Dear Members,

Happy November! The CM registration is now closed. If you found any mistakes in the registration, please contact Sandely Miller before November 15. It is the deadline for making any corrections. With the first step of CM done, we can now focus on preparing the students with their repertoire.

Our first and the only Fundraiser event of the year, Masquerade concert, received a revenue of $1260. Thank you to the following studios for participating: Baik, Brener, L. Chang, Choi, Eckstein, Edgar, Field, Li, Ling, Lu, Miller, Nojima, Ono, and Tseng. A special thank you to Ana Marie and Andreas Eckstein for all the preparation, from the venue setting to the cute goody bags; it really marked an unforgettable event for the students. In addition, we would like to thank our venue chair, Kevin Kao, for helping Andreas the day before the concert and staying through the entire event. Also, I’d like to extend our appreciation to our MSSL students: Christina Tran and Erin Kliewer, from Laura Chang’s studio, for helping at the Check-In table. Despite all the careful planning, the enrollment for this year’s Masquerade Concert declined. It is disappointing because it also means that we are short of our fund raising goal.  Our branch may be forced to cancel some of our events next year. The board welcomes any suggestions on how to increase the enrollment; please help keeping our branch events going.

A very successful Romantic Showcase occurred over the weekend. We had a strong festival team: Naoko Ono for contacting judges and overseeing the whole event; Willie Chen for scheduling and running the event; Felix Chang for certificate and medals; Andreas Eckstein for program and venue set-up; Kevin Kao for venue set-up. The judges were pleased with the organization by our festival team and they also gave high remarks to our students’ performances. We appreciated the teachers who helped with Check-In and announcing the event programs: Nan Wan Baik, Laura Chang, Charla Edgar and Emily Hung. The result will be announced and posted on our website shortly.

The Classical Festival is coming up in a week and I would like to give a hearty thanks in advance to Laura Chang, for her hard work in organizing this event. Please note that according to the Festival guideline, teachers are obligated to help at the festival. The work assignment is based on the numbers of students you enroll. 1-3 performance entries =1 recital, 4-6 entries=2 recitals, and 7-10 entries=3 recitals. I’d like to remind you that there is a non-involvement fee of $50 for each recital if a teacher cannot work when they’re asked.

The Second MSSL recital will be held on November 17^th at 2pm at Inn at the Park ( 10 Marquette, Irvine, Ca 92612). The registration deadline is Saturday, November 9^th. Please send the application to Victoria Park, South Coast branch MSSL advisor.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! You’ll be hearing from me in January, 2014. Until then, the MTAC South Coast board wishes you all a blessed and fulfilled holiday season!

Sincerely,

Melody Lu

Dear Members,

It was great to see many familiar faces and to meet new members at our September branch meeting. Thank you Sandely Miller, our CM chair, for giving an informative CM presentation! The CM database is Now Open for registration. Please be cautious with the new deadline for the online registration, which ends on October 31 (Halloween). From the past experience, the online registration gets heavy traffic right before the deadline. Enroll your students early and enjoy treat or tricking!

While we enjoy the convenience of technology in today’s society, music teachers have been targeted by email scams. There have been some MTAC members from other branch who received emails involving foreign students coming to the states and wanting to take lessons. In order for them to send checks, they ask for music teachers’ personal information.  If you receive those bogus emails, do not reply and delete them immediately. Please note that teachers can choose which information to show on both MTAC State website and our own branch website. General public can only access zip codes and instruments on “Find a Teacher” option.

We had a great turn out for the first MSSL recital. There were 13 students that performed.  It was held at Inn At the Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I would like to thank Victoria Park, our MSSL chair, for arranging this new location in Irvine. There are several MSSL recitals throughout the year. You may find the application on our branch website: southcoastmtac.org.

Also, both Romantic and Classical Showcases are open to registration on our branch website. Teacher participation is a major key for making these festivals successful. Please remember that if for any reason a teacher can’t work, the teacher must pay a non-involvement fee of $50 for each recital.

The Fund-raiser event, Masquerade recital will be held on October 19 at Fields’ Piano. The deadline is October 6. Application forms are available on our website. Students’ families and friends are also invited!

As always, be sure to check our website for updates.

Happy Autumn!

Melody Lu

Dear Members,

Welcome back! Your new board hopes you all had a fun-filled and relaxing summer.

