Massachusetts Music Teachers Association

10/07/2026

Throwback to Quad State 2021 in S**o, Maine! 🎹

Two days of music teachers from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont sharing ideas, hearing new music, and catching up over dinner. A highlight for us: the premiere of "Heart of the Galaxy" by David Ibbett, MMTA's Commissioned Composer that year (that's him in the bow tie, at the piano and at far right in the group photo). And of course, keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Mack!

A friendly reminder: it's our turn to host next. The Quad State Conference returns to Massachusetts in 2027!

Our planning committee is already hard at work putting together something special. Stay tuned for details. You won't want to miss this one.

10/07/2026

Teachers, we're curious: which MMTA events are your students taking part in this year?

🎹 Bay State Piano Contest
🎻 Bay State Strings Contest
🎼 Judged Festival
📝 Musical Achievement Evaluations
🏆 MTNA Performance Competition
✏️ MTNA Composition Competition
💻 MTNA eFestival

Tell us in the comments, and if there's one you've never tried, ask away. Someone here has probably done it!

Details on every program: mmta.net

10/06/2026

Every musician started with someone who showed them where to put their hands. 🎹

So tell us: who was your first music teacher, and what's one thing they taught you that you still carry with you today?

Share a name, a memory, or a lesson in the comments. We'd love to celebrate the teachers who made us who we are.

10/04/2026

Did you know MTNA's first president came from right here in Massachusetts?

Eben Tourjée founded the New England Conservatory in Boston in 1867 and, in 1876, became the first president of Music Teachers National Association. For MTNA's 150th anniversary, MMTA produced a short documentary on his life and vision, which premiered at the MTNA National Conference in Chicago this spring.

Thank you to everyone who made it possible: Ellyses Kuan, who led the project from idea to grant to finished film; filmmaker Rob Gati; Valerie Stark, Alison Barr, Dorothy Travis, and Yukiko Sekino; NEC archivist Maryalice Perrin-Mohr; and our interviewees, NEC President Andrea Kalyn, MTNA CEO Brian Shepard, and former MTNA CEO Gary Ingle. The film was supported by a grant from the MTNA Foundation.

Watch the full documentary:

Eben Tourjée – How Can I Keep From SingingCreated in celebration ...

10/04/2026

🎼 Know a composer whose music deserves a bigger stage?

Nominations are open for the MMTA Commissioned Composer Program. The selected composer receives a $2,000 commission to write a new work, premiered at the Quad State Conference in October 2027. The commissioned piece is also automatically entered for the MTNA Distinguished Composer of the Year award.

Who can be nominated:
• Any professional composer who is a legal U.S. resident (Massachusetts residents preferred)
• Nominees do not need to be MMTA or MTNA members
• Doctoral candidates are eligible; high school, undergraduate, and master's students are not

Any MMTA member may nominate. Check with your nominee first to confirm their interest, then send their name and contact information to Dorothy Travis, Commissioned Composer Chair, at [email protected].

📅 Nominations close November 1, 2026

10/03/2026

🎹 Goblins, mosquitoes, sea swallows, and elves: meet the Group C list!

The 2027 MMTA Judged Festival theme is The Art of the Miniature, and Group C (ages 9 to 12) pairs Baroque and Classical gems with vivid character pieces by Florence Price, Ernest Bloch, Jacques Ibert, and more:

1. Beethoven: Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119 No. 1
2. C.P.E. Bach: La Caroline, Wq 117/39, H 98
3. Ernest Bloch: Enfantines (Elves or Teasing)
4. Graupner: Intrada in C major
5. Ibert: Petite Suite en Quinze Images (choose two of Nos. 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12)
6. J.W. Hässler: Capriccio
7. Pachelbel: Fuga in C major
8. Florence Price: The Goblin and The Mosquito, The Sea Swallow, or The Old Boatman
9. Schumann: Album for the Young, Op. 68 (choose two of Nos. 1, 7, 11, 16, 18, 19)
10. Tansman: Pour les Enfants, 1st Recueil (choose two of Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)

Teachers, choosing a piece this fall gives students all winter to grow into it. Every student receives written comments from two judges and a certificate.

