Music Educators Association of New Jersey

Serving teachers and students since 1927

Welcome to the new Music Educators Association of New Jersey Website!

Celebrating 90 Years of Music Excellence

The Music Educators Association of NJ is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of private piano teachers founded in 1927. Our mission is to raise the standards of private music teaching throughout New Jersey, while encouraging musical excellence and instilling a love of music in our students. To achieve these goals, we provide continuing education opportunities for our member teachers through monthly lectures, workshops, recitals and master classes. For our students, we offer auditions, competitions, recitals, scholarships and master classes given by artist teachers. Our current President is Nancy Modell, 2016-2019. Messages from the President can be found under Membership on the main menu.

We invite you to browse our website and discover the exciting world of music MEA offers.

Please note that hyperlinks are noted in Bold Red and when clicked will bring you directly to related pages or forms.

November 15, 2018
Juliana Osinchuk

Join us in celebrating Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday!  Ms. Osinchuk will explore the life and music of a true  American Renaissance Man. To learn more about our guest speaker visit Here.

The COMPOSER'S  CORNER

The October 25th "kickoff' meeting of MEA's Composer's Corner was significant, congenial, and enlightening. There was an extensive variety of musical styles and sensibilities that each composer brought to the group. An atmosphere of openness and a willingness to share abounded in this good-vibe, first meeting, followed by a light bite to eat The next meeting will be Thursday, March 28 at 10:15 AM (tbd).

Highlights are now available from our wonderful October Meeting!

Ingrid Clarfield, Keeping the Spark Alive and Still Learning after 50 Years
Outreach and Hospitality

Guests from many New Jersey music organizations joined MEA members to hear Ingrid Clarfield’s presentation and enjoy the festive Potluck  Buffet Luncheon at the October 18, 2018 general meeting.  The change of venue  to accommodate the larger audience and extensive buffet was ideal. It was truly a memorable event. To read more about the general features of the gathering and Ingrid's presentation go Here.  




Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition
The 2018 Booklet is ready for members to enjoy!

Chair, Kathy Knittel with the help of member, Christina Hansen, created a beautiful 92 page booklet of student original compositions who were entered into the 2018 Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition. Twenty-four students entered in the 2018 competition representing 10 teachers.  

The  Booklet is now available for current members to view/download.  Simply login to your  Member Homepage and look in the right-hand column under downloadable documents.    Congratulations to all of the students who participated for their outstanding work!  Looking forward to next year’s continued interest and growth in the art of original composition.  For more information about the Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition visit the webpage by clicking Here.

 

EXCITING NEW CHANGES TO THE AUDITION SYLLABUS for 2019!

The Audition Committee is happy to share some exciting changes that were made to the syllabus. Be sure to go to your Member Homepage to view or download the revised syllabus. We have been listening to your concerns!

• Student arrangements are now an acceptable option for required repertoire.
An original composition or a student arrangement may be performed as one of the required pieces providing it is comparable to the level of difficulty for that particular grade and category and is notated. Note: As of 2017 this applied only to Original Compositions.

  • The requirement limiting repertoire to only one piece from a given method book has been removed. This applies to the Introductory through Junior B categories.

  • A NEW LEVEL HAS BEEN ADDED! A Pre-Senior D has been added to the previous 3 Pre-Senior levels. This level will help smooth the transition to the Senior level. It has only three categories and requires only one piece by memory. The pieces required are more difficult than on the Intermediate level but students will be able to progress to the next level without having to prepare a 4th piece and additional memorization.

  • Please remember that pop and jazz pieces have always been an option for the choice selection. It seems that many teacher are unaware of this, so we wrote it out more clearly where applicable. The choice selection can be a comparable piece from any period including pop, jazz, and notated originals and arrangements. Applies to Junior A through YA.

    If you have not renewed your membership, you will not be able to access your Member Homepage (portal) and download the Syllabus, so it may be a good time to do so now. If you have renewed and cannot access your portal, contact Joan Bujacich: auditions@mea- nj.org.
     
