?

MUSICMATTERSTHE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FOR MUSIC TEACHERS MARCH-APRIL 2011

Cont’d...p. 2

You AskedWill you be o!ering more professional development seminars?

Yes, look to rcmusic.ca/tpdover the coming months for more information.

One Teacher’s Journey into the World of Music Technology * By George F. Litterst, Multimedia Pianist and Music Software Developer

I admit it: I enjoy new technologies. I !nd it fun to explore new technology-based products, !gure out what they can do for my students, and even work with a small team of people to invent new technologies for music education and performance.

In a nutshell, I !nd the act of !guring out how to exploit new technologies just as interest-ing as !guring out how to learn a complex musical passage or !guring out the best way to communicate with a student who is having di"culty. #e intellectual challenges are similar. #at should not sound like a surprising statement. As teachers, we are creative problem solvers, right?

Having made my confession, I should point out that using technology in a lesson for its own sake is a bad idea. #ere needs to be a purpose. #e focus should be on the musical result; the technology should recede into the background.

RCM Examinations is a division of The Royal Conservatory.

Features 1 One Teacher’s Journey into the World of Music Technology – George F. Litterst

5 Teacher Professional Development Seminars

6 Convocation: The Class of 2010

7 Discipline Updates: The Marks are In!

7 Recogizing the Teachers of Silver Medallists 2010

8 Mentor Memories with Forrest Kinney

10 Spotlight on British Columbia

11 Creativity Summit 2011

12 Important Dates 2011–2012

12 Candidate Services Corner

This article has been reprinted by permission from the forthcoming book, Creative Piano Teaching, 4th ed. (2011) by James Lyke, Geo!rey Haydon, and Catherine Rollin, published by Stipes Publishing Company L.L.C. (www.stipes.com).

*

MUSICMATTERS |March–April 2011 p. 2

Although it is great to teach a student in person, students and teachers should be able to overcome obstacles of time and distance.

Technology—cont’d from p. 1

Musical and Pedagogical ObjectivesMy application of modern technologies to learning, teaching, and music-making is motivated by the following statements:

1. A student should:

2. Each student comes to the lesson with a variety of learning strengths and weaknesses. A good teacher will leverage each student’s strengths and work with them to overcome their weaknesses. In short, the teacher should address the student in a complete manner: visually, aurally, intellectually, kinesthetically, and through the process of discovery.

3. Although it is great to teach a student in person, students and teachers should be able to overcome obstacles of time and distance.

With these concepts in mind, allow me to open a window to my studio. When you take a peak inside, imagine the ways in which the technologies in my studio serve these goals.

George’s Studio SetupI teach on a Yamaha Disklavier grand piano. #is is a real piano with hammers

a high-tech player piano. Most importantly for me, it connects to my computer.

Cont’d...p. 3

George’s Yamaha Disklavier grand piano

#e biggest bene!ts of this setup are that I can:

themselves.

performances for my students.

interactive so$ware.

You can obtain many of these features by using a high-quality digital piano. #e Disklavier, though, has the advantage of being a real piano.

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 3

Technology—cont’d from p. 2anywhere in the piece. Why? #e reason is that when they are playing with the accompaniment and accidentally stumble, the accompaniment continues and they get used to the idea of jumping back in again.

Many modern keyboard instruments have the ability to play MIDI !les using their built-in sounds. #ey usually come with features for canceling the playback for the le$- or right-hand tracks, canceling any of the accompaniment tracks, setting a slower or faster tempo, and transposing.

One of the wonderful things about MIDI accompaniments is that they are available for all genres of repertoire, including classical themes, Broadway tunes, movie and TV hits, jazz and pop compositions, hymns, Christmas carols, and even piano concertos. If a student comes to a lesson wanting to play a tune from Pirates of the Caribbean or one of the Harry Potter movies, I can not only provide an ar-rangement that !ts the student’s playing level, I can provide a MIDI orchestration that actually sounds like the music in the movie.

