Mesrobian receives MTNA-Piano Technicians Guild Foundation Grant.

Janice Mesrobian was awarded the 2006 Piano Technicians Guild Foundation Grant, worth $1,000. This grant provides advanced study opportunities related to piano to Nationally Certified Teachers of Music (NCTM).

Mesrobian received a B.A. degree from UCLA and a master's degree in piano performance from Wichita State University. She has done additional piano studies at the University of California with Marilyn Neely and at the University of Southern Mississippi with Lois Leventhal.

She moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1967, and founded the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League (HMTL) in 1972. She has held many offices in the organization including numerous terms as president. The HMTL became affiliated with MTNA in 1976. Mesrobian was on the Mississippi Music Teachers Association (MMTA) executive board as coordinator of the state finals for three years. In 1984, the HMTL created a bi-annual composer festival, which has featured nationally known composers, such as Robert Vandall, Catherine Rollin, Melody Bober and Jane Bastien.

Mesrobian has maintained a private piano studio in Hattiesburg for more than 30 years. Her students have been winners at the Music Forum of Jackson Bach Festival and the MMTA State Finals. She has also had state winners in the junior high and high school national competitions sponsored by MTNA. Her students have received scholarships to Mississippi music camps, as well as the North Carolina Brevard Music Center.

In addition to her private studio, Mesrobian held accompanying and teaching positions at UCLA, Pasadena City College, University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey College. She has presented workshops and recitals for local Mississippi associations in Gulfport, Meridian, Jackson and Oxford, and is an active accompanist and adjudicator.

The 2006 Piano Technicians Guild Foundation Grant provided the opportunity for Mesrobian to attend the 2006 MTNA National Conference in Austin, Texas. She appreciated the fresh perspectives on studio organization, repertoire and teaching skills she got to share with her colleagues in an effort to strengthen and better equip the HMTL to support local teachers. She is particularly interested in focusing on the organization of student chapters to help prepare young teachers develop their studios.