MMTA

What a morning! Last Friday, the MMTA Board of Directors gathered in Boston to kick off the 2026–2027 season, and the room was full of energy, fresh ideas, and a shared love of teaching music.

Every member of this board volunteers their time so that students and teachers across Massachusetts have more ways to learn, perform, compete, and grow. Meet the people behind the work:

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Ranko Konishi-Houston, President
Rebecca Helm, President-Elect & Application Chair
Valerie Stark, Immediate Past President
Nilly Shilo, 1st Vice President, Certification
Yulia Potvin Zhuravleva, 2nd Vice President, Membership
Aleksandra Lvin, Secretary
Marceline Carr Merrill, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jia Shi, MTNA Performance Competitions Chair
Kevin Michael Sullivan, MTNA Composition Competition Chair
Dorothy Travis, Commissioned Composer Chair
Lydia Reed-Guertin, Musical Achievement Evaluations Chair
Esther Ning Yau, Bay State Piano Contest Chair
Kenneth Mok, Bay State Strings Contest Chair
Tim Flores, Judged Festival Chair
Alison Barr, Music Connect Program Chair
Caroline Ly Germeys, Alison S. Barr Innovation Award Chair
Vinh Pham, Independent Music Teacher Forum Chair
Ellyses Kuan, Webmaster/Archivist
Jonathan Roberts, Communications Chair

If you teach music in Massachusetts, we'd love for you to be part of this community. Learn more and join at mmta.net.

That empty feeling in your inbox this morning? 📭

Members across Massachusetts received the MMTA Fall Newsletter today. If you didn't, your membership may have lapsed — and you're missing a lot more than a newsletter.

One renewal keeps you connected at both the state and national level:

🎹 MMTA — Bay State Piano & Strings Contests, Judged Festivals, Musical Achievement Evaluations, the Commissioned Composer Program, Music Connect, grants, and a statewide community of colleagues

🎼 MTNA — national performance & composition competitions, NCTM professional certification, American Music Teacher magazine, and the 2027 National Conference in St. Louis

Renewing takes just a few minutes — don't let another issue (or deadline) pass you by!
👉 https://www.mmta.net/join-renew

🎶 What a wonderful afternoon in Norwell!

Yesterday's Music Connect Benefit Recital at the James Library & Center for the Arts was everything we hoped for — MMTA board members Alison S. Barr (flute) and Lydia Reed-Guertin (piano) performing "Musical Connections Across Time and Space," with works by Telemann, Saint-Saëns, Costa, Boulanger, Komitas, and Hamilton.

If you missed it, there's one more chance — and it's the last one:

📅 Saturday, September 26 · 3:00 PM
📍 M. Steinert & Sons Showroom, 1069 Washington Street, Newton, MA

Reservations are required, and signing up takes two quick steps:
1️⃣ Reserve your spot — name, concert date, party size: https://forms.gle/rPrpB3JTXMTjL9mD6
2️⃣ Send your donation via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VWQKL2NBGHJV4

🎟 Suggested donation: $25 individual / $50 family

Proceeds benefit MMTA's Music Connect Program, which since 2018 has provided tuition-free lessons to more than 60 Massachusetts students in financial need.

⏳ This weekend! The first Music Connect Benefit Concert is almost here. Join flutist Alison S. Barr and pianist Lydia Reed-Guertin for "Musical Connections Across Time and Space."

📅 Sunday, September 13 · 3:00 PM
📍 James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell, MA

Can't make Sunday? There's a second performance Saturday, September 26 · 3:00 PM at M. Steinert & Sons Showroom, 1069 Washington Street, Newton, MA — same wonderful program.

🎟 Suggested donation: $25 individual / $50 family · Reservations strongly encouraged — limited tickets available at the door

💜 All proceeds support tuition-free lessons for Music Connect students.

Reserving your seat takes two quick steps:

1️⃣ Reserve your spot (name, concert date, party size): https://forms.gle/rPrpB3JTXMTjL9mD6

2️⃣ Send your donation via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VWQKL2NBGHJV4

Last call - MTNA Competition registration closes tomorrow, Wednesday September 9, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. No exceptions.