Teenage and adult beginners especially bene!t from MIDI accompaniments. #e reason is pretty simple: #ese students have a playing level that is much lower than their intellectual level. As a result, it can be challenging to keep them engaged as they slowly progress to more advanced repertoire. Nicely orchestrated MIDI !les, however, can provide the student with a more complete musical experience even when the student part is pretty simple.

Interactive Computer So!wareI !nd that these MIDI accompaniments are even easier and more e%ective to use with a personal computer. I copy all of my MIDI !les to my computer’s hard drive and use a program called Home Concert Xtreme from TimeWarp Technologies (www.timewarptech.com) to open them. Home Concert Xtreme transcribes the piano tracks into music notation on the screen and provides additional interactive features.

In Learn mode, you set a playback tempo and play along with the accompaniment. If you don’t play a note accurately, the program will wait for you to play the note correctly and even show you which one to play.

In Jam mode, the program requires you to keep up with the accompaniment. In Perform mode, the program will actually follow your tempo as it changes, moment to moment. In all modes, the program can respond to how loudly you play, adjusting the volume of the accompaniment dynamically. It will even turn the pages at the right time.

Cont’d...p. 4

Trio, circa 1900

Home Concert Xtreme

I hasten to note that you can add a MIDI output feature to any acoustic piano rather simply, using a product called PNOscan (www.qrsmusic.com). PNOscan consists of an optical sensor strip that is positioned under the keys. It has no e%ect on the touch of the piano but does enable you to output MIDI data to a computer. It also comes with sensors for the three pedals.

Whether you teach using a high-tech player piano, a high-quality digital piano, or an acoustic piano with a PNOscan system, you have a modern instrument that can provide your teaching e%orts with wings!

MIDI AccompanimentsEver since the early 1990s, the major publishers of piano methods have published MIDI !les that coor-dinate with the various lesson and supplementary books. #ese MIDI !les consist of a piano part that matches the student’s printed music as well as accompaniment tracks. #e accompaniment tracks may constitute anything from a classical orchestra, to a Broadway ensemble, to a rock band.

I have found the use of MIDI accompaniments to be the single most e%ective application of technology in my studio.

For starters, MIDI accompaniments can function like a metronome. #ey keep the student in time. But, unlike a traditional metronome, a MIDI accom-paniment establishes a musical context for the beat, making it much easier for the student to realize that

I have found the use of MIDI accom-paniments to be the single most e!ective application of technology in my studio.Beyond providing a pulse, a MIDI accompaniment helps to establish a musical groove and to clarify the rhythmic challenges in the piece. MIDI accompani-ments open the student’s ear, encouraging the student to listen to other musical parts and to become a facile, collaborative player.

Students who work with MIDI accompaniments very quickly acquire the skill of being able to start

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 4

At the end of the lesson, the student goes home, plugs the computer into their home piano, and practices with all of the interactive features we used during the lesson.

Technology—cont’d from p. 3

Concluding "oughtsMany things in life can be complex in their design and powerful in their implementation, yet be easy to use. Take the automobile, for example. #e engineering embedded in an automobile is complex, to be sure. And, the result of that engineering is a powerful result: the miracle of fast, personal trans-portation. At the same time, it is not particularly di"cult for most adults to drive a car.

Although it is not di"cult to drive a car, learning to drive does take some devotion to the task. Once you have acquired the skill, you can almost drive one in your sleep (but I caution you not to try!).

Contemporary technologies for the modern piano teacher present a similar situation. I invite you to con-sider how to integrate technology into your lessons!

Recently, I have experienced the electronic future of piano teaching while working with some adult students. Each of these students brings a laptop to their lesson and plugs it into my piano. #e student reads the music that I have assigned o% their computer screen, and I add !ngerings and other comments as necessary. At the end of the lesson, the student goes home, plugs the computer into their home piano, and practices independently with all of the interactive features we used during the lesson. #e results have been compelling.

Long-Distance LessonsAny number of circumstances can separate student and teacher:

both to be in the same location at the same time.

Remarkably, all of these problems can be solved with a long-distance lesson given over the Internet.

