MASTA Student Chapters
Student membership is open to any full-time student attending a public, private or parochial school, college or university. Membership in ASTA can be a very meaningful and rewarding experience. As a student member you receive our quarterly journal, American String Teacher; have networking opportunities through our e-communities and MySpace page; receive recognition through our journal, website and awards program; are eligible to attend conferences and workshops sponsored by ASTA at a special student rate; and may take advantage of all the national member programs that ASTA has to offer.
Membership as an individual student has many advantages, but membership in a student chapter adds strength through unity in order to become a strong voice for string music education. Through student membership you can show your support for the improvement of string education and performance. You can help ASTA work for you and your goals; most importantly, you can be actively involved in making things happen.
MSU MASTA
Judy Palac, faculty advisor
Christina Steyer, President; Roxanne Kieme, Vice-President;
Laura Rasmussen, Treasurer; Eli Bender, Secretary
Christina Stever has just taken over the presidency of the MSU Chapter and Roxanne Kieme is the Vice-President.
The chapter assisted with the Second Annual MSU String Invitational on November 13, providing snacks and generally being around. MSU expects to have several chapter events, meetings, guest speakers, and activities very soon. The MSU Chapter has been brainstorming ideas for fundraising activities, including a fiddle fundraiser on St. Patrick’s Day. Some broader ideas include instrument repair, going to workshops and conferences, and community service.
WMU MASTA
Bruce Uchimura, faculty advisor
Jim Van Eizenga and Angelica Kalasz, co-Presidents
On October 10, 2009 the WMU/MASTA Chapter went to Gaylord, MI to present a “String Day Event” as a support mechanism and fund raiser for the Gaylord area String programs, Youth Symphony and community music school (which Jim Van Eizenga and Joanna Bozin started). They applied for and received a MASTA outreach grant and were supported by the WMU School of Music also. The day was quite extensive, with clinics, sectionals, and lessons- culminating in an evening benefit concert.
The following students from the WMU chapter attended: Jim Van Eizenga (senior, music ed), Joanna Bozin (senior, music ed), Naomi Droge (junior, music performance), Jordan Proctor (senior, music performance), Sean Brennan (sophomore, music composition), Ann Vornsand (sophomore, music ed), Audrey Jansma (freshman, music performance/pre-med), Rebecca Dube (freshman, music ed), Josephine Issac (sophomore, music ed), Emily Kenney (senior, music ed), Mary Easa (junior, music ed/non-profit leadership), Mark Kleyn (sophomore, music performance), and Angelica Kalasz (junior, music ed).
• Saturday - 9 am-3 pm - side by side rehearsals and sectionals with the Gaylord Youth Orchestra. Sight-read and then later performed “Momentum” by Robert Longfield and “Ships of Ireland” by Soon Hee Newbold.
Sunday at 3 pm at Gaylord Friendship Church an ensemble made up of WMU students and advanced youth orchestra students played a benefit concert. The St. Pauls Suite (Holst), Brandenberg No. 3 (Bach), Palladio, and the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings was performed. Chapter president, Jim Van Eizenga conducted. $200 was raised at this benefit concert for the Gayloard Youth Orchestra!
The concert had a great community response, as did the Saturday workshop. Also, the WMU students, particularly those new to our ASTA chapter, had a great experience. Everyone got to work one on one with the youth and learn new things about teaching.
• The WMU Chapter also hosted Middle Schoolers from Sturgis Public Schools who came to the WMU School of Music on a “career” day event in November. All of these students play instruments and expressed interest in a possible music vocation.
• For the WMU/MASTA student chapter, members designed and created a WMU Orchestra T-Shirt and sold them as a fund raiser for the chapter in the Fall 09 semester.
• According to advisor Uchimura, they are a “social bunch” that has regular meetings and social gatherings such as “movie night”, BBQ and Sight reading parties. They also started a mentoring program for all incoming Freshman String players that may be interested in ASTA.
• Spring Semester, the chapter has invited the “ABC Orchestra” led by Ingrid Rop and Eric Hudson from East Kentwood High School to present a concert and workshops at WMU in February for WMU School of Music students on Alternative Styles.
• Many of the chapter members attended the MMC, and several went to last year’s ASTA National Conference.
U of M MASTA
Robert Culver, faculty advisor
Stephanie Kirwan, President
• Caroline Coade, adjunct Professor of Viola at the University will be doing a presentation on ensemble skills. She plays with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has in the past lead a class for the viola studio using the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and other sight-readable pieces to discuss the importance of ensemble skills in any ensemble--be it orchestral or chamber music.
• The U-M chapter has invited Ed Baskerville, organizer of the “Classical Revolution” here in the Ann Arbor area, to present to the chapter. He is studying science at the University, but became involved with “Classical Revolution” while living in the San Francisco area. The “Classical Revolution” meets every two to three weeks at a coffee shop or other local establishment to read string quartets, trios, quintets, and other mixed chamber music pieces, and engage with the audience at each event. Over the past couple of months, the group has developed quite a following (including several amateur musicians in the area).
