The Piano School Masterclass

The Piano School will host its sixth annual masterclass for middle and high school students on Saturday, May 24, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., in Mrs. O'Brien's studio.

Students voted on the theme which will be Music from Movies, and Dr. Tracy Cowden from Virginia Tech will be our guest instructor.

Past themes and teachers were:
2009 - No theme (Dr. Tracy Cowden, Virginia Tech)
2010 - Amy Beach, American Composer (Dr. Lisa Withers, Emory and Henry)
2011 - Andrew Lloyd Webber (Dr. Lise Keiter, Mary Baldwin)
2012 - The Beatles (Kerry Morgievicz, Hollins University)
2013 - Disney Music (Dr. Brooke Dezio, Charlottesville)

This year's music selections are:
"Waltz for Peppy" from The Artist performed by Tess Drzymala
"Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles performed by Urmila Bharathan
"Where Do I Begin?" from Love Story performed by Alisha Freitas
"Castle on a Cloud" from Les Miserables performed by Paris Eve Reinhard

Students may dress casually and should arrive by 9:55 a.m. The class will be over by 11:30 a.m.

Scenes from the 2013 Disney Masterclass

MTNA Studio Festival

The Piano School is hosting an MTNA Studio Festival on Saturday, May 3, 2014, with student appointment times between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The adjudicator for this year's festival is Mrs. Ashley W. Cundiff, a piano instructor at Ferrum College.

This festival provides an opportunity for students to play two prepared pieces for an adjudicator who will provide written feedback consisting of encouragement and suggestions.

Each appointment will last between 5 and 10 minutes, and students should check-in at the back door of Mrs. O'Brien's home 5 minutes prior to their appointment.

What to bring:
Music that the student will be playing. (Original, not photocopies) Although most students will be playing from memory, the judge must have music to view during the performance. The measures in the music should be numbered, and pages should be marked with a tab, paper clip, or post-it note.

What to wear:
Comfortable, neat clothing. There is no need to dress up for this festival; however, students should be tidy and clean.

What should parents do?
Parents are asked to remain in their cars while their children participate in the festival. This is so that the festival environment can be as quiet as possible for the benefit of student and judge.

How long will the festival take?
Each student will be at Mrs. O'Brien's home studio for as long as it takes to perform his/her two pieces plus the time of checking in and waiting to have music books returned. The total time is approximately 10-15 minutes.

Does the festival cost anything?
Each student's festival fee was paid with registration at the beginning of the school year. The festival fee covers the cost of hiring a qualified adjudicator as well as offsetting the expense of tuning the piano and purchasing medals to be presented to students at the Spring Recital.

Is the festival required?
Participation in one festival per year is required by Mrs. O'Brien. Students must either play in the VMTA Fall Festival in November or the MTNA Studio Festival in the Spring.

For more information about the MTNA Studio Festival program, please click here: http://www.mtna.org/programs/music-for-everyone/studio-festival-program/