Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)

Music Teachers National Association (or MTNA) was founded in 1876 by Theodore Presser and sixty-two colleagues in Delaware, Ohio. The stated mission of Music Teachers National Association is to advance the value of music study and music making to society and to support the professionalism of music teachers. The association maintains two subsidiary programs: MTNA Professional Certification Program and the MTNA Foundation Fund. The Professional Certification Program exists to improve the level of professionalism within the field of applied music teaching and helps the public readily identify competent music teachers in their communities. The MTNA Foundation Fund supports programs to financially assist teachers and students with their educational pursuits while providing an opportunity for individual and corporate support of MTNA and its programs.


MTNA structure

51 state affiliates (50 states and the District of Columbia) are grouped into seven divisions: Eastern, East Central, Northwest, Southern, Southwest, South Central, West Central. MTNA supports more than 500 local affiliates.

MTNA governance

The Board of Directors which is composed of: National Association Officers (6) Directors from each Division (7)

MTNA staff

The MTNA staff currently consists of 12 full time positions.

MTNA Conferences

The MTNA National Conference, held annually, brings together state and national officers, as well as an assortment of music teachers and professors from the United States and abroad. National competitions feature performances of students in all instrument areas - although primarily piano - as well as composition. Conferences include master classes, technology and informational sessions, pedagogy sessions, as well as various exhibits and performances by professional concert artists. Members have an opportunity to participate by submitting proposals and papers for presentation.

The 2010 MTNA Conference will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Hyatt Regency and Albuquerque Convention Center, March 20-24, 2010.

Publications

MTNA publishes many guides for teachers, as well as the magazine American Music Teacher[1], given to MTNA members.

American Music Teacher

American Music Teacher provides articles, reviews, and regular columns whose stated goal is to inform, educate, and challenge music teachers and foster excellence in the music teaching profession. It also serves to inform MTNA members of national, state, and local news, trends in the music field, and opportunities for students, as well as providing a forum for members' opinions and concerns about topics related to music teaching.



MTNA e-Journal

In September 2009, MTNA launched a new publication—the MTNA e-journal. The purpose of the MTNA e-Journal is to provide our members, especially those in academia, an online, peer-reviewed journal, which features in-depth, scholarly, research-oriented articles enhanced through the use of sound, image, and video links.

The MTNA e-Journal is published four times during the academic year: September, November, February and April. It is a benefit to MTNA members.

Technology

The completely redesigned MTNA website was launched in April, 2007. MTNA offers a free content management system, Association in a BoxTM, to its state and local affiliates. The AIB is a full-fledged web presence editable by anyone without requiring technical skill. The purpose of the AIB is to help state and local MTNA affiliates achieve a professional web presence with minimal budgetary impact.

Joining MTNA

MTNA has membership for Collegiate Members, Active Members, International Members, Institutional Members, and Corporate Members. Piano teachers who are certified through MTNA are also eligible for certification and membership in the International Piano Teachers Guild.