 to 18 and featuring a variety of instruments: voice, harp and piano. We even had a few original compositions by Ottawa composers Kelly-Marie Murphy, Colin Mack, Claudia Cashin-Mack, Anita Schlarb and young composer Abbey Sugars-Keen. They were all outstanding.

The last performers were voice student Cassidy Van Bavel and the amazing harpist Caroline Leonardelli performing Frozen Fire, an incredible piece written for Cassidy by her mother, Kelly-Marie Murphy – it was riveting! As a way of furthering our ONMC/ORMTA collaboration, pianist Catherine Donkin performed two pieces of Christine Donkin’s to close the concert. It brought the crowd to their feet! We are defi nitely a city that exudes musical talent. President and Canada Music Week convener Tania Granata wants to

thank all the volunteers who helped her organize the students, the reception, those who brought items for the reception and those who helped with cleanup. I am so grateful for your help.

All the participants received a certifi cate of participation and ORMTA Voice teacher Misty Banyard helped hand out the “Obama” cookie to all the performers..it has become a small tradition!

– Tania Granata , Ottawa Region Branch President

Owen Sound Branch

Our Canada Music Week recital on Friday November 21st was a complete success! We had about twenty students performing works by Canadian composers (including local composer Debra Wanless) and a fabulous audience turnout.



After the performance we had a draw for two paintings that were generously donated by composer Rémi Bouchard. The reception was a hit as always, due to the enormous celebratory cake and take-home Canadian souvenirs. We got to hear a great variety of Canadian music, and I think everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves and learned something new.

– Jen Smith Lanthier, Owen Sound Branch Secretary

Our ORMTA Young Artist for 2014 was Charissa Vandikas, a student of Michael Esch of Markham. Charissa had a very successful tour this past fall and received glowing reviews from every participating branch. Stops on the tour included North Bay, Sarnia, Central Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Markham and Newmarket and area. A busy schedule for a busy young musician!

Charissa had her work cut out for her keeping up her Young Artist repertoire while learning new pieces for her many upcoming auditions and performances. All of this and homework too! Her teacher said “Charissa had a super tour and the concerts have inspired her since to win a concerto spot with the Toronto Sinfonietta this coming February, and to fi nd that extra gas in the tank for her upcoming B Mus auditions and Lic Dip exam. It makes me exhausted just observing all of her goings on! I am very excited for her future and the Tour was an incredible boost to her confi dence! We are very thankful for this wonderful opportunity, and for the myriad people across the Province and behind the scenes who worked so hard to make it come to fruition.“

Thank you especially to the participating branches for supporting the Young Artist Tour. I would encourage all branches to consider hosting a top notch recital for the upcoming 2015 tour – it is worth it! Applications for branches who wish to host a concert are available on our website.

For Charissa’s biography, programme and performance video, visit http://www.ormta.org/events/young-artist-tour

– Susan Robinson(ORMTA Young Artist Tour convener)

Many students love to compose – and how better to encourage them than by entering their music in ORMTA’s Music Writing Competition? Musical genius or not, any student will benefi t from the advice given by this year’s wonderful adjudicator, composer Christine Donkin. Compositions for voice or any instrument or ensemble are welcome.

Students awarded fi rst, second or third place in various classes based on age and genre are awarded scholarships. First place winners of various classes will have part of their score

published in a future issue of NOTES Magazine and will represent Ontario in the CFMTA National Student Composer Competition.As well, the fi rst place winner of the Open Class will receive the Eleanor Marzetti Scholarship, named in honour of one of ORMTA’s distinguished past provincial presidents.

Details are available here:http://ormta.org/competitions-awards/music-writing/info-and-rules.

Deadline is March 15, 2015.

– Alice Dearden

Young Mozarts Wanted...or Even Salieri’s!

ORMTA YoungArtistTour 2014


Morningside Music Bridgeau Conservatoire Mount Royal

2-31 juillet 2015Calgary (Canada)

Festival etprogramme de formation

de musique classiquepour les meilleurs jeunesartistes du monde entier.

