You're invited to join other members of MAPTA on Tuesday, October 8, beginning at 9:00 a.m., for a presentation on the Feldenkrais method.  Hagit Vardi, a member of the North American Guild of Certified Feldenkrais Practitioners and of Harmonious Movement, will be speaking and sharing ideas and techniques.

We'll be at the Madison Christian Community Center, 7118 Old Sauk Road, Madison.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The next Board meeting will be held Tuesday, October 22, 9:00-11:00 a.m., at Heid Music, 7948 Tree Lane, Madison.

Performers Supporting Performers will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 9:30 a.m. (PLEASE note the earlier time!) at Sue Ellen Dubbert's home on the southwest side of Madison, 2413 Ravenswood Road.

Any MAPTA member interested in playing for the group, or just listening is welcome.  Feel free to contact Ruth with any questions.

The Piano PlayTogether is just around the corner! Thank you to those who have signed up already. Remember, registrations are due October 1 (check with Patty Ladpli for any emergency late registrations, or to see if any particular piece still has availability). The registration form can be found here and the repertoire list can be found here. We have created a letter that teachers may print out and send to their students explaining PPT. That can be found here.

Please bear the following in mind when you complete your registration:
1. We have cut the following pieces from the list due to low registration: Goin' Home, Billy Boy, and Nothin' but the Blues.
2. There are two sets of paired pieces -- students must play BOTH if they choose it. The pairs are [She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain AND Cartoons] or [Romance in G minor AND Hunting]
(The fee is still $20 for the pair)
3. Some Level 1 and 2 pieces (Mexican Clap Hands, Forward March, Carousel Tune, Ponies) require a teacher or another adult to play one part, not an older student.
4. If a student plays a second piece (aside from the two pairs above), there is an additional $5 charge.
5. All rehearsals are mandatory.
6. Teachers, don't forget to join "Jitterbug" for the teacher piece.

The registration form has an error on the rehearsal schedule. The CORRECT REHEARSAL SCHEDULE is as follows:
Saturday, November 2, 3 p.m. at Heid Music: Additional rehearsal ONLY for The Chase and Mi-a-Ou
Sunday, November 10, 12-5 p.m. at Heid Music (precise time for each piece available as the date nears, students should block out approx. 30 minutes)
Saturday, November 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Mitby Theater: DRESS REHEARSAL, in concert order, precise time available as the date nears. Due to this being a very busy Saturday, we are publishing an estimated rehearsal schedule, below.
Concert is SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1  7, 2 p.m., Mitby Theater at MATC-Truax campus.

All teachers are expected to help out at the 11/10 and 11/16 rehearsals and the day of the event.

The PPT committee has a meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 10, 11:30 a.m. at the Hilldale Mall "food court" (near Macy's back entrance and the former Quizno's subs). Please come and help out! We will be assigning rehearsal times for 11/2 and teacher responsibilities, so by all means, let your voice be heard.

Below is the TENTATIVE rehearsal schedule for Saturday, November 16, at Mitby Theater:

Title
Fascinating Rhythm                                 10:00-10:14
Rhythm & Boogie                                     10:15-10:27
Romance in G / Hunting                           10:28-10:45
Mexican Clap Hands                                10:46-10:58
Swinging                                                   10:59-11:11
Ponies                                                       11:12-11:24
Allegretto from Sonatina                            11:25-11:40
Forward March                                          11:41-11:53
Waltz Indigo  --Adult--                                11:54-12:09

LUNCH                                                      12:00-12:30

Lavender's Blue                                         12:39-12:51
Sailor's Song                                              12:52-13:04
A Little Rock-y                                            1:05-1:17
Carousel Tune                                            1:18-1:30
Rumba Ritmica                                           1:31-1:46
Gentle Waltz                                               1:47-2:01
Coming Round the Mountain / Cartoons     2:02-2:16
Alouette                                                       2:17-2:29
Polka                                                           2:30-2:42

BREAK

Mi-a-Ou                                                       2:57-3:14
Blackberry Rag                                            3:15-3:27
The Chase                                                   3:28-3:45
Happy Family                                              3:46-3:58
Triumphal March from Aida                         3:59-4:14
Jitterbug   --Teachers--                                4:15-4:35

MAPTA is organizing a "dutch treat" dinner with Weekley & Arganbright as our guests on Friday, November 15, at 6:30 p.m. The restaurant is TBD, but will be near East Towne Mall, where our Fall Workshop and PPT conductors are staying. If you are interested in joining, please email Denise Taylor (deniset@mailbag.com) and she will add your name to the list.

The Fall Adult Music Social will be held on Sunday, November 24, at 7:00 p.m.  Please encourage all your adult students to participate in this opportunity.  The event is fairly informal and will help pianists at all levels to become more comfortable sharing their music with others.  Pieces can be memorized or played with music.  Adult students who would first like to learn more about the social are also welcome to attend without playing that evening.  Those attending are requested to bring a small plate of cookies or other food to share.  Please confirm via email to studiolewis@charter.net that your student(s) will be attending.