#e basic ingredients for a long distance lesson are a broadband Internet connec-tion and a video conferencing program, such as Skype (which is free). A high-quality video conferencing connection requires adequate bandwidth up and down (1-2 Mbps preferred). Using a video conferencing setup, you can see and talk to your student.

#e next requirement is a piano-to-piano connection. #is can be achieved using another TimeWarp program called Internet MIDI. When two pianos are connected via Internet MIDI, the person who plays the local piano simultaneously plays the remote piano. Internet MIDI’s onscreen graphics will show the movement of the keys and the pedals.

You can use Classroom Maestro, also from TimeWarp, simultaneously with Internet MIDI. Classroom Maestro provides a two-way, interactive electronic blackboard that facilitates musical discourse. Use Classroom Maestro to illustrate the relationship between notes on the sta% with notes on the keyboard, intervals, chords, scales, and hand positions. #e program is musically intelligent and understands major and minor keys, key signatures, and even how to spell correctly and analyze intervals, chords, and scales.

Trumpet student, 1946

Internet MIDI with videoconferencing

George Litterst BIOGRAPHY George Litterst is currently a private piano teacher in Rehoboth, MA. In recent years, he served as a mentor (consultant) at the Ross School of East Hampton, NY where he was involved in developing a K-12 curriculum for performing arts.Previously, he has taught in a wide variety of musical environments: university (Northeastern), conservatory prep school (New England Conservatory), community music school, public school, and private studio. He is a member of many professional musical and educational organizations, such as Music Teachers National Associa-tion and TI:ME and is currently the Technology Chair for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 5

Quintet, late 1950s

CHRISTOPHER HAHN

When was the last timeyou thought of yourself as a student? Join leading pedagogues and master teachers from The Royal Conservatory for a one-day professional development seminar in a community near you.

Focusing on the essential issues facing both established and emerging keyboard teachers, these seminars include master classes, teaching demonstrations, interactive sessions, and round table discussions covering a range of specific pedagogical and professional topics.

For more information, or to register now, visit rcmusic.ca/tpd

Teacher Professional Development Seminars

JANET LOPINSKI

KENT MCWILLIAMS

JENNIFER SNOWDIANNE WERNER

DALE WHEELER

JAMES ANAGNOSON MARC DURAND

THOMAS GREEN

ANDREW HISEY

Registration Fees:Regular $99Student $50Includes lunch and light refreshments.

“It was a friendly atmosphere that encouragedactive participation from teachers. It led to free, open discussion and thought provoking sharing of ideas.”

~ ParticipantAlberta Seminar

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MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 6

Recognizing Outstanding AchievementAt Convocation each year, The Royal Conservatory awards Gold Medals to ARCT graduates who attain the highest mark in the country for their chosen discipline.

The Music Matters team would like to recognize the teachers, who through their commitment to music education have provided their students with the opportunity to excel. A special congratulation goes to the following students and teachers who, together, achieved excellence in music.

Piano – Licentiate in PerformanceAndrew X M Yang, Vancouver, BCAnna Domanska, Teacher

Piano – PerformanceVivian Lou, North Vancouver, BCSasha Starcevich, Teacher

Piano - TheoryAnita Linqing Pari, Ottawa, ONColin Mack, TeacherLori Lynn Penny, Teacher

Piano – PedagogyElizabeth Alice Shearouse, Timberlea, NSLorna Wanzel, Teacher

Speech Arts and Drama – PerformanceJessica Erin Liu, Edmonton, ABShirley Konrad, Teacher

Viola – PerformanceOsmond Chiu, Calgary, ABTheresa Plotnick, Teacher

Voice – PerformanceLee Ramsay, Toronto, ONTina Torlone, Teacher

Legacies in TeachingFor the !rst time at a Convocation ceremony, The Royal Conservatory, alongside its graduates, honoured the following teachers for serving 40 years or more as Royal Conservatory faculty:

40 years : William Perry, Margot Rydell, Aino Waldin42 years : Eugene Gates43 years: Carole Law-Bancroft44 years: Corkie (Cancicarole) 45 years: Tanya Tkachenko49 years: Harold Ross52 years: Joyce Gundy

Celebrating Achievement in Music: Convocation, Class of 2010

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 7

Discipline Updates: The Marks Are In!Winter Session 2011 Average Practical Marks*

* To respect con!dentiality and statistical signi!cance, results are not reported if there were fewer than ten examinations.

