9:30-10:00 Pre-Meeting Discussion
Presenter: Eric Sutz
Title: How to create Jazz Lines for the Classical Teacher
Program: I have long wrestled with how to teach a deep and complex subject in a fun and easy way. Well, I have been working on this program idea for several years and I believe I'm ready to do a test run on teachers. I've been using this approach with students for several years and I've seen great results. Please join me for a lot of fun and creativity!
BIOGRAPHY
Eric Sutz graduated with a Bachelor of Music from DePaul University in 1980. While at DePaul he played a wide variety of engagements in addition to teaching piano and guitar. He has been employed as a musician, accompanist, arranger, conductor, and teacher for over 46 years.
From 1981-1993 Eric worked full time as a music director, rehearsal and audition pianist for the Candlelight, Marriott Lincolnshire, Wisdom Bridge and Goodman Theater. Eric also taught music theory at Carmel HS and was the assistant and primary choral director, accompanist, and solo pianist for the European tour of the Concert Choir.
Eric studied classical piano with Eloise Niwa , conducting with Dr. William Huber and Kevin Stites, and jazz studies with Judy Roberts, Howard Levy, Larry Novak, Willie Pickens, John Campbell, Joel Daley, Mike Kocour, and Greg Fishman. He also studied the history and styles of the great Chicago boogie and blues artists with Erwin Helfer. He has been an active member of the NSMTA since 1978. He has presented programs for teachers and schools since 1985. His book: “How to Play and Teach Popular Music Creatively” was first published in 1986 and has had three printings. Eric is a faculty member of the Music Institute of Chicago and has been teaching in his Wheeling, IL home studio since 1984. His hobbies include: martial arts, investing, travel, yoga, self care, scuba-diving, history, natural history and reading.
10:00-11:00 Business Meeting
Meeting will be led by NSMTA President, George Radosavljevic followed by refreshments.
11:00-12:00 Program
Presenter: Dr. Christina Tio
Program: Repurposing a Party Pleaser: Keyboard Skills, Musicality, and… the Happy Birthday Song
This presentation seeks to share strategies of using the "Happy Birthday" song for teaching hands-on theoretical concepts, developing an appreciation for basic improvisation and nurturing musicality. By way of a 7-step process, students of all ages and abilities may be guided to listen, sing, and play the HB song around the Circle of Fifths. The illustrations will also be interspersed with excerpts of lesson videos demonstrating real learning situations, along with sample recordings of creative renditions by students of various playing level.
BIOGRAPHY
Christina Tio earned her piano performing and teaching diplomas, BA (Hons) and MMus in Piano Performance in the United Kingdom at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Reading University respectively, as a student of Frank Wibaut of Royal Academy of Music in London. Her interest in musicology, and the award of a scholarship led her into musicological research with Nicholas Cook, under whose guidance, she completed her PhD in Musicology at the Univeristy of Southampton, UK.
First began teaching the piano at age 14, Christina maintained a studio all through her school and college. Before moving to Chicago, she also taught for five years at various colleges and universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, including Universiti Malaya (UM), University College Sedaya International (UCSI) and National Academy of Arts (ASWARA).
Dr. Tio has been a regular session presenter. Recent conference presentations include the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) Leadership Retreat in May 2019, Illinois State Music Teacher Association (ISMTA) Conference in November 2019 and a Poster at Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Virtual Conference 2022. She also presents regularly at local Music Teacher Association monthly meetings, at Naperville Music Teacher Association (NMTA) in October 2019 and March 2022, and North Shore Music Teacher Association (NSMTA) in September 2020. Dr. Tio has also served as a Piano Masterclass clinician at the biennial Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) Teachers Conference in Minneapolis in 2018. She frequently adjudicates at festivals and competitions, and enjoys teaching and mentoring students, parents and fellow teachers at workshops and summer institutes around the US, as well as in Singapore.
Passionate about the Suzuki philosophy, Christina considers Parent Education and Developing Musicality her forte. She enjoys a thriving piano studio characterized by excellence and joy, where music making is appreciated as a lifelong endeavor. Her students frequently receive awards at local, regional, national and international competitions. They also perform extensively in the community at festivals and nursing homes to warm critical acclaim. Prize winnings have also led her students to appearances at SAA Conferences in Minneapolis (2014 to date), Alice Millar Chapel at Northwestern University, IL (2017), Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall (2019, 2021), Merkin Hall in Kaufman Center in New York (2019), Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany (2021), as well as MTNA Virtual National Conference (2022). Christina is currently a Suzuki Piano faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago. Aside from in-person lessons and group classes, Christina also teaches online with students in California, Kansas City and Colorado, in the UK and in Singapore. Also a homeschool mom since 2013, she lives in Skokie, IL with her husband and son.