11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program

Kristine Konrad and Dr. Heidi Hamernik

“Discovering the Process of Reading Music: How to Teach Piano Students of All Reading Abilities”

The International DYSLEXIA Association estimates that dyslexia or reading disability occurs in 15 – 20 percent of the general population and does not discriminate based on intellect or social-economic status.   Reading ability or disability occurs along a continuum and therefore it is highly likely that most piano teachers regularly encounter these students, some with official diagnoses and some unaware of why they struggle to read.  A primary study of piano students led to the discovery that the use of intervention teaching techniques based on a multi-sensory approach significantly helped not only the student with dyslexia, but also the typical reader.  This presentation will help piano teachers and music instructors gain a better understanding of the basic neuropsychological underpinnings of reading disorders and how, from a neuropsychological standpoint, students of all reading abilities may typically approach the task of learning to read music for the piano.  The second part of the presentation will address hands-on, multisensory techniques and interventions to assist piano teachers and music instructors when teaching students with and without dyslexia.

BIOGRAPHIES

Heidi Hamernik, Ph.D is a licensed Clinical-Community Psychologist. She has been in private practice for the past 25 years in the Northern and Western suburbs and specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents.  Her practice focuses on the neuropsychological assessment and treatment of Learning Disabilities, Aspergers' Syndrome, Social Learning Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Behavioral Disorders such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Dr. Hamernik received her Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of South Carolina and completed her Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, IL.  She is a standing member in several nationally accredited associations such as the American Psychological Association, International Neuropsychological Society, and the International Dyslexia Society.  

Kristine Konrad has maintained a private piano studio in River Forest for 26 years, teaching with a methodology that focuses on reading music.  In December of 2010 Kristine graduated with her Masters of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Concordia University Chicago where she spent over two years researching the dyslexic student and reading music.  Her Master’s thesis, Teaching Piano to Students with Dyslexia, argues that when intervention based on a multi-sensory approach is used, students with dyslexia can learn to play the piano by reading music.  Kristine also holds a Masters degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has most recently studied with Craig Sale, Kuang Hao Huang and Fionna Bezaire.  Kristine is a member of CAMTA, ISMTA and MTNA.

www.camta.org/monthlyprograms

www.camta.org/ssf

11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program

Aspen Buckingham, CAMTA member & CEO of Overture Games

“Setting Your Studio Apart: New Tools and Technologies”

Aspen will present on a variety of resources and technology that can help us set our studios apart. Rather then dive deep and give a tutorial on how to use each technology, the goal is to introduce a variety of new tools that members can explore further and show off some of the core features of each tool.

Topics will likely include:
1. Unique, cutting edge music technology
2. Lesson scheduling software
3. Games for group classes
4. Helpful online tools
5. Composing and Arranging Software

BIOGRAPHY

Aspen Buckingham, a member of CAMTA, is the CEO of Overture Games, co-founder of Intervallic, and a graduate of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University with majors in music and computer science and concentrations in composition and game development. He is currently running a program teaching underserved students at the Chicago Youth Centers in South and West Chicago.

The Achievement in Music (AIM) examinations is a program of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) based on a syllabus revised in 2014.

www.camta.org/aim

The purpose of the Jazz Festival is to instill an appreciation of the jazz genre by exposing students to blues, boogie, ragtime, standards, and other jazz styles using composed pieces, original arrangements, and improvisation. This event provides an exciting opportunity for your student to perform and hear others play in the Jazz style. They will also hear a short program by outstanding professional jazz musicians.

www.camta.org/jazzfest

9:00 a.m. Pre-Program Topic

AIM Theory Volunteers and Judges’ Meeting

11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program

Thomas Zoells, President

“Pianos and Technology as Seen through Yamaha Instruments”

We'll try to present how traditional acoustic pianos can be dramatically enhanced by pairing them with technology. And how this added technology can serve you, the teacher, to improve the teaching and learning experience.

BIOGRAPHY

Thomas Zoells is the owner of PianoForte Chicago, Inc., Chicago’s premier downtown piano destination. Mr. Zoells was born and raised in Switzerland and in Vienna, Austria.

