$1,000 grant available to NCTMs.

The Piano Technician's Guild will award two scholarship's worth $750 each to MTNA Nationally Certified Teachers of Music (NCTMs) who agree to use it the funds to further their teaching skills, uses and recommends a Registered Piano Technician member of the Piano Technicians Guild and is willing to write a short follow-up report to the PTG Board about how the scholarship was used to advance their career and/or business. One of the two scholarships is to be used by a certified piano teacher to attend classes specific to Recreational Music Making as presented by MTNA. These scholarshps are similar to the grant that was given by the Piano Teachnicians Guild Foundation for more than 20 years. These new scholarships will be awarded at the 2008 MTNA National Conference in Denver, Colorado.

Here's what some past recipients have to say about the award:

Janice Mesrobian

Janice Mesrobian has operated an independent piano studio in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for more than 30 years.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"I could not have anticipated what a special journey I would embark upon when I received the news that I was the named the 2006 recipient of the PTGF grant. My study proposal was built around attending the 2006 MTNA Conference in Austin, Texas. The last Convention I attended was in 1994 and now by 2006 I was a considerably more experienced teacher. I believed that attending a national conference would bring fresh perspectives and insights into repertoire and teaching skills and perhaps validate my work.

"I had always thought of Conferences in terms of the sessions one could attend. And while I did attend many excellent sessions, I realized that I came away with a much greater sense of being a part of a national organization and the value of networking. Meeting and talking with so many new people, from the teacher I met on the Shuttle bus, meeting the MTNA Staff at the registration, making new friends at Pedagogy Saturday, attending the Southern Division Meeting, talking with composers in the Exhibit Hall, making new friends at the PTG booth--many people who definitely colored my life in ways I shall never forget."

Winnie S.C. Ip

Winnie S.C. Ip owns and operates a piano school in the Boston, Massachusetts, area.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"As part of our program, we prepare and perform an annual concerto concert in April at Boston University ... with each student playing a movement of the concerto. This past year was the 12th anniversary of the concerto program. To me it had begun to seem like an excessive amount of effort in relation to the end product.

"Since I was the winner of the 2005 PTGF grant, however, my motivation has undergone an enthusiastically positive change. The creativity generated by my grant studies has rejuvenated my leadership for this past year's concert. One of the innovations was to transform the ordinary concerto concert into a fundraising double concerto concert. Both teacher and student were matched to play as a pair, and I also played with another colleague. Gradually I rediscovered and re-energized my love of musical artistry, with my past experience truly giving me exactly what I needed in order to succeed for another year with the concert. This year was a joy to organize a concerto concert together with teachers and students, and for myself to take lessons and practice again regularly (using the grant award). Playing in the concert with the students and the teachers truly returned to me inspiration, stimulation and satisfaction in my leadership."

Heidi Mayer

Heidi Mayer is an independent piano teacher in Park Ridge, Illinois.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Shortly after becoming professionally certified approximately 10 years ago, I became aware of the Piano Technicians Guild Foundation Grant that is available to MTNA-certified teachers. I saw an advertisement for the grant in American Music Teacher, but because I was newly certified, I could not apply.

"Previously the beneficiary of an MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grant, which encouraged me to make the time and financial commitments necessary for regular private lessons, I began counting the years before I would be eligible to apply for the PTGF Grant. After the required six years of certification, my application describing the nature of my project and its importance to my professional life was submitted to PTGF.

"The grant was to be used for the preparation of a solo recital and professional recording. With it, I felt empowered and inspired to work whole-heartedly on my project. Although the grant couldn't subsidize the entire cost of lessons, music, programs, etc., it provided a sense of value to my work. The PTGF believed in me and the value of studying music.

"The grant, together with my teacher, Annie Sherter, helped me grow musically and enabled more insightful teaching in my studio. I will always be grateful to the PTGF for its generosity."

Newly Certified

MTNA is proud to acknowledge the following newly certified music teachers: (June 1, 2007-July 31, 2007)

Connecticut:       Sharon B. Girard, Windsor Locks, Piano
Georgia:           Megan A. Johnson, Lookout Mountain, Piano
Iowa:              Tricia K. Biensen, Nevada, Piano
                   Azadeh Raoufi, Iowa City, Piano
Illinois:          Donna K. Guillaume, O'Fallon, Piano
Louisiana:         Rebecca Ellen Carter, Baton Rouge, Piano
Minnesota:         Lisa Gavin, Eden Prairie, Piano
Montana:           Elinore Quander, Billings, Piano
North Carolina:    Pin Pin Jong, Raleigh, Piano
                   Margaret McDonald, High Point, Piano
                   Kathleen Vockeroth, Raleigh, Piano
New Jersey:        Grace Junghee Yang, Princeton, Piano
Oklahoma:          Marjorie E. Berman, Tulsa, Piano
                   Elaina Denney Burns, Norman, Piano
                   Shari Jo Higgins, Broken Arrow, Piano
                   Dionis A. Koch, Broken Arrow, Piano
                   Carol S. Peterson, Broken Arrow, Piano
Oregon:            Elizabeth A. Caswell, Portland, Piano
Pennsylvania:      Cong Fan, Oreland, Piano
South Carolina:    Camille D. Miles, Aiken, Piano
Tennessee:         Brooke Danielsen, Louisville, Piano
                   Lisa Rebecca Fairchild, Cordova, Piano
Utah:              Kathryn R. Strong, Pleasant Grove, Piano
Washington:        Sherry L. Danielson, Richland, Violin

BONUS BYTE

For additional information and the/ PTG Scholarship application, go to/ www.mtnacertification.org and click on "Resources."