Date limite d’inscription: 18 février 2015

mtroyal.ca/musicbridgeAvec le soutien de

If you are looking to motivate your students to practice more often, MyMuCo app has a winning solution for you. Families are busier than ever these days and unless music practice becomes engaging and fun, it’s likely that little to no practicing will be accomplished. With the use of technology, MyMuCo app provides students and teachers with a valuable tool for learning.

MyMuCo is designed as two different apps. One for the students and another for the teacher. MyMuCo Kids app creates an avatar in a virtual music room. New lessons are sent to the student via bluetooth and each week the student is responsible for completing their planned days of practice. Students are excited to earn points and can buy different avatars. They also enjoy seeing their progress on the weekly tracking and can rate how well their practice went.MyMuCo Teacher app is a great way

for teachers to organize and keep everything on hand and in one spot. You can see all past lessons, create goals for students, keep notes, and create a library that makes typing lesson material much faster and easier. The app is extremely user friendly and I love the email feature. With the touch of a button, I can let the parents know what is expected that week and what their child has committed to.

The results have been amazing! Not only are students motivated to practice, they are now learning how to set their own attainable goals, plan out their week and assess how they feel about what they were able to accomplish. In my experience, students have excelled at least three times faster than the students who don’t use MyMuCo app. They are starting to realize just how attainable the goals they set are if they commit the time into their talent. Most

importantly, they are proud of their accomplishments.

I would love to see a recording option built into the app for providing at home exercises and accompaniment. I am also looking forward to seeing new options for the students to purchase with their points. It has been very exciting to see the joy students are receiving from their practice time. They come to their lessons practically bursting to show what they accomplished during the week. The MyMuCo app is changing practicing into a rewarding and fun activity that fosters a lifelong love of music.

– Jennifer McKillop, BMus

Owner/EducatorThe FUN School of Music,Grimsby, ON

REVIEW: MyMuCo


Carolynne Davy Godin, North York/York Region Branch

Nobody ever told me that I would become a 2nd mother, a specialist counselor, and a doctor all in one when I became a private music teacher!!

I’ve been teaching voice and piano for almost 40 years, and during that time, have had some wonderful & thrilling musical experiences with my students – special moments ranging from the excitement of having students win provincial competitions to the very special times when my “learning disabled” children have taught me lessons.

It’s also very special when a student who began studying with me as a young adolescent comes back to lessons after graduating university, and working for 10 years, having two children and misses her music!

Adult students are especially wonderful to work with. They have the passion to learn and to simply enjoy the process of music-making. They are not interested in winning awards for their performances, but are so keen to develop their skills and knowledge on their own merits – to achieve their goal of being the best they can be.

One of my “maxims” in the studio is to do the best you can with what you have. This is particularly essential for the emotional health of the voice students, and for them to learn to work as a team. There have been the fantastic voices in the studio over the years, but they almost don’t compare with the voices that are so very “average” – those who struggle to sing a scale in tune, or those who struggle even to match a pitch. We all celebrate their successes – such as those who make me get “misty” and cry a few tears, because they have produced in performance that which we work so hard in the studio to accomplish.

I had a young “learning disabled” student who came in for her lesson one day, and she told me she had been given an assignment in her high school voice class to choose an operatic aria to learn for fun. She promptly produced a copy of the

“Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I began to play the accompaniment for her, and she sang it almost picture perfectly. I asked her when she had been given this assignment and she responded that it was just one week ago! An amazing gift for one who had not been considered “gifted”!!

I have had wonderful experiences working with autistic students, one of whom will remain very special in my memory. His great gift is his music, and his ability to focus and concentrate when he is in the studio and when he begins to sing it is amazing. During one studio operetta production, I gave him a challenge to learn another part of a “role”, since we had lost a character a week before the performance. This young gentleman stepped up to the bat, and memorized it in two days. However, there was also the time when he had prepared an entire recital program, and arrived for the performance carrying the wrong binder of music, and had to perform a half an hour program from memory (not having ever done this music off book!) Needless to say, there were a few whispers from me accompanying at the piano to prompt words!

