November 2026 Program
November 13: Don't Miss a Beat: Strategies for Rhythm Success with Transfer Students, Joy Morin
Topic Description
Have you encountered transfer students who experience chronic rhythm problems and seem to have little sense of pulse, but who otherwise play well on their instrument? What do we do when they add extra beats when in 3/4 time, shorten note durations, or struggle performing tricky rhythms accurately? Using strategies based on Edwin E. Gordon’s Music Learning Theory (MLT), this session offers practical activities for addressing rhythm issues in transfer students. Gain fresh, pedagogically-sound ideas to use in your lessons immediately!
Speaker Biography
Joy Morin is a pianist, composer, and piano pedagogue — and the writer behind ColorInMyPiano.com, a blog for piano teachers. A devoted teacher and lifelong learner, she is driven by a curiosity about how music learning unfolds in musicians of various ages.
Joy teaches students of all ages at her independent piano studio near Ann Arbor, Michigan, and she serves as church pianist and director of music. Her scholarly focus is the intersection of piano pedagogy and music learning theory, particularly the research of Edwin E. Gordon. She currently serves as Secretary for the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (GIML) and as a member of the Young Musicians (Birth to Age 9) Committee for the Frances Clark Center. She holds multiple GIML and RCM certifications.
As a presenter, Joy has been featured at MTNA, NCKP, and state and regional conferences across the country. Her writing has appeared in Piano Magazine, Clavier Companion, and American Music Teacher, in addition to her own blog, where she has published regularly since 2009. She is also the founder and host of Retreat at Piano Manor, a professional development retreat for piano teachers, active since 2017 (pianoteacherretreat.com).
As a composer, Joy approaches composing the way she approaches teaching: with craft, curiosity, and a fascination with the intersection of pedagogy and artistry. That fascination shapes her compositions — pieces learnable by design and expressive by intention. She publishes with Alfred Music and self-publishes at keysatplay.com, including Keys at Play, Book 1 and other works. She also creates teaching resources at ColorInMyPiano.com/shop.
Joy holds a Master of Music from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude, from Hope College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She lives near Ann Arbor with her husband, daughters, and two cats.
November Program
Duane Davis: Lessons for a Lifetime
Topic Description
The presentation will include topics such as; inspiring a students lifelong passion for music; functional piano, aural and theoretical skills; helping the student to keep the joy for music; and other topics related the power of private lessons for the casual learner to the professional.
Speaker Biography
During the past 50 years, Duane has lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife Kaye. He has taught music at every level from middle through graduate school. Duane retired from Grand Rapids Community College in 2009, after which he taught at Western Michigan University and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. His career in music has been quite diverse. He served as Chorus Master Opera Grand Rapids for 31 years, conducted numerous All-State Vocal Jazz Ensembles, conducted choral ensembles in major works at Avery Fischer, Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center and most recently Carnegie Hall. Duane has been a guest lecturer and clinician in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan for the World Symposium on Choral Music, the Rigas Ritmi Music Festival in Riga, Latvia. He served as director of the Disney-Grammy All American College Singers for Walt Disney World and conducted the opening ceremonies for the WDW Animal Kingdom. In 2016 Duane served as Chorus Master for the Spoletto Festival USA production of Porgy and Bess, and premiered a rediscovered opera, Afram ou la bella Swite. Duane’s honors include the Grand Rapids Symphony Legacy Award, ACDA Maynard Klein Award for Choral Excellence, Grand Rapids Community College Giants Award and Emeritus Faculty, the Lifetime Achievement Grand Award in theater and the Distinguished Service in the Arts Award presented by the Arts Council of Grand Rapids. Most recently Duane received the Distinguished Alumni in the Arts award from Kent State University. His compositions have been premiered by the Grand Rapids Symphony and numerous choral ensembles. Duane and Kaye have three children (two sons are university professors in music) and a daughter (an elementary principal in New York City).
November Program
November 8, 2024 - Linette Popoff-Parks: How to Use Theory to Teach Interpretation
Program Description:
Music Theory and Interpretation Join Hands: an interactive session using pieces by Schumann, Haydn, and Chopin to explore ideas for connecting theory to expressive and artistic interpretation.
Bio:
Linette Popoff-Parks, Adjunct Professor at Madonna University, teaches applied piano, humanities, theory, Senior Seminar in Music, and coaches vocal students. After leaving the Chair's position at Madonna, she has expanded her studio to include private students in piano and those needing vocal coaching. Linette has been a member of The Well-Balanced Pianist Teacher Training Program for the past 2 ½ years, with a major emphasis on helping her students' bodies and minds find ease and coordination at the piano.
November Program
November 14, 2025 | Margarita Denenberg - Tension to Freedom; Exercising in the Name of Music
Topic Description
Tension and discomfort often creep into our piano lessons. Understanding our bodies and their natural movements can help prevent injuries and enhance our playing. This presentation will begin with a brief overview of the anatomy and physiology of our arms, emphasizing the range of movements available to us.
Next, I will share a variety of exercises that teachers can implement in their lessons. The essence of these exercises is to help students experience tension release, allowing them to transition safely from one movement to another. Each exercise targets a specific concept through movement, enabling students to produce a full, colorful, and vivid sound. All exercises focus on utilizing arm weight and building a healthy pianistic foundation.
The presentation will include two sets of exercises: "off the bench" exercises and those performed at the piano. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in these exercises together, creating a practical and interactive experience.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Margarita Denenburg is an Associate Professor of Practice in Piano Pedagogy and a Director of the Piano Project at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, she taught at Heidelberg University in Ohio as an Associate Professor of Keyboard Studies. A passionate musician and pedagogue, Dr. Denenburg was recognized for her teaching effectiveness through the “Innovative Teaching Award” and the “Excellence in Education Award” for the state of Ohio. Dr. Denenburg held several leadership positions on the board of the Ohio Federation Music Clubs, Ohio Music Teachers Association, and College Music Society. Recent positions for the Ohio MTA board included: President-Elect, Vice President for Student Activities, and chair for the Commissioned Composer Award.
Dr. Denenburg's research interests are in wellness, the history of piano pedagogy, elementary piano teaching, and technology. Dr. Denenburg has published multiple articles in the American Music Teacher Journal, The Piano Magazine, Clavier Companion Magazine, and Piano Pedagogy Forum. She presented at the Music Teachers National Association National Conference, the College Music Society National Conference, the National Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum, Ohio Music Teacher Association, the Texas Music Teacher Association as well as many College Music Society regional conferences.
Margarita Denenburg holds a Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from Arizona State University where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Baruch Meir. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California where she studied with Professor Bernadene Blaha. For more information about Dr. Margarita Denenburg please visit:
https://www.margarita-denenburg.com/An active church pianist and accompanist, Melody has also held the position of church music director. In addition to teaching piano in her private studio, Melody’s music teaching experience includes 20 years in public schools and two years at the university level.
A dynamic clinician and innovative composer, Melody is in great demand at conventions and workshops for piano teachers across North America. She resides in Minnesota with her husband, Jeff.