LEVEL

Cello

Clar

inet

Flut

e

Gui

tar

Pian

o

Saxo

phon

e

Viol

in

Voic

e

Preparatory A – – – – 84 – – –

Preparatory B – – – – 86 – – –

Grade 1 – – 89 80 83 – 81 83

Grade 2 – – 85 79 81 – 81 83

Grade 3 84 – – 77 79 – 81 80

Grade 4 83 81 83 75 78 – 78 80

Grade 5 84 – – 78 77 – 77 76

Grade 6 78 78 75 77 77 77 77 79

Grade 7 – – – 71 77 – 75 77

Grade 8 79 76 76 77 74 70 73 79

Grade 9 – – 78 – 76 – 78 81

Grade 10 – – 80 – 74 – 75 –

ARCT Performer’s – – – – 74 – – –

ARCT Teacher’s – – – – – – – –

Elementary Piano Pedagogy, Repertoire – – – – 80 – – –

Intermediate Piano Pedagogy, Repertoire – – – – 76 – – –

Advanced Piano Pedagogy, Repertoire – – – – – – – –

RUDIMENTS

Preparatory 97Basic 90Intermediate 83Advanced 83

HARMONY

Introductory 74Basic 74Intermediate 69Advanced 65

History 1 73History 2 72History 3 77

Analysis 74Counterpoint 70

Winter Session 2011 Average Theory Marks*

*To respect con!dentiality and statistical signi!cance, results are not reported if there were fewer than ten examinations.

PIANO PEDAGOGY Elementary Viva Voce 75Intermediate Viva Voce 75Advanced Viva Voce –

SPEECH ARTS AND DRAMA

TECHNICAL THEORY

Level 1 86Level 2 81Level 3 80Level 4 _

HISTORY AND LITERATURE

Level 1 74Level 2 82Level 3 –Level 4 78

Celebrating Excellence in Teaching: Recognizing the Teachers of the 2010 Silver Medallists The following are teachers of students who were awarded Silver Medals for 2010. Thank you to everyone who provided us with permission to celebrate your accomplishment!

BASSOON Davenport, Francesca Alberta

GUITAR Baril, Gianetta Alberta Ackerman, Kevin Saskakatchewan Besler, A. Dayle Alberta Cardinal, Réjean Ontario & Quebec Richardson, Mark British Columbia

PIANO Cli"ord, Helena Ontario & Quebec Ewing-Chow, Arianne Ontario & Quebec Gow-Knickle, Sharon Atlantic Maggiora, Wendy British Columbia Pagett, Carolynne Ontario & Quebec Reiser, Allen Alberta Stang, Norma Alberta Vandereyk, David British Columbia

VIOLIN Jen-Payzant, Lilian Saskakatchewan

VOICE Bennett, Anne British Columbia Case, Elaine Alberta Sengaus, Louisa Alberta Simonds, Ross Atlantic

For over 250 other 2010 Silver Medal award-winning teachers, see our Nov-Dec issue.

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p.8

Mentor Memories invites leading arts professionals to share memorable moments of inspiration and motivation. For this installment, we asked Mr. Forrest Kinney, author of Pattern Play, to shed some light on sparking creativity at the keyboard.

Forrest KinneyForrest Kinney has been a music educator for over thirty years and is a Nationally Certi!ed Teacher of Music (NCTM). He is the author of thirteen books related to music and creativity. These include the books in the Pattern Play series on musical improvisation and Creativity Beyond Compare, a book that dispels popular misconceptions about creativity. Forrest is also a composer and has recently published two collections of art songs. He is currently writing a series on the art of arranging, to be published in 2012. Forrest travels North America to share his belief that creativity is one of the keys to happiness, and is available to all.