The fi rst time I knew my calling as a private teacher included being a counselor was the day that a young teenager came into my studio and began telling me her life story during our fi rst lesson. I learned about her love life, her struggles at school, her challenges with peer pressure to drink and do drugs, and her sex life…. all in the fi rst 20 minutes of her fi rst lesson! Apparently she felt comfortable enough with me to “bare all” to her new second mother. As private teachers, we share a special bond with our students, and indeed, often become a special mentor in their lives.

Even as an examiner and adjudicator, there have been numerous incidences of encouraging students to do their best. One time, I had a young lady who was so obviously scared to perform, and she had what we might describe as a “melt-down” in front of the audience. I truly wanted this to be a positive experience for this girl, so I cleared the hall (almost unheard of!!) and had her try and perform

her chosen selections just for me. I received a lovely note from her and her parents a couple of days later, telling me that this had been a wonderful opportunity for her to grow, and that they so very much appreciated that I was able to go out of the way to help her have a positive learning experience. (It could have been a disaster for this girl’s future memories, as many of us know!)

During one piano examination, I have fond memories of one gentle piano student who was SO slow with his scales and pieces, but who was totally correct in his performance: the notes, the dynamics, and musical nuances were excellent but PAINFULLY SLOW. I think we went about 15 minutes overtime for a 20 minute exam. As an examiner, my comments refl ected this performance, but I certainly had to pass him for his wonderful effort and enthusiasm!

I have also had the great experiences of playing “doctor” in the studio - it’s a good thing that I have my St. John Ambulance fi rst aid training! – I would recommend this for teachers – can’t hurt!. One of my teenagers was prone to looking gray during her singing lessons. One day, she was preparing herself to begin a song, and she looked at me, rather shyly, and obviously turning a shade of light blue, and said, “I think I’m going to faint” and she gently slid to the fl oor. Another time, one of my adult students came in for her piano and voice lesson, and told me that she might have to lie down on the couch today, and that she was hearing voices again, since she had begun some new medications. She did, indeed, have a few minutes on the couch that day, as she told me her medical history with schizophrenia.

And there are all those wonderful students that you just know you are going to love working with - whether they are adolescents or adults: they come into the studio with music prepared, talking a mile-a-minute about their experiences that week, and they have called you or emailed you a dozen times about this or that musical challenge! You know that you are both in for a wonderful learning experience that day!

MUSIC TEACHER MEMORIES


by Kathy Schmidt, ORMTA Thunder Bay Branch

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The best part of this program in my opinion is the accounting. My Music Staff allows a teacher to bill students, keep track of payments, credits and discounts. Parents can pay directly though PayPal. Invoices and receipts can be sent to families instantly. All your expenses and income are kept in one convenient place and stored safely. Reports can be generated for year end taxes or just weekly/monthly assessments. My Music Staff now is able to send out Canada Revenue Agency tax receipts to families with all the required information for the Child Recreation Tax credit.

The calendar shows all regular lessons and special events. Students receive email reminders of their lessons, but have the option of turning that feature off. Each day the home page shows all booked lessons and the teacher can mark in attendance, tracking billable and non-billable absenteeism. It is extremely simple to change lesson times, and to alert the teacher about any cancellations including where they might be able to fi t another student in. My Music Staff has many templates for reports and backgrounds for website pages, including a feature to upload your own favourites. It is highly recommended that teachers take advantage of the 30 day free trial. Teachers will be amazed at how well it keeps the studio organized and avoids paper and hand-written notes.

REVIEW: MyMusicStaff

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ORMTA AWARDS LUNCHEON & COMPETITION TICKETS SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Sandman Signature Mississauga Hotel5400 Dixie Road, Mississauga ON

Event Youth College/University Member Non-member (18 & under) Student

AwardsLuncheon $45 $45 $45 $45

AfternoonCompetitions $5 $10 $15 $20

Young ArtistCompetition &Reception $7 $12 $20 $25

CompetitionsCombo PackOnline only $8 $15 $25 $35

Full Day PassOnline only $40 $50 $60 $70

TICKET PURCHASING OPTIONS• ONLINE using credit card/paypal – visit www.ormta.org/july2015• Cash or cheque at the door – Competitions only• Mailing a cheque – Awards Luncheon only (see below)No refunds or exchanges for online ticket sales.