There are many exciting events planned for the upcoming year with different new chairs. Thank you to all the members who are willing to devote their time, and to get involved with our branch events!

Our first branch meeting of the new scholastic year will be held on Wednesday, September 18 at 10 AM at Fields’ Piano. It is a required CM information, general branch announcement meeting.  Teachers who do not attend the meeting may not be able to register their students in CM via the online registration system, and may risk having student registrations dropped automatically. This is not a South Coast directive but reflects the new 2013 MTAC state decision:”In early September, CM Council will announce procedures for locking teachers out of the Database, for those who did not attend the CM Meeting.” Also new this year: CM Registration: October 1-October 31, 2013. Please contact Sandely Millier, sandely@cox.net  for approved alternatives if you cannot attend the meeting.  We look forward to seeing all of our esteemed members at this special meeting!

We have a new location for our MSSL recital this year. The first recital is September 29^th at Inn at the Park (10 Marquette Irvine 92612). You may obtain a copy of the application form on our website. Please contact Victoria Park, victoria_park@yahoo.com for any further questions.

Also, a very important event in the fall, our annual Masquerade Concert fundraiser is coming up on October 19 & 20. The proceeds from this concert support our branch events. Please encourage all your students to participate. I really appreciate Ana Marie and Andreas Eckstein for their dedication to this event. They generously provide hearty treats, beautiful programs and name tags for every student and host the concert for the entire day. All participants will also receive 1 point towards our Trophy Exchange program and a “Festival Voucher” worth $10 credit can be applied toward any of the branch festival events.

Finally, I would like to thank Vivian Field for her invaluable service she has rendered on behalf of our branch for the past three years. Her strong leadership has certainly set a high bar for me.

Please remember to check our website: southcoastmtac.org for constant updates and announcements.

The entire South Coast board and I look forward to seeing all of you at the September meeting!

Musically Yours,

Melody Lu

Dear Members,

Our final branch meeting for 2012-2013 academic year was graced with a delightful duo performance by our own Kevin Kao and his partner (and girlfriend) Clare Chiang featuring the Arensky Suite Op. 15, second movement: Valse, for two pianos. They gave a musical and artistic performance of this work and we thank them for responding with such alacrity to Melody Lu’s invitation to play on such short notice! Thank you Melody for arranging it!

Before the performance we had the investiture of the new board:

Melody Lu, President;
Chi Asada – 1st Vice President
Anna Kim – 2nd Vice President/Membership Secretary
Margaret Tseng – Treasurer
Sandely Miller – CM Chair
Naoko Ono– Festival Chair
Kevin Kao– Venue Chair
Laura Chang– Recording Secretary

Twenty-two members participated in our on-line voting – thank you! Under the leadership of Melody Lu the new, vibrant and very able South Coast board will continue providing excellent programs and assistance to our members. Melody presented me with a beautiful crystal commemorative memorial etched in a dedication from the board; I was deeply touched and it is proudly on display in my studio. Thank you board members!

Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 p.m. the Senior Recital took place at Chi Asada’s beautiful new performance hall and gardens, Hoson House in Tustin. Dr. Xiaole Li worked very hard at organizing and creating a beautiful program and providing the refreshments for the reception immediately following the recital. There were four performers featuring flute and piano, and it was about 45 minutes in length with a nice variety of compositions. Ladies, thank you very much in advance for your hospitality and efforts in making this recital a memorable and special event!

On May 11 MSSL gave a special Mother’s Day Recital for Park Plaza residents. Each female audience member received a small gift from the performers. I would like to thank Victoria Park for arranging this lovely event and for her dedication and excellence in running and overseeing all of the South Coast MSSL 2012-2013 recitals! I would also like to thank the management at Park Plaza for opening their doors to our students thus providing them with the opportunity to give of themselves to the senior community through the beauty and greatness of classical music!

On May 18 Laura Chang and her assistant, Dr. Felix Tao Chang chaired a smooth running Contemporary Flare festival. Andréas Eckstein created a stunning printed program and efficient and aesthetically pleasing set-up. As per our usual the judges were impressed by the high level of performance exhibited at this fun event.  Laura, Felix and Andréas we appreciate your hard work and dedication and many thanks to all of the teacher helpers too!

