February 2022 MTNA e-Journal

Music, Emotions, COVID—And the Brain
By Lois Svard, NCTM

During the coronavirus pandemic, people throughout the world turned to music for comfort and a sense of emotional connection. But as the pandemic wore on and the resultant stresses accumulated, some musicians found they were no longer able to find comfort in music. Trying to communicate emotion through music in teaching and performing in stressful situations as well as dealing with the emotional stresses in everyday life caused by the pandemic sometimes created a kind of emotional overload. This article explores music and emotion in the brain and the effect of the pandemic on that connection. [Read More]

The Guia Prático, Álbuns Para Piano By Heitor Villa-Lobos: A List of Piano Pieces by Level of Difficulty with Stylistic Annotations
By Verena Abufaiad

The Guia Prático, Álbuns Para Piano is a collection of 59 piano pieces distributed in 11 albums that reveals not only Heitor Villa-Lobos’s unique compositional style—melodies crafted from Brazilian folk tunes and lively, syncopated rhythms—but also the active role he played in music education in Brazil. This article provides a list of these piano pieces organized by level of difficulty, from early-intermediate to early-advanced, and with stylistic annotations. It also equips piano teachers with information to practice informed pedagogy with their students and expose students to multicultural experiences in their piano training. [Read More]

Poster Sessions

Diversity within the Piano Repertoire: An Exploration of Piano Major’s Experience with and Perceptions of Music by Women Composers and Composers of Color
By Jenna Klein [View]

Let It Shine! Celebrating Piano Music by Black Composers
By Aaron Mathews [View]

Current Research

The Acting System of Konstantin Stanislavski as Applied to Piano Performance
By Andrea V. Johnson [View]

Adapting Piano Music for Ballet: Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album, Op. 39
By Eleni-Persefoni Stavrianou [View]