8:00am - 10:00am Breakfast Hospitality Station Room B105
8:00am - 2:00pm NCMTA Conference Registration Room B105
8:30am - 5:00pm Exhibitor Displays Room B105
8:30pm - 5:00pm Poster Displays Room B105
7:30am - 5:00pm NC-MTNA Performance Competition Registration Recital Hall Lobby
8:00am - 6:00pm NC-MTNA Performance Competitions RH, B110, B126, 300, 383

8:45am - 9:00am Room B136 Opening Session and Welcome
Christopher Ulffers, ECU School of Music Director

9:00am - 9:45am Room B136 Reciprocity: An Interactive Performance of Piano/Vocal Music by American Female Composers
Dr. Catherine H. Garner and Dr. Serena Hill-Laroch
Tonya Kirk, NCTM, NCMTA President, Presiding

This interactive performance invites audiences to immerse themselves in the vocal music and stories of early 20th-century American women composers, celebrating their creativity and resilience. Participants will explore the rich tapestry of styles that helped launch a century of innovation in the soundscape of American art song.

9:55am - 10:45am Room B136 Lightning Talks
Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas, NCTM, NCMTA Collegiate Chair, Presiding

A wealth of informaton at lightning speed! Join NCMTA collegiate faculty and

students for this exciting session of 5-minute talks covering a wide range of

topics.

• Be kind to yourself: Cultivating a resilient mindset as a graduate music

student, Dr. Angelita Berdiales

• Mild Hypermobility and Intermediate Piano Technique, Kate Otter

• Why Students Miss Shifts: The Hidden Role of Timing and Breath,

Dr. Yena Lee

• Lead Sheet Lab, Dr. Sam Gingher, NCTM

• Beyond the Solo Bench - From Independence to Interdependence:

Collaborative Piano from A Solo Pianist Background, Dr. Kaili Ho

• From Score to Beat Map: Creating Custom Rhythm Plus Activities for

Your Students, Liwei Li

• Three Hungarian Folksongs from Czik: Bartok’s Lyrical, Romantic Side,

Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas, NCTM

10:55am - 11:40am SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 269 Press Play: A Hands-On Workshop of Free Piano Education Apps

  (Piano Lab)   Dr. Samuel Gingher, NCTM
  Kayla Jenkins, NCTM, NCMTA VP - Membership, Presiding

Join us for a hands-on workshop in ECU's keyboard lab, exploring free piano education apps for scales, sight-reading, theory, and more! Bring a laptop or tablet and a friend, and leave with tools you can use immediately.

   --OR--

  Room B136 Alexander Technique: Learning with the Whole Self in the Music Studio
Dr. Catherine Gardner
Margot Hafner, Voice Section Chair, Presiding

Drawing on Alexander Technique concepts, this lecture will explore learning with the whole self in order to find ease in technique, improve performance anxiety and connect more deeply to the music we teach and play.

11:30am - 1:30pm Conference Room  Competition Judges Lunch

11:50am - 12:50pm Rooms 305 & 306 FRIDAY LUNCH

1:00pm - 1:45pm Room B136 Annual Business Meeting and Pictures
Tonya Kirk, NCMTA, NCMTA President, Presiding

Recognition of the following:

• Newly Certified Members

• Fifty-year Golden Members

• 2026 IMTF Scholarship Recipient
  

1:55pm - 2:15pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 269 The Matthay Scale Fingerings for Secondary Piano Study
(Piano Lab) Dr. John O’Brien

Dr. Paul Stewart, MTNA & NCMTA Past President, Presiding

The benefits of using the scale fingerings of Tobias Matthay in the teaching of scale and stepwise playing in secondary piano study and all piano study.

--OR--

Room 200 From Listening to Understanding: Teaching Harmony Through Video Game Soundtracks
Liwei Li & Angelus Matthew C. Roxas
Dr. Kent Lyman, NCMTA Past President, Presiding

Video game soundtracks appear to support the development of harmonic comprehension. Interactive listening and keyboard activities help foster students’ understanding and engagement with harmonic identification, function, and form while enhancing aural and theoretical skills.

2:20pm - 2:40pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 200 Articulating Bartók: The Secret World of Mikrokosmos
Dr. Victoria Fischer Faw
Denice Pugliese, NCTM, Immediate Past President, Presiding

Miniature in size but epic in scope, the 153 pieces of Bartók’s Mikrokosmos comprise a catalogue of his entire compositional language, a masterful pedagogical resource, and a wide gamut of attractive and fun-to-play repertoire from the early 20th century.

--OR--

Room 265 An Inquisitive Ear: Broadening Listening Skills through Students' Choice Pieces 
Dr. Natalie Khatibzadeh, NCTM
Bridget O'Leary, NCTM, NCMTA Historian & RPTA President, Presiding

Through a comparison of musical excerpts from the Suzuki Piano Method books with sample pieces chosen by students, this presentation will explore how varied listening influences pianists’ experiences of timbre.