Mentor Memorieswith Forrest Kinney

MM: Your series, Pattern Play: Inspiring Creativity at the Piano, promotes improvisation. How has improvising played a role in your life?FK: Before I began formal lessons at the age of !$een, I played the piano by making sounds that evoked feelings. I didn’t know that this was “improvising.” I simply loved exploring sounds and feelings. When I began lessons, I dove into the astonishing literature for the piano. However, in the process of learning and performing pieces, I soon found I was thinking more than feeling, managing more than responding, and panicking more than enjoying. I wasn’t able to swim in that deep pool of feeling I had experienced when improvising. For a number of years, I felt intense anxiety when performing—both my hands and legs would shake, in di%erent rhythms! Fortunately, I never lost the ability to make music directly from my feelings. For over thirty years, improvisation has been my daily journal, a musical diary, a way of discovering and expressing my feelings each day. And so, it has been at the heart of my lifelong friendship with the piano. It was through improvising that I !nally learned the secrets of a &owing, e%ortless technique, and cultivated a wider range of touch and styles. I even learned to enjoy sharing my music with others. I also learned to compose through improvisation, and developed a much greater appreciation for the masters. Improvisation is an approach to life. Each day, we don’t really know what is going to happen. #e art of living involves being a graceful improviser in every moment.

MM: In your opinion, why is learning to improvise so important for young musicians?FK: I feel it’s essential for young musicians to improvise in many di%erent styles—classical, popular, jazz, and ethnic styles. Also, old musicians. And anyone in between! I hope my students can read the rich ideas of master composers, but also speak their

own musical ideas freely, directly from feelings, without a script. I feel that this is the essential musical act, and the source of our rich tradition. Our greatest compos-ers were remarkable improvisers at the keyboard. #is is no coincidence. When a person can improvise, musi-cal ideas become a &owing river, and writing musical essays (composing) is a natural extension of that. I haven’t found a more e%ective and enjoyable way to develop my students’ rhythmic sense than improvising duets with them. And they learn to listen! It’s also an ideal way to teach theory. When my students learn a new chord or mode, I ask them to immediately create something with it. I have also found that improvisa-tion allows people to develop a &owing technique and natural phrasing. But how do we learn to do it? #e same way we learned to speak with words. All of us are master improvisers with language. We learned to do this by talking with our parents, friends, and siblings. My approach to im-provisation is based on the understanding that students need to make spontaneous musical conversations with their teachers from the beginning, and from this will emerge an inevitable desire to “go solo,” to speak one’s own ideas. #rough improvising duets, a student’s innate ability to talk with tones is awakened.

Cont’d...p. 9

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 9

MM: For teachers who are, perhaps, uneasy with teaching students how to improvise, what advice would you give them?FK: When we love something, we can’t wait to share it with others. So, I would say the most important thing is to discover the joy of improvising, and then a person will have a compelling desire to do it and share it with others. #e best approach? Find a friend to play duets with. It is so enjoyable and e%ective to learn this way! Your partner provides the accompani-ment, so you can focus on creating melodies. #en switch places. Later, perhaps much later, you can learn to do both parts at the same time. When improvising, don’t hold yourself to the standards used with literature. When we talk, we don’t think, “I sure don’t sound as good as Shakespeare!” Improvising will usually sound less polished than care-fully cra$ed musical essays. Commit to doing it for !ve minutes every day (it’s okay to do more!). Plus, do it with your students. Tell them that you are learning along with them. To motivate yourself, consider that you are doing it for your own enrichment and for the bene!t of your students.

MM: Why do you believe that creativity is one of the keys to happiness?FK: When we bring something to earth that has never been seen or heard before; we are li$ed beyond our daily selves into a very special place. I feel such joy when I create! When we don’t express our innate desire to create, we will use that energy destructively. Our discontent is an expression of a frustrated desire to create something beautiful and amazing. It is when we create that we are transported beyond our daily selves.