Awards Luncheon RSVP via MAILPlease detach the completed form, include cheque (payable to “ORMTA”) and mail to

Ron Spadafore, Box 635, Timmins, ON, P4N 7G2, before July 1, 2015.

I would like to reserve the following….

_____ place(s) at $45 per ticket X ____ people = $_________

Name(s): Branch (if you’re an ORMTA member):

Address: Phone:

I would like to sit with: Dietary Restrictions:


ONTARIO REGISTERED MUSIC TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATIONANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - SATURDAY JULY 25, 2015

Sandman Signature Mississauga Hotel5400 Dixie Road, Mississauga ON

PROXY FORMTo be handed to the Secretary or Chair of the Meeting within 48 hours of the Meeting

(excluding Saturdays and holidays).

I, __________________________________________, certify that I am entitled to vote at an

ORMTA meeting, and do hereby give my proxy to

____________________________________________, who may or may not be a member

entitled to vote at an ORMTA meeting, but with this proxy is entitled to attend and act at

the meeting in the manner, to the extent and with the authority conferred by this proxy.

This proxy holder shall attend in person, or cause an alternate proxy holder to attend, the

meeting in respect of which the proxy is given and shall comply with the directions of the

member who appointed the person.

This proxy is only valid for the Meeting dated ________________. It may be revoked by the

member or the member’s attorney signing a note of revocation up to an including the day

of the meeting, and received by the chair of the meeting.

__________________________________________

Signed (by the member or by the member’s attorney)


ONTARIO REGISTERED MUSIC TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATIONANNUAL GENERAL MEETING -

SATURDAY JULY 25, 2015

Sandman Signature Mississauga Hotel, 5400 Dixie Road, Mississauga ON

MATTERS FOR VOTING YES NO ABSTAIN

BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The following bylaws be amended to include the words in italics to

comply with the Ontario Not-For-Profi t Corporations Act, otherwise known as ONCA, which

will soon be coming into effect:

41. Notifi cation of the Annual meeting, an Agenda, any Matters for Voting or discussion and

Proposed Amendments to the By-laws and forms for proxies shall be published and circulated in

an Issue of the Association magazine and/or by electronic or any other means by the Provincial

Secretary at least one month but not more than 50 days in advance of such meeting.

42. All Matters for Voting or discussion or proposed Amendments to the By-laws shall:

1) be in the hands of the Provincial Secretary in writing not later than seven months prior to the

Annual Meeting;

2) be sent to all local Branches in the form of a ballot not later than three months prior to the Annual

Meeting;

3) be discussed and voted on by each Branch and the Branch Ballot recording the number of votes

“For”, “Against”, and “Abstain” be sealed in an envelope marked “BALLOT-ANNUAL MEETING”.

This envelope to be returned to the Provincial Secretary at least one month prior to the Annual

Meeting or given to the Branch Delegate(s) to be delivered to the Annual Meeting.

76. Removal of registration:

1) The name of a member shall be removed from the Register by Council and a member shall be

expelled from the Association after 15 days written notice from ORMTA, and the member has had

not less than 5 days before the end of the 15-day period to respond:

1. for unethical conduct, in respect of another member, that in the opinion of Council justifi es

expulsion from the Association; OR

2. upon conviction for any offence under the Criminal Code of Canada or under the law of

Ontario, which, in the opinion of Council, indicates that the member has not continued to

be of good character or where, in the opinion of Council, continuance of membership after the

conviction would be detrimental to the Association.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Introduction of Council Members

3. Minutes of the last Annual Meeting (July 2014)

4. Matters for Voting

5. Election of Zone Representatives

6. President’s Report

7. Open Forum

8. Results of Voting as Presented by Scrutineers

9. Announcements

10. Adjournment


BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The following bylaw be deleted on the grounds that ORMTA should

not force local Branches to send delegates to the Annual Meeting.

