Our district sponsors a full year of musical events.  Some events permit our students to perform in front of large audiences, some are judged student events, some are benefit concerts by the teachers, and some are just plain fun events.  An overview of these events is shown below.  The detailed calendar of our planned annual events can be seen at this link:  DETAILED CALENDAR. 

District Junior Bach Festival - Chairperson: Jess Smith
    In February our District participates in the State-wide Junior Bach Festival. Participating students are evaluated by an invited adjudicator. The winners in our local competition then participate in the Regional event with a chance to advance to the State finals.

Ribbon Festival - Chairperson: Sarah Barker Ball
    In March we hold a Ribbon Festival at the Newport Performing Arts Center. We believe this is unique to our organization.

Students performing in this festival receive a ribbon and points for each category in which they perform. Each year approximately 100 students present more than 250 individual and group performances on a wide variety of instruments and in vocal groups.

Memorized Solo	Solo With Music	Original Composition	Ensemble	Musicianship	Art

OMTA Syllabus Program - Chairperson: Jessica Treon
    In May our District participates in the State-wide Syllabus Program. Students are evaluated by an OMTA State Adjudicator at their own level in music theory, musicianship (ear training, sight-reading, and rhythm reading) and technique, as well as their repertoire and skill as performers.  Each adjudicator is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and specifically trained by OMTA to evaluate students.

Ensemble Festival - Chairperson: Mary Lee scoville
    In November we conduct an Ensemble Festival. Here ensembles of students, or students and their teachers, or students and their parents perform on a variety of instruments at the Newport Performing Arts Center. This is a fun event for everybody!

Student Aid Benefit Recitals - Chairperson: Jessica Treon
    Twice each year, usually in February and September, our teachers and guest performers present Scholarship Benefit Recitals (often called "Spotlight on the Teachers") at the Newport Performing Arts Center. Donations received at these events are the primary means of supporting our District scholarship fund.  The fund provides full or partial scholarships for music lessons, books and attendance at special music events.  Both student and parent commitment are factors in awarding the scholarships. The fund was established in 1997 as the "OMTA Scholarship Fund" to provide financial assistance to needy and deserving  individual music students who would not otherwise be able to enjoy the full music learning experience. In 2008 the fund was designated as the "Suzanne Brown Student Aid Fund" in memory of Suzanne's long-time efforts on behalf of the fund.

    The founding teachers,  Mary Lee Scoville and Jessica "Jessie" Treon are joined in each recital by other OMTA teachers and guest performers. Scoville and Treon together with Suzanne Brown and guest Marcia Wilcox were known and recorded by their stage name of Les Huites Joues.  Their performance of Albert Lavignac's unique "Galop-Marche" for eight-hands at one piano, with accompanying antics in the musical style of Victor Borge, was always an audience favorite.

    Recitals typically include four-hand and eight-hand works on one and two pianos as well as individual performances. Guest performances have included a variety of brass, string, woodwind and vocal offerings. In February 2005 the guests included the 50-member Central Coast Chorale. In the September 2008 program a "first" was the first public performance of "Presto For Three Pianos" by Lincoln County music student Milo Graamans.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In addition to these annual events, special events add extra enjoyment to our coastal music scene. Some examples:

• August 3-5, 2007 we hosted the OMTA State Conference.  Our then-president, Sarah Barker Ball, co-chaired the event with Susan Todd from Portland.

• October 20, 2007 an organ workshop “Traditions for Tomorrow”  was presented by Dr. Jeannine Jordan.  This workshop, sponsored by our Lincoln County OMTA, introduced organ skills to pianists. Traditional organ technique, registration and repertoire were demonstrated, as well as integration of sounds from a MIDI attachment.

• October 11, 2008 a workshop "Rhythm Through Movement" was presented by Dr. Mary Kogen, Professor Emerita, Portland State University. Two photographs from this workshop are shown below.

Some rhythm teaching tools		Lincoln County teachers get with it !

This page last updated  September 25, 2009

(return to OMTA Home page)