NDMTA State Conference
The NDMTA Conference is the time to relax, learn, and to make new and renew friendships with other teachers of music. It’s a time to chat with your peers about teaching music over lunch, go to amazing recitals, and learn new ideas/ways of teaching from the famous teachers/composers. Put the dates on your calendar and plan to attend the NDMTA State Conference!
NDMTA 2025 Conference Research Poster Session. Call for Proposals: Music Related Research Posters. Submission Deadline April 15th, 2025 - 11:59 p.m. (CST). For information use this link to download:
2025 NDMTA Conference in Minot, June 4th - 6th
Five amazing reasons to attend the June NDMTA Conference in Minot:
- The MTNA CEO Brian Shepard will be visiting with us;
- Dr. Sara Ernst will give sessions on teaching elementary and intermediate students;
- Julia Beck will advise us how to teach students with hearing loss.
- Concerts and recitals will be featured in the evenings.
- Making and renewing music teachers friends.
Scroll down to learn details and to register for the Conference.
Summery of Events:
NDMTA CONFERENCE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4TH - FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH
Hosted by the Minot Music Teachers Association.
Where: All events are on the campus at Minot State University
- WEDNESDAY:
•The Popplers Competition will take place at the conference Wednesday, June 4th at 2:00 pm. Use this link to see information and registration: https://ndmta.org/student-events/popplers-music-competitions/
•Opening Concert Wed. June 4th, at 7:00 pm at MSU An Nicole Nelson Hall. Enjoy the premiere of the piece by Efraín Amaya, the NDMTA Commissioned Composer. Popplers Music Competition entrants will perform one of their pieces and winners will be awarded. MSU-MTNA Students will also perform.
- THURSDAY
•Thursday's sessions, starting at 9:00 am, will feature Dr. Sara Ernst, presenter and the Indepentent Music Teachers Forum will feature Julia Beck, presenter.
•Conference Banquet and Awards, Thursday 5:30 pmwill feature Brian Shepard, MTNA CEO as speaker.
•SubZero Winds will present the Thursday evening concert at 7:30 pm
- FRIDAY
•Friday's sessions starting at 9:00 am: Dr. Sara Ernst and Julia Beck will each present a session
•Official Close of Conference 2025: 12:00 pm
Complete Official Schedule to download and print
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Registration
Registration can be done two ways: Online with PayPal payment by clicking on "Register Online" below or by downloading the registration form below and mailing it in. The registration form is also found in the April Newsletter.
When registering online, a $4.00 fee will be added to the registration total. This is for the PayPal fees that are charged to our account.
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20ND Music Teachers Association
Hello there!
We're glad you can join us for the ND Music Teachers Association meeting.
We have a room block reserved at Hampton Inn & Suites Minot Airport for June 4, 2025 through June 6, 2025. Booking your room is simple, just click on the URL below and select "Book a Room" to receive your group's preferred rate.
Event dates:June 4, 2025 - June 6, 2025
Book by: May 21, 2025
We're looking forward to seeing you in June! We hope you enjoy your stay and your group's event!
For reservations: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/motndhx-nmt-848c48bc-fa21-4db9-99c6-644b12da2f98/
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Brian Shepard: Keynote Speaker at NDMTA Conference Awards Banquet
“It is a profound honor to have been selected to lead this remarkable organization,” said Shepard. “Through my own years of music study, I experienced, first-hand, the impact that MTNA has on the lives of its members and their students, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the profession in this role.”
(From Miami University College of Creative Arts)
Brian Shepard, the Chief Executive Officer of the MTNA, will be our guest at the NDMTA Conference. Brian was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for MTNA starting in 2003 and was appointed CEO of the MTNA in 2024.
An accomplished musician, Brian performs frequently for church and community programs as pianist, vocal soloist and choral conducting . He is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and hold degrees in marketing and music education. He was named an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2010.
Besides the MTNA, Brian has served in several nonprofit boards and committees. Since 2009, he has served on the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and currently serves as Board President. He is a member of the CCMpower Board at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and previously served on the Cincinnati Opera Sales and Marketing Committee.
Brian will be the keynote speaker at the NDMTA Conference Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 5th.