43. Every local Branch shall appoint delegates to the Annual Meeting.

1) Subject to 43.2), a Branch is entitled to one delegate for:

(a) each unit of up to twenty-fi ve Active members; and

(b) the fi fteen or more Active members remaining after the membership has

been divided into units of twenty-fi ve

2) No Branch is entitled to appoint more than six delegates.

3) Members of Council cannot be appointed branch delegates.

4) All Active members except Associate Active members are counted when

determining delegate representation to the Annual Meeting.

This bylaw should be replaced with the following bylaw:

43. A quorum at a meeting of the members is a 15% majority of the members entitled to vote at

a meeting, whether present in person, or has voted at the branch level and was duly recorded on

the ballot for Matters For Voting, or by proxy.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The following in italics be deleted from this bylaw on the grounds

that ORMTA should not legislate how a branch does its business.

44. Any delegate(s) from a local Branch may attend any business meeting. The local branch may

decide to reimburse any delegate(s) for expenses incurred while attending said meetings. An

appointed delegate by the branch shall present in writing a report back to the branch on the

Annual Meeting and/or the Convention.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The following bylaw to be amended to clarify the process by which a

branch closes. Changes are shown in italics and strike-through.

53. Where it becomes necessary to close a Branch and transfer members to another branch, these

procedures must be followed:

1) the local branch shall be closed upon written approval by more than 50% of the membership

of the branch, and then by a majority vote of Provincial Council. at the Annual Meeting of the

Association;

2) the memberships will be transferred to the branch(es) closest to where the members reside

and/or teach or if the distance is more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) they will become Non-Branch

members (PART II 8G);

3) the assets of the branch shall be divided on a per member basis to the branch(es) receiving new

members and to Provincial Council for the Non-Branch members;

4) the records and documents of the branch shall be sent to the Provincial Secretary for the

Association archives.

Preamble:

At present all Leaves of Absence must, at the recommendation of the Registrar, be passed by

Council. It is an Executive recommendation that the Secretary/Registrar be given the authority

to grant leave of absence requests for the following reasons: medical, maternity, paternity and

continuing studies. This will streamline the process for granting Leaves of Absence.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Bylaw Part Ix Section 72 Be Amended to Read as the Following:

“To Allow the Secretary-Registrar the Authority to Grant Leave of Absence Requests for the

Following Reasons: Medical, Maternity, Paternity, & Continuing Studies.

31

MATTERS FOR VOTING YES NO ABSTAIN


ORMTA is pleased to welcome the followingnew members approved since last October...

MICHELE WILMOT - KITCHENER - WATERLOO BRANCH LIISA TYERS - NON-BRANCH IRENE ISHIHARA-DEJONG - LONDON BRANCH SUSAN LEE - HAMILTON - HALTON BRANCH KARA KOOTSTRA -WINDSOR-ESSEX COUNTY BRANCH LAURA SILBERBERG - NORTH YORK/YORK REGION BRANCH KYLIE POOLE - OXFORD COUNTY WOODSTOCK BRANCH MARGOT HAMILTON - BARRIE BRANCH AMY O’NEILL - CENTRAL TORONTO BRANCH MICHAEL BERKOVSKY - NORTH TORONTO BRANCH, PRIMARY BRANCH;NORTH YORK/YORK REGION, ASSOCIATE BRANCH EVGENY CHUGUNOV - THUNDER BAY BRANCH LIANE JAMES - AJAX - PICKERING BRANCH


Status Provincial Insurance Branch CFMTA Special TOTAL ***NOTES Fee Included in Projects *includes Magazine all 5 totals insurance Hard Copy subscription

ACTIVE/Provisional 53.51 (1.00) 32.40 21.15 (.39) 26.00 2.00 $135.06* 12.00ACTIVE (Optional) (Mandatory) (1.39) (Optional)