A quick reminder to teachers to renew your membership: so far there are 32 teachers who have not yet paid their dues. Deadline is July 31^st.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for their dedication and service to our branch:

Student Events & Program Chairs:

Charla Edgar:Adult Workshop Chair and Branch Historian; Chi Asada: SC Jr. Bach and Sounds of Baroque Chair; Sandely Miller: CM Chair; Margaret Tseng: CM Theory Chair; Anna Kim: CM Strings Chair; Anna Choi: CM Woodwinds Chair; Jennifer Puhl: CM Branch Honors Recital Chair; Laura Chang: Branch Piano Evaluation Chair; Naoko Ono: Classical Showcase Chair; Junko Nojima: Romantic Showcase Chair; Dr. Emily Hung: Composers Today Chair; Laura Chang, & Dr. Felix Tao Chang: Contemporary Flare Chair and Co-Chair; Ana Maria and Andréas Eckstein: Masquerade Recital Fundraiser Chairs and Benefactors; Victoria Park: MSSL Chair; Dr. Xiaole Li: Senior Graduates Recital Chair; Anna Kim: Strings, Voice and Winds Festival Chair; Lisa Honea: VOCE Chair; Kevin Kao: Masquerade Recital set-up helper.

South Coast Board of Directors and Committees Chairs:

Melody Lu, 1^st VP and Branch Meeting Program Chair; Sijie Ling, 2^nd VP/Membership Secretary& Website Coordinator; Margaret Tseng, Treasurer; Laura Chang, Recording Secretary and Handbook; Sandely Miller, Certificate of Merit Chair; Chizuko Asada, Festival Chair; Jennifer Puhl, Venue Chair; Andréas Eckstein, Honorary Managing Director; Esther Chen, Directory; Andy Huynh,Webmaster.

It has been three years now since the inception of MTAC South Coast branch. This is thanks to the excellent efforts of Melody Lu, Sandely Miller and Ting Hsu-Maruya who, at the suggestion of the state CM Council, pioneered our branch. I was invited on board as your president and I can say in all sincerity that it has truly been an honor and a pleasure to serve you in this capacity. We have an amazing group of talented, helpful and amicable members. Let’s continue in this spirit of camaraderie and always strive to uphold the level of excellence that our small and privileged branch embodies!

In sincere gratitude,

Vivian Lee R. Field, M.M.

Dear Members,

On Saturday, April 13 our own Branch evaluations were held at Laura Chang’s studio; Yukiko Nobles of the Long Beach branch was the evaluator. Fifteen students participated and from all accounts, they really enjoyed themselves. Ms. Nobles’ comments were instructive, helpful and supportive. Thank you so much Laura for your dedication and diligence in organizing and hosting these important and fun evaluations!

The Branch Honors and Composers Today joint recital took place this past Saturday, April 27 at Fields’ Piano. Many thanks to Jennifer Puhl and Emily Hung who did a wonderful job in organizing this lovely event. There were 46 participants showcasing a nice variety of piano, voice and instrumental works. Jennifer did a really outstanding job on the written program!

This coming Sunday, May 5, 3:00 p.m. is the Senior Recital. This event is being held at Chi Asada’s beautiful new performance hall, Hoson House in Tustin. Dr. Xiaole Li has worked very hard at organizing and creating the program and providing the refreshments for the reception immediately following the recital. Ladies, thank you very much in advance for your hospitality and efforts in making this recital a memorable and special event!

Laura Chang is working away at our upcoming Contemporary Flare festival with her assistant, Dr. Felix Tao Chang. This is always a highly enjoyable and well-attended event. Laura and Felix, we appreciate your hard work and dedication!

If you still have not voted, please go to our website ( http://southcoastmtac.org/ ) to cast your vote today! The registration will close on Sunday, May 12 at midnight. As a devoted MTAC South Coast member it is not only your privilege but your duty to select your next Board of Directors. This on-line ballot is simple, very user friendly, quick and completely anonymous.
Thank you for your consideration and cooperation.

Please be sure to attend our final branch meeting of the 2012-2013 academic year. Melody Lu has a wonderful musical program planned which will feature performance by our new member, Kevin Kao. We will also have the investiture of our new MTAC South Coast Board of Directors. Teachers will be able to pick up the Contemporary Flare results at the meeting. You won’t want to miss this!

