Saturday, July 24, 2010

National Piano Playing Auditions 2010 Results

Hello all:
I am happy to announce our Piano Guild auditions are finally complete. All students testing higher than Elementary B with a National (10 piece) or International (15 piece) program performed scales -  musicianship phases and most chords / cadences and arpeggios musicianship phases as well. I used the book "Play Piano in All Keys" fingering charts to prepare these musicianship phases. And all I can say, I could not have been able to get everyone through their preparations if I would not have had this manual at hand. The students worked their phases and just turned pages. Accurate, traditional fingering - for the first time, as a teacher, could I relax - accurate fingering in all scales is so hard to achieve. But my students did and they were happy and so was I - what a great feeling (for me) to provide such an essential piano playing fundamentals book. Even the late Intermediate and Preparatory (for College) students could benefit from using the scales charts. Never before could I get "clean" scales fingering in 4 octaves - all Major and parallel Minors. This year it was a breeze!

Congratulations to all my students who worked hard setting their goals and achieving them. 10 and 15 piece programs are not easy, regardless how you look at it and everyone who put their mind to it completed it with many commendations and solid performances, all from memory. All National (10 pieces) and International (15 pieces) programs are Gold Medal programs; the 5 piece program is a Bronze Medal. We had a total of 26 Gold Medal programs and 1 Bronze Medal program. The Specials category is for those gifted young pianists who are able to play repertoire in a higher category than expected for their age.

Congratulations to everyone working so hard, staying focused and dedicated:

    Riverside, CA May 21, 2010: Judge Beatrice Mosburg:

    Name
    Number of
    Years
    in Guild
    auditions
    Number of
    Years National
    Winner
    Classification
    Program
    Number of
    pieces
    performed
    1
    Jothy Yogarajah
    5
    5
    Intermediate E
    National
    10
    2
    Thulasi Yogarajah
    5
    5
    Intermediate A
    National
    10
    Temecula, CA June 6, 2010: Judge Ana Stahl:

    Name
    Number of
    Years
    in Guild
    auditions
    Number of
    Years National Winner
    Classification
    Program
    Number of
    pieces
    performed
    3
    Chloe Lovato
    5
    5
    Intermediate B
    National
    10
    4
    Sai Sivapalan
    8
    8
    Preparatory Special
    International
    15
    5
    Shalini Nair
    9
    9
    Preparatory B
    International
    15
    6
    Cynthia Nguyen Phan
    4
    4
    Intermediate Special

    National
    10
    7
    Kathleen Nguyen Phan
    4

    4
    Intermediate A

    National
    10
    8
    Stacey Nguyen Phan
    4

    4
    Elementary Special
    National
    10
    9
    Ranen Unger Hicks
    5
    5
    Elementary Special
    National
    12
    10
    Sierra Rupnow
    5
    5
    Intermediate C
    National
    10
    11
    Brittany Durgiah
    6
    3
    Intermediate A
    District
    5
    Escondido - Sand Diego, CA July 8 and 11,2010 judge: Ann Vanderschaaf, TX


    Number of
    Years in Guild auditions
    Number of
    Years National Winner
    Classification
    Program
    Number of
    pieces performed
    12
    Thien-Sa Luyen
    1
    1
    Elementary A
    National
    10
    13
    Thien-Sam Luyen
    1
    1
    Elementary B
    National
    10
    14
    Bret Paddock
    7
    7
    Preparatory B
    International
    15
    15
    Cassiopea Bostan
    2
    2
    Elementary Special
    International
    15
    16
    Robechelle Mina
    1
    1
    Elementary A
    National
    10
    17
    Rossale Mina
    1
    1
    Elementary A
    National
    10
    18
    Roxanne Mina
    1
    1
    Elementary A
    National
    10
    19
    Anais Perkins
    2
    2
    Intermediate A
    National
    10
    20
    Shanti Ryle
    9
    9
    Preparatory D
    International
    15
    21
    Mitchell Johnson
    5
    5
    Intermediate F
    National
    10
    22
    Patrick Xu
    1
    1
    Intermediate Special
    International
    15
    23
    Kelly Rausch
    4
    4
    Elementary E
    National
    10
    24
    Song Nguyen
    3
    3
    Intermediate A
    National
    10
    25
    Andrew Vu
    4
    4
    Preparatory A
    National
    10
    26
    Nessa Vu
    4
    4
    Intermediate B
    National
    10
    27
    Victoria Vu
    4
    4
    Intermediate B
    National
    10

Sincerely, Eva

MTAC Convention July 2 - 5, 2010

Hello all:
The past weeks have been incredibly hectic. Besides the Guild auditions, I had the opportunity to introduce my books "Play Piano In All Keys" Scales, Chords / Cadences, Arpeggios Fingering Charts and Workbooks in the Music Teachers Association of California Convention, at the LAX Marriott.
Four days of meeting with teachers whom I had not seen in many years, talking about my books almost non-stop,... it was exciting and fun. Several teachers looked at my work and told me, that's exactly how they were teaching and hand drawing scales - now they just didn't need to hand draw the scales, chords / cadences fingering charts any more; they just purchased the complete fingering charts book. I cannot wait to hear from teachers how they could integrate the book in their teaching curriculum and what results they could achieve. So far the feed back was very positive.