Hitting a High Note. His & Hers Music Featured in Edge Magazine.
This is what we love. MAMTG member music schools and teachers spreading the good word about our Student Music Festival. His & Hers Music was featured in Edge Magazine's June 2017 Issue on page 88.
"Chuck Salamone and Diane Aragona, the husband and wife duo behind His & Hers Music based in Nutley, NJ, recently brought their passion for music and their ability to recognize talent to the Spring Festival of the Mid-Atlantic Music Teachers Guild (MAMTG). They joined fellow music teachers at the event, where they also evaluated performers from throughout the region at the MAMTG's rigorous competition. Three of their students were among those recognized at the Festival. Graduates of Rutgers with Bachelors and Masters degrees in music, Salamone and Aragona, shown here with their winning student, vocalist, Stephanie Helfgott, offer voice and instrument lessons for children through adults in their private home studio and in the students' homes. To learn more about His & Hers Music, check out their Facebook page @ hisandhersmusicllc. Further information about Diane Aragona and Chuck Salamone can be found at dianearagona.com and amigosamigosband.com."
Benefits of MAMTG's Student Music Festival
MAMTG's Student Music Festival offers many benefits for music students, parents, music teachers and music schools.
Solo, Duet & Ensemble Performance Opportunities
Music Competitions - Students can compete amongst other students in competitions by age group and/or level of music. All students receive a scorecard with feedback from an adjudicator. Winners receive trophies, medals and for some events cash award prizes too.
Music Evaluations / Assessments - Students can perform in a private performance with an adjudicator and receive feedback on their performance. Great for students of all levels of musicianship. Evaluation students receive their scorecard, participation award and certificate on site at the Festival.
Talent Showcases & Ensemble Showcases - Great for singer-songwriters and student bands. Talent Showcase is for singers who also perform live with an instrument. Ensembles Showcase is for any group of students with three or more performers - Rock Bands, Jazz Bands, Chamber Groups, Choirs, Musical Theater productions, Percussion Ensembles, etc...
Benefits for Parents
Receive Performance Feedback
Parents receive performance feedback from a qualified music adjudicator. This is an opportunity to receive professional feedback - positive and helpful - on a scorecard that was designed for the instrument and particular performance event. It's great to get another musician's perspective on a student's achievements year over year.
Great Weekend With Music
MAMTG's Student Music Festival has been re-designed to create an event that an entire family can attend and enjoy. Once a student is enrolled to participate, he or she can attend and watch other events as a spectator. Students can learn from their peers and support their peers while they're performing. Parents can enjoy the upscale hotel amenities and spend a weekend away with discounted hotel room rates and specials.
Benefits for Private Music Teachers & Music Schools
MAMTG's Student Music Festival, for many schools and teachers, single handedly keeps their students motivated and learning music year to year. This Festival is their school year's main event. Students really enjoy the Festival once they attend and this helps music schools and teachers with retention, offering students a great performance opportunity at a minimal cost. Private music teachers and music schools can also participate as a sponsor and vendor and really have a significant role in the weekend. This Festival is All About The Kids and is a weekend for networking, supporting one another and coming together as a music education industry.
New Percussion & Piano Adjudicator for Festival '17
We are excited to announce, Britton Matthews, will be joining us for Festival '17 and adjudicating percussion and piano competitons and evaluations. Learn about Britton, here's her bio...
Britton Matthews is an established freelance percussionist active in contemporary chamber music across the United States, especially throughout New York and New Jersey. She specializes in keyboard and contemporary orchestral percussion. Currently, Britton is on faculty at Molloy College, where she teaches applied percussion, piano and history of jazz.
Britton is a resident artist with New York's Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble. Recent notable performances include the NYC premiere production of Phillip Pulman's The Firework Maker's Daughter at New Victory Theater, Lincoln Center's Out of Doors Festival with conductor/composer Tan Dun, Phillip Glass' MATA Fesitval, and Meet the Composer's Three-City Dash at Symphony Space. In addition, Britton is a recording artist with both the NAXOS and Nonesuch labels. She is regularly featured at the historic Players Theatre in New York, with the Literally Alive Musical Theater Company, and she is a member of the Lost Dog New Music Ensemble.