Cheri Lewis will be hosting the event at her home:  1706 Wild Oak Circle, Madison 53713.  Email or call Cheri at 608-222-5125 for directions.

MONSTER CONCERT
Saturday, October 26, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble East Towne
This is an opportunity for your students (and you, if you would like!) to dress in costume and play a piece.  Teachers register through Connie Jones at jajones2@wisc.edu or 608-442-8302.  Feel free to view and print off a poster here.

Questions about MAFOP can be directed to Connie Jones at 608-442-8302 or jajones2@wisc.edu or Renee Farley at 608-271-2626 or renee@farleyspianos.com.

Rhapsody's 13th annual Sonatina Festival will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2013.  The festival aims to raise awareness, appreciation and understanding of the sonata and sonatina musical forms.  As many music auditions and competitions are held in the spring, this festival encourages musical preparation during the fall semester by providing a performance goal for piano students of all ages and levels.

More information can be found on the festival website www.sonatinafestival.org or by calling Rhapsody Arts Center at 608-848-2045.

Teaching Ragtime in Your Piano Studio

I haven't met a kid yet who doesn't enjoy playing ragtime. The music is cheerful, it's a fun coordination challenge, they learn about syncopation, and it puts a smile on everyone's face. Students find the random titles amusing, too. Ragtime music is available at all piano levels, so why not bring more into your studio? Your students will thank you!

Beginning levels: For the earliest student, "rags" include a loosely syncopated rhythm (quarter-half-quarter) in five-finger patterns, with a simple AABA form. Two examples are Razzle Dazzle Rag by P. Jancewicz (Alfred) and Rocking-Horse Rag by K. Schubert (Alfred).

Elementary/Early Intermediate levels: Once students are learning two-handed coordination, rags are a great way to solidify these skills. In these pieces, the LH will often hop around single notes or minimal chord material, without the large leaps associated with advanced rags. The RH melody will typically incorporate some form of syncopated rhythm. Some pieces to try might be (in approximate order of difficulty): Butterscotch Rag by C. Rollin (Alfred), Copper Penny Rag by M. Mier (Alfred), Marshmallow Rag by K. Massoud (FJH), Broken Record Rag by J. Grill (Alfred), and St. Louis Rag by J. Linn (Hal Leonard). My favorite at this level (pushing intermediate level) is Mississippi River Rag by J. East Wells (Myklas-Alfred). It's trickier than the aforementioned pieces, due to melodic variety, enhanced harmonies, G minor/Bb Major tonality, and a more complex phrase structure (no AABA!) but is catchy and fun.

Intermediate/Early Advanced: It seems that rags increase in melodic difficulty before the bass line gets harder. Zigzag Rag and Clown Rag, both by K. Costley (FJH) use harmonic 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, or 6ths in the melody, while the LH stays relatively simple. For this reason, these require somewhat larger hands, probably at least 10-year olds. Foot-Stampin' Rag by R. Kelley (Willis) also has a complicated RH melody, both with multiple harmonic intervals and with rhythmic complexity. This one is great fun, and students will appreciate the simpler texture in the middle section. Virtuosic Rag by M. Goldston (Alfred) is a good precursor to full-scale Joplin rags. The melody frequently moves in broken sixths, the middle section breaks into triplets, and the final section begins with a full stride bass with octaves on the strong beats.

Advanced: There are many rags by composers other than Scott Joplin, so I encourage you to check them out. But many of them are at least as hard as Joplin rags, so buyer beware! As for Joplin rags, there is a variety of challenge. Students want to learn The Entertainer first but it is really quite difficult with melodic octaves in sixteenth notes, so I gently encourage them towards (somewhat) simpler Joplin choices first: Elite Syncopations, Pine Apple Rag, Easy Winners, Peacherine Rag, The Chrysanthemum, Magnetic Rag, and of course the Maple Leaf Rag. All Joplin rags will expect the performer to reach an octave, with special emphasis on leaping "stride" bass octaves, and have a multi-section structure with one key change. Schirmer has a nice, readable edition of "Selected Piano Rags" by Joplin (Hal Leonard 50486376, $8.95) that is a wonderful addition to student libraries.

The above pieces are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather to give you some new ideas. I hope you enjoy them!

Sue Ellen Dubbert's address is incorrect in the 2013-2014 Membership Directory.  Please update your directory with the following corrected address:

Sue Ellen Dubbert (ACT)
2413 Ravenswood Rd.
Madison, WI  53711

Two additions to the 2013-2014 directory:

Donna C. Bellamy (ACT)
632 Jamie St.
Dodgeville, WI  53533
608-935-2990
donnacbellamy@yahoo.com

Barbara Norcross (ASM)
E9818 Buckhorn Rd.        
Reedsburg, WI  53959
608-524-8753
bgnorcross@yahoo.com