He has worked for Ingpen & Williams in London and Agence Caecilia in Geneva, where he helped promote Jessye Norman, Alicia de Larrocha and Alfred Brendel, among many other classical musicians. He had a 20 year career in banking along the way and likes to keep active as an amateur pianist and accordionist.

www.camta.org/monthlyprograms

11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program:

Svetlana Belsky, Artistic Director, Belsky Piano Studio

“Savler Contest Repertoire”

We will discuss the various pedagogical challenges of the Savler Contest Repertoire

BIOGRAPHY

Svetlana Belsky, pianist

Critically acclaimed as “a passionate pianist and scholar,” Svetlana Belsky is a highly regarded performer, noted for her remarkable rapport with audiences and stylistic versatility. Her recent albums, Into Darkness: Piano Music of 1910-1920 (Sheridan Music Studio, 2021) and Ferruccio Busoni: The Late Works (Ravello, 2019) were selected by Spotify for its Best New Releases list, and received rave reviews from Fanfare, American Record Guide, Whole Note Magazine, and others, and has been heard on radio stations around the world.

Dr. Belsky won the 2019 American Prize in Piano Performance for her earlier recording of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which American Record Guide described as “an extraordinary performance” and “astounding”. In commemoration of Women’s History Month 2019, Dr. Belsky was awarded the Outstanding Woman Award for Excellence in Music and Theater Arts from the Clerk of Cook County District Court.

Dr. Belsky has toured in Europe, East Asia, Canada and throughout the United States. Her performance credits include Carnegie Recital Hall, Kiev Philharmonic Hall, Dame Myra Hess Series, live recitals on Chicago’s WFMT and New York’s WQXR, and guest appearances with symphony and chamber orchestras.

Belsky is considered an authority on the music, writings and pedagogical legacy of Ferruccio Busoni. Her Doctoral Thesis - an annotated translation of Busoni as Pianist by the Russian musicologist Grigori Kogan, was published by the University of Rochester Press in January 2010, and was nominated for the prestigious Claude V. Palisca Award by the American Musicological Society. According to one reviewer, Belsky “has some claim to call herself Ms. Bach-Busoni”.

Born in Ukraine, Belsky received most of her education in the United States, first as a student of Emilio Del Rosario in Chicago, receiving her Bachelor’s (summa cum laude) and Master degrees at the Peabody Conservatory in the studio of Ann Schein and her Doctorate at the Manhattan School of Music with Nina Svetlanova.

Dr. Belsky served as the Director of Piano Studies at the University of Chicago for fifteen years, and is in great demand as a lecturer, masterclass guest teacher, and competition adjudicator.

9:00 a.m. Pre-Program Topic

ISMTA CAMTA AIM Program: Introduction to AIM

11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program

Dr. Anne Marie Kuhny, Artistic Director and Piano Educator, DuPage Musical Arts Academy

“Multi-Cultural Repertoire: Turnkey Solutions for Piano Teachers and Students”

Interested in expanding the repertoire for your piano students? Join us for an introduction to supplemental repertoire from today’s under-represented African-American, Latinx, religious, ethnic and other multi-cultural works. Selections available for all interests. Discover how to cater choices to expand the artistry and creativity that students are already fostering in their studies, resources for finding more of your own selections, grading supplemental repertoire to work with the AIM books, and more.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Kuhny is Artistic Director and Piano Educator of DuPage Musical Arts Academy. She enjoys coaching students from age four to 84, including many budding young artists. She is a frequent adjudicator and presenter at the local and national level. She is Chair of the ISMTA North Piano Competition as well as Chair of the CAMTA Sonata-Sonatina Festival, and has been Coordinator for the Joint Chapters Workshop since 2018.

Dr. Kuhny is certified in teaching all seven Suzuki Piano levels and received the Suzuki Certificate of Achievement in 2024. She incorporates ear-training and traditional methods, as well as theory and history, into each student’s lesson plan. She is honored to have been named a Steinway Top Teacher in 2021. In addition, she was named Member of the Year for both the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association and West Suburban Music Teachers Association in 2024 for her contributions to the education of both students and teachers.

Dr. Anne Marie Kuhny holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois, studying with Dr. Ian Hobson, plus two master’s degrees (Piano Pedagogy and Piano Performance). Dr. Kuhny studied for five years at Indiana University with Dr. Karen Shaw starting at age 12, and beforehand with Mr. John Reglin of Chicago.