Home / Branch Programs / Lectures
Lectures
BRANCH LECTURES
Branch Lectures are a part of the MTAC-Alameda East continuing education program. Experts provide insightful information about a variety of topics for use in daily teaching. These lectures are given throughout the year and are open to all branch members.
Past Lectures
Lecture (Online) Nahre Sol
Date: March 26th, 2023
Time: 1 pm - 3 pm
Title: Modern-Day Classical Music
Description: "Helping students see the relevance of classical music and compositional techniques in our daily lives and how to incorporate that knowledge in their future study"
-
Nahre Sol's bio
-
Website - https://www.nahresol.com/
-
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/NahreSol
Click here for the video recording of the lecture

3/16/2023 Lecture,
Music Testing Overview & Comparisons: MTAC, CAPMT/MTNA, RCM, ABRSM, and more!
Time: March 16th, Thursday 10 am over zoom (link will be provided a week before)
Participating Branches: Alameda, Alameda East, Delta, Contra Costa
Lecturer: Grant Kondo, NCTM (bio)
Session Title
Music Testing Overview & Comparisons: MTAC, CAPMT/MTNA, RCM, ABRSM, and more!
Session Description
This session will explore various music testing options for your students. Using MTAC's familiar Certificate of Merit program as a baseline, we will compare and contrast other opportunities offered by MTAC, as well as other organizations such as CAPMT/MTNA, RCM, Piano Guild, NFMC, ABRSM, and others.
Click here for the resources presented during the lecture.
10/3/2022 Lecture: Jamie Narushchen
When: Monday, October 3rd, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Topic: Ballet Accompaniment as a career
Lecturer: Jamie Narushchen
Description: An overview of the roles a pianist has at a ballet company and its school. This talk covers the skill sets required to be a successful ballet accompanist. A dancer will be part of the lecture and demonstration.
Bio - Jamie Narushchen joined San Francisco Ballet School as an accompanist in 1987, and in 2013, was named a Lee R. Crews Endowed Pianist for San Francisco Ballet, a position he holds in addition to his current work for the School. As both the pianist supervisor and music teacher for SF Ballet School, Narushchen accompanies class and rehearsals, teaches music classes, and organizes the schedules of full and part-time pianists for about 130 classes weekly that require live accompaniment. more


Engaging parents for Student success"
When: Feb 7, 2022
Lecturer: Barbie Wong
Topic Description: When we help parents learn why it's important and how to best support our student's music-making, they will practice more consistently and effectively at home, become more joyful at their lessons, and develop into adults with a deep love for music.
Short bio on our guest speaker Barbie Wong: Barbie Wong is a music educator who helps parents raise joyful, musical kids. With music degrees from Stanford University and Smith College, Barbie believes that everyone has the capacity to learn music and teaches parents how to raise joyful and musical children through her workshops, online courses, and blog called “Musical Nest.” Over the course of two decades, Barbie has taught over 200 music students spanning various ages and backgrounds. When she is not teaching or making music, Barbie loves to do parkour and hang out with her teenage kids. For more information, please visit BarbieWong.com.

Video recording of the lecture
Click here for the supporting materials
Lecture -"Expand the Repertoire: an Introduction to Women Who Composed" (Virtual)
When: 9/25/21 (3pm - 5 pm)
Topic: "Expand the Repertoire: an Introduction to Women Who Composed"
Lecturer: Sharon Su, Pianist
(bio) https://www.sharonsu.com/bio/
Description: A brief introduction to the lives of five historical women composers—Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Cécile Chaminade, Louise Farrenc, and Florence Price, luminous talents whose stories illuminate our understanding of what it takes to make music. In addition to telling the stories of their lives, I will recommend works that can be incorporated into repertoire at various levels of piano playing. I will also discuss the unique challenges I faced in the process of adding music by women to my own repertoire.

Video recording of the lecture