MM: Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) once said, “Music is feeling, not sound.” How does this quote resonate with you?FK: It’s my all-time favorite quote about music. In just !ve simple words, it manages to encapsulate a profound understanding about music and the higher goals of music education. Music is powerful because it is a language of feelings. Yet, as musicians and teachers, our focus is on making the notes sound right. As a result, we o$en end up with music that is correct, but lifeless. #is quote challenges me to become a better teacher, to try to reach beyond the notes and the sounds to the essence of music—feeling. It asks of me, “Did you merely teach notes today? Do you merely correct sounds? Or did you help your students to feel?” #e great humanitarians are those who feel deeply about others and the world. In this busy, over-scheduled, thought-dominated world, feeling is more important than ever, yet education neglects it. Music educators can play a vital role by helping people step beyond the goals of skill, knowledge, and achievement to feel something beautiful.

I used to think that “advanced is better.” Now, when an advanced student plays an advanced piece perfectly, but with no feeling, I feel dissatis!ed. When a beginning student plays a simple piece or improvisation with great feeling, I am thrilled. Music is feeling, not sound.

Memories—cont’d from p. 8 Convocation 2010

development workshops has been taking place in British Columbia.

Teachers and community school support workers at-tended a session in Surrey at an annual conference to learn how LTTA’s arts-rich learning can support their school and community-based o%erings. A second session o%ered by LTTA explored topics in science and literacy with the aid of drama and visual arts. #at session con-cluded with a follow-up conversation about assessment through the arts as a way to help prepare teachers and students for the next step of the learning process.

In Kamloops, teachers engaged in a full day of interactive work and play to explore the impact of drama in teaching mathematics. Learning #rough #e Arts™ is now planning a workshop focussing on the literacy of boys in middle-school grades.

A number of LTTA workshops served teachers at a district-wide professional development conference in Coquitlam. Teachers actively investigated math patterns through visual arts, Canadian government through drama, science through media arts, and how to become media literate. Meanwhile, a school sta% in White Rock participated in a strategic visioning session, exploring the potential of LTTA as a way to move their school forward with a cohesive focus

Teacher Professional Development Seminars, BCSnow-capped mountains and spring-like temperatures greeted Dr. Jennifer Snow, Director of Teacher Pedagogy, Mr. James (Jim) Anagnoson, Dean of the Glenn Gould School of #e Royal Conservatory, and Dr. Janet Lopinski, Chief Examiner Emeritus, as they arrived in British Columbia in early March for the most recent series of Teacher Professional Development Seminars (Victoria, March 5; Kelowna, March 7; and Vancouver, March 8).

#e most well-attended session held so far in the series took place in Vancouver, where over 120 teachers were gathered. As in Victoria and Kelowna, Vancouver-area teachers heard local students perform in the opening master class before master teacher Jim Anagnoson and further explored the teaching issues raised by the master class in an open discussion led by Jim. Teachers discovered new ways to stimulate excellence in their students with Janet Lopinksi and evaluated the importance of assessment in their daily teaching practice in an interactive session moderated by Jennifer Snow.

Special thanks to the local organizers who went above and beyond to ensure the smooth running of these sessions, including the delicious lunches! We’d also like to thank the teachers who travelled from as far away as Calgary to join us for these invigorating and stimulating seminars.

Did you attend a Teacher Pedagogy Development Seminar? Share your experience at musicmatters@rcmusic.ca. Interested in attending a seminar? Visit rcmusic.ca/tpd to !nd a location near you!

Learning !rough the Arts™All teachers know that students relate more meaningfully with their learning when students are personally connected and emotionally engaged. One of the best ways to foster this engagement is through the arts. Learning #rough #e Arts™ (LTTA) brings arts-infused teaching strategies to classroom teachers that they can apply both with core and arts curriculum. LTTA artists are skilled at developing rich workshops customized to align with district and school-based learning initiatives. #ey partner with teachers to provide experiential and re&ective learning. An exciting series of LTTA-led professional MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p.10

To receive more information or to support Learning "rough the Arts™, please contact Brian Quinn, Development O#cer, "e Royal Conservatory at (416) 408-2824, ext. 457, toll-free at 1-800-709-0888 or by email at brian.quinn@rcmusic.ca.

!e Royal Conservatory Across Canada: Spotlight on British Columbia

Sunrise inVictoria

MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p.11

Renew, Refresh, and Inspire• Join creative leaders from across North America as

they lead practical, interactive, and insightful sessions.• Engage in valuable seminars and discovery

learning activities that inspire discussion and creative experience.