AFFILIATE 1 63.44 (1.18) 32.40 21.15 (.39) 26.00 2.00 $144.99* 12.00 (Optional) (Mandatory) (1.57) (Optional)

AFFILIATE 2 63.44 (1.18) 32.40 21.15 (.39) 26.00 2.00 $144.99* 12.00 (Optional) (Mandatory) (1.57) (Optional)

Semi-Retired 48.51 (.90) 32.40 18.53 (.35) 26.00* 2.00 $127.44** 12.00 (Optional) (Optional) (1.25) (Optional)

RETIRED 27.37 (.51) 26.00* 2.00 $55.37* 12.00 (Optional) (.51) (Optional)

AUXILIARY 32.36 (.60) 2.00 $34.36 12.00 (.60) (Optional)

HONORARY 32.40 $32.40* (Optional) (0.00)

The 2015-16 membership fees have been prepared. The invoices will be generated on the ORMTA website (www.ormta.org) in April. Traditional paper invoices will be mailed for those who do not have an email address or access to a computer.

There are three available methods of payment: email transfer, PayPal (debit

or credit card) through the new ORMTA website and cheques/money orders sent by mail.

The Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the year 2014 has been offi cially confi rmed at 1.9 %. This percentage has been applied to the Provincial and Branch fees. (The 2013 CPI was 1.5 %.)

The CFMTA 2015-16 fees will remain the same/$26.00 per member (optional for RETIRED and SEMI-RETIRED members).

Westland Insurance Company rates will also remain the same ($32.40) for the July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016 fi scal year.

ORMTA MEMBERSHIP FEES 2015-16/ Increased by Ontario 2014 CPI 1.9%(Provincial & Branch increase in brackets)

***Notes Magazine hard copy subscription/not included in total

The OH!CANADA! Convention held in Toronto, July 2014 was a fi nancial disappointment despite high praise and very positive feedback. After careful analysis, ORMTA has decided to continue with the popular streamlined two-day option (hosted in even numbered years).Careful adjustments have been made to keep targeted expenses within the budget restraints.

ORMTA Toronto Convention July 2014 – Income-Expense ReportIncomeRegistration: $ 11781.00Sponsorships: $ 2525.00Exhibitor Fees: $ 2330.00Fund-Raising: $ 1431.00Special project fund: $ 2500.00TOTAL INCOME $ 20,567.00

ExpensesClinicians’ Fees: $ 500.00Clinician Expenses: $ 1,588.00 (Travel/Accommodations)Halls/Rooms/Meals/Tech ($530): $ 25,245.00Entertainment: $ 40.00Miscellaneous: $ 80.00Printing: $ 650.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $ 28,143.00

PROFIT/LOSS $ -7536.00

Nancy Dale, Provincial Treasurer PO Box 1639 Niagara-on-the-Lake ON L0S 1J0 [email protected]


Do you need advice on overcoming a tricky teaching situation? Have you exhausted all techniques in trying to help that student and nothing seems to work?

You’re invited to email your story and question to NOTES editor, Patrick McCormick, and he’ll have a colleague provide suggestions in a future issue of NOTES Magazine.

You and your students’ names will remain confi dential.

Dear Teaching Colleague

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGESDon’t let unpaid fees impede opportunities for your students!Every year, ORMTA gives out many prizes to the winners of our Music Writing competition and the Provincial Student/Young Artist competitions.

We also give the ORMTA Pedagogy Award to the student who has obtained the highest mark in the written portion of the Associate Pedagogy exam.

Only students of ORMTA teachers who are members in good standing (all dues paid in full) will be considered for any awards that are given by ORMTA. It is sad to say, but in the past students have missed out on opportunities to win prizes because their teachers’ dues have been in arrears. Please take this into consideration when it is time to pay your membership dues this coming spring.