Composition entrants: your registration needs a PDF score and a YouTube link with the audio.

mtna.org/Competitions.html

Dear MMTA Members,

We welcome all current MMTA members in good standing to submit articles for our upcoming Fall newsletter! Please follow the instructions below to submit your articles by Friday, September 11.

Suggestions for content:
• Ideas or tips helpful to other teachers as the new season begins
• Positive teaching stories
• MMTA stories or information
• Creative teaching ideas or resources
• Pedagogy
• New music projects
• Studio success stories
• Fall teaching ideas
• Teaching resources

Submission guidelines:
• Articles should be approximately 100–300 words.
• Submissions should be copy-ready (proper grammar, spelling, etc.).
• Please include a title for your article.
• Email your article to Jonathan Roberts, newsletter editor, at [email protected].
• Put "MMTA Newsletter Submission" in the subject line.
• Include your first name, last name, and a contact email in the body of your message. Your name (but not your email) will appear in the newsletter, unless you ask to be anonymous.
• We'll work with you via email to edit and proof your submission before publication.
• Send articles as a Word (.doc or .docx) attachment — please do not send PDFs.
• Related images are encouraged. They must be your own work, freely licensed, public domain, or fair use. Attach them to the same email and include a one-sentence caption for each.
• Submissions deemed commercial in nature will not be accepted.
• Submissions that don't meet these guidelines may not be accepted.

Questions? Email [email protected] — we can't wait to read your stories!

🎹 Behind every Music Connect student is a teacher who believed in them.

Since 2018, MMTA's Music Connect Program has given more than 60 students the chance to study music through tuition-free lessons — regardless of their family's ability to pay.

Come celebrate that mission at "Musical Connections Across Time and Space," featuring flutist Alison S. Barr and pianist Lydia Reed-Guertin.

🗓 Sun, Sept 13 · 3:00 PM — James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell, MA

🗓 Sat, Sept 26 · 3:00 PM — M. Steinert & Sons Showroom, 1069 Washington Street, Newton, MA

🎟 Suggested donation: $25 individual / $50 family · Reservations strongly encouraged — limited tickets available at the door

Complete these two steps to secure your spot!:

1. Reserve your seat: https://forms.gle/rPrpB3JTXMTjL9mD6

2. Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VWQKL2NBGHJV4

Please share this post and help us fill both houses! 💜

Two weeks to go. MTNA Competition registration closes Wednesday, September 9 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern - Composition, Piano, Piano Duet, Strings, and Woodwind Performance.

Composition entrants: your registration needs a PDF score and a YouTube link with the audio. Start assembling those now.

mtna.org/Competitions.html

🌟 One month to go! Join us for "Musical Connections Across Time and Space," a benefit concert supporting MMTA's Music Connect Program.

Since 2018, Music Connect has provided tuition-free lessons to over 60 students in financial need — and this concert helps keep that number growing.

Flutist Alison S. Barr & pianist Lydia Reed-Guertin perform Telemann, Saint-Saëns, Costa, Boulanger, Komitas & Hamilton.

🗓 Sun, Sept 13 · 3:00 PM — James Library & Center for the Arts, Norwell

🗓 Sat, Sept 26 · 3:00 PM — M. Steinert & Sons Showroom, Newton

🎟 Suggested donation: $25 individual / $50 family ·

Just two quick steps to save your seat!

1. Reserve: https://forms.gle/rPrpB3JTXMTjL9mD6

2. Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VWQKL2NBGHJV4

Registration for the 2026-2027 MTNA Competitions is now open - Composition, Piano, Piano Duet, Strings, and Woodwind Performance.

Deadline: Wednesday, September 9, 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Strict, with no exceptions.

Composition entrants will need a PDF score and a YouTube link with the work's audio as part of registration.

Directions and guidelines: mtna.org/Competitions.html