• Learn creative strategies to motivate and inspireyour students.

• Explore resources, ideas, and a range of teaching and professional strategies.

• Connect and network with colleagues from acrossthe continent.

EARLY REGISTRATION (BY JULY 1):General $275 / Student $150 (includes lunch)

REGISTRATION AFTER JULY 1:General $325 / Student $195 (includes lunch)

Receive a free gift if you register by June 1.All fees include lunch.

For more information call 416.408.2825 x350

PRESENTERS

Keynote Speakers: Dr. Betty Ann Younker, Dr. Rena Upitis, Dr. Stephen Chatman

Keyboard Presenters: Forrest Kinney, Maria Case, Peteris Zarins

ECE Presenters: Dr. Katharine Smithrim, Dr. LindaCameron, Mary Stouffer, Kim Kendrick ... and more

July 23-24, 2011Toronto, Ontario

Creativity Summit 2011For Keyboard Teachers and Early Childhood Educators

Register online at rcmusic.ca/tpd273 Bloor Street West, Toronto(Bloor Street West and Avenue Road)

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MUSICMATTERS | March–April 2011 p. 12

MUSIC MATTERS #e O"cial Newsletter of RCM Examinations.

Chief Examiners: Jennifer Snow, Chief Academic O"cer #omas Green, Practical SubjectsMaria Case, #eoretical Subjects

MUSIC MATTERS aims to provide pedagogical support and up-to-date information on #e Royal Conservatory, RCM Examinations.

Senior members of the teaching community o%er new perspectives and useful suggestions for managing a successful teaching studio and using the RCM curriculum.

You can download current and back issues of MUSIC MATTERS free of charge from the RCM Examinations website.

Contact us:Article requests or questions about this publication? Please email us at:musicmatters@rcmusic.ca.

RCM Examinations is a division of !e Royal Conservatory.

?YouaskedIs there another Summit this summer?

Absolutely! Turn to page 11for more information.

RCM Examinations5865 McLaughlin Road, Unit 4Mississauga ON L5R 1B8 905-501-9553

Important Dates: 2011–2012 Dates Announced! CANADA

Winter Session 2012 Registration Deadline Nov. 1, 2011 Theory Examinations Dec. 9 & 10, 2011 Practical Examinations Jan. 16–28, 2012 Spring Session 2012 Registration Deadline March 6, 2012 Theory Examinations May 11 & 12, 2012 Practical Examinations June 11–30, 2012 Summer Session 2012 Registration Deadline June 5, 2012 Theory Examinations August 10 & 11, 2012 Practical Examinations August 13–25, 2012

We receive all kinds of calls to Candidate Services and we’re pleased to be able to help you and your students in any way we can. Here are a number of issues we deal with on a daily basis. We hope this will prove helpful to you.

1. Certi"cates. Certi!cates will be mailed in April, 2011. An additional charge will apply for any changes made to a certi!cate, for example a name change.

2. Substitute Piece Request. It is critically important to get any requests for substitute pieces submitted to Candidate Services NO LATER THAN the deadline date for any particular session. Failing to do so could result in a deduction on the exam, as we cannot guarantee that late requests will be processed in time for the exam.

3. Adding a Teacher Number. The only way a teacher number can be added to a student’s !le is if the student requests the addition. We are not able to add a teacher number based on a teacher’s request.

4. Applying for an ARCT. Before your student applies for an ARCT, please double check to ensure your that student has completed all the requirements.

5. Credits/Refunds. Please remember, credits and refunds granted for Spring and Summer 2011 sessions cannot be used until the Winter 2012 session.

6. O#cial Transcripts. An o#cial transcript is a document that lists all of the examinations taken by a student and the corresponding mark awarded. It does not contain any comments from examiners.

Your Candidate Services Team

Candidate Services Corner:

Candidate Service Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern Time Fridays 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Toll-free number: 1-800-461-6058 (Canada)

Websites for info 24/7: rcmexaminations.org