MMTA News : Missouri Music Teachers Association

by Sara Renaud

My name is Sara Renaud (NCTM), and I live in Columbia, Missouri, where I opened a piano studio two years ago after the completion of my Masters degree in Piano Pedagogy from MU.

This April, I was the recipient of the MTNA Studio Fellowship Award, a cash prize of $3,000. To apply for this award, in October 2004, I put together an application with a resume, college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a letter describing how the fellowship would benefit my studio.

In December, I was notified that I had passed on to the second phase, for which I had to prepare a portfolio and a video. The portfolio contained my studio policies, small business plan, teaching philosophy, past studio recital programs, copies of my studio forms and advertisements, and samples from my Technique Milestones, a graded series of scales and arpeggios that I created. The video contained my performance of a Scarlatti Sonata and the first portion of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy, three of my student's performances, and a demonstration of my teaching. I included footage from a lesson with a second year student working in the Fabers' Piano Adventures and a lesson with an intermediate student working in the Snell repertoire books.

The aspects of piano playing that I seek to include in my teaching are playing duets and ensembles, sight-reading, self-critique through recording, and a systematic learning of technique. Therefore, with the fellowship money, I have purchased video and audio recording equipment, duet materials, and several sight-reading series. Also with these funds, I have established a website (www.renaudpianostudio.com) and will continue to develop the Milestone system to include chords and sight-reading.

This fellowship is a phenomenal way that MTNA supports new teachers like myself - Thank you, MTNA!

Sara M. Renaud, NCTM, established a piano studio in Columbia in 2003. She has a Bachelor's degree from Luther College in Decorah, IA, and a Master's degree in Piano Pedagogy from MU. She continues as a teacher of class piano proficiency at UMC and is currently serving as MMTA Vice-President of Auditions.

posted by Brent Hugh at 10/10/2005 01:13:00 AM
permanent link to article: New MMTA teacher receives MTNA Studio Fellowship Award

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