Collaborative performance: Year of Collaborative Music.

Collaborative performance: Year of Collaborative Music. MTNA is pleased to announce a yearlong celebration of collaborativemusic making: the Year of Collaborative Music (YCM). YCM will celebratethe importance of collaborative music in society and in the professionworldwide. Initiated by collaborative pianists within MTNA and led bysignificant national and international music associations, YCM willpromote the diversity of ensemble playing opportunities available tomusicians of all ages and skill levels. We are defining collaborative music broadly as any activityinvolving two or more musicians, but perhaps particularly one-on-a-part,unconducted ensembles. The umbrella definition would includeprofessionals, amateurs, families, retirees, students of all ages or anycombination of interested musicians. YCM will launch at the March 2010MTNA National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will concludeat the March 2011 MTNA National Conference in Milwaukee. Members of theMTNA Collaborative Music Steering Committee are Janice Wenger, NCTM,University of Missouri, Columbia, chair; Jean Barr, NCTM, EastmanSchool, Rochester, New York; Gail Berenson, NCTM, Ohio University,Athens; Andrew Campbell, Arizona State University, Tempe; Anne Epperson,University of Texas, Austin; Alexandra Nguyen, University of Colorado,Boulder; and Jennifer Snow, University of California, Los Angeles. One important aspect of the project is to invite other professionalmusic organizations in the United States and around the world to joinus. YCM will promote the future of all music organizations and theprofession; by working together on this project, we will help advancethe power of collaborative music in society. MTNA will be promotingCollaborative Performance in our conferences and American Music Teacher.We hope that every society and association, as well as our MTNA stateaffiliates, collegiate chapters and local associations, will planarticles in their newsletters and schedule sessions at their conferencesthat showcase collaborative performance. The YCM celebration also includes an International Day ofCollaborative Music (IDCM) on January 22, 2011, one special day devotedto collaborative music making throughout the world. Hosting simultaneousperformances around the world would clearly bring attention to theimportance of making music together. We are urging every localassociation, as well as participating music organizations around theworld, to consider joining us by scheduling some type of collaborativeperformance event on this date. Many of your members are likely alreadyinvolved in a wide range of chamber music and might be very excited totake part in this kind of unique event that spans the world. We are urging every teacher in MTNA to be a part of YCM and IDCM.In the future, would you consider planning collaborative music in yourcurriculum? Assign duets to your own students, encourage yourpre-college students to learn an instrumental or vocal duo with one oftheir classmates or schedule a chamber music festival with otherindependent teachers in your community. Resources abound for locatingpiano duets, and you may wish to consult the MTNA Intermediate ChamberMusic Repertoire Database for ideas of mixed ensembles. And don'tforget to SAVE THE DATE of January 22, 2011, for IDCM; reach out toother musicians in your area to make this a truly special day ofCollaborative Music. BONUS BYTE The MTNA Intermediate Chamber Music Repertoire Database can befound on the MTNA website at www.mtna.org under the"Resources" tab at the top of the page. Janice Wenger, NCTM, is professor of piano and coordinator ofkeyboard studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In MTNA, shehas served as national vice president, West Central Division president,and chair of the Collaborative Performance Forum.