Is anyone from this board planning to attend the big Music Teachers National Association convention and trade show in a couple of weeks? Fifteen hundred studio piano teachers under one hotel roof in Disneyland. The mind reels.

I'll be there.

Yes, Peter, I'll be there. I'm not at all happy with the venue - there are other hotels with better facilities and lower prices. I cannot imagine what MTNA planners were thinking.

It's a goofy venue, John. [Ouch - ed.]

Hope to meet you, and any other PW folk!

Peter

Ha Ha!



Sorry to say I won't be there. I hope you post about it.

I will likely be there on the weekend.

wish I was there...

Ok, here's me asking a favor:

If you think that me (as a composer, a teacher and a publisher) would have anything to do with such a convention, would you be so kind to notify me well in advance, in order to see if I can actually arrange being there?

Nikolas, I actually find the trade show the best part of the MTNA convention. Many publishers showcase their most recent offerings, and many piano teachers load up on music to bring home to Nebraska. It's not only the big guns in piano publishing who are represented: every year there are a couple of booths rented by small publishers or single compsers. They often complain about the cost, but they show up just the same.

Click on mtna.org and start considering your finances towards next year. I believe it will be in Chicago, and it's always held in March or April.

Minnie, if you want to blow your cover, we could certainly get together for a coffee. I'm skipping the Pedagogy Saturday, but I'm there all day Sunday (and after).

Peter,

Many thanks for this... I'll check the website and see how it can work. If I can't make it, perhaps a representative from the States could potentially be there...

I'll see!

EDIT: If I was in the States I'd be sure to join in... I don't think that 800$ for the booth (plus peripherals) is too much... But then again there would be other expenses involved, and with me coming from Greece it's something to consider (plus the hotel fees, etc)... hmmm...

I'd love to join, I really would. Perhaps there's a way. I'll see...

I would love to go, as I'm only 2 hours away, but Saturday is our CM day and I'll probably be too exhausted to venture out on Sunday just for the day.

Is the MTNA convention as big as MTAC's? (I might have asked this before....)

Peter, please PM me if you find out that Minniemay is really a 250 pound man...or some other startling fact. Ha ha.

Dumdiddle, there are usually somewhere around 1500-2000 people at an MTNA convention, between attendees and exhibitors. For a fair devoted to studio music teaching (not the classroom), that's pretty big. Not a sea of humanity exactly, but big enough that there are multiple activities scheduled at one time.

Ann: OK, you'll be the first to learn Minnie's secret.

Nikolas, if it would help tip the balance, I'll buy you a club sandwich at next year's MTNA convention. That would save you the cost of one meal. But I won't do it for a US representative: we want you!

Hahaha! I've actually lost 25 pounds via WeightWatchers this year and am a bit more svelte.

So...

What's the biggest gathering for musicians/performers/teachers/alike then in the US? If I understand it correctly MTNA is National while MTAC is California "only" in which case it should be smaller, no?

Peter: many thanks. As I said I'd love to join, and if I can find a way to get to Chicago for cheaps, I'd may as well do it!

Well, the MTAC Convention is a monster of an event. It's not just teachers and presenters...parents and their kids have recitals, competitions, and master classes. There are always 2 or 3 events going on at the same time, and it's impossible to attend all of them.

Nikolas and others: the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy is the other biggie national US conference/convention, specifically on piano teaching. It takes place every other year, near Chicago. I'm guessing it might be half the size of the MTNA affair, but it also has a trade show and publishers' showcasing component. I'm not sure how the cost would compare for an exhibitor, but you would meet some key people in the teaching trade.

http://www.keyboardpedagogy.org/nckp-2013

We in Canada have our own biannual convention of studio music teachers (mostly piano), and this summer we're in Halifax:
www.cfmta2013halifax.ca

This would be a smaller affair than Yankees put on - maybe 200-300 people will attend - but it's friendly, and easy to meet people.

I know that this is turning rather off topic, but I'm quite interested in these... Plus I got to learn all these new acronyms, which meant nothing to me. I now know that MTNA and MTAC mean

It's impossible to attend all, unless they are very close together and I could travel once in the USA and stay there for a month or so... But it doesn't seem this way...

The MTNA booth is 800$
The MTAC booth is 500$. But there are some sketchy details about tables and stuff.
The Keyboard pedagogy thingy (Clavier companion is behind this?) is 850$...

Presentation in MTNA is 800$ for 60 minutes, and 400$ in MTAC for 50 minutes, and 750$ for the Keyboard pedagogy so...

Now, what's interesting is that I'm too late, but the Canada thing, and the keyboard pedagogy thing seem to be close together. Plus I will probably be in Dallas, TX, for a festival and my own works performed around the mid of July, so this could work. but alas I'm too late for all of this now... I need to plan ahead for 2014 now!

Nikolas!
I am happy to hear that you are planning ahead!
Please check this link

If you submit this proposal and get accepted, then you do not need to pay 400$ for 50 minutes in MTAC convention.

The "Keyboard pedagogy thingy" has a familial connection to Clavier Companion magazine: both are run by a non-profit enterprise saluting Frances Clark, one of the early big guns in the US pedagogy game (Music Tree was her method book).

But most people in the US pedagogy game are the same cast of characteers, and it would be rather the same crowd of attendees as MTNA. Just smaller.

Check out the Texas convention. Maybe it's at the right time for you!

Where's the guise of civility when you need it?

I will be there, and am attending a music teacher's convention for the first time! As a former pharmacist, it will be interesting to see the similarities/differences from pharmacy conventions. I suppose the music conventions don't have free drugs :-)

Amy, you'll find that the MTNA freebies are not in your former league. Pencils, fridge magnets, and note pads are about the extent of what you'll find at this trade show. But if you go to the publisher showcases, you'll get some free piano music. And lots of half-price offers.

Please greet me with the PW secret handshake if you see me!

Speaking of drugs, I'm wondering if the hotel, being on Disney property, has a bar. I'm remembering a previous conference where another PW teacher & I were able to get together for a couple of cocktails. The only trouble with getting old is I can't remember whether it was Dallas or Phoenix. The wife & I are actually staying at a nearby place, as the rates were about half of the Disney hotel, and probably just as nice. And we'll be able to get in a short, but brisk, walk a couple times a day.

There are bars on the property, but not in the hotel.
You can hit the Tiki Room in the Disney complex or any number of other places.

In the California Adventure side of the park, I believe you can get beer, margaritas, and wine.

John and "The wife" (what a deliciously antiquated term) ... having to live "down-town" due to percuniary shortfall ... obviously "can't spare a dime".

AT these musical conventions you can usually find me in the bar ... make mine a double!

I am one of the "small" publishers who forked out the money to exhibit at MTNA this year. I have a special coupon in the coupon book if you are attending the conference and will also be offering special "event pricing" on all of my publications. Will be glad to meet anyone who stops by the Piano Pronto booth =)

ETA: I will also be at MTAC in NorCal later this year...

~Jennifer

Sounds great, Jennifer. Look forward to meeting you: I always like to support the indy people in our industry.

Oohh... I will be at that convention in June. What publications are you promoting?