As a member of Exit 9 Percussion Group, Britton has performed extensively across the country, presenting hundreds of clinics in schools and community centers. Exit 9 is ensemble-in-residence at Mason Gross School of the Arts' Extension Division.
Britton received her Master of Music degree from Rutgers University, and her Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University. She has studied with many notable percussionists, including Bob Becker, She-e Wu, Chris Deviney, Todd Meehan and the late Dr. Larry Vanlandingham.
Upcoming Festival '17
Here's what's new, at the beginning of October, for our upcoming Festival '17...
We want to highlight and award the great music schools and teachers that work diligently to further support their students' music education. It takes great comment and dedication to prepare students and have them perform at the Festival. Our new awards will be - Most Performing Students Award, Most Performer Events Award & Most Winning Students Award.
Woodwinds & Brass Standards Music
Thank you to Cornerstone Music Studio and Music Notes Academy teachers for developing our new Standards Music lists and performance levels for Woodwinds and Brass. Now available on the updated Registration Form, students can perform in Open competitions and Standards competitions for Festival '17.
Voice Standards Music
Developed by Theater Steps, one of our great leading member schools, we now have required repertoire and performance levels for classical voice. Now available on the updated Voice & Musical Theatre Registration Form, vocalists can additionally perform this year in Standards competitions.
As seen on mamtg.org, we now have three Hotel Packages, where parents can save 5%, 10% or 15% on performance events when registering for the Festival and reserving their hotel room(s) for Friday and Saturday. Mail both forms - hotel and registration form(s) - with one payment. We want to help parents, and every little bit of savings helps.
New Partners for Sheet Music & Books
We have established two partnerships, for sheet music and books. For private music teachers, parents and students, who want to purchase Festival Standards music, visit www.musictime.com. For music schools or music stores, that need a wholesale account for their small business, contact Cindy at Charles Dumont & Son. Cindy is standing by to help any schools or stores get an account established for purchasing sheet music and books in bulk quantities.
Piano Sight-Reading & Technique Competitions
Our new Piano Sight-Reading & Technique Competitions now include feedback and scoring in scales, arpeggios and cadences. Visit our Piano Rules on the Piano page for requirements for Intermediate, Junior and Senior Levels.
Festival 2016 Guest Clinician & Speaker | Anthony Mazzocchi
Anthony Mazzocchi's The Music Parents' Guide
BREAKING MUSICAL NEWS — GRAMMY® nominated music educator, Anthony Mazzocchi will be attending Festival 2016 as a guest clinician and speaker. Mr. Mazzocchi's book - The Music Parents' Guide, A Survival Kit for the New Music Parent - is reaching a milestone of 40,000 copies sold. This is great opportunity for music parents to learn more about music education, private music instruction and the benefits of learning a musical instrument from a veteran musician and music educator. Visit www.musicparentsguide.com for information.
Anthony Mazzocchi's Bio
A GRAMMY® nominated music educator, Anthony Mazzocchi has performed as a trombonist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Riverside Symphony, Key West Symphony, in various Broadway shows and numerous recordings and movie soundtracks. Tony has served as faculty or as a frequent guest lecturer at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and Mannes College of Music. He has taught students from K college, and has served as a district Director of Fine and Performing Arts in the South Orange/Maplewood School District. Tony has been a consultant for arts organizations throughout the NY/NJ area. Tony is currently Associate Director of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is also Executive Director of the Kinhaven Summer Music School in Weston, Vermont. Tony is a clinician for Courtois – Paris.
Upcoming Festival 2016
Hello Members, Parents & Students,
Here's the latest on our upcoming Spring Music Festival 2016. Reminder, the deadline to participate in this year's Festival is 2/1/16.