📅 Festival: Saturday, March 13, 2027 at Salem State University
📝 Registration: January 1 to February 1, 2027

Full repertoire list and rules: https://www.mmta.net/judged-festival

10/02/2026

🎹 Group B pianists, this one's for you!

The 2027 MMTA Judged Festival theme is The Art of the Miniature, and Group B (ages 7 to 10) has a wonderfully varied list, from Bach and Beethoven to elves, marionettes, and an autumn lake:

1. J.S. Bach: Little Prelude in D minor, BWV 926
2. Beethoven: Six German Dances, WoO 42 (one of Nos. 3, 5, 6, or two of Nos. 1, 2, 4)
3. Mel Bonis: Album pour les tout-petits (Marionnettes or Mireille au Piano)
4. Walter Carroll: Forest Fantasies (The Elfin Harp, Dwarfs of the Mist, or Farewell to the Fairies)
5. Kabalevsky: 30 Children's Pieces, Op. 27 (one of Nos. 3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 18)
6. Carol Klose: Dreaming in Watercolors
7. Elissa Milne: Even More Little Peppers (Chatterbox or Bumbleblue)
8. Naoko Ikeda: Autumn Lake (Shokuei, Book 2)
9. Catherine Rollin: Prelude No. 3 in D minor or Prelude No. 2 in B♭ major
10. Streabbog: Distant Bells, Op. 63 No. 6

Teachers, choosing a piece this fall gives students all winter to grow into it. Every student receives written comments from two judges and a certificate.

📅 Festival: Saturday, March 13, 2027 at Salem State University
📝 Registration: January 1 to February 1, 2027

Full repertoire list and rules: https://www.mmta.net/judged-festival

09/30/2026

A heartfelt thank-you from our Music Connect Program Chair, Alison Barr! 🎶

On behalf of Alison and her collaborative partner Lydia Reed-Guertin, thank you to everyone who attended and/or donated to our two recent Music Connect benefit concerts. Because of you, we've opened up four new scholarships for students in financial need to help cover their private lesson fees.

Since 2018, Music Connect has now served approximately 75 students. That's a lot of young musicians who get to keep learning because of this community.

And a special shout-out to everyone who came out for a full house in Newton during the Nor'easter on September 26. We will never forget your support!

Want to help Music Connect reach even more students? Donations are always welcome: tinyurl.com/MMTAMusicConnectDonate

09/29/2026

🎹 Calling our youngest pianists!

The 2027 MMTA Judged Festival theme is The Art of the Miniature, and Group A (ages 8 & under) has a delightful lineup of short, characterful pieces:

1. Bartók: For Children, Sz. 42 (choose two from Nos. 1, 5, 7, 15, 17, 21)
2. Mel Bonis: Album pour les tout-petits, Op. 103 (La Puce or Douce Amie)
3. Leah Claiborne: The King's Magic Drum
4. Diabelli: Bagatelle, Op. 125 No. 10
5. Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee: Modern Miniatures, Vol. 1 (choose two)
6. Elissa Milne: Little Peppers (Shenanigans, Rhyme Time, or Spells Trouble)
7. Handel: Impertinence, HWV 494
8. Reinagle: Allegro in D major

Teachers, now is the perfect time to choose a piece so your students have all winter to make it their own. Every student receives written comments from two judges and a certificate.

📅 Festival: Saturday, March 13, 2027 at Salem State University
📝 Registration: January 1 to February 1, 2027

Full repertoire list and rules: https://www.mmta.net/judged-festival

09/28/2026

🎹 The 2027 MMTA Judged Festival repertoire is here! This year's theme is Art of the Miniature — short, characterful gems from Bach and Schumann to Florence Price, Valerie Capers, Elissa Milne, and Tan Dun.

📅 Saturday, March 13, 2027 · Salem State University
📝 Registration: January 1 – February 1, 2027
🎼 Six age groups, ages 8 and under through 18 — every student receives written comments from two judges and a certificate.

Teachers: now is the perfect time to choose pieces so students have all fall and winter to prepare. Full repertoire list and rules at mmta.net.