Is there time for more meetings? Joining an MTNA collegiate chapter.

My mom told me that college is one of the hardest jobs HI ever have. But even though I'm finding this to be true, college also has been one of the most rewarding times of my life. As a musician and a music teacher, I do find it a challenge to balance practice time, teaching schedules, homework, family and all the other demands of life. But, if I am to be serious about teaching music, I must set priorities.

Great opportunities await young music teachers. We take numerous classes in theory, history, pedagogy and literature, but the greatest learning comes from hands-on teaching and conferences. As an MTNA collegiate member, I have been privileged to learn from some of the best teachers in my community. There are multiple opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to tap in to the brains of not only their own professors, but experienced teachers from all over the nation.

MTNA collegiate chapters often are smaller than other organizations on campus. In out situation, we joined forces with other small music departments in the area and made a multi-school collegiate chapter. Chattanooga Area Student Chapter (CASC) has been in existence for about six years. It includes members from Tennessee Temple University, Covenant College, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Bryan College. It is out hope that the chapter will extend to several other schools in the future. We all are interested in being music teachers on varying levels after graduation. It has been a great help for us to observe well-established teachers in out fields through our participation in MTNA.

Many student members have expressed appreciation for the activities CASC has provided in the past years. Sara Young, a member from Bryan College, said she was excited to see how projects were a help to the community. Two projects from this year were a "Students of Students' Recital" and a Practice-a-thon fundraiser, which assists needy music students in the area.

Membership encompasses many areas of a music teacher's life both the musical and the professional. As a whole, MTNA collegiate members share many of the same benefits as the active members: networking opportunities, reduced prices on publications and other materials, American Music Teacher, national and state conferences and lasting friendships. The opportunity to have a voice in the music world is available to all.

As a piano pedagogy major at Bryan College, I have been involved in the collegiate chapter for the past four years. Since, I am about to graduate, I must decide whether it will benefit me, as a young piano teacher, to remain a part of MTNA. Most of this decision will be based on what MTNA has to offer me as I learn more about teaching. Since I have been a collegiate member for several years and have had the opportunity to meet and network with other college students who want to teach, I can see great benefits of my past involvement as a collegiate member and of my future involvement as I start my new profession. I know I'll make the right choice--becoming an active member of MTNA.

Mary Tomyn is a senior piano pedagogy major at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. She is a four-year collegiate member of MTNA and last year served as president of the Chattanooga Area Student Chapter of MTNA.