NOTES Spring 2015 The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers The defi nitive information source for Ontario Registered Music Teachers NOTES Spring 2015 35

ORMTA Provincial Council 2014-2015Executive

PRESIDENT Frank Horvat - 503-16 Brookers Lane, Toronto ON M8V 0A5; Phone: 416-503-4789 E Mail: [email protected] CFMTA Delegate

FIRST Elizabeth Tithecott – 34 Gladstone Ave., Chatham, N7L 2C1; Phone: 519-351-6387VICE PRESIDENT E Mail: [email protected] Convention, Finance Chair

PAST PRESIDENT Sue Jones - 259 Crocus Ave., Ottawa, K1H 6E7; Phone: 613-523-5317 E Mail: [email protected] Performance Competitions; CFMTA Delegate

TREASURER Nancy Dale - Box 1639; (58 Shakespeare Ave.); Niagara – on – the - Lake; L0S 1J0 Phone: 905-468-5639 E Mail: [email protected] NOTES Advertising

SECRETARY-REGISTRAR Ron Spadafore - Box 635 Timmins, P4N 7G2; Phone: 705-267-1224 Fax: 705-264-0978 E Mail: [email protected] Offi ce Hours - Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Zone RepresentativesCENTRAL (year 1) Susan Robinson - 147 Brookside Cr.; Kitchener, N2N 1H2 Phone: 519-742.4129 E Mail: [email protected] Young Artist Tour

EASTERN (year 2) Judy Home - 4-110 Mary St. West; Whitby; L1N 8M5; Phone: 905-665-8484; Cell: 905-903-8484; E Mail: [email protected] Bylaws

GREATER TORONTO (year 1) Alice Dearden - 2 Norval St., Toronto, M6N 3Z2; Phone: 416-763-0490 E Mail: [email protected] Canada Music Week/Music Writing Competition (year 1) Irene Fong Leung - Box 23552 Dexter, 5899 Leslie St., Willowdale, M2H 1J0; Phone: 416 496-9680; E Mail: [email protected] Affi liate Teacher Liaison (year 1) Eric Shaw - 172 Redpath Ave.; Toronto; M4P 2K6; Phone: 416-884-4846 E Mail: [email protected] Membership

NORTH CENTRAL (year 3) Tracy Lai - 2754 Dempster Ave., Innisfi l; L9S 1C1; Phone: 705-436-2236 E Mail: [email protected] Advertising

NORTH EAST (year 1) Frances Balodis - 1204 Ed Briese Rd. (Ullswater) R. R. #1 Utterson; P0B 1M0; Phone: 705-769-3449; E Mail: [email protected] Fundraising

NORTH WEST (year 2) Kathy Schmidt - 588 Riverview Dr.; Thunder Bay; P7C 1R7; Phone: 807-577-6999 E Mail: [email protected] Professional Development OTTAWA REGION (year 1) Tania Granata - 89 Switch Grass; Nepean; K2J 5Z3; Phone: 613-447-2618 E Mail: [email protected] ORMTA Contribution to Teaching Award (year 3) Sandra Menard - 6023 Meadowglen Drive, Ottawa, K1C 5V4; Phone: 613-834-3052 E Mail: [email protected] ORMTA Pedagogy Award

SOUTHERN (year 1) Jacqueline Huffman-Krisza - 1026 Earl Cres.; Burlington: L7T 3P9; Phone: 905-333-3128; E Mail: [email protected] College/University Liaison

WESTERN (year 6) Elizabeth Tithecott - 34 Gladstone Ave., Chatham, N7L 2C1; Phone: 519-351-6387 E Mail: [email protected] Convention, Finance Chair

MEMBER AT LARGE (year 2) Ian Green - 214 Huxley Ave. South; Hamilton; L8K 2R3; Phone: 905-483-2776 Email: [email protected] Communications

BOARD OF EXAMINERS Nancy Hughes, Derek Oger, Audrey Jean Wells

MEMBER AT LARGEMEMBER AT LARGE (year 2) (year 2) Ian GreenIan Green - 214 Huxley Ave. South; Hamilton; L8K 2R3; Phone: 905-483-2776 - 214 Huxley Ave. South; Hamilton; L8K 2R3; Phone: 905-483-2776 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Communications Communications

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