9:30-10:00 Pre-Meeting Discussion
Presenter: Lam Wong
Title: Demystifying Sight-Reading: What Scientific Research Tells Us About Reading Fluency
Sight-reading is the skill that fulfills a significant need for pianists but is overlooked by many teachers and traditional training programs. Its acquisition seems to be a mystery to many students, including some professionals.
This presentation will provide a framework to understand sight-reading from a scientific point of view by studying a sample of important research conducted in the past decades. Some generally used terminology related to sight-reading will be introduced, followed by a consideration of the research process and an examination of the results.
Concepts such as eye movement, pattern recognition, and the correlation between them will be discussed in detail, as well as how other metrics such as eye-hand span, predictive ability, psychomotor speed, and cognitive and behavioral processes all play an important role as indicators and predictors of a good sight-reader.
We will also assess selected musical excerpts through the lens of sight-playing, looking specifically at how one’s theoretical knowledge of and familiarity with certain types of notation affect sight-reading capacity. Lastly, we will discuss practical strategies and methodology for developing and enhancing sight-reading fluency in advanced-level pianists.
BIOGRAPHY
Known for “great imagination and extraordinary musicality” (Shantou Daily) in his playing, classical pianist Lam Wong made his debut with Liszt: 12 Études d’exécution transcendante at the age of fourteen. He has since appeared in numerous festivals and concert venues in Asia and North America. He has also worked with distinguished artists Marc-André Hamelin, Mikhail Voskresensky, and performed in master classes of Boris Berman, Richard Goode, Robert Levin, Nelita True, and Arie Vardi. He is also the winner of the Thaviu-Isaak Piano Competition, Lillian Fuchs Competition, Dover Competition, and finalist of MTNA Chamber Music Competition. As an avid chamber musician, Wong performed in chamber music festivals, including Sarasota Music Festival, Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. His recent chamber performance can be heard on the radio station WFMT in Chicago.
Wong maintains a wide range of research interests in topics ranging from performance practice to piano pedagogy. As an active member and presenter, he has held sessions at state and national conferences. His recent presentations include a research topic on Beethoven’s Manuscript at the Illinois State Music Teacher Association (ISMTA) Conference (2022), a study on Piano Four-Hand Repertory at the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Virtual Conference (2021), and a pedagogical topic on Developing Sight-Reading Fluency at the ISMTA Conference (2019).
As the Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy Courses, Wong currently teaches undergraduate and graduate piano pedagogy courses at Northwestern Bienen School of Music. In addition to his teaching duties at the University, he is also on the faculty of the Northwestern Music Academy, offering private and group lessons. His teaching experience includes working with students of all ages and levels while on the faculties of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Music Conservatory of Illinois. He frequently adjudicates at local festivals, competitions, and standardized exams. His students have won regional piano competitions and scholarship auditions, earned high honors and distinctions in standardized exams, and been accepted into some of the country’s finest music schools to study music.
Wong holds a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan School of Music, and a master’s from Yale School of Music. He is currently pursuing Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance and pedagogy at Northwestern University, studying with James Giles. His previous teachers include Hung-Kuan Chen, Christopher Elton, Peter Frankl, and Marc Silverman. As a piano performance and pedagogy dual major, he also works closely with the Former Director of Piano Pedagogy, Dr. Marcia Bosits, at Northwestern University.
10:00-11:00 Business Meeting
Meeting will be led by NSMTA President, George Radosavljevic followed by refreshments.
11:00-12:00 Program
Presenter: Ann Surace
Program: Stress-Free Performance Through Intelligent Preparation (A Pianist's Checklist)
The miserable truth is that Insecurity and Fear of Failure can immobilize a would-be recitalist. He/she is doomed to join the thousands (perhaps millions) who "don't perform anymore." A proven procedure can enable pianists who "used to perform" to return with confidence and joy to their first love--self-expression through musical performance.
Ann Surace has devised a checklist with workable solutions that have been used by middle-aged teachers, college students, and pre-college students preparing for contests and recitals.
BIOGRAPHY
Ann Surace is a piano instructor at the Music Institute of Chicago at Lake Forest and Director of Music/Organist at Christ the King Anglican Church in Evanston.
She holds a MM in piano performance from Northwestern University where she studied with Gui Mombaerts and taught in the preparatory department under Guy Duckworth. Her BM in performance is from St. Olaf College under Charlotte Donhowe. There she minored in violin and was principle first violin in the college orchestra.
Her musical background is enriched by many years of study in violin, clarinet, organ and voice, with experience in orchestral, chamber, and church music. She was soprano soloist in countless oratorios and sang the role of Alice in her husband’s chamber opera, “Wonderland.”
Her teaching career began in her mother’s piano studio at age 13. After college she taught on the faculties of St. Olaf College, the U of Cincinnati College Conservatory, and Jacksonville State University: applied piano; pedagogy; theory; and class strings. When her two children were young she taught pre-college piano in her private studio for several years.
Her extensive experience in music competitions started in elementary and high school where she was a Wisconsin State Winner in piano, violin, clarinet, and vocal auditions. As a young adult she won the Farwell Piano Competition and was a finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing voice auditions at the graduate level.
Many of her students have won prizes in competitions: several state winners of the AMTA Mason-Hamlin High School Auditions and AMTA Baldwin Competition; NSMTA Sonata Festivals and AIM auditions; and numerous college scholarships in piano and voice.