2:45pm - 3:05pm Room B136 Piano for All: Large Group Piano Classes for Public School Children
Nathan Shirley
Diane Higgins, NCTM, NCMTA Scholarship Chair, Presiding

A look into Crescendo! Piano in the Classroom — a unique in-school outreach program bringing group piano classes to hundreds of public school students in schools where music classes had been eliminated.

3:10pm - 4:00pm Room B105 Exhibitor Showcase and Social Hour

Gather your fellow members for a snack as you stroll through the conference exhibits and poster displays!

4:05pm - 4:50pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 200 Dynamics, Wrist, and Rubato: An artistic roadmap for intermediate to advanced pianists

Dr. Lawrence Quinnett, NCTM
    Dr. Doug Jurs, Greensboro MTA President, Presiding

Musical expression is a crucial area of growth for any musician.  Breaking down the elements of rubato, wrist motion and dynamics into their various components of "how" and "why" opens expressive capabilities.

--OR--

Room B136 The Evolution of Keyboard Fingering: From Paired Fingers to Arm Weight
Dr. Frank Pittman, NCTM
Dr. Thomas Swenson, NCTM, NCMTA VP - Foundation, Presiding

Trace the evolution of keyboard technique from 15th-century "paired fingering" to modern, anatomically-informed methods. Discover how instrument mechanics shaped pedagogy, moving from isolated finger strength to ergonomic, whole-body approaches that prioritize health and artistry.

5:00pm - 6:00pm Recital Hall NC-MTNA Competition Winners Recital
Dr. Mark Tollefsen, MTNA Competitions Chair, Presiding

6:15pm - 7:45pm Croatan Green Room Banquet
Tonya Kirk, NCTM, NCMTA President, Presiding

• NCMTA Teacher of the Year Award

• 2026 Foundation Fellow Nominees

The Threads That Endure: Music Study and the Tapestry of a Life
Brian Shepherd, MTNA CEO, Keynote Speaker

Join Brian Shepard for an inspiring exploration of the many ways music study becomes woven into the fabric of our lives. Through personal stories and reflections, this talk will celebrate the lasting influence of music teachers and the power of music study to nurture creativity, resilience, connection, and joy. Together, we’ll consider the important threads each teacher adds to the lives of students and to the broader tapestry of our profession. We will also celebrate the value of our professional community and MTNA’s 150-year legacy of connecting, supporting, and empowering music teachers.

8:00pm Recital Hall Conference Artist Concert

Awadagin Pratt, Conference Artist

9:15pm Recital Hall Lobby  Concert Reception

All of the below events will take place in Room B105.

8:00 am – 10:00 am BREAKFAST HOSPITALITY STATION

8:00 am – 12:00 pm NCMTA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
8:30 am – 5:00 pm EXHIBITOR DISPLAYS
8:30 am – 5:00 pm POSTER DISPLAYS

9:00 am – 10:15 am SPLIT SESSIONS

Recital Hall PIANO MASTERCLASS
Awadagin Pratt, Conference Artist
Dr. Annie Jeng, NCMTA Piano Section Chair, Presiding

--OR--

Room B136 Preparing Your Singer for a University Voice Degree: An ECU Perspective
Dr. Catherine Gardner and Panel
Margot Hafner, NCMTA Voice Section Chair Presiding

10:25 am – 11:10 am SPLIT SESSIONS

Recital Hall Piano Section Meeting
Dr. Annie Jeng, NCMTA Piano Section Chair, Presiding

Room B136 Voice Section Meeting
Margot Hafner, NCMTA Voice Section Chair, Presiding

Room 265 Collegiate Open Mic: Coffee & Jams
Angelus Matthew Roxas, Presiding

11:20 am – 12:10 pm SPLIT SESSIONS

11:20 am – 12:10 pm

Room 200 Musical Nuggets for Your Studio!
Diane Higgins, NCTM, NCMTA Scholarship Fund Chair, Host

Five panelists will share their creative teaching ideas for a successful teaching studio. The session is primarily directed towards independent teachers, but these teaching gems could also be applied in higher education studios.

• • • • • • Creativity Out of Necessity, Marie Humphrey, NCTM

          • Jars of Jewels – A Practice Incentive for Younger Students, Renee McKee

          • Our Treasure Trove & Diamonds in the Rough, Dr. Frank Pittman, NCTM

          • Patience, Denise Pugliese, NCTM

          • The Power of the Pig, Joanne Riesz

--OR--

11:20 am – 11:40 am

Room B136 Celebrating America at 250: Art Songs by American Female Composers
Dr. Hexin Qiao and Dr. Liangjun Shi
Dr. Catherine Garner, NCMTA College Faculty Forum Chair, Presiding

Six art songs by Rebecca Clarke, Florence Price, Lori Laitman, and B. E. Boykin celebrate the contributions of American female composers, tracing more than a century of musical innovation, cultural diversity, and expressive storytelling.