2018 HONORS RECITAL AUDITIONS
MOVE TO CCM
The auditions for the 2018 MEA Honors Recital, scheduled for Sunday, November 4, are moving to County College of Morris. Since we received very positive feedback from the year-end auditions held there, the Honors Recital committee explored this venue to accommodate the two judges in each audition room.  We hope everyone will be comfortable and creative there, especially with the excellent pianos available.  
The deadline for submissions is Saturday, October 13, via our online application or by traditional print mode (accessible thru the Forms/Download tab). We encourage teachers to enroll students who have prepared appropriate repertoire and are confident of performing their pieces in a formal setting. This is a wonderful opportunity to perform in a beautiful, intimate concert setting, held at the Randolph Performing Arts Center (the Music Den) on Sunday, November 11.
For complete details and requirements, please visit Honors Recital on this website.   
Charlene Step,
Chair, MEA Honors Recital

HOMAGE TO BACH 
was September 20, 2018

The new season started with The Competition Committee performing the repertoire from the 2019 Annual Piano Competition Syllabus! Thank you!

The  2019 Annual Piano Competition Syllabus is now available under Forms/Downloads. You can also download it by clicking Here.

Friendly Forum
The Place for Discussions Written For
and By MEA Members

New Topic Question: 

How do you share musical experiences among your students: class lessons, duets or trios, recitals, etc.?

Suggestions for topic questions and comments on former topics are always welcome. Deadline for next issue of The Glissando:  15 November 2018.

RSVP: friendlyforum@mea-nj.org

MEA-MJN 2018 Scholarship Awards

The Scholarship Committee received Camp Scholarship applications from three outstanding students:

Gordon Li.   A student of Julia Lam, Gordon is an 8th grader at William Annin Middle School  who will attend the one-week Westminster Choir College Piano Camp in July. 

Kelsey Lee.   A student of Beatrice Long, Kelsey is a junior at Summit High School and will attend the two-week Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany in August.

Eliza Tagle.  Another student of Beatrice Long and a student at Millburn High School, Eliza will also attend the two-week Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany in August.

All three students have impressive music credentials and experience, including awards, recitals, second instrument proficiency, and  ensemble performance.  The Board approved to award them with two-$400 scholarships and one $300, totalling $1,100. 

 Congratulations to these outstanding, deserving young musicians!

The MEA-MJN (Mary Jean Nelson) Scholarship Fund relies solely on the generosity of our donors, matching contributions from employers, and music sales at the monthly MEA general meetings. MEA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and all donations are tax-deductible. Making a contribution to the scholarship fund is a wonderful way to support aspiring musicians and perpetuate the beauty inherent in the arts. With your donation, you can also honor a person with congratulations (birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc.), get-well wishes, or in memoriam. Please help us continue our scholarship efforts!

 The MEA Scholarship Committee:  Sondra Tammam and Charlene Step, Co-chairs and Sal Mallimo

 For more information on the scholarship program click Here.

 

2017-18 in Review

Remember that all of our lectures and special events are archived under the “Highlight” link on our website. Last year was our 90th Anniversary year and it was a year filled with exciting events. If you missed any of these celebrations you can still read all about them along with our regular monthly lectures Here.

October 19, 2017: Celebrate Ensembles The program  was a two piano and duet recital performed by MEA members at the Steinway Gallery in Paramus.

November 19, 2017: In celebration of our 90th Anniversary the MEA-NJ presented ~ Our event for Students of MEA members. The Good Times with Ragtime celebration included special guided tours of the museum’s Guinness Collection of Automata (music machines). The Ragtime Festival student showcase followed at 3 PM at the museum’s Bickford Theatre.

Nov.  30, 2017: Francoise Choveaux
Sound Visions, Music for Museums

January 18, 2018: The Bulletproof Musician -a GREAT Presentation by Noa Kageyama (Juilliard)

February 15, 2018
TEACHERS' MASTER CLASS with Jerome Lowenthal

March 15, 2018
Paul Roberts, Scenes from a French Nursery

April 8, 2018
Gala Concert & Cocktails
To view a video of the concert click Here.  

