Festivals
Winter – Women Composers
March 2027, TBD
Spring – Student’s Choice
May/June 2027, TBD
Syllabus
Fall 2026 – October 23-25
Registration closes and Payment Due
September 25, 2026
Spring 2027 – April 23-25
Registration closes and Payment due
March 26, 2026
OMTA & MTNA Conferences
MTNA National Conference – April 2-6, 2027 St. Louis, Missouri
OMTA State Conference – August 6-7, 2027 Salem, Oregon
OMTA Central Oregon District Meetings and Programs
Please contact the host teacher if you wish to attend. Educational programs are open to the public.
Welcome 9:15am; Business 9:30am; Refreshments 10:30am; Program 10:45am
September 11, 2026
Host – Grace King
Program – Grace King “Pop and Rock Style Ideas for Piano Students”
A discussion of resources and methods for teaching popular music that students love to play!
October 9, 2026
Host – Melissa Barker
Program – Joseph Hoffman, “The Well Rounded Musician”
Do you teach your students to transpose? Do you ever read lead sheets? What about improvising and harmonic analysis? Even beginners can tackle these often-overlooked but highly useful skills if taught in the right way, opening doors to creativity and deep music theory comprehension to last a lifetime!
November 13th, 2026
*10am-11:30am Program Only*
Program – “Teaching Students Beginning Composition”
Kathy Gault NCTM, Margaret Littlehales NCTM, Grace King
Location – Cascade School of Music, 510 NE 3rd
St, Bend, OR
December 11, 2026
Host – Margaret Littlehales
Program – “Ensembles Played by OMTA Teachers”
Find a duet partner and work up a holiday tune to play on December 11th! We will listen to and participate in ensembles for one and two pianos, or other instruments, then enjoy a potluck lunch.
February 12, 2027
Host – Kathy Gault
Program – Dianne Davies, “Making Syllabus Relevant: Using OMTA Syllabus Skills to Compose”
Dianne Davies uses a series of pieces from the young pianist’s repertoire to give suggestions for experimentation with the scales, modes and reading rhythms of each level of the OMTA Piano Syllabus. The goal is to help students create new pieces, borrowing from Stravinsky’s idea of using a “container” from which to compose, and simultaneously teach the skills we want students to learn and use beyond yearly exams.
April 9, 2027
Host – Janet Smith
Program – Amie Belisle “Fun With Purpose”
June 11, 2027
Host – Jodie Bischof
Program – Dr. Michelle Sulaiman, “Simple Adaptations for ADHD and ASD Students”
In our digital age, American parents, teachers, and students have become much more aware of neurodivergence and its associated traits. As a result, students and parents face fewer barriers and challenges to receive much-needed diagnoses and accommodations in public school classrooms. Additionally, current public school teacher training programs provide teachers with rudimentary skills to help these students. But, how about our private lessons? Do you feel underprepared to teach these students? If you do, you are not alone; a significant number of private music teachers report that they feel ill-quipped to teach students with ADHD and ASD. In this presentation, I will present pedagogical approaches crucial to teaching students with ADHD and ASD, including physical and teaching adaptations that teachers can adopt in their studios
and lessons.