--AND--

11:50 am – 12:10 pm

Room 265 Szymanowska in Theory and Practice: Using the Maria Szymanowska Database in Contemporary Piano Pedagogy
Dr. Derek Myler
Dr. Vicky Fischer Faw, NCTM, MTNA Southern Division Director, Presiding

This presentation introduces the Maria Szymanowska Database, an open-access resource that catalogs Szymanowska’s entire musical output and extracts over 500 teaching examples through which music educators can isolate and introduce certain theoretical or technical concepts.

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm Room B110 Saturday Lunch

A Year in Audiation-Based Jazz Instruction: how I learned as a student, and what I learned as a teacher
Scarlette Kerr, 2025 IMTF Scholarship Winner
Dr. Jeanine Skinner, NCMTA IMTF Chair, Presiding

This presentation will explore teaching insights gained through the experience of studying audiation-based jazz instruction and will demonstrate a foundation jazz concept that teachers can readily implement in their own studios.

Conference Room Past Presidents Advisory Council

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 200 Student and Teachers: The Influence of J.S. Bach, George Ives, and Horatio Parker on the Music of Charles Ives
Dr. Donna Coleman
Sheila Dacus, NCTM, NCMTA President-Elect and Conference Chair, Presiding

The "Emerson" movement of Charles Ives's Concord Sonata is juxtaposed with works by Ives's Yale mentor Horatio Parker, with demonstrations of the influence of Ives's father George's schooling in Bach's counterpoint on music often considered formless and untrained.

--OR--

Room B136 Developing Technique & Exploring Teaching Possibilities Using New Contemporary Music
Gail Lew
Denise Pugliese, NCTM, NCMTA Immediate Past President,  Presiding

Expand your teaching repertoire with the newest educational and contemporary piano publications. In a lecture/recital format, Gail Lew will present ideas to improve technique, develop musicality, and promote artistic performances. Teachers will receive a packet of FREE MUSIC!

2:30 pm Recital Hall Performance Festival Honors Recital
Dr. Lawrence Quinnett, NCTM, NCMTA Piano Festival Director, Presiding

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 200 Multiple Meanings in Piano Scores: Ornaments, Hairpins and Accents
Dr. Richard McKee
Kayla Jenkins, NCTM, NCMTA VP - Membership, Presiding

Many piano teachers and students find ornaments to be confusing. Recent research helps clarify standard ornaments and address their expressive purpose. New understandings of expressive markings, such as hairpins and accents, will also be presented.

--OR--

Room 265 Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky: Pioneering Teacher of Collaborative Pianists
Dr. John O’Brien
Dr. Thomas Swenson, NCTM, NCMTA VP - Foundation, Presiding

The life and work of Gwendolyn Koldofsky: the first teacher of accompanying at the university level and the first to offer degrees in accompanying (University of Southern California).

3:25 pm – 4:10 pm SPLIT SESSIONS

Room 200 Performance Anxiety Is My Superpower!
Bridget O'Leary, NCTM
Tara Mock, NCMTA Secretary, Presiding

Performance anxiety derails even well-prepared musicians. Drawing on personal experience and two decades of teaching, this session offers concrete strategies - breath work, bodily awareness, mindset shifts, responses to backsliding - to build durable performing confidence.

--OR--

Room 265 Student, Student, What Do You Hear? Practical Strategies for Multi-Level Group Ear Training
Shereen Lye Ivey
Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas, NCTM, NCMTA Development Director, Presiding

Discover practical strategies for ear training instruction in a group setting with students of differing skill levels. This interactive pedagogical demonstration showcases aural activities designed to make beginners feel successful while simultaneously challenging advanced students.

4:20 pm – 5:05 pm Room 200 The Un-Recital: An Unusual Twist on the Piano Recital
Dr. Dylan Savage
Barbara Furr, NCTM, NCMTA Constitution Chair, Presiding

Dr. Dylan Savage will demonstrate his Un-Recital where there is no set program because the audience picks the music genre and interpretation from a comprehensive list spanning jazz to classical and country to New Age.

4:20 pm - 5:05 pm Room B136 Young Composers Concert
Nathan Shirley, NCMTA Composition and Theory Chair, Presiding

5:15 pm - 6:15 pm Recital Hall ECU School of Music Faculty Showcase 

6:30 pm Conference Coda, The Music House, 408 West 5th Street
Dr. John O’Brien, host

Explore an amazing private collection of historical musical instruments in a Victorian home just down the street from ECU. Light refreshments will be served.

Free parking is available in the Greenville utilities lot next door to the house. Accessible parking for those who need it is available up by the house on the bricks as you turn in the driveway. The house has a handicapped accessible entrance with a ramp