April 19, 2018 
Celebrate Composers: MEA-NJ  was pleased to present a morning of original music composed by our own MEA-NJ members!  

MAY 17, 2018
Magdalena Stern-Baczewska: Baroque Keyboard Music of Italy, France, Germany, and Spain: Stylistic Elements and Aspects of Interpretation.

June 14, 2018: Young Artists Master Class, Dmitry Rachmanov

YOUNG ARTIST MASTER CLASS
June 14
Dmitry Rachmanov-Clinician

Highlights written by Bertha Mandel are posted Here!

The winners of the Young Artist Master Class Auditions for 2018 are:
Jeffrey Koc, student of Julia Lam
Joshua Velez, student of Beverly Anderson

The pieces that were performed were:
Dumka in C minor, opus 59 by Tchaikovsky 
Un Sospiro by Liszt

Congratulations to all the other participants in this year’s Young Artist Master Class Auditions.  All received a rating of Outstanding!

1st runner-up, Eric Guo student of Beatrice Long; Louis Farenci, student of Thomas Parente; James Gao, student of Grace Tseng; Aneesha Kumra, student of Marina Stefanovsky.  

Dmitry Rachmanov worked his magic at our annual Young Artist Master Class. Pianist Dmitry Rachmanov has garnered much acclaim for his passionate performances, refined musicianship and brilliant pianism. Hailed as an "indisputable musician" by the Brussels' Le Soir and "suave and gifted pianist' by the New York Times, Rachmanov has been heard at venues such as New York's Carnegie Hall, Washington DC's Kennedy Center, London's Barbican and South Bank Centres, and Beijing Concert Hall, and his tours brought him to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Far East. He has recorded for Naxos, Navona, Omniclassic, Master Musicians and Vista Vera labels, and collaborated as a soloist with Manhattan Philharmonia, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Orlando Symphony, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Ukraine National Symphony, National Orchestra of Porto, Portugal, among others.  Visit his website to read all about his illustrious career: Dmitry Rachmanov

 Master Class Coordinator/Audition Chair
Joan Bujacich

Gala Concert & Cocktails
Sunday, April 8, 2018
HUGE SUCCESS!

The 90th Anniversary Gala was enjoyed by all!  A concert given by MEA members Dan Crisci, Michelle & Christopher Kuo, Beatrice Long, Sojung Lee and Luba Vasilyeva was held at the Theater at Drew University in Madison, followed by a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception across the path at Mead Hall Mansion where Ingrid Clarfied, Maxine Giannini, Anita Gordon, Sallie Lloyd and Gloria Weisberg were honored. The Gala Committee of Marcia Maull, Lisa Gonzalez, Nancy Modell, Ruth Pasquariello and Charlene Step did an exceptional job.  Enjoy the Highlights from this event posted Here.

To view a video of the concert go to: Gala Concert

 

APRIL 22
Original Composition Festival
What talent!

The Fourth Annual Original Composition Festival was a huge success! Held in the beautiful Alumni Hall at Caldwell University, the Festival showcased participants from the Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition along with additional young composers.  Dr. Stefan Young, one of the two adjudicators of the ESOCC, was able to attend the Festival.  He continues to be an enthusiastic supporter of the competition and festival and shared words of encouragement and praise.  

Congratulations to all our student composers! Highlights will be featured in the September Glissando and on the MEA website under "For Members".



Celebrate our 90th with Music!

Read the latest message from our president, Nancy Modell Here.

2017 Annual Piano Competition Winners Recital
On Video! 

If you missed this wonderful concert you can still view it Here.
You can read the highlights from this event  Here. 

Check out this film that was screened at our 85th Anniversary Gala!
MEA THE GOLDEN YEARS - PART 1

You will acquire a sense of great pride when you join in the journey of tracing MEA's rich early history.  Created  for the MEA's 85th Anniversary, Joan Bujacich shares this movie with all on Youtube. Just click on the link and be sure to watch in full screen! The Golden Years Part 1 - A History of The Music Educator's Association of NJ from 1920's - 1960.