This website, is desktop, tablet and mobile friendly. We hope you like it. The applications and Standards Music Lists are located on the instrument pages, as PDF files, that can be downloaded, printed and then submitted/mailed.
A music stand will be provided for each ballroom. This will be made possibly by one of our sponsors. Students do not have to bring a music stand with them to the Festival.
Awards Ceremony | Sunday @ 3:00 pm
No more tickets will be required for entry at the Sunday Awards Ceremony. It's free for all.
We'll have a new and enhanced Program Book, that will offer insight for students, parents, attendees, members/schools, judges and adjudicators as to just how enormous and great our Spring Music Festival is. If you're considering placing an Ad in our Program Book, please note the deadline is also 2/1/16. Information and pricing is located on the Home page of mamtg.org.
My Member Account
For all current and prospective members/schools, this is a new website page, within our website, that will serve as a landing page for questions and/or procedures as we approach the Festival deadline. Members can email a question or topic for posting, we'll add it, as other members may have the same question.
Our New Blog
This Blog, members are welcome to submit a blog on anything MAMTG related. Email your blog to me, Brandon. You'll want to link your blog to your website and/or social media, so please include that info.
Enhancements were made to our FaceBook page and we now have a Twitter and Instagram account, both @ njmusicfest. It's encouraged for members, schools, students, parents and music enthusiasts to like, follow and share MAMTG. It's helps tremendously with exposure and growing MAMTG's Spring Music Festival, which allows additional music students opportunities to perform and showcase their musical talents. The larger we become, the more Festivals we can have. How cool would that be!
Festival 2016 Posters
On the "Our Members" page, within mamtg.org, there are several posters available for download and printing. You don't have to print them, simply download, save and email to others to promote our Spring Music Festival.
New for 2016! Our Battle of the Bands is gone, but this does not mean Rock Bands cannot perform. Our new Ensembles ShowCase features group performances - Rock Bands, Chamber Groups, Choirs or Vocal Groups, String Quartets, Singer/Songwriters in a duo or trio, Jazz Bands, Trios or Quartets, Percussion Ensembles, etc... This will be a great new addition to the Festival and allow for more group performances overall.
In The Works for Festival 2016
I'm still working diligently on getting proper pa systems, several of them, and hopefully some stage lighting, and some professional grade wireless handheld lav microphones for our vocal, musical theatre and ensembles category events.
Our Spring Music Festival is fast approaching and the deadline to sign-up with MAMTG is 2/1/16. Which means, time is running out. Please let me know if there are any questions or if we can help. We look forward to seeing you in April 2016 at the Hanover Marriott!
-Brandon Kurzawa
-Al Terzo
Hailun's Test-The-Best Piano Giveaway
The wonderful staff at Great American Piano Company, located in Edison and Parsippany, New Jersey invite all MAMTG members, piano music teachers and piano students to enter in Hailun's Test-The-Best Piano Giveaway. It's simple to qualify: 1) Visit a participating Hailun store (Great American Piano Co. 775 Route 1 Edison, NJ or 374 Route 46 Parsippany, NJ) 2) Play any Hailun piano 3) Submit the drawing entry form 4) Win a Hailun piano (hopefully, not everyone will win, of course).
Piano Players/Students - Indicate the name of your piano teacher or music school with your submission. Every student entry increases the chances of your teacher/music school to win. Piano Teachers/Music Schools - You will receive one entry into the drawing for every student who participates, along with your own submission.
For Piano Players/Students - The prize is a HU1P, MSRP $12,366. For Piano Teachers/Music Schools - The prize is a HG178HLPS, MSRP $31,986. The Test-The-Best Piano Giveaway runs from 10/20/15 through 3/15/16. The drawing will be held at the National MTNA conference in San Antonio, TX between 4/2/16 and 4/6/16.
Go visit The Great American Piano Company to play a great piano and enter into this Test-The-Best Piano Giveaway.