Competition changes. (Dear Reader).

This issue of American Music Teacher magazine contains information on the MTNA National Student Competitions for 2003-2004. As an association of music teachers, the welfare of students is ingrained in our character. These competitions have provided thousands of students with unbelievable opportunities for performance and success. Since their inception in 1964, the MTNA competitions have become the most successful and the most prestigious of any student competitions in the country.

Much of the success is due to the fact that our competitions have changed constantly over the years. Each successive group of leaders has made changes to improve the competitions, sometimes by adding ideas, sometimes by removing items and at other times, by doing both. All the changes were implemented with a deep commitment to make the competitions better than before.

Recently, the Board of Directors approved a new round of changes to the MTNA competitions, which are effective with the 2003-2004 competitions. In July 2002, MTNA President Wayne Gibson, NCTM, appointed a Task Force consisting of Paul Stewart, NCTM, Chair, Ann Fernandez, NCTM, and Scott McBride Smith, NCTM, to make proposals to the Board for simplifying repertoire requirements, rules and procedures.

The Task Force submitted its recommendations at the December 2002 meeting of the Board of Directors. After much discussion, debate and amending, the Board approved the new approach.

The Task Force was motivated by the desire to make the competitions fairer to all competitors and less complex in operations. To quote the Task Force: "The competition rules, procedures and repertoire requirements have evolved over many years with contributions from many sources. Rules have been added in hopes of eliminating all real and/or imagined advantages one student might have over another. This well-intentioned effort to cover every possible contingency and dispute resulted in our current rules and procedures containing assorted contradictions and ambiguities." The Task Force surveyed several hundred MTNA members and leaders for ideas, suggestions and other input. The result appears on pages 38-48 of this issue.

I am confident you will find the new, improved MTNA Student Competitions to be worth the effort. I encourage you to read the competitions section carefully. But more importantly, I encourage you to enter your students next year. Whether they win or not, the experience will change their lives.

In addition to the competitions section, the feature articles in this issue run the gamut of useful topics for the music teacher. Sandy Rucker Tabachinick's article, "The Key to the Pianist's World," examines the mechanical operations of the piano and how key treatment can affect music. This article also touches on how knowledge of the piano's working can help pianists avoid physical injury. "Possibilities for Piano Instruction" by Barbara Hendricks says that to help children realize their musical potential, instructors need to work with parents to provide music experiences based on how children learn. She presents instructional models developed from Edwin Gordon's musical learning theory. Linda Holzer gives career guidance to college graduates in "Where the Sidewalk Ends." In "88s on 78s: Pianists on Record from 1903-1925," Rick Robertson, pianist and record collector, tells about disc gramophone recordings of the pianistic giants who were active at the turn of the twentieth century. Rounding out the features section is "The Positive Power of Competitions" by Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz. An acclaimed piano duo, they started their own piano competition. This account gives an "inside" look at The Inaugural New York Piano Competitions.

Enjoy!

Gary L. Ingle
Executive Director