Every week, our students perform under the watchful eye of their JoMS volunteer teachers. But it never hurts to get an independent perspective. That’s why we happily participate in the Knoxville Music Teachers Association Festival, which gives some of our more accomplished students a chance to play for a rating before a judge. This year we sponsored six piano students, who played in early March at 2nd Presbyterian Church. Each performed two pieces — one a required piece from an American composer and the other a piece of their choice. Our students receiving “excellent” ratings: Carpenter, Brittany and Grace. Those whose performances were judged “superior”: Vitaliy, Julianna and Michael. Their JoMS teachers are Patricia Carter, Frank Graffeo and Karen Ladd.

“We try to encourage our kids to perform as much as possible,” says Julie Carter, the School’s Director of Music Education. “It’s an important aspect of learning music, and the skills they develop while performing will help them in many facets of their life. ”The judges in the KMTA Festival are local piano teachers. “The kids get wonderful feedback from them,” Julie adds. “They’re very supportive while making suggestions: ‘I really like this; you could improve on that…’ The kids enjoy having feedback like that, from someone they don’t know. It’s a very constructive experience. ”Congrats to our six performers and special thanks to volunteer teacher Patricia Carter’s Glissando Club, which let our students perform at the festival as part of their club this year.