Upcoming deadline and event dates:

MAY 5    Senior Graduation Concert, 3:00 p.m. at Chi Asada’s new performance studio, Hoson House in Tustin (venue directions will be given)

May 7 is the due date for the MSSL May 11 Mother’s Day recital, 2:00 p.m. at Park Plaza in Orange.(you can download our application form from our website (http://msslsc.weebly.com/documents-and-links.html)

May 11  MSSL Mother’s Day Recital recital for Park Plaza residents.

May 15   Deadline for completion of CM Make-Up Evaluations

May 18   Contemporary Flare Festival at Fields’ Piano

May 22   Branch Meeting at 10:00 AM at Fields’ Piano

Please remember to periodically check our website, southcoastmtac.org, for further updates and information.

Although I will be sending out a final June newsletter I would like to say that it has truly been an honor and a pleasure to serve you as your president. We have a wonderful, vibrant branch and Melody Lu will make an excellent and strong president being well assisted in her job by our new and excellent 2013- 2016 Board of Directors; let’s continue the good work!!

Musically yours,

Dear Members,

Our annual CM evaluations are now behind us; Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus is likely ringing in our members’ ears – it certainly is in mine! Many, many thanks to the following CM chairs par excellence:  Margaret Tseng CM theory chair and all the teacher helpers (Sandely was so pleased that all the theory tests were graded that same day!); Anna Kim strings and voice  chair; Sandely Miller piano chair; Anna Choi flute chair; Andréas  Eckstein worked his usual magic with CM theory and playing evaluation precision set up (those signs were so helpful making the sites look professional and well ordered!); Alice Tsai and Sheve-Hwa Su provided an absolutely delicious and nicely varied hospitality service; and the participating teacher and high school student  helpers were indispensable in making our annual CM evaluations smooth running. Finally, an extra special THANK YOU to our fearless, hard working CM chair, Sandely Miller, for making these evaluations yet another big success! She always puts an immense amount of time and effort into these evaluations and I can tell you that it is a labor of love for our branch. We have a truly a unique and wonderful branch; I cannot thank you all enough for everything you put into making it run efficiently and amicably!

Upcoming deadline and event dates:

April 8 CM Theory test materials released

April 13 Branch piano evaluations at Laura Chang’s studio

April 13 application deadline for April MSSL recital. (you can download our application form from our website (http://msslsc.weebly.com/documents-and-links.html)

April 15 Branch Honors Recital Applications Deadline ($10 per student) to Jennifer Puhl

• Convention Applications Deadline ($20 per student);
• Deadline to apply for CM Make-Up Evaluations (high school students only)

April 20 MSSL recital at Park Plaza in Orange

April 20 Senior Graduation Concert Deadline w/Bios to Dr. Xiao Li

April 25 Contemporary Flare Deadline to Laura Chang

April 27 CM Branch Honors Recital and Composer Today Recital at Fields’ Piano

MAY 5    Senior Graduation Concert at Chi Asada’s new performance studio, Hoson House in Tustin (venue directions will be given)

May 11  MSSL Mother’s Day Recital recital for Park Plaza residents.

May 15   Deadline for completion of CM Make-Up Evaluations

May 18   Contemporary Flare Festival at Fields’ Piano

May 22   Branch Meeting at 10:00 AM at Fields’ Piano

Please remember to periodically check our website, southcoastmtac.org, for further updates and information.

Our 2013-2016 term of MTAC South Coast Board of Directors on-line voting will be made available on April 8 and will close 2 weeks later on the April 22. Members will be sent an e-mail notification so please be watching for this.

Musically yours,

Vivian Lee R. Field

Dear Members,
Our branch meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 10:00 a.m. at Fields’ Piano was given by Dr. Monica Lee. She gave an interesting business lecture focusing on the issue of keeping classical music relevant for students and also on taxes. I would like to thank Dr. Lee for making time in her busy schedule to come and present it to us and to our first vice president, Melody Lu for arranging the presentation!

This past Saturday, February 23, the new Festival for Strings, Winds and Voice, Jr. Bach Festival and Sounds of Baroque Festival was held at the Geneva Presbyterian church in Laguna Woods. A total of 63 students from 22 studios participated on this day, playing various instruments such as violin, viola, cello, voice, organ and piano. I would like to thank the hard working chairs of these three events, Anna Kim and Chi Asada for running them so smoothly and also for the beautiful programs! Ladies, we all really appreciate everything you did to make these events such a resounding success! And a big thank you to all the teacher helpers – we couldn’t do it without you! We are always interested in feedback on our branch events; if you have any comments please send them to our festival chairs Chi Asada and Ana Kim.