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Conference Presenter: Dr. Sara Ernst
Dr. Sara Ernst, PHD, NCTM, is an active piano pedagogue, teacher of all ages, pianist, and is Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Ernst's research and scholarship in piano pedagogy includes investigating teaching effectiveness, the use of language in instruction, and best practices in elementary piano instruction and curricula. She frequently explores pedagogical music for the 20th and 21st centuries and examines the pacing of instruction through the intermediate years. her presentations and lecture recitals and posters have been featured at numerous conferences including those of the MTNA, GP3, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, College Music Society and many state conferences. Dr. Ernst had written articles for numerous music magazines including the American Music Teacher. She has been associated with the Francis Clark Center and the Royal Conservatory of Music in various ways. She is a frequent adjudicator for piano events and competitions.
Dr. Ernst received a PHD in music education with emphasis in piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, Master of Music in piano pedagogy from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Bachelor of Music and Mathematics from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
(Information from Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, University of Oklahoma School of Music)
Dr Ernst will present four session at the NDMTA Conference: Finding the Perfect Pace: Tips for Teaching with Beginning Piano Methods; Engaging Intermediate Piano Repertoire of Modern American Composers; a Masterclass; and Deep Learning: Strategies to Engage & Empower Music Students.
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Conference Presenter: Julia Beck
Julia Beck is currently a PHD student in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where she also received her Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance. Her research is centered in developing approaches for teaching students with hearing loss, vibrotactile learning, and adaptive musical instruction. Julia is a native of Minot, ND where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Minot State University, studying music performance on piano and violin.
As a musician with hearing loss herself, Julia has a personal interest in teaching students with hearing loss and is ardent to finding creative, diverse, and accessible teaching approaches in small groups and private lessons. Julia gave a presentation, "Teaching Piano Students with Hearing Loss" at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in 2023 where she was selected as the winner in its category.
Julia will present "Teaching Students with Hearing Loss: Adaptive Strategies for Individualized Learning & Engagement" at the IMTF Luncheon/Session.
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IMTF Luncheon Session: Thursday, June 5th at 12:00 p.m.
The session at the Independent Music Teachers Forum luncheon will be presented by Julia Beck. The title of the session is Teaching Students with Hearing Loss: Adaptive Strategies for Individualized Learning & Engagement.
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Conference Recitals:
Wednesday, June 4th, at MSU Ann Nicole Nelson Hall
- Popplers Competition Participants
- Commissioned Composer Premiere
- Minot State University and MTNA Students
Thursday, June 5th at MSU Ann Nicole Nelson Hall
- Subzero Winds Recital
Rotations
NDMTA Conference Host Rotation: 2022-2023 Badlands MTA; 2023-2024 Greater Grand Forks MTA; 2024-2025 Minot MTA; 2025-2026 Fargo/Moorhead MTA.
IMTF (Independent Music Teachers Forum) Luncheon Rotation: 2022-2023 Langdon Area MTA; 2024-2025 Minot MTA; 2026-2027 Upper Valley MTA; 2028-2029 Badlands MTA.
Past NDMTA Conferences
| Year | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | August 7-8 | Grand Forks |
| 2023 | June 7-9 | Dickinson at DSU |
| 2022 | June 1-3 | Fargo at NDSU Reineke Hall |
| 2021 | June 2-4 | Virtual Conference hosted by Minot MTA |
| 2020 | June 3-5 | Fargo |
| 2019 | June 19-21 | Grand Forks |
| 2018 | June 13-15 | Dickinson |
| 2017 | June 7-9 | Fargo |
| 2016 | June 15-17 | Bismarck |
| 2015 | June 24-26 | Grand Forks |
| 2014 | June 18-20 | Dickinson |
| 2013 | June 19-21 | Fargo |
| 2012 | June 21-23 | Bismarck State College |
| 2011 | June 15-17 | Grand Forks |
| 2010 | October 28-30 | Dickinson State University |
| 2009 | June 10-12 | Fargo |
| 2008 | June 11-13 | Bismarck State College |
| 2007 | June 6-8 | Williston State College |
| 2006 | June 9-10 | Grand Forks |
| 2004 | October 29-31 | Concordia College |
| 2003 | October 31-November 2 | Bismarck State College |
| 2002 | October 25-27 | Valley City Music Teachers |