I would like to thank Lisa Honea for organizing and running our branch VOCE recital with OCC. Once again she did a lovely job and the program looked wonderful. Here is her report:

VOCE Recital and Competition
Thank you to all who participated in this year’s VOCE Recital and Competition. We had a very successful program with thirty-two students from eleven studios participating. The standard of performance was excellent. I would like to thank Shelley Johnson and the Orange Coast Cities Branch for hosting the festival this year. I would also like to thank Janice Luna and the Long Beach Branch who partnered with us.

Congratulations to the following teachers:
Ana Marie Eckstein – first place, Senior Instrumental Ensemble division
Anna So Jung Choi – first and second place, Intermediate Solo Wind division
Stephanie Puhl Young – third place, Intermediate Solo Voice division
Best wishes to you and your students as they participate in the state finals on April 21, at Chapman College.

I would like to especially thank Charla Edgar for compiling our South Coast branch history for the MTAC state office. Charla did an absolutely beautiful job thus ensuring that our branch is now well documented and our special events especially highlighted, such as the Masquerade Concert, Master Classes, Concerto Competition, Senior, Branch Honors, Composers Today and MSSL recitals. We thank you, Charla for an important job well done!

Upcoming deadline and event dates:
March 31 Branch Piano Eval. form/fee Deadline to Laura Chang
APRIL 8 CM Theory test materials released
April 13 Branch piano evaluations at Laura Chang’s studio
April 15 Branch Honors Recital Applications Deadline ($10 per student) to Jennifer Puhl

• Convention Applications Deadline ($20 per student);
• Deadline to apply for CM Make-Up Evaluations (high school students only)

April 20 Senior Graduation Concert Deadline w/Bios to Dr. Xiao Li
April 25 Contemporary Flare Deadline to Laura Chang
April 27 CM Branch Honors Recital and Composer Today Recital at Fields’ Piano
MAY 5 Senior Graduation Concert at Chi Asada’s new performance studio, Hoson House in Tustin (venue directions will be given)
May 15 Deadline for completion of CM Make-Up Evaluations
May 18 Contemporary Flare Festival at Fields’ Piano
May 22 Branch Meeting at 10:00 AM at Fields’ Piano
Please remember to periodically check our website, southcoastmtac.org, for further updates and information.

CM theory exams, March 16 and the playing evaluations of March 23 & 24 are fast approaching. Thank you in advance to all participating teachers for your valuable assistance in helping our hard working chair, Sandely Miller, make these evaluations a big success! Best wishes for a successful CM to all teachers!

Musically yours,
Vivian Lee R. Field

February President’s Message

Dear Members,

Our branch meeting is coming up on Wednesday, February 20, 10:00 a.m. at Fields’ Piano. Melody Lu has arranged a very interesting and helpful program to be given by Dr. Monica Lee. She will be giving a business lecture that will focus on tax and advertisement (ways to reduce student drops/maintaining student enrollment). This is sure to be an information packed lecture and we hope all of you can attend!

Our MSSL chair, Victoria Park has already sent out information on the second MSSL recital of 2013 which will occur on Saturday, February 16th! If you are interested in signing up students for the recital, you can download the application form from our website (http://msslsc.weebly.com/documents-and-links.html). The due date for the form is February 9th. Please ignore the earlier deadline on the application. The recital is at 2:00 PM and will be held at Park Plaza in Orange (620 South Glassell Street, Orange, CA 92866). All performances, including piano, dance, strings, vocals, etc. are encouraged. The registration fee is only $5 and it will be a great opportunity for students to practice for CM.

Best of luck to all teachers with students entered in the new Festival for Strings, Winds and Voice, Jr. Bach Festival and Sounds of Baroque Festival Saturday, February 23 at the Geneva Presbyterian church in Laguna Woods. Our enrollment in the new Festival for Strings, Winds and Voice is small (11) but we hope that satisfied students will tell their friends and we will have a larger participation next year! We are always interested in feed back on our branch events; if you have any comments please send them to our hard working and excellent festival chairs Chi Asada and Ana Kim.

Musically yours,
Vivian Lee R. Field

January President’s Message

Dear Members,